How to cook tofu 101 (beginner guide) - Damn Tasty Vegan (2024)

How to cook tofu 101 for beginners. Learn how to season tofu, why there are different types of tofu, if you should press tofu, how to make crispy pan fried and baked tofu, and tofu recipe ideas for delicious meals.

Cooking tofu is a little confusing at first, but once you learn the basics, you’ll have this sh*t down in no time. Tofu is like a blank canvas, it absorbs whatever flavors you cook it with.

So, if you flavor it like crap, it will taste like crap. Here’s some tips on how to make tofu taste amazing every time

💧How to drain tofu

When you get a package of tofu, take the tofu over to the sink.

Cut down the side, and then the other side of the package, making an L shape.

Place your hand flat over the tofu and flip it upside down into the sink, draining the water away.

🥄 How to press tofu

This gets rid of excess moisture and makes the tofu crispier and chewier when you cook it.

I know, ain’t nobody got time for that, but if your tofu always comes out like a soggy dishrag, it’s probably because it had too much water in it from not pressing it.

How to press tofu with a tofu press

• Buy a life changing (too dramatic? It’s absolutely true) tofu press. Use the code DamnTasty for 10% off
• When you have a tofu press, you don't need to press it as long. Press it for 10-15 minutes with a tofu press.

How to press tofu without a tofu press

• Wrap tofu in a paper towel or in a clean dish rag. Place it on a cutting board and then put a heavy pan or books on top.
• Press it for 25-30 minutes. Drain away the liquid.

❄️ How and why to freeze tofu

Bonus points, but not required: throw your package of tofu in the freezer, yes the whole package, then set it out on the counter or fridge to let it completely thaw.

After you let it thaw, gently squeeze the tofu a little bit to get even more water out.

Freezing the tofu makes the water molecules expand inside the tofu when they freeze. This creates large pockets.

This leaves a ton of room for the inner part of the tofu to soak up marinades, once you squeeze it out a little bit after thawing.

Freezing the tofu makes it extra chewy as well, like how it tastes in Chinese restaurants. This works great if you’re making buffalo wings, or vegan chicken nuggets.

After you freeze, then thaw, then squeeze out the water, marinate the tofu in your favorite marinades for at least 20 minutes. Marinate over night if you want to really infuse it with flavor.

Frozen, then thawed and marinated tofu does best sauteing in a pan rather than baking.

Baking this could make it a bit dry, since it lost a lot of its liquid. If you choose the baking method below, make sure to use extra sauce and marinade.

♨️ Why there different types of tofu

You can usually find three different types of tofu:

Silken

This is a super smooth and gelatinous tofu that works great blended with other ingredients for creamy Alfredo sauces, vegan mayonnaise, pies or desserts.

People also blend it in smoothies to add some extra protein.

Medium firm

Usually diced up and put in miso soup, curries, stir fries, or tofu breakfast scrambles.

Firm and Extra Firm

These are the chewiest. Great for making vegan chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, vegan chicken patties for sandwiches, or anything you’d like to replace the texture of meat.

👩‍🍳 Tips for buying tofu

Make sure to always buy organic, non-gmo tofu

Soy is one of the most pesticide-ridden crops because it's one of the most widely grown crops.

It's so widely grown because 70-80% of soy is used to feed to the billions of livestock animals we kill a year on factory farms, since it's cheap, easy to grow and fattens up the animals quickly for slaughter.

Buy tofu at an Asian grocery store for the best price

The best price that you will ever find for tofu, is buying a big tub of it at an Asian grocery store.

Since you probably won't be able to eat it all in one sitting, just separate a couple blocks, put them in a freezer friendly container and freeze them until you're ready to use them.

The day before you want to cook it, throw it into the fridge to let it thaw out.

🍲 Best tofu marinades and sauces

Store bought marinades are the easiest

Just check to make sure they don’t have animal products in them. Most of them don’t. Just because it says it's a meat marinade, doesn't mean you can't use it on tofu! Some of my favorite are:

• buffalo sauce
• bbq sauce (check to make sure they don’t have honey. Sweet baby ray’s brand doesn’t)
• pork marinades
• meat marinades

Homemade Asian tofu marinade

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil or neutral oil if you don’t like sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Simple and versatile homemade tofu marinade

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

🍛 How to marinate tofu

One thing to know before hand, is if you marinate tofu, it won't come out as crispy. It will, however come out super flavorful. Marinating tofu is great if you want really flavorful tofu.

If you want crispy tofu, you need to crisp it up on the stove or in the oven first, then add sauce to it after it's crisped up. I'll teach you how to do that below.

Freeze first method

Put the whole package of tofu in the freezer, water and all.

Set the tofu out on the counter to completely thaw. Gently squeeze the rest of the water out.

Choose your favorite marinade and let the tofu sit in this for at least 20-30 minutes. Overnight is best.

Non-freezing method

If you don’t freeze the tofu, it's very important to press the tofu for at least 30 minutes. This ensures that the marinade can seep into the tofu better.

After pressing the tofu, it will taste best if you marinate it overnight, to give the marinade time to infuse into the tofu.

If you don't marinate the tofu for at least overnight, I recommend crisping it up first on the stove or in the oven, and then just using the marinade as a sauce once it's crisped. I'll give you tips on how to do that below.

If you don't marinate non-frozen or pressed tofu for at least a few hours, it doesn't have enough time to sink into the tofu and it's a bit pointless.

💥 Use corn starch for extra crispy tofu

When I finally learned this trick, it took my tofu to a whole new level.

After pressing the tofu, sprinkle on 1-2 tablespoon of oil, then 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch. Gently mix it so every piece is coated. Sprinkle a little salt.

Coating tofu in corn starch creates a nice crispy outer layer when you pan fry it or bake it.

Another trick to getting it crispy, is to not marinate it before hand. Marinating tofu is great if you want to make tofu taste like meat, like if you're making tofu bacon.

But if you want tofu to be crispy, you need to crisp it up first, then add the sauce after it's crisped up. I'll show you how to do that in the "How to add a sauce to tofu" section below.

🧂 How to make crispy baked tofu

• Use firm or extra firm tofu
• Press it for 30 minutes (use the code DamnTasty for 10% off)
• BONUS STEP FOR EXTRA CHEWY TOFU (but not necessary): Freeze the tofu then completely let it thaw. Gently squeeze water out after it thaws. If you choose to freeze it, you don’t need to press it before hand, just throw the whole package in the freezer, then set it out on the counter to thaw. After it thaws, gently squeeze the water out over the sink.
• Chop into cubes, slabs or triangles
• Pour 2 TBL oil, 2 TBL of soy sauce over the tofu and gently stir it to coat the tofu.
• Sprinkle on 3 TBL cornstarch or arrowroot powder and gently mix or toss until you don’t see the cornstarch
• Bake at 420 degrees for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden brown on every side
• Let it cool for at least 5 minutes. The more it cools, the more it will firm and crisp up.
• You can eat it as is, or if you’re adding sauces to the tofu, add the sauce and tofu to a saute pan on medium low heat. Stir around until the sauce caramelizes and the tofu crisps up again.

Now you can use this on top of salads, curries, noodle or rice bowls, stir fries, lunch wraps or burritos.

♨️ How to make crispy air fried tofu

Air frying tofu is my favorite way to make tofu. It turns out perfectly golden brown and crispy every time. Just press your tofu first, add a little soy sauce, garlic powder and then sprinkle on corn starch. Then air fry for about 20-25 minutes.

🥘 How to make crispy pan fried tofu

• Use medium or extra firm tofu
• Press it for 30 minutes (use the code DamnTasty for 10% off)
• BONUS STEP FOR EXTRA CHEWY TOFU (but not necessary): Freeze the tofu then completely let it thaw by setting it out on the counter. Gently squeeze water out after it thaws. If you choose to freeze it, you don’t need to press it before hand.
• Cut into slabs, cubes or triangles
• Sprinkle over 1 TBL of soy sauce and gently toss
• Sprinkle 2-3 TBL of corn starch and gently mix until you don’t see the corn starch
• Cover the bottom of skillet or non-stick pan with small layer of oil and heat to medium heat
• Once pan is heated, add your tofu
• Let EACH SIDE cook for 1-3 minutes, or until golden brown, DON’T MOVE OR TOUCH IT UNTIL EACH SIDE IS BROWN AND THE PAN ‘RELEASES’ THE TOFU.
• The secret to getting perfectly crispy, golden brown tofu is to not touch it until each side is cooked.
• If tofu is sticking to the pan, it’s because you tried to flip it before it was crispy and brown, or you didn’t use enough oil.
• Once tofu is golden brown, you can use this tofu in stir fry’s, buddha bowls or curries.
• You can go one more step and add sauce to the crispy tofu.
• Turn the heat down and add your favorite marinade, and then cook for another 3-5 minutes to let the edges crisp up again and the marinade starts to caramelize. You can keep it simple by just using soy sauce or plain salt to season the tofu as well.
• Or you can take it out of the pan, let it cool for 5 minutes and then toss it in your favorite marinade like the homemade one shown above, hot sauce, teriyaki sauce, or buffalo sauce.

Now you can top this in a soup, noodle dish, Thai curry, buddha bowls or rice bowls.

💥 How to add a sauce to tofu

Whenever I want to make tofu that is smothered in a sauce, I crisp it up first, un-marinated, in the oven or on the stove.

Not dousing it in liquid or marinade before cooking it, helps it to be crispy and not soggy. By adding the liquid (sauces) after it crisps up, it will create a nice firm texture.

After crisping it up, I then mix it in some sauce on top of the stove, and cook it until the sauce caramelizes and the tofu crisps up again.

🍳 How to scramble tofu

This is one of my favorite ways to cook tofu. Making scrambled tofu is an amazing way to replace scrambled eggs for breakfast, or breakfast burritos.

For this, you don’t really have to press the tofu, just gently squeeze it over a sink. It won’t matter if it cracks, because you will be crumbling it in a pan anyway.

To make tofu taste eggy, it’s important to get some black salt, also called kala namak. You can order this on amazon, or buy it in an Indian grocery store.

📖 Delicious Tofu recipes

Here are some fun ways to cook tofu. I’ll link to some of my own recipes as well as some of my favorites from other bloggers

❓ Tofu FAQs

And there you have it. I hope these tips helped teach you how to cook and enjoy tofu more. It’s one of my favorite things to eat and is so good for you as well.

Share this with someone who’s learning how to use tofu as well and needs some help.

Leave me comments below if you have any questions!