• Prep time: about 10 minutes
• Cook time: 15 to 20 minutes
• Total time: 25 to 30 minutes (an editorial estimate built from Sweet Simple Vegan's 20-minute version and The Kitchn's under-30-minute one; expect the higher end if a small pan means frying in two batches)
• Yield: 2 to 3 servings (Sweet Simple Vegan; The Kitchn)

Every ingredient below is plant-based; Sweet Simple Vegan lists its own version simply as vegan (Sweet Simple Vegan).

What you'll need:

• One block extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-size cubes
• Salt, for draining
• Cornstarch, for coating the tofu and a small spoonful for the sauce
• Chili crisp, the sauce's backbone
• Soy sauce or tamari
• Rice vinegar
• Just enough neutral oil to coat the bottom of a skillet, for shallow frying

Extra-firm tofu is worth the small extra effort over regular firm. It holds its shape better in the pan thanks to a lower moisture content to begin with (The Kitchn).

1. Drain the tofu. Two methods work here, and either gets the job done. The Kitchn cuts the tofu into cubes first, salts them, and lets them sit in a single layer for about 10 minutes; Sweet Simple Vegan presses the whole block before cutting, for at least 10 minutes (The Kitchn; Sweet Simple Vegan). This version follows the cut-and-salt method since it skips digging out a press. Well-drained means the plate or paper towel underneath looks damp, not soaked; if the cubes are still weeping liquid, give them a few more minutes.

2. Make the sauce. While the tofu drains, whisk chili crisp with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a small spoonful of cornstarch in a bowl. The cornstarch thickens the sauce so it coats rather than runs off (The Kitchn). Chili crisp does most of the flavor work here, so the ingredient list stops short (Sweet Simple Vegan). Set the bowl aside; it stays off the stove until the tofu is done.

3. Coat and fry. Toss the drained cubes in cornstarch until every side looks lightly powdered, then shake off the excess. Too much left clinging turns gummy in the oil instead of crisping. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high, then add the tofu in a single, uncrowded layer, working in two batches if the pan is small. Fry until the crust is deep golden-brown on every side; color is the tell here, not the clock (Sweet Simple Vegan; The Kitchn).

4. Sauce it off the heat. If frying happened in batches, gather all the tofu back in the pan or a large bowl before the sauce goes in, so every piece gets coated at once. Pull the pan off the burner, pour in the sauce, and toss until it clings to every cube, just a few seconds since the pan is no longer hot. Mixing off the heat keeps the crust intact and stops the chili crisp from scorching (The Kitchn; Sweet Simple Vegan). Done right, the tofu has an audible crunch, no deep fryer required (The Kitchn, yesterday).

Chili crisp brands vary in heat and saltiness, and sodium can run high in some of them, so taste the sauce before it goes anywhere near the tofu (Eat Healthy 365; Sweet Simple Vegan). Adjust with a bit more sugar or soy sauce rather than sticking to a fixed ratio. The same measurements will not taste identical from one jar to the next.

That variance is also why the sauce only meets the pan after the burner is off, treating chili crisp as a finishing ingredient rather than something to cook down further (Eat Healthy 365).

For a gluten-free version, swap tamari in for the soy sauce and check the chili crisp label itself, since some brands include soy sauce made with wheat (Sweet Simple Vegan; Eat Healthy 365).

Tofu came out steamed instead of crisp. This almost always means the pan was crowded. Cubes packed too close trap steam between each other instead of browning, so fry in batches and give each piece room to actually touch hot oil (Sweet Simple Vegan).

The crust never fully crisped up. Before blaming the recipe, check three things: whether the tofu was well-drained, whether the cornstarch coating was even, and whether the oil was hot before the tofu went in. Sweet Simple Vegan flags all three as the usual culprits, along with an overcrowded pan (Sweet Simple Vegan).

Leftovers lost their crunch. This dish is built to be eaten fresh, since the crust is at its best in the minutes right after it comes off the heat (Sweet Simple Vegan). Leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to three days, but reheat them in a skillet or air fryer rather than the microwave, which softens the coating back into mush (Sweet Simple Vegan).

The classic move is spooning this crispy tofu with chili crisp over steamed rice, letting the grains soak up whatever sauce pools at the bottom of the bowl (Sweet Simple Vegan). For something heartier, toss the tofu with cooked noodles or stir-fried vegetables so the sauce coats more than just rice (The Kitchn; Sweet Simple Vegan). For the fastest version of this easy chili crisp tofu recipe, skip the plate and stir the tofu straight into a bowl of instant ramen, finished with scallions or sesame seeds (The Kitchn; Sweet Simple Vegan).

Once the jar is open, it rarely stops at tofu. A few other places the same spoonful goes to work:

• Fried eggs. The Kitchn drizzles chili crisp straight over fried eggs as a topping (The Kitchn, yesterday).
• Noodle salad. Serious Eats whisks it into a tahini-based dressing, then adds more on top as a garnish (Serious Eats, three months ago).
• Cacio e pepe. Also drizzled on at the end, per The Kitchn, rather than cooked into the dish (The Kitchn, yesterday).
• Creamy pasta. Bon Appétit spoons it over a finished yogurt-and-pasta sauce, loosening it with a little neutral oil first if it looks dry (Bon Appétit, in 2024).

The method comes down to three moves: drain the tofu properly, fry it uncrowded until the crust actually browns, and sauce it only once the pan is off the heat. Skip any one of those and the dish drifts toward soggy stir-fry instead of something with real crunch.

The same jar that makes this tofu work is doing double duty in a lot of other dinners already sitting in the fridge. Keep it stirred, keep it off the direct heat when it counts, and it earns its shelf space well beyond this one recipe.