Sharing is caring!
These Soy Garlic Tofu Balls are great with rice, noodles, in a wrap, or as-is! I used my favourite air-fried tofu balls and cooked them down in a deliciously sweet, savoury, and garlicky sauce You can also use this sauce for tofu, veggies, and even store-bought plant based meat balls!
AIR FRIED TOFU BALLS
I love making these air-fried tofu balls, which are the base of this recipe. The balls are made of tofu and a few other basic ingredients.

These are super easy to put together and you can leave the rest to your air-fryer or oven to cook down. These are great as a finger food or snack with your dipping sauce or glaze of choice, like in this recipe.



I had some f these air-fried tofu balls with a spicy mayo, while the rest I cooked down in this delicious soy garlic sauce.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
You can find the full detailed recipe in the card below!
TOFU
- Tofu Balls (recipe here) or other plant-based meat balls of choice
SOY GARLIC SAUCE
- garlic, minced
- Chinese black vinegar
- soy sauce
- vegetarian oyster sauce
- sugar
- room temperature water
- corn starch
FOR STIR-FRYING
- neutral oil
- scallion, chopped (green and white parts separated)
- shallot or red onion
- red bell pepper
COOKING THE SOY GARLIC TOFU BALLS
- Note: You can double the sauce if you’re using more than 10 tofu balls and adding more veggies
FOR THE SAUCE
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Feel free to adjust it to your taste and add more or less of everything depending on your preference.


STIR-FRYING
- Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add in the oil. Once hot, add the white part of the scallion. Sauté for 1 minute. Add in the onion and bell pepper. Cook until the bell pepper is tender. Stir-fry any other vegetables you plan to use before adding the sauce.
- Give the sauce another mix (since the starch tends to settle at the bottom). Pour the sauce into the pan/wok. Leave to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, the sauce will start will start to thicken from the starch.
- Add in the tofu balls or other meatballs you’re using. Coat well in the sauce and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.







SERVE AND ENJOY!
- Serve and enjoy with rice, noodles, or have these tofu balls inside a wrap.


MORE TOFU RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE
Check out my tips on how to store tofu!
- Kung Pao Tofu
- Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
- Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
- Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
- Tofu “Chicken” Teriyaki
- Korean Spicy Braised Tofu
- Fried ‘Chicken’ and Gravy
- Tofu Katsu
- Nori-Wrapped Tofu in Spicy Sauce
- Maple Hoisin Tofu
- Orange Tofu
- Pan-Fried Tofu Cakes
Soy Garlic Tofu Balls
Ingredients
Tofu Balls
- 10 pieces Tofu Balls or other plant-based meat balls of choice , see homemade tofu balls recipe here
Soy Garlic Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp room temperature water
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
For Stir-Frying
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 scallion , chopped (green and white parts separated)
- 1/2 small shallot or red onion , diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper , seeded and diced
Instructions
- Note: You can double the sauce if you’re using more than 10 tofu balls and adding more veggies
Sauce
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Feel free to adjust it to your taste and add more or less of everything depending on your preference.
Stir-Frying
- Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add in the oil. Once hot, add the white part of the scallion. Sauté for 1 minute. Add in the onion and bell pepper. Cook until the bell pepper is tender. Stir-fry any other vegetables you plan to use before adding the sauce.
- Give the sauce another mix (since the starch tends to settle at the bottom). Pour the sauce into the pan/wok. Leave to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, the sauce will start will start to thicken from the starch.
- Add in the tofu balls or other meatballs you’re using. Coat well in the sauce and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve and enjoy with rice, noodles, or have these tofu balls inside a wrap.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
YOU CAN PIN THIS IMAGE:

This Post Has 2 Comments
I absolutely love these and make them almost every week. They are great with one of the sauces or plain. I will often make them for dinner and then take a few with a salad to work for lunches during the week!!
Can I freeze the tofu balls once they are cooked and then just defrost and sauce them when I am ready to eat? I am having a kitchen remodel done and would love to have these in my freezer.
Hi Mary, so happy hearing this! And yes you can freeze the cooked tofu balls! I recommend to pop them straight into an air fryer or oven from the freezer to cook. Hope this helps! And good luck with the kitchen remodeling ◡̈