Pan-Fried Soy Curls with Homemade Garlic Sauce
by Olivia Biermann
on Jun 22, 2021 (updated Mar 5, 2026)
Learn how to make soy curls with this delicious and simple recipe. These soy curls are re-hydrated and then pan-fried in a sweet, spicy and tangy sauce made with garlic, soy sauce, and more. Ready in only 20 minutes!
Soy curls are incredibly easy to work with, and absolutely delicious. This post will show you how to easily turn this vegan meat substitute (which is our favourite to cook with!) into a very convincing chicken alternative.
We are also big fans of using soy curls to make vegan chicken salad sandwiches for a hearty and satisfying lunch.
Our favourite speedy meal on a weeknight
This recipe could not be any easier unless, of course, you want to skip the homemade sauce (although I recommend trying it!) and use a store-bought sauce instead. If you are short on time or have a favourite store-bought sauce, by all means use that.
This is an incredibly quick recipe because you can make the sauce while the soy curls are soaking and rehydrating in the broth. Then, once they are drained you simply toss them in the pan with oil to crisp up, then add the sauce and watch the magic happen. I like to save a bit of sauce to serve with them for dipping.
I always give the soy curls a little squeeze after draining to make sure I get out as much liquid as possible. When you remove the excess moisture it allows them to brown properly and develop those crispy, caramelized edges instead of staying soft and spongy.
Do they really taste like chicken?
Because soy curls come dry and shelf-stable, they need to be rehydrated. Our preference is to use a vegan chicken-flavoured broth (I get mine from Bulk Barn but it is also easy to find vegan chicken stock cubes online) so they sort of, well, taste like chicken!
Soy curls are an ingredient we often use in our favourite vegan dinner recipes, because the texture is chewier and much less mushy than tofu. Since these are pan-fried soy curls, they crisp up really nicely, which gives them an amazing chewy texture once the sauce has been added.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try it out, make sure to give it a rating and review below. As always, if you have a question you can pop it below as well. Enjoy!
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Pan-Fried Soy Curls with Homemade Garlic Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: ~ 2 cups of soy curls
Description
Learn how to make soy curls with this delicious and simple recipe. These soy curls are re-hydrated and then pan-fried in a sweet, spicy and tangy sauce made with garlic, soy sauce, and more. Ready in only 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 100g / about 2 cups soy curls
- 2 1/2 cups vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp oil
Sweet & Spicy Tangy Garlic Sauce:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 broth reserved from soaked soy curls
Instructions
- Place soy curls in a bowl or container and cover with broth. Set aside for 10 minutes to rehydrate.
- Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine all sauce ingredients and blend until combined. Set aside.
- Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add oil. Drain the soy curls, giving them a little squeeze in the strainer or pressing gently with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Add to the hot frying pan. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until starting to brown.
- Add 1/3 cup of sauce and stir to coat. Cook a few more minutes until soy curls are browned and starting to crisp.
- Add to serving dish and serve with extra sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a frying pan or microwave until hot.
Thanks so much for providing this Soy Curls recipe. I bought a bag and was at a loss of how to use them. This is absolutely perfect. It was a great accompaniment to our vegan meal.
So many cool things to do with soy curls! I’m still learning new fun ways to use them :). So happy you enjoyed!!