Only a few ingredients and mostly hands-off time, Marinated Tofu is the easiest and most delicious way to season and cook tofu to make it absolutely unstoppably poppable. Shall we?
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There is no real story to accompany the recipe and photos—and all the readers say "hallelujah!"—because I was sort of "saving" it all for a clever write-up about the economics of veganism aka veganomics set against the life cycle of dating, but it will take me at least eleventeen years to write it and I want to post something for today.
What is Marinated Tofu
By itself, tofu has a fairly subtle, if not near perfectly neutral flavor, similar to the way chicken has a very neutral flavor in the animal protein world. This makes tofu a great foundation for highly-palatable marinades, glazes, sauces, and dips.
Marinated Tofu is tofu that marinates for a couple of hours, up to overnight, in any kind of marinade before cooking. With the right marinade, you can even eat the tofu straight out of the marinade.
This recipe for Marinated Tofu is tamari/soy sauce-based with major flavor from garlic and ginger. The Marinated Tofu can be air-fried, baked, pan-seared, and if left in large slabs, grilled. You can even pluck pieces of Marinated Tofu straight out of the marinade and eat it fresh.
Once cooked, Marinated Tofu is perfect served over grain bowls, on salads, tucked into lettuce, and rolled into spring rolls. This kitchen goes through Marinated Tofu regularly, sometimes even as a chilled spoonable protein snack straight out of the refrigerator.
Is Marinated Tofu Healthy?
Depending on your health needs and dietary considerations, Marinated Tofu can be healthy! To be honest, I can't really think of a case in which Marinated Tofu would not be healthy, unless maybe the gentle acid in the vinegar causes heartburn or other gastric issue for you, or you are sensitive to the sodium in tamari/soy sauce.
Health and Dietary Considerations of Marinated Tofu
As published, this recipe for Marinated Tofu is:
- 100% plant-based, suitable for vegans
- vegetarian
- dairy-free
- gluten-free/wheat-free
- grain-free
- sugar-free
This recipe as presented is gluten-free, wheta-free and grain-free because I use a gluten-free tamari. If you cook and eat gluten-/grain-/wheat-free, make sure to read the label of your tamari and/or soy sauce.
What Ingredients You Need for Marinated Tofu
Marinated Tofu fresh/refrigerator ingredients:
- tofu
- garlic
- ginger
Marinated Tofu dry/pantry ingredients:
- tamari
- rice vinegar
- sesame oil
You also need a neutral flavored oil for cooking!
Instructions for How to Make Marinated Tofu
Prep and Marinate the Tofu First
Drain the tofu. Save the container if you do not have a separate container to use to marinate the tofu. I use rectangular glass storage containers with air-tight lids.
Cut tofu into ¾- to 1-inch-wide slabs. Pat dry with paper towels.
Place a layer of kitchen/tea towel on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add 2-3 layers of paper towel on the towel. Place the tofu in a single layer over the paper towels on the baking sheet.
Cover the tofu with 2-3 more layers of paper towels. Place a cutting board or other flat surface on top of the tofu and paper towels. Let the tofu "press" and drain for about 2 hours. If the paper towels are soaked right away, first of all that's weird, second of all, change them out for fresh ones.
Once the tofu is pressed and drained, you can either leave the tofu as slabs which are easier for grilling, or slice into strips or cubes, which soaks up more marinade and works for baking and cooking on the stove-top.
Whisk the tamari, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl to blend.
Pour half the marinade into the reserved tofu container or storage container. Place the tofu slices in the containers and pour the remaining marinade over.
Cover the tofu with plastic wrap and press the wrap around the tofu. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to 1 day.
Cook the Tofu
To Bake Marinated Tofu:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line with parchment paper or lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with avocado oil or other neutral oil. Drain the marinade from the tofu and save for later. Place tofu on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the tofu slices or stirring cubes, halfway through the bake time.
To Cook the Tofu on the Stovetop:
Sauté or stir-fry marinated tofu cubes in 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat. I prefer using a cast iron skillet, here's how:
Heat a large cast iron skillet dry (no oil) over medium high heat until drops of water sizzle and slide across the surface of the pan unbothered. Decrease heat to medium. Swirl 1 tablespoon avocado oil in hot pan, then add the tofu in a single layer. Cook for about 3 minutes without moving the tofu until medium golden brown, then flip over and cook for an additional 3 minutes until browned.
Serve the marinated tofu warm, cold or room temperature. Cooked Marinated Tofu will keep for a few days, covered and refrigerated. We never have leftovers.
What Kind of Tofu is Best for Marinating?
Firm and extra-firm tofu work best for Marinated Tofu because they require less draining/pressing, and hold up well to handling during cooking.
Medium-firm tofu will work, but probably better to cut into cubes to avoid breakage during cooking.
Soft and silken tofu will not work for this recipe. If you already have soft or silken tofu, try this Silken Tofu with Sauce recipe.
Ingredients Notes and Resources
Soy sauce or tamari: Tamari is Japanese-style soy sauce very often brewed without the use of wheat so it is gluten-free. If you are not sensitive to wheat, the two are essentially interchangeable, though tamari has a slightly high-toned tartness to it. I use this brand, which is organic. For most soy-based products (soy sauce, tofu, soy milk, etc), try to buy organic or non-GMO, since soy beans are one of the crops that are more often sprayed with harmful weed-killing chemicals.
Rice vinegar. I use this brand organic brown rice vinegar. If you don't have rice vinegar, use any other light/mild vinegar like apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Sesame oil. Look for toasted sesame oil, which has a darker color and a much deeper umami flavor. Sesame oil is a finishing oil, added to dishes in small amounts just before serving for its flavor, rather than a cooking oil. This is a reliable Japanese brand that I've been using since I was a kid. There are now many brands of toasted sesame seed oil available, even organic version, at regular grocery stores.
Garlic, ginger and all other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sunday, or Whole Foods Market when I can't find what I need at the farmers' market.
Pro Tips and Techniques for Marinated Tofu
- Use extra-firm or firm tofu as they hold up better during the cooking process.
- Cut tofu smaller for more flavor: After pressing the tofu as slabs, cutting into strips or even smaller into cubes gives the tofu more surface area to soak up more marinade. More flavor!
- On tofu serving sizes: I generally allot 6-8 oz (half a pound) of tofu for each serving, which amounts to two pounds total for this recipe. Eight ounces is actually a pretty large serving, and most people will not eat that much because of all the other delicious little things on the table. However, leftover cooked tofu will keep for about three days in the refrigerator, or frozen for a few weeks, and is great for adding to your lunch and dinner grain bowls.
- Advance Cooking. You can marinate and cook the tofu in advance. It will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about three days. However, the recipe comes together so quickly, there's no need to do anything too far in advance.
- Re-use the tofu marinade. You can re-use the marinade for another block of tofu, or simmer it for a few minutes over medium heat and used it as a finishing sauce over cooked marinated tofu!
Tools and Equipment
Storage
Marinated tofu will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Once baked, tofu will keep for an additional two days in the refrigerator.
Tofu does not freeze well.
FAQ
Medium Firm or Firm tofu styles work best for marinating. They are easier to cut, drain, and handle during the cooking process. Soft tofu is not recommended.
Despite its sometimes looking like a "sponge," tofu does not actually soak up a lot of marinade no matter how long you marinate it. A few hours is long enough, and if you want to advance prep and marinate overnight, that works too.
Yes, you can eat tofu cold straight out of the package and refrigerator because technically, tofu itself is not "raw." Tofu is made from cooked soybeans. When it is cold out of the refrigerator, I consider it "fresh."
baked marinated tofu shiitake mushroom lettuce cups
pan-fried marinated tofu and avocado in lettuce cups
marinated tofu in cabbage and lettuce cups with kimchi salsa
How to Use Marinated Tofu
- Tucked into Lettuce Cups, pictured above, can you tell how often lettuce cups appear on the Delicious Life menu?!
- Rolled into Spring Rolls
- DIY Sushi Hand Rolls Bar
- In grain bowls as a plant-based protein
Marinated Tofu Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce block firm tofu
- ⅓ cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon very finely minced garlic best if you can scrape it into a paste
- 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger I have used "pulp" after juicing ginger! It's perfect!
- oil for cooking
Instructions
Prep and Marinate Tofu
- Drain the tofu. Save the container if you do not have a container to use to marinate the tofu. I use rectangular glass storage containers.
- Place a layer of kitchen/tea towel on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add 2-3 layers of paper towel on the towel.
- Cut tofu into 1-inch-wide strips, pat dry with paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer over the paper towels on the baking sheet. Place 2-3 more layers of paper towels over the tofu. Place a cutting board or other flat surface on top of the tofu and paper towels. Let the tofu "press" and drain for about 2 hours. If the paper towels are soaked right away, first of all that's weird, second of all, change them out for fresh ones.
- Once the tofu is pressed and drained, you can either leave the tofu as slices, or cut them into cubes.
- Whisk the tamari, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl to blend. Pour half the marinade into the reserved tofu container or storage container. Place the tofu slices in the containers and pour the remaining marinade over. Cover the tofu with plastic wrap and press the wrap around the tofu. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to 1 day.
Roast Tofu
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil a heavy, rimmed baking sheet (probably the same one you used to drain the tofu!) with canola oil. Drain the tofu of the marinade and place in on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the tofu slices or stirring cubes, halfway through the bake time.
- You can also saute the tofu in about a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Serve the marinated tofu warm, cold or room temperature.
- Roasted tofu will keep for one day, covered and refrigerated. I never have leftovers.
Post updated April 2024, recipe originally developed 2009
Afterthoughts
This week, I am resolving to:
At this point, I'd like to be able to stick with something for just a week. One week! Seven days! Is that so much to ask of myself? Is it?!
If I knew what the inside of my own mind looked like right now, then yes, asking me to see some task or activity or change through to the end of a week is asking a lot. It's all I can do to make it through an entire day without failing on my morning resolve of detoxing for 12 hours. Maybe what I need to do is set more realistic goals. Like "Today I will detox for six hours!"
But still, I'm putting my New Week's Resolutions out there, one of which is to publish a blog post every day this week, even if it means I post nothing but a nicely photoshopped picture of my breakfast. Which I wouldn't do because I don't eat breakfast, so... Great. See? Failed before I even started.
So I'm sharing the greatest thing since sliced tofu, the Baked Sesame Tofu recipe.
- get to know buckwheat (beyond the usual soba)
- drink green juice every weekday morning
- log off the computer by midnight (getting to bed, let alone sleeping, is another story)
- share my Life List
- move and settle into our new office!
I'm not actually listing "publish a blog post every day" with the rest of these because then it's real and I am accountable to the four people who read the list and that's just way too much pressure.
God, I hope this works.
Diane, A Broad says
When I started my blog, I set up a semi-unrealistic goal of posting every weekday. Which is why so many of my posts are three sentences, a picture, and a recipe. But hey, it forces me to stop working for half an hour every day and think about something other than M&A deals, right?
Kristopher says
Without goals we are wandering aimlessly through life. I'm still not sure what's more fun, accomplishing goals or wanderIng aimlessly.
If you are marinating tofu in a liquid, what is the purpose of draining it first?
Thanks
Kris
catoubr says
I would assume so that the the tofu is more sponge-like and has room to adsorb the marinade. Otherwise, all that water blocks absorption.
catty says
Ginger marinated ANYTHING sounds divine.