4 Tasty Tofu Marinades + How to Use Them
Learn to make 4 easy and delicious tofu marinades. Each marinade is less than 10 ingredients, but still packs in a lot of flavor! Save the marinades to create sauces to enjoy your tofu with.
This post is sponsored by Nasoya, but all opinions are my own.
Tofu is one of the most versatile ingredients you can work with. On its own, it is very bland, but that makes it that much more fun to play with because depending on the ingredients you pair it with, you can end up with some of the most flavorful tofu of your life.
What is Tofu?
Tofu is the byproduct of coagulated soy milk. When the resulting curds are pressed together, you form a tofu cake. How the tofu cake is pressed will determine the type of tofu block you get: silken, firm, extra firm or super firm tofu. It can then be flavored and cooked to your liking.
Why You’ll Love These Tofu Marinades
- Easy to make. The best part about these marinades is that you just need to whisk them together and pour over your tofu to infuse flavor. Save the marinade to create sauces to accompany your tofu dish.
- Minimal ingredients needed. Each marinade is less than 10 ingredients, but still packs in a lot of flavor!
- Packed with plant-based protein. Using protein packed super firm tofu helps to make these dishes more nutrient dense.
- Prep in advance for easy weeknight meals. Prepping the marinated tofu in advance helps make weeknight dinners come together fast.
Why Marinate Tofu?
It comes down to flavor. You can absolutely do a quick toss in your favorite sauce when you’re in a time crunch. However, when you marinate tofu for longer, more flavor will have the opportunity to really penetrate into the tofu and give your dish more flavor.
What Kind of Tofu Should You Use?
There are a number of different types of tofu that you can use for a wide range of different recipe applications.
- Silken Tofu has the highest water content making it soft and silky in texture which is perfect for blending into smoothies or scooping or cubing it into soups and stews.
- Firm and Extra Firm Tofu are pressed longer which creates a denser texture that holds it’s shape better. Firm is slightly softer than extra firm, but both can be cut and tossed in marinades to add flavor and then sauteed or baked to make them more chewy in texture. Firm tofu is great for tofu scrambles, where as extra firm is great to sauté or bake in the oven until crispy.
- Super Firm Tofu is the most dense of the tofu varieties, which makes it extra meaty in texture. I like to use Nasoya’s Super Firm Tofu for the convenience! It comes in a vacuum sealed package so no need to drain or press water out of it, so it’s ready to use right away. Compared to the other types of tofu, it also has a higher protein content per serving.
Key Ingredients
- Tofu: A great tip for maximizing on protein in all of these dishes is to use Super Firm Tofu like the one I use from Nasoya, which has 14 grams of protein per serving. It also has the best chewy, meaty texture, which makes it a great choice to use to transform your favorite dishes into plant-based variations.
- Soy Sauce: To make these marinades gluten-free, just swap the regular soy sauce for a gluten-free alternative or use coconut aminos.
- Vinegar: Having a variety of vinegars on hand like rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar can help you create a variety of different flavor profiles.
- Citrus: Between all of the marinades, a lot of citrus fruit is used. Both the juice and zest can provide incredible flavors.
- Spices & Herbs: For the gochujang tofu marinade we will be using gochugaru; balsamic glazed tofu uses pepper flakes, fennel seeds and Italian seasoning; Cilantro lime tofu uses coriander and cilantro; Tofu feta uses oregano and basil. If herbs or spices are listed as optional, feel free to exclude from your preparation.
How to Marinate Tofu
There are three important steps to getting the perfect marinated tofu.
- Remove excess water from your tofu. Either use pre-pressed tofu like Nasoya’s Super Firm Tofu or if using extra firm tofu, make sure to press the tofu. You can do this by using a tofu press or wrapping the tofu in paper towels and then placing between two flat plates with a heavy object placed on top. Press for 15-30 minutes then drain.
- Make your marinades. Use different ratios of umami-rich ingredients, acids from citrus and vinegars to help tenderize the tofu, along with lots of herbs and aromatics to create different flavor profiles and keep your tofu versatile.
- Marinate the tofu. Regardless of the marinade you choose, whisk up all of the appropriate marinade ingredients. Place the cubed tofu in air tight containers and then pour the marinade over the tofu to coat. Seal and place in the fridge for at least an hour or longer to allow the tofu to absorb the flavor.
Expert Tips
- Vary your tofu cuts. Depending on the application you may want your tofu cubes to be smaller or larger. I like to use smaller cubes for the tofu feta and large cubes for things like the balsamic glazed tofu and the gochujang tofu that get coated in a sauce.
- Make sure to use an acid in your marinade. Citrus juice and vinegars help to tenderize the tofu and allow more flavor from the marinade to penetrate into the tofu.
- Pick the cooking method that you prefer. For any of the tofu recipes requiring cooked tofu feel free to cook the tofu by pan-frying, baking or air frying.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will depend on the type of tofu used. If using firm or extra firm tofu, it is recommended to press and drain the tofu for at least 30 minutes to remove excess water. This will help the marinade penetrate the tofu better and improve the texture. If you’d like to skip pressing the tofu, opt for super firm tofu varieties instead as they are conveniently made to skip the pressing step.
When marinating tofu, marinate it for at least 30 minutes. For best tasting results, marinate tofu overnight to allow the tofu more time to absorb the flavors.
Yes! There are many common cold tofu preparations around the world that involve just pouring a flavorful sauce over the tofu to eat.
Most individuals can safely consume tofu daily. It provides protein as well as other valuable minerals. It is best to avoid tofu if you are dealing with a soy allergy or a medical condition that requires you to avoid it.
Make sure to store the tofu and marinades in clean airtight containers. You can keep the tofu and marinade in the fridge for up to 7 days. Do make sure that if using a small portion of the tofu at a time that you use clean utensils to retrieve the tofu.
How to Prepare the Tofu
Balsamic Glazed Tofu
Remove the tofu from the marinade and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes or in an air fryer at 400F for 10 minutes. To the leftover marinade add 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk together to combine.
Heat up a pan over medium low heat and when warm, pour in the marinade and stir to thicken for about 2 minutes. Add in the baked tofu and toss until completely coated in the sauce. Serve the tofu with your favorite vegetables and grains.
Orange Gochujang Tofu
Similar to the Balsamic Glazed Tofu preparation. Remove the tofu from the marinade and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes or in an air fryer at 400F for 10 minutes. To the leftover marinade add 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk together to combine.
Heat up a pan over medium low heat and when warm, pour in the marinade and stir to thicken for about 2 minutes. Add in the baked tofu and toss until completely coated in the sauce. Serve your tofu with some pickled or fresh vegetables, rice and kimchi.
Tofu Feta
Once marinated, this tofu is ready to use as is, so no cooking required. This tofu is great to top on salad bowls or can be added for additional flavor in pitas and wraps.
Cilantro Lime Tofu
Heat up a skillet over medium heat then heat up your oil. Once warm, remove the tofu from the marinade and place in the skillet to pan fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.
You can serve the tofu in tacos along with sauteed peppers and onions. Reserve the marinade as a drench sauce that you can pour over the tofu tacos for extra flavor when serving. It’s delicious!
More Tofu Recipes to Try
- Lemon Pepper Tofu with Asparagus
- Tofu Cabbage Stir-Fry
- Grilled Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tofu Croutons
- Peanut BBQ Grilled Tofu Skewers
- Spicy Chipotle Tofu Bowl
- Orange Tofu
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
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4 Tasty Tofu Marinades + How to Use Them
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings tofu per marinade 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn to make 4 easy and delicious tofu marinades. Each marinade is less than 10 ingredients, but still packs in a lot of flavor! Save the marinades to create sauces to enjoy your tofu with.
Ingredients
- 4 packages of Nasoya’s Super Firm Tofu
- Corn Starch, as needed
- Water, as needed
Orange Gochujang Tofu
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- Juice of one small orange + 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 tsp gochugaru, optional
Balsamic Glaze Tofu
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
Cilantro Lime Tofu
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/3 cup cilantro, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 a vegetable bouillon cube or 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- Juice of 2 limes, zest of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Marinated Tofu Feta
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp yellow miso paste
- 1 tsp each dry oregano and dry basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep Tofu. Remove the tofu from package and pat dry. Cut into desired cube shapes and divide the tofu between 4 different airtight containers and prepare the accompanying sauces.
Balsamic Glazed Tofu
- Add all of the balsamic glaze ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together to emulsify. Pour over tofu and allow to sit and marinade for at least an hour.
- Remove the tofu from the marinade and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes or in an air fryer at 400F for 10 minutes. To the leftover marinade add 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk together to combine.
- Heat up a pan over medium low heat and when warm, pour in the marinade and stir to thicken for about 2 minutes. Add in the baked tofu and toss until completely coated in the sauce. Serve the tofu with your favorite vegetables and grains.
Orange Gochujang Tofu
- Add all of the orange gochujang ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together to emulsify. Pour over tofu and allow to sit and marinade for at least an hour.
- Remove the tofu from the marinade and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes or in an air fryer at 400F for 10 minutes. To the leftover marinade add 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk together to combine.
- Heat up a pan over medium low heat and when warm, pour in the marinade and stir to thicken for about 2 minutes. Add in the baked tofu and toss until completely coated in the sauce. Serve your tofu with some pickled or fresh vegetables, rice and kimchi.
Marinated Tofu Feta
- In a small bowl, combine all of the tofu feta ingredients and whisk to combine until the miso paste is fully dissolved. Pour over tofu and allow to marinate overnight. Once marinated, this tofu is ready to use as is to top salads or add to wraps and pitas.
Cilantro Lime Tofu
- Add all of the cilantro lime ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together to emulsify. Pour over tofu and allow to sit and marinade for at least an hour.
- Heat up a skillet over medium heat then heat up your oil. Once warm, remove the tofu from the marinade and place in the skillet to pan fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- You can serve the tofu in tacos along with sauteed peppers and onions. Reserve the marinade as a drench sauce that you can pour over the tofu tacos for extra flavor when serving.
Notes
Make sure to store the tofu and marinades in clean airtight containers. You can keep the tofu and marinade in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Vary your tofu cuts. Depending on the application you may want your tofu cubes to be smaller or larger. I like to use smaller cubes for the tofu feta and large cubes for things like the balsamic glazed tofu and the gochujang tofu that get coated in a sauce.
Make sure to use an acid in your marinade. Citrus juice and vinegars help to tenderize the tofu and allow more flavor from the marinade to penetrate into the tofu.
Pick the cooking method that you prefer. For any of the tofu recipes requiring cooked tofu feel free to cook the tofu by pan-frying, baking or air frying.
For smaller portions or feeding just 2 people during the week, just use 2 blocks of tofu and divide with the same marinade measurements.
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!
Hi!! Thank you for sharing the recipes. It looks amazing!! I have a question. How long can I keep the Tofu to marinate in the fridge before it goes bad? (Asking for batch cooking weekends 😋).
Thank you for bringing this up. I will update the post to note this. But to answer your question, the marinades will last for up to 7 days in the fridge (I tested to make sure). If using a small portion from the jar, just make sure to use clean utensils. 🙂
How long does marinated tofu keep in the fridge? We use super firm tofu if that helps! Will the tofu last just as long in the marinade as it will unopened? Will the texture of the tofu change if it’s been marinating for too long?
Hi Melissa! Thank you for the question. I have left the tofu to marinate for up to 7 days with no problems. The tofu feta is the only one that has a slight change in texture (but for the better) as there is more acidity in the marinade so it penetrates a little deeper and tenderizes the tofu as it sits. Just make sure that if you are using portions of the tofu at a time to use clean utensils to remove the tofu from the marinades. Will make sure to mention this in the blog post for future reference.