The garlic and honey sauce speaks to our most primal instincts. Even if you’ve never tasted this kind of dish before, there’s just something magical that this combination of words evokes in us.

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In fact, the non-vegan version of this recipe, the garlic and honey chicken fritters, is my most popular crispy Chinese chicken recipe, even above my famous crispy Chinese sweet and sour chicken recipe.

Chinese crispy chicken is an extremely addictive cooking style and very popular in China, and tofu, with a few modifications, is perfect to replace it

Indeed, it’s a very versatile cooking style because the base (breading) remains the same but you can vary the sauce endlessly.

crispy chicken fritters — My basic breading for all Asian fritter recipes

For example, I’m not saying anything, but there might be a Chinese caramelized chicken recipe coming out in the next few weeks.

Anyway, let’s focus on the garlic and honey tofu recipe, enjoy your meal in advance! 🙂

The main ingredients for garlic and honey tofu fritters

Light soy sauce: not to be confused with dark soy sauce which would give it a completely different taste. I say more about this in my full article on the subject.

Sesame oil: Although there’s only a teaspoon, the taste is extremely powerful so be careful not to overdose, at the risk of completely eclipsing the taste of the rest of the ingredients in the honey garlic sauce. Learn everything about this delicious condiment here

Tips for crispy garlic and honey tofu

Be careful not to fry too many pieces of tofu at once to avoid pieces sticking together. I usually fry about 6 to 8 pieces at a time if I’m using my small Asian fryer.

Asian fryer with fritters — The famous Asian fryer

To spice up the tofu, don’t hesitate to add more chili flakes. You can also add whole chilies to the sauce, the choice is yours!

It’s best to serve immediately. My special breading is tough but this sauce is devilishly acidic and will soon soften your tofu fritters

Use a cooking thermometer to ensure your oil is at the right temperature. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the tofu may burn before the inside is cooked.

If the oil is too cold, the tofu will absorb more oil and be heavy and greasy (fat is life but in moderation).

meat fritters — Fritters cooking in hot oil

If you want to have leftovers for another day, plan to keep some of the garlic and honey tofu separate from the sauce. This way, you can reheat the tofu and sauce separately, and the dish will retain its flavor and texture.

The ideal is even to freeze the tofu after the first frying and then “reheat” it by putting it in the fryer. This way you have garlic and honey tofu in ten minutes flat.

If you want a recipe that’s more on the sweet and sour side, I recommend the classic sweet and sour tofu fritters

Large sweet and sour popcorn chicken — Sweet and Sour Tofu Fritters

Maybe you prefer wings or tenders? In that case, with a slightly different garlic and honey sauce, I’ll redirect you to my recipe for tenders or wings.

Freezing tofu: an essential element of the recipe

Freezing the extra firm tofu block (no need to press out the water before freezing) is essential, as the water inside the tofu expands when freezing and creates these layers in the tofu to give it an even more “meat-like” texture. It’s a technique I love to use in my vegetarian recipes for its added texture and consistency.