This marinated tofu is super simple and perfect for a quick and easy dinner. It’s satisfying and high in protein and will turn you into a massive tofu fan!
I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but I love tofu.
When it’s properly flavored it can be the most delicious thing. And the key to a deliciously flavored tofu is of course the tofu marinade sauce!
So this marinated tofu dish is made with the most delicious marinade sauce.
Pressing the Tofu
You ideally want to press your tofu for 20 minutes first.
Then you want to let the tofu sit in the marinade sauce for around 30 minutes.
So even though the ‘hands-on’ time for this recipe is really fast, it still takes about an hour to make with all the pressing and marinating.
We use a tofu press and it works fantastically well, but if you don’t have one you can press your tofu by standing it on a plate with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top like a heavy pot.
Pressing the tofu gets rid of any excess water so you are left with really firm tofu and this works great for stir frying.
How to make Marinated Tofu
Full instructions and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, this is just a summary of the process.
- When your tofu is pressed, cut it into cubes.
- Mix up your tofu marinade sauce which is a simple mix of soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil and hoisin sauce.
- You let the tofu soak in the marinade sauce for 30 minutes and then add some sesame oil to a frying pan and add in the tofu. Fry the tofu until it’s golden brown.
- Then you take the leftover marinade sauce (what’s left behind when you take out the tofu to fry it) and mix that with a little cornstarch for thickening and pour that over the fried tofu and let the sauce thicken up and then you’re ready to serve.
TIP: If you’re planning to let the tofu sit in the marinade sauce for longer than 30 minutes then you may want to double up the sauce. The reason being that the longer the tofu sits in the sauce, the more it will soak up so you won’t have enough left to add in as the sauce.
It’s all about the flavor!
Not only do you soak the tofu in the marinade sauce for 30 minutes, but you actually cook it in the marinade sauce as well, so this tofu is all about the flavor!
There is absolutely nothing bland about this recipe. It will turn you into a raving tofu fan if you’re not one already.
Bake It Instead
If you want to cook the marinated tofu in the oven instead of frying it, then you can! Just place the marinated tofu blocks evenly on a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 430°F (220°C) for 25 minutes, turning over halfway. The texture will be a bit different, but it will still be delicious. You can also use any leftover sauce to just give them a quick once over in the pan once they come out the oven.
Serving
Serve your tofu with basmati rice or cauliflower rice and decorate it with some chopped chives for a delicious and nutritious meal.
Make Ahead
If you want to make this tofu ahead of time, you can leave it soaking in the marinade sauce in the fridge for a day or two and then fry it up. However, you may need to make up more marinade sauce if you do that because the tofu will absorb more of it and you won’t have enough left to add in as the sauce.
Storing and Freezing
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days.
If you want to freeze it, then it’s best to freeze it in the marinade sauce before you fry it. Then thaw in the fridge and fry up as usual. You will definitely need more sauce as freezing and thawing will suck up more of the sauce.
More delicious tofu recipes!
Marinated Tofu
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (450g)
For the Tofu Marinade:
- 2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce or sub for tamari if gluten-free
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil plus more for frying
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
For Serving (Optional):
- Chives Chopped
- Basmati Rice
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 20 minutes, ideally using a tofu press, but if you don't have a tofu press then stand the tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top, like a heavy pot.
- Once the tofu is pressed cut it into cubes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the tofu marinade except the cornstarch together and pour over the tofu. Turn over all the blocks of tofu so they have marinade on both sides. Place into the fridge and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Add a little sesame oil to a frying pan and then add the tofu, leaving the tofu marinade sauce behind (don't throw it out, you're still going to use it). Fry the tofu until golden brown.
- Mix the leftover marinade sauce with the tsp of cornstarch and then pour over the tofu in the frying pan. Fry until the sauce thickens.
- Serve over basmati rice (optional) with some chopped chives for garnish.
Video
Notes
- If you're leaving the tofu in the marinade sauce for longer than 30 minutes then definitely make more sauce as the tofu will soak up more of it.
- Use a gluten-free soy sauce or switch for tamari if you need this meal to be entirely gluten-free.
- Prep time includes pressing the tofu and leaving it to marinade for 30 minutes, hands on prep time is only around 10 minutes.
- Nutritional information is for tofu only and does not include rice.
- Recipe adapted from our Tofu Stir-Fry.
- This recipe was first published in September 2018.
I really love tofu even if it’s just simply fried. But this one will surely make me love tofu more. Will try this recipe. Thank you for this.
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe. I use fresh garlic and ginger and saute with onion. I make a veg stirfry with tofu and add the rest of the sauce in at the end! It is simply delectable! Thank you so much for sharing!
Wonderful! 🙂
Would this go with a curry dish
Yes!
I JUST made this… OMG – DELICIOUS!!!!
Been a Vegetarian for a long long time – recently turned Vegan – rarely made YUMMY food (sad) but this Tofu recipe is AMAZING.
Thank you!!!!
So happy to hear that! Thank you so much for the great review!
Hi this looks so good! But I was wondering if i could leave the hoisin sauce out? will it make a flavor difference?
Hi Elisabeth, it would be most ideal if you replace it with something else, any sweet/salty sauce like vegan barbecue sauce or vegan oyster sauce or something like that. If you don’t have anything like that, then even plain old ketchup will do. You still want to have the same quantity of ingredients.
Holy moly. I sent this recipe to my boyfriend to make for dinner and the result was just incredible!! From the flavor to the texture- I could honestly eat this every single day. He swapped the hoisin for vegetarian “oyster” sauce because that’s all we had on hand, and added a bit of vegetable broth since the tofu really soaked up the marinade. So, so good!
So happy to hear that Mia! Thanks for the amazing review!
No, thank you! This recipe has become a staple for us. Lately we’ve been making it stir fry noodle style: we made 3x the sauce recipe and after cooking the tofu (plus some vegetable if we’re feeling ambitious), we add the two thirds remaining sauce in with soaked rice noodles. It’s unbelievably good. Thanks again!
That sounds awesome! Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Very Good it is definitely a keeper. I will make it again for sure. Thank You! It is a blessing to have people like you on the web. Have a Great Day!
Thanks Yolande! xo
Hi Alison, this worked like a charm, definitely the best tofu I’ve tasted. Had to improvise slightly as I didn’t have the exact ingredients to hand, but it was delightful. And the marinade helps to prevent the tofu sticking so you can use stainless steel pans, which is usually asking for trouble with tofu!
Thanks for this superb recipe
So happy to hear that! Thanks Clive!
I’m excited to make this but I do not have the hoisen sauce and live in the Ligurian hills, can u please recommend a good substitute l? Ta x Sarah
Hi Sarah, hoisin sauce is a salty/sweet sauce so anything that is similar would work fine, like a vegan barbecue sauce.
Is the sesame oil toasted sesame oil or just plain? I am always looking for new ways to try tofu, as I used to make my own back in the day! Have used it as a staple back-up for many years. Thank you so much.
We used regular (untoasted) sesame oil. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Loved this recipe. I baked the tofu and didnt use the reserve sauce but it was still so tasty. My kids were fighting over it! Will go in the regular rotation.
Awesome! Thanks Kim!
Hi there!
What can I use to replace the Hoisin sauce?
Thanks much!!
Any salty/sweet sauce such as vegan barbecue sauce, would work.