Tips and Ideas for Marinating Tofu

As a tofu fan, it’s sometimes hard to hear when a friend turns their nose up at it, claiming it to be gross or not taste of anything. Of course, it’s cool that folks have different taste preferences. We don’t all like the same stuff.

The thing is, when people say they don’t like tofu, there is often this strong feeling that they just haven’t cooked or seasoned it well. Either they or whoever cooked for them must have missed the mark.  It’s not tofu’s fault if it doesn’t taste good.

If you or someone you know isn’t fully convinced by tofu, yet, have a go at making one of these amazing marinates for your tofu and see your recipes reach new heights. If after this, it’s still a no-go, maybe it’s time to move on!

Some Tips on Marinading Tofu

Source: The Plantbased Kitchen/YouTube

There aren’t any hard fast rules, here. Marinating can take minutes to hours or even days. It all depends on how intense you want your flavors to be. The type of tofu you use will also dictate the outcome of your marinating adventures.

Extra Firm Tofu– This type of tofu is amazing for searing and frying up as it holds together really well and has a great ‘meaty’ texture. That said, due to its density, it takes a lot longer to suck up flavors from a marinade.  If you can, marinate your extra firm tofu for at least an hour, and even overnight if you have the time.

Any less time than this will result in a tofu chunk that is marinaded on the outside, but still rather flavorless in the middle.

Firm Tofu- This tofu is a lot less dense and can more easily absorb flavors for marinades. You can get away with marinating this type of tofu for just 10-20 minutes. Get your tofu marinating while you prepare the rest of the veggies and other ingredients for your dish.

Source: The Plantbased Kitchen/YouTube

Pressing Tofu– If you have firm or extra firm tofu, you can go ahead and try to remove some of the excess water in it by pressing it. Pressing your tofu makes it drier and easier to cook up to a crispier finish. It is also more apt to suck up the flavor of your marinades.

You can use a tofu press or just put your tofu block between two sheets of kitchen paper or napkins and put something heavy onto such as a cookbook or skillet.

Now you have the perfect tofu, check out some of these delicious marinade recipes.

Peanut Butter Tofu Marinade

Source: Peanut Butter Tofu

Once your tofu cubes have marinated in this delicious, rich peanut butter marinade, it becomes eligible for all kinds of dishes. You can serve it with rice, in a salad, or add it to Thai and other Asian-inspired meals.

First, you will bake your tofu to make it crispy and dry, then you will marinate it for at least ten minutes. However, the longer you leave it marinating the better.

• 1 12 oz package of extra firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 tbsp soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1-2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon oil

Once it has marinated, you will stir-fry it before serving.

Masala Tofu Marinade

Source: Curries With Bumbi/YouTube

This marinade will help you to change your mind about tofu. This is a really quick mixture that you can whip up and marinate your tofu in before frying it up and serving it with rice or other Indian-inspired dishes.

• 1 tablespoon plant-based yogurt
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• pinch salt to taste
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sugar or sweetener of your choice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons gram flour or cornstarch

Peppered Tofu Marinade

Source: Peppered Tofu Steaks

Before presenting tofu to your friends at a BBQ, make sure that you have doused your tofu in this pepper marinade by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer.

Make sure that you prepare the marinade well in advance and leave the tofu marinating for at least four hours before cooking.

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pink pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

Chinese-Inspired Tofu Marinade

Source: Nora Cooks/YouTube

This recipe for marinated tofu calls upon some classic Chinese and Asian flavors. Sesame, ginger, and soy sauce all combine to give your tofu the perfect flavors for accompanying rice, salad, and stir-fried veggies.

• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, OR 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
• 2-3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

You can leave your tofu marinating for as long as you wish. Overnight would be an awesomely intense flavor, but if you don’t have time, anything will give your tofu a flavor leg up.

Related Content:

• 6 Fantastic Marinades for Tofu That Will Make Your Taste Buds Dance
• How to Make the Perfect Baked Tofu
• Why Is Everyone Hatin’ On Soy These Days?
• Why Tofu Consumption Is Not Responsible for Soy-Related Deforestation
• How to Make Tofu From Scratch At Home (The Easy Way)

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!