Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Crispy tofu, roasted vegetables, and a sticky, sweet-and-spicy sauce come together for the most delicious no-fuss meal in this General Tso’s tofu sheet pan dinner.
How long it takes: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes to press the tofu
Equipment you’ll need: 1 sheet pan, mixing bowls, parchment paper
Servings: 4
Fall in Love With Tofu
I’ve honestly been loving tofu so much lately. I’ll admit, sometimes I buy it and it just sits in my fridge, but I’ve leveled up, purchased a real tofu press, and gotten serious about it.
The best part about this recipe? It’s a total “lazy pro” move (“lazy pro perfectly captures my style of cooking). You roast the veggies and the tofu together on one pan (the tofu gets so crispy!), whisk the sauce in a bowl, and pour it right on.
No standing over a wok and no oil splatters on your shirt.
What makes it special:
- Tofu you’ll actually WANT to eat. When it’s not prepared and cooked properly, tofu can be bland, boring, and mushy. In this sheet pan dinner, the tofu gets crispy in the oven and the sticky sauce clings to every bit of it.
- Bold but balanced flavors. My take on General Tso’s sauce has just the right amount of kick to make things interesting without being “whoa, that’s spicy!”
- Easy one pan dinner. Cleanup is a breeze!
More Crowd-Pleasing Tofu Recipes
For more tofu recipes that don’t miss, check out my baked sesame tofu and tofu sheet pan dinner with peanut sauce.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down for the complete recipe, including measurements! This is just an overview, with some helpful tips and substitution ideas.
- Extra-firm tofu: The tofu is coated with oil and cornstarch to make it crispy when it’s baked. Coarsely ground black pepper adds flavor.
- Vegetables: We use a colorful mix of broccoli, carrots, and red bell pepper. You’ll need additional oil for the veggies, which are seasoned simply with kosher salt.
- Sauce: The sauce is made with equal parts low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce, along with ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger. The sauce is thickened with cornstarch.
- For serving: I like to garnish this meal with sliced green onions. Toasted sesame seeds would be perfect, too.
How to Make General Tso’s Sheet Pan Tofu Dinner
Press the tofu. Press the tofu to remove excess moisture using a tofu press or another method that you prefer. Let it drain for about 30 minutes. Once it’s drained, cut it into evenly-sized cubes.
Recipe Tip
Don’t skip pressing the tofu! This step helps the tofu crisp up in the oven rather than steam, and it also improves the flavor of the tofu.
Cook the rice. If you plan on serving this meal with rice, get that started before you begin baking the sheet pan dinner.
Prep the pan. Turn your oven on to preheat, and line a large rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. If you prefer, you can spray it with nonstick spray or coat it with olive oil.
Season the tofu. Toss the tofu with the cornstarch in a bowl. Add the oil and black pepper, then toss again. Spread onto the prepared sheet pan.
Season the veggies. In the same bowl, toss the veggies with oil and salt, then spread them onto the other side of the sheet pan.
Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast for 35 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and the tofu is crispy.
Make the sauce. While the General Tso’s tofu and veggies are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
Add the sauce. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, stir the tofu and veggies, then pour in the sauce and stir again. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until the sauce is sticky, thick, and bubbling. Stir again.
Serve. Add a scoop of rice to four shallow bowls and top with General Tso tofu and vegetables. Garnish with a handful of sliced green onions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, if you like.
My Favorite Sheet Pans
I use these for everything! I have four of them and they’re in constant rotation from my oven to my sink to my cupboard.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegan. If you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for the sauce, this recipe will be both vegetarian and vegan.
- Try a different protein. Tempeh would also work for a meatless protein that has a nutty flavor and more firm texture. Another alternative is to substitute canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained) for the tofu. If you prefer meat instead of tofu, try boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Switch up the veggies. Change the vegetables to go with what’s in season. Asparagus or snap peas are great in the spring, or try eggplant and green beans in the summer.
- Add crunch. When you add the sauce, stir in a handful of cashews or peanuts.
Serving Ideas
- Rice. Soak up the sauce with Instant Pot jasmine rice or Instant Pot brown rice. For extra protein, make a batch of Instant Pot quinoa instead of rice.
- Noodles. Rice noodles or soba noodles are also great with this General Tso’s tofu sheet pan dinner.
- Asian-inspired salad. This Asian salad is the perfect way to add extra veggies to your meal! Another one of my favorites is a mandarin orange salad.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm the tofu and vegetables in the microwave until heated through, or in a nonstick skillet set over medium heat.
More Sheet Pan Recipes
General Tso’s Tofu Sheet Pan Dinner
Ingredients
For Tofu:
- 1 block (14 to 16 ounces) extra‑firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
For Vegetables:
- 1 crown broccoli, cut into small florets (about 3 cups)
- 2 carrots, sliced in ¼ -inch slices (about 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1‑inch pieces (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For Sauce:
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth or water is okay, too)
- ¼ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
For Serving:
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice (about 4 ½ cups cooked rice)
- thinly sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Wrap tofu in a clean lint-free towel and press for 30 minutes under a heavy skillet, or use a tofu press. After tofu is pressed, cut it into ½ -inch cubes.1 block (14 to 16 ounces) extra‑firm tofu
- If you need to cook rice to serve with the meal, get that started before baking the tofu.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a rimmed sheet pan (about 18 x 13 inches) generously with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper (see note).
- In a medium bowl, gently toss the tofu with cornstarch. Add the oil and black pepper, and toss until coated. Spread the cubes in a single layer on one third of the pan.2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- In the same bowl, combine the broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, additional oil, and salt. Arrange the vegetables on the other side of the pan.1 crown broccoli, cut into small florets, 2 carrots, sliced in ¼ -inch slices, 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1‑inch pieces, 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir up the sauce. in a small bowl, whisk broth, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sriracha, cornstarch, and ginger until smooth.¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth, ¼ cup lower-sodium soy sauce, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- Remove the pan from the oven, stir the tofu and vegetables gently to loosen them from the pan, then pour the sauce over the tofu and vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Return the pan to the oven to bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Stir again.
- Serve immediately over steamed rice or noodles, garnished with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Baking tofu: Even though I generally don’t line the pan with parchment paper for sheet pan dinners, I prefer to use parchment paper when I’m baking tofu because the tofu tends to stick a bit. It browns nicely on the parchment and gets crispy.
- Vegetarian/vegan: With the simple substitution of vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth, this recipe is perfect for a vegetarian or vegan diet.
- Storage: Any leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days. It can be frozen in a resealable freezer bag or freezer container for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or in a small skillet.
- Variations: Try tempeh instead of tofu. Boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces can be substituted for the tofu. Try different vegetables, depending on what’s in season or happens to be in your refrigerator. Toss in a handful of cashews or peanuts to add crunch. For a shortcut, buy General Tso’s sauce instead of making homemade.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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