Sweet and Sour Tofu with Pineapple

Better than takeout and almost as easy! This sweet and sour tofu is made with crispy pan-fried tofu in a tangy pineapple sauce, with red bell pepper chunks and crunchy roasted cashews.

I feel like every time I buy a pineapple for a recipe, I end up getting multiple dishes out of that one pineapple. It’s just a high mileage fruit like that. It’s also big, and super sweet and flavorful, so you don’t need to use a whole lot of fruit for one dish.

Also, lots of times my first attempt at creating a new recipe is unsuccessful, or I think a few adjustments might make it better, so I have to try again, in which case, if that recipe called for pineapple, I would end up using it all up. But that doesn’t ever seem actually to happen with pineapple. Maybe it’s so delicious you can’t screw it up.

Okay, that’s not true, but you might have to try pretty hard to mess up a pineapple based dish, by pairing it with…I can’t even think of anything (I sat and brainstormed on this for about 10 minutes). Point proven. Pineapple rules.

Since it’s so hard to make pineapple taste bad, it must be really easy to make it taste good. Such is the case with this recipe. It was so easy. Just simmer a simple sweet and sour sauce on the stove. Pineapple and red bell pepper chunks go right in the sauce.

While that happens, pan-fry some tofu in just a bit of oil.

When the tofu is done, add the sauce to the tofu, and voila: dinner! See, almost as easy as takeout.

So go out, buy a pineapple and make this. You’ll probably have some leftover. Use it for another batch of sweet and sour tofu, or use it in anything, because apparently you can. (Chocolate, pizza, onions, tomatoes, peanut butter…capers? I’ll have to think on that one.)

Tips for Making Amazing Sweet and Sour Tofu

• Joking aside, what should you do with your leftover pineapple? Put it in a batch of fried rice, stuff it in a sandwich, or make a vegan pineapple upside down cake!
• If you struggle with cooking crispy tofu, check out this post for some guidance.
• For extra crispy tofu (if you’re okay with a little added fat content) try dredging it in cornstarch before pan-frying. Use the method from this recipe.
• You can switch up the bell pepper with your favorite veggies, but keep in mind that the cook-time might be different. For most veggies I’d say go with less, so add them after the sauce has already been simmering for a few minutes.

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5 from 4 votes

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Pineapple Sweet and Sour Tofu

Better than takeout and almost as easy! This sweet and sour tofu is made with crispy pan-fried tofu in a tangy pineapple sauce, with red bell pepper chunks and crunchy roasted cashews.

Course Entree

Cuisine American, Chinese

Keyword chinese, easy, pineapple, tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 262 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
• 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon Sambal oelek or sriracha, optional
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed at least 15 minutes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Stir the vegetable broth, cider vinegar, agave or maple syrup, pineapple, bell pepper, soy sauce or tamari, chili paste or sriracha and garlic together in small saucepan and place over medium heat. 

2. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. While sauce simmers, whisk the cold water and cornstarch together in small bowl. Set it aside.

4. About halfway through sauce's cooking time, prepare the tofu. Coat large a skillet with oil and place it over medium-high heat. 

5. Arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping 2-3 times during cooking to ensure browning on multiple sides.

6. Once the simmer time for the sauce is up, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Allow it to simmer for another minute or two, until it thickens up.

7. Pour the sauce and pineapple mixture over the tofu. Stir to coat the tofu and remove the skillet from heat.

8. Serve with rice and top with cashews and scallions.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information does not include rice.

Nutrition Facts

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Tofu

Amount Per Serving

Calories 262 Calories from Fat 113

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12.5g 19%

Saturated Fat 2.5g 13%

Sodium 373mg 16%

Potassium 431mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 29g 10%

Dietary Fiber 2.5g 10%

Sugars 18.8g

Protein 12.2g 24%

Calcium 20%

Iron 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.