Home » Recipes » Marinated Tofu Recipe (for the BEST Tofu Flavour!)
posted by Jessica Hylton on Mar 1, 2021 79 comments »
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5 (from 78 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 78 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
79 comments Leave a comment »
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79 comments on “Marinated Tofu Recipe (for the BEST Tofu Flavour!)”
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Leah — Reply
Yum!
I threw a few tablespoons pf PB2 into the mix after tossing the tofu in the marinade ’cause PB makes everything better 🙂-
Jessica Hylton — Reply
Love this idea soo much!! Thanks for sharing!!
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kp — Reply
Sounds great, would it work in an air fryer?
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Jessica Hylton — Reply
Hi kp,
I haven’t tried it and it wouldn’t work as great since you do make the sauce in the pan. If you just want to air fry it without that sauce, then yes – you can bake it at 400 for 10-15 minutes!
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Barbara — Reply
This is a fantastic recipe! I made it and used the cook tofu in the center of salad rolls. People were raving how good it was! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Dana — Reply
Absolutely delicious recipe! We’re now hooked on tofu! 🙂 Thank you, Jessica!!!
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Anna — Reply
This turned out really good. After marinating the tofu I cooked it in my air fryer (broil) until browned on two sides, then poured the glaze over it. This will be a favorite.
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Jessica Hylton — Reply
Thanks for sharing Anna!!
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Suze — Reply
This is my Go To now!
Excellent recipe! Thank you! -
Birit Trematore — Reply
I made this tonight and it’s delicious!! Thanks very much. I know I’ll be making it again. Very easy and delicious. : )
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CMB — Reply
This was absolutely the best tofu recipe I’ve tried. I must admit the cooked pieces never made it into the sauce. I tasted a piece and kept eating. I still have pieces marinating so I’ll cook those according to your full instructions. Thanks for sharing!
