Marinated Tofu
This Marinated Tofu recipe is my go to! It’s quick, easy and delicious and it can be used in just about any recipe!
I made some Tofu Souvlaki not too long ago, and one of the reviews said that their kid who’s normally a picky eater loved it. So I got to thinking that I should make a recipe that’s more neutral flavored so it can be used in just about any dish!
So I used the marinade from my Grilled Tofu Chicken recipe, and instead of carving the tofu into filets, I broke them up in chunks just like the Souvlaki. And wouldn’t you know it, I’ve been eating these all week in a bunch of different recipes!
What’s the best tofu for Marinated tofu?
I highly recommend Super Firm Tofu as it’s vacuum packed and doesn’t require pressing. I haven’t tested this recipe out with Extra Firm but if you can only find that, you’ll wanna press it for at least 30 minutes.
I know a lot of folks like to freeze their tofu for marinating, but Super Firm has very little water, so I’ve found it doesn’t do much. I also find the texture to be more spongy than I’d like. For me Super Firm is nice and meaty when you chunk it up and sear it in the marinade.
ingredients for Marinated Tofu
Besides the tofu, we are really just using some pantry staples to season this!
- Oil, Soy Sauce, Vinegar – I don’t recommend skipping the oil on this one, it helps it get nice and browned. And use Tamari or Coconut Aminos if you can’t do Soy Sauce.
- Seasonings – We’ll be using some Nutritional Yeast, Smoked Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper!
how to make Marinated Tofu
To prep the marinade, simply combine and whisk everything in a bowl, though if you can, I highly suggest blending the marinade to make it smooth and emulsified.
Pat the tofu dry, and then break it into bite sized chunks. This will give us more nooks and crannies for the marinade to stick to.
Pour the marinade over the tofu and gently toss to coat. Taste one chunk and adjust seasoning as needed.
Heat up a 12″ skillet over medium heat, pre-heat for 3 – 4 minutes. Then add in the tofu chunks and cook for 2 – 3 minutes per side. Don’t crowd the pan. You may need to do this in batches.
You can also store the tofu and just fry up as much as you need whenever you want a quick meal!
Season to taste with anything you like, you can also toss them in any sauce, BBQ, Teriyaki, Buffalo, whatever sounds good!
storage
You can store the marinated tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. You can also cook them and store them for later as well!
Recipe Ideas
I’ve been enjoying this all week! One of my favorites was when I slathered them in some BBQ Sauce and topped them on some Mac n’ Cheese!
And it’s also good on a Caesar Salad too of course!
Or on top of some Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!
Heck it’s even good just dipped in some Basil Mayo!
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, please leave a rating & review! It really helps out the blog and it makes my day, thank you!
Marinated Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Super Firm Tofu (Vacuum Sealed)
Marinade
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Neutral Oil (Vegetable, Canola, Avocado)
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- I highly recommend using Super Firm tofu, it’s vacuum sealed and doesn’t require pressing. You can try using Extra Firm tofu and press it for 30 minutes, but Super Firm is ideal.
- Take the tofu out of it’s packaging and pat it dry with a paper towel. Break the tofu into bite sized chunks. I find it’s easiest to break the whole block in half, and then keep breaking each section in half until they are about bite size.
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade. I highly recommend blending them in a blender to emulsify. In a bowl toss the tofu chunks with the marinade until thoroughly coated.
- You can store for later, or cook them now. Get a 12″ skillet heated up over medium heat for a few minutes. Spray a little cooking oil into the pan and then add the tofu chunks. Don’t crowd the pan, you may need to do this in two batches.
- Let them sit for about 2 – 3 minutes. Then flip them, they should have some nice browning on them. If not, let them sit for another minute or so. I suggest browning them on at least 2 sides. Once they are looking good, add any salt and pepper or seasoning if needed (I like using Lawry’s Seasoned Salt!)
- You can brush them with BBQ, Buffalo or Teriyaki Sauce, or anything you like!
Can I make this oil free?
I have not tried that, but it should be good if you are avoiding oil!
Great recipe, my favorite marinade to date! I actually zapped the dressed tofu in an air fryer and it came out beautifully, thanks!
Awesome, so glad you dug it!
I had to double this for 1 package. Otherwise it would only be enough for half a package of tofu. It is easy to mix together.
Hi, sorry to hear that, did you use a 1 lb block of Super Firm? There’s usually a little bit of marinade left over, so doubling would be too much in my experience, thanks!
Maybe it’s about the shape of tofu or sth? I also had to double, used regular supermarket tofu (I am in Poland, no super firm here). It’s the same with your Bahn Mi marinade, had to double, even if I had sliced the tofu. Both are really tasty and I’ve made them several times now:)
Frying in a stainless steel skillet was a bit fiddly, so I tried the second half in an air fryer. That took no effort at all and worked great. I did coat them in a little bit of oil before cooking.
Oh glad it worked out, stainless steel can be tricky for sure! I do these in non-stick usually, thanks!
This one was such a hit, even with my non-vegan husband! The depth of flavor from this marinade is unreal. We did marinate it for a couple hours before cooking, which definitely helped the tofu soak up all the flavors of the marinade. I imagine it would be even better if you let it marinade overnight or for a couple days. Will be in our weekly rotation for sure!
Heck yes, always love to hear when a recipe wins over a non-vegan too, glad you both liked it!
Can I bake these instead to save on some dishes? Maybe 400° for 20 min (flip half way)
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! I’m a grad student on a budget, and this has quickly become a staple in my meal prepping. I’ve used it to make Caesar salads, pasta, I’ve even sliced it really thin and put it on pizza like pepperoni. Highly recommend!
oh the pizza idea sounds great! So glad this is working out for your budget, I need to do more recipes like that! Thanks!
It was very tasty, however it was not crispy enough and my husband wouldn’t eat it.
Hi, sorry to hear that he didn’t like it. These aren’t supposed to be crispy however, if you want them to be crispy you need to add some kind of batter or at least you would need to fry them in a bit of oil until they get crispy. I do have a crispy tofu recipe that does this. Thanks!
My family and I absolutely love this tofu! The super firm tofu is a game changer and the marinade is delicious! Reminds us of meat
Yes Super Firm is the best! So glad y’all liked it! Thank you!
Delicious! I loved the flavour, and added some cornstarch to the marinade for an extra crispy finish. Definitely would recommend
Oh that sounds like a good idea! Thank you!!
what is that green sauce in the picture?? it looks delicious
It’s my basil mayo!
https://theeburgerdude.com/basil-mayo/
is there a preferred type of vinegar for this?
White is good!
This is delicious! I have used it in Caesar salad and over mashed potatoes and even topped mac and cheese with it! I highly recommend this recipe as it is very versatile!
Yum, that’s how I used it! So glad you liked it too, thank you!
For the non vegans thinking wtf is nutritional yeast, I used that cheap dust like Parmesan cheese sprinkles that comes in a green tub because it was on hand and it came out great.
This was an excellent marinade! This recipe has now made it to my meal prep weekly. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Oh nice glad it’s in the rotation! Thank you!
This is SO good. I coveted this recipe for a while and took the plunge today. Amazing. Thank you!
Haha, glad you finally made it, thank you!!
Thank you!!!! Definitely the best tofu I’ve ever made. Absolutely delicious.
Wow, that’s awesome to hear, thank you!
These are fire!!! Homemade vegan nuggies for the win!!! Thank you so much, I’ll never go back to frozen nuggs.🩷
Yay so glad to hear this, thank you!