Want to know the secret to truly DELICIOUS Tofu? It’s all about having a good marinade! I’ve got 6 different easy tofu marinades that are great for baked tofu, air fried tofu or really ANY way that you’d like to prepare it!
Hopefully it goes without saying that I am a HUGE tofu fan. HUGE!
Ever since I started eating a more vegetarian diet about 6 years ago, it has become a beloved staple in my house. It took me a couple of years to figure out how to get tofu to truly taste delicious and I’m hoping to save you that trouble 🙂
I have SIX different marinades for you to try out today! I wanted to cover a range of different flavors so that you are prepared to cook and serve tofu with any kind of dish that you desire. If there are more flavor profiles that you want to see, let me know and I’ll work on adding to this list.
Here are 6 of the BEST tofu marinades:
Cilantro Lime
BBQ
Teriyaki
Balsamic
Fajita
Peanut Sauce
Before we dive into the marinades, I want to go over a few important things first:
Why marinate tofu?
I went years without marinating my tofu and I’ve since learned what a HUGE difference it makes. Tofu itself has a very mild taste which makes it very versatile and great for absorbing the flavors you add to it. If you don’t think that you like tofu, it’s probably because it wasn’t prepared very well and marinating it first results in the BEST TOFU!
What kind of tofu to use:
This totally depends on the type of recipe that you’re making. In most cases when I’m making a curry, stir fry, grilling the tofu or anything like that, I almost always want firm tofu or extra firm tofu.
When in doubt, I suggest getting an extra-firm block of tofu to use when marinating and cooking to be served with a dish.
The brand doesn’t really matter is much. Trader Joe’s has my favorite extra-firm tofu AND even a SUPER firm tofu that is amazing because it doesn’t need to be pressed first.
How to Cut the tofu:
There’s really no right or wrong way to do this! You can cut it into squares, rectangles, triangles. You can even tear it into chunks like I did with my Orange Tofu recipe to really mimic the texture of chicken (if that’s something you want to do). When torn, the tofu pieces have lots of rough edges that get deliciously crispy and the flavoring really clings to all of the grooves.
Do I need to press the tofu?
In most cases, YES! Pressing your tofu before cooking with it makes a huge difference. Especially if you’re trying to get crispy tofu!
I have a WHOLE guide on how to press tofu, with and without a tofu press, that you can check out HERE. In most cases, I suggest pressing the tofu for about 15 minutes before adding it to the marinade.
What about freezing the tofu?
I talk a lot about freezing tofu in THIS which I highly recommend checking out. Freezing tofu (when you have the time) is a GREAT way to add a nice bit of texture to your dish.
Tofu naturally has a lot of moisture in it and when you freeze it, that moisture crystalizes and creates these little pockets throughout the tofu. Once the tofu is thawed and and liquid is gone, the pockets are left in the tofu which results in a meatier texture that I really love. The pockets also works well to soak up flavor!
Can I freeze marinated tofu? Why YES you can! Follow the recipe as written and once everything is mixed together and the bag is sealed, place it in the freezer. It’ll keep for about 6 months in the freezer and is GREAT for lazy dinners. Take the bag out the morning that you want to enjoy it for dinner and let it thaw in the fridge throughout the day. Once thawed, cook as usual. SO GOOD!
How long to marinate tofu?
In an ideal world, your tofu will marinate for a few hours or even overnight. However, I’ve found that even just 30 minutes of marinating your tofu will make a big difference and result in a much more flavorful tofu dish.
How do I cook marinated tofu?
You can use these marinades in almost any recipe to cook tofu. But if you’re looking for various different ways to cook your tofu, here are some of my favorites:
Marinating tofu is VERY simple especially for HOW MUCH flavor it adds to the food. Simply pick your flavor from below and add all of the ingredients to a plastic bag, stasher bag, or resealable container or choice.
Prep the tofu by first pressing it and then cutting it into your desired shape. I have a guide on different ways that you can cut tofu within THIS POST. If you’re going to be marinating the tofu for 12+ hours or freezing it, you can actually throw the entire pressed block into the marinade before cutting it.
Let sit for 30 minutes or even overnight and then cook as desired. One of my favorite things to do with the leftover marinade is to add it into a saucepan with a cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons of water + 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch) and cook until thickened. It makes for a great sauce to put on top of the tofu!
See how easy it is to make TRULY delicious tofu by marinating it using one of my 6 delicious tofu marinades!
Cilantro Lime marinade:
BBQ marinade:
Teriyaki marinade:
Balsamic marinade:
Fajita marinade:
Thia Peanut marinade:
Prep your tofu: Follow my instructions HERE for pressing tofu and cut it into your desired shapes. I like to cube mine into bite sized pieces but really anything works! Set side.
Make the marinade: I like to whisk together my marinade directly in the dish/ bag that I plan to marinate the tofu in. A plastic baggie, stasher bag, or really any kind of shallow resealable container works well. Add all of the ingredients (minus the tofu) and whisk until fully combined.
Add the tofu: add in your tofu pieces and let marinate for 30 minutes or even overnight. See notes above for freezing. Ideally this will marinate for a good few hours but even just 30 minutes makes a big difference.
Cook as desired and ENJOY! As desired, you can use the leftover marinade to make a sauce for your tofu (this works with all of the marinades EXCEPT the peanut marinade). Add it into a saucepan with a cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons of water + 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch) and cook over medium heat until thickened (about 3-5 minutes). It makes for a great sauce to put on top of the tofu!
