Home » Recipes » Marinated Tofu Recipe (for the BEST Tofu Flavour!)
posted by Jessica Hylton on Mar 1, 2021 82 comments »
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5 (from 82 ratings)
This Marinated Tofu recipe will make you fall in LOVE with tofu with LOTS of great tips! It’s great for baking, pan-frying, grilling, in the air fryer and so much more! Perfect for a multi-purpose simple marinade and makes your tofu so flavourful.
A common question I hear is, “my tofu is so bland by itself – how do I get it to taste tasty?”. I love hearing this because it means there are SO many possibilities and that I get the opportunity to blow someone’s mind with how good tofu can taste!
Just like you would pretty much ANY protein source, you HAVE to season tofu if you want it to have flavour. As I said in my Tofu 101 blog post (a must read), it’s not tofu’s job to taste good. It’s a complete source of protein, and a beautiful blank slate to season with whatever your heart desires. Season it well (in fact – season all your veggies) and your tastebuds will thank you. It’s that simple. This is the general tofu marinade recipe that I use for many of my tofu recipes at home. When we just want some tasty tofu, we make this!
Notes on the Ingredients
block of tofu – always ensure it’s not silken (just regular firm or extra firm) and pressed for at least 30 minutes!
soy sauce– I always use light soy sauce, you can also use liquid aminos or coconut aminos or tamari. Don’t skip this – this helps to really penetrate the tofu for that inside out flavour.
rice wine vinegar– I love the flavour, feel free to experiment with regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar too although it won’t taste the same.
sesame oil– you could also use your favourite flavoured oil here.
agave– you can also use maple syrup! Helps to balance out the other flavours, doesn’t make it sweet.
garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika (preferably smoked)– my preferred seasonings for this marinade!
cornstarch – this helps to thicken up the rest of the marinade to make the marinated tofu a bit saucy too after cooking! You could also use regular flour if you can’t use cornstarch, but it might not be the exact same texture.
How to Make Marinated Tofu (Step by Step Instructions)
In a medium-size bowl place the pressed and cubed tofu. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in all of the other marinade ingredients and toss to thoroughly combine. Ensure all the pieces are coated and let the tofu sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 days.
In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil. Once hot, scoop your tofu out of the leftover marinade (do not toss your marinade) and add into the pan. Crisp up your tofu on each side for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until all sides are crisped up and browned.
While your tofu is cooking, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the marinade and whisk vigorously to combine.
Once tofu is finished cooking. Turn off the heat. Immediately add in your marinade and stir to combine. The residual heat will heat through the sauce and cook off the cornstarch. Stir to combine and let it all sit together for at least 2 minutes.
Remove from the stove, serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips & FAQ
- Allowing the marinade to sit on the tofu for at least 30 minutes really makes a massive difference to penetrating the tofu and giving it a deep flavour. Marinated tofu really is the best!
- Make sure you’re not buying silken tofu! That will yield the wrong texture and will break apart if you try and press it. Check out myTofu 101post for more, or watch mytofu 101 IG series.
- If you want to bake the tofu instead, I recommend following my Baked Tofu post instructions – 400°F for 20 minutes, flipping in between. I would still recommend doing the marinade with cornstarch step afterwards (just heat up the pan a bit and add the tofu right after it comes out of the oven).
- How to press tofu:I cover this in detail in myHow to Cook Tofu 101 post! The prep time includes the time to press the tofu
- Often times tofu sticks in your pan if you’re trying to flip it too early, the heat is too low, or your non-stick coating is gone. If your tofu is sticking, consider one of these and adjust accordingly – it’s usually that you’re trying to flip it too quickly!
- Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Easy Baked Tofu
- How to Make Crispy Tofu
Enjoy friends! If you make thisMarinated Tofu Recipe, please snap a photo and tag#jessicainthekitchenonInstagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Marinated Tofu Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
This Marinated Tofu recipe will make you fall in LOVE with tofu with LOTS of great tips! It's great for baking, pan-frying, grilling, in the air fryer and so much more! Perfect for a multi-purpose simple marinade and makes your tofu so flavourful.
5 (from 82 ratings)
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Ingredients
- 1 lb block of tofu, pressed for at least 30 minutes and cut into 1-inch pieces
Marinade Recipe
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce, don't use regular soy sauce (you can always used liquid aminos, tamari or coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 teaspoons agave
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika, (preferably smoked)
- 2 tablespoons water
Rest of Recipe
- 2 teaspoons oil, (any oil)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
In a medium-size bowl place the pressed and cubed tofu. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in all of the other marinade ingredients (rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, agave, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika and water) and toss to thoroughly combine. Ensure all the pieces are coated and let the tofu sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 days.
Rest of the Recipe
In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil. Once hot, scoop your tofu out of the leftover marinade (do not toss your marinade) and add into the pan. Crisp up your tofu on each side for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until all sides are crisped up and browned.
While your tofu is cooking, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the marinade and whisk vigorously to combine.
Once tofu is finished cooking. Turn off the heat. Immediately add in your marinade and stir to combine. The residual heat will heat through the sauce and cook off the cornstarch. Stir to combine and let it all sit together for at least 2 minutes. Remove from the stove, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Allowing the marinade to sit on the tofu for at least 30 minutes really makes a massive difference to penetrating the tofu and giving it a deep flavour. Marinated tofu really is the best!
- Make sure you’re not buying silken tofu! That will yield the wrong texture and will break apart if you try and press it. Check out myTofu 101post for more, or watch mytofu 101 IG series.
- If you want to bake the tofu instead, I recommend following my Baked Tofu post instructions – 400°F for 20 minutes, flipping in between. I would still recommend doing the marinade with cornstarch step afterwards (just heat up the pan a bit and add the tofu right after it comes out of the oven).
- How to press tofu:I cover this in detail in myHow to Cook Tofu 101 post! The prep time includes the time to press the tofu
- Often times tofu sticks in your pan if you’re trying to flip it too early, the heat is too low, or your non-stick coating is gone. If your tofu is sticking, consider one of these and adjust accordingly – it’s usually that you’re trying to flip it too quickly!
Calories: 179kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 816mg, Potassium: 50mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 62IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 149mg, Iron: 2mg
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Cuisine: American, Asian, Universal
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Author: Jessica Hylton
Recipes
published on Mar 1, 2021
82 comments Leave a comment »
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82 comments on “Marinated Tofu Recipe (for the BEST Tofu Flavour!)”
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John — Reply
I felt like I had to cook the tofu tonight but I didn’t have rice wine vinegar, so I substituted a little rice vinegar and balsamic vinegar thinking it might be close but I don’t know because I’ve never cooked tofu before. It turned out a little tangier than I thought it might. 30 minutes later and I can still taste the sesame oil…. just delicious. Now I HAVE to try it exactly like the recipe says because, this came out bomb. My kid and her friend also loved it.
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Charity — Reply
not sure if you know and i just looked it up to be certain but rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar are the same thing, i’m gonna make this marinate for dinner tomorrow so wanted to make sure, sometimes you just never know
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Zawadi — Reply
wow!!! Amazing recipe.
I used maple syrup instead of agave and added a little bit of liquid smoke for some oomph. This is so tasty that I was eating some of the tofu “raw” and dipped in the marinade as a snack. It tastes just like meat sausages (minus the texture/cruelty of course).
When you let it marinate overnight, the flavor is *chef’s kiss*
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Gavin | Jessica in the Kitchen — Reply
We love to read it Zawadi! Thanks so much for the positive review.
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LenP — Reply
SO DELICIOUS!
I was hesitant because I’m not used to cooking with tofu, but this was simple and tasty. The texture really amazed me, too.-
Gavin | Jessica in the Kitchen — Reply
Thank you so much We’re happy that you like it.
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Bonnie — Reply
Hello! I made this recipe for my husband tonight and he rated it higher than any other marinated tofu recipe I’ve made! He kept munching on it and then realized the whole recipe was gone. I’ve tossed the other recipes. Thank you for this!
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Gavin | Jessica in the Kitchen — Reply
We’re so happy that you’re happy Bonnie! We love that everyone loved it. Thank you so much for reading.
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Monica — Reply
This recipe is the best Ive ever made , it disappears so fast! Family gobbled it up.
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Gavin | Jessica in the Kitchen — Reply
Oh wow! We’re so happy to read this! Thank you so much.
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Jennifer Yocum — Reply
This was fantastic!! And so easy–This is a keeper for me!
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Victoria — Reply
I love this..best thing that’s happened to tofu …IMHO! I have made it @10X and I usually just eat it like candy over the next couple of days! Yummy!
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Jamie Smith — Reply
I’m newly plant based and thought I HATED tofu until I learned how to press and marinate it. This is SOOO GOOD.
I cooked this the other night and had to make more for my lunch the next day because I kept eating pieces.
Will definitely be in my rotation. -
Catherine Lemoine — Reply
Haven’t made this yet, but have a question: Is there a reason – other than saving a dish – for not combining the marinade ingredients before adding to tofu?
Thanks!-
Gavin | Jessica in the Kitchen — Reply
Hi Catherine! Thanks for reading no reason at all you can definitely combine before if you would like. I hope this helps.
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Laurie — Reply
I make this at least once a week! I substitute with ponzu and maple syrup. I add some heat by using either sambal oelek, gochujang, or chilli flakes
