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    Home » Salads

    Marinated Tofu Salad

    Published: Nov 19, 2019 Updated: May 24, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Marinated Tofu Salad

    This delicious tofu salad is packed with crispy vegetables and marinated tofu and it’s topped with a creamy tahini dressing. 

    Tofu salad drizzled with tahini salad dressing in a wooden salad bowl.

    You guys, this is a serious salad. This is a salad that has ambitions way beyond a simple side. It wants to be the main event!

    It looks gorgeous, it’s packed with good stuff and it has heaps of protein from the tofu, so hey, it really can be the main event. 

    And if you like what you’re seeing here, then take a look at our vegan Greek salad and our vegan chickpea salad as well. 

    Dishing up tofu salad from a wooden bowl with wooden salad spoons.

    How To Make Tofu Salad

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    Marinated Tofu:

    Well, let’s talk about the tofu. Cos the tofu is the VIP at this event. 

    We went with marinated tofu for this salad. And the recipe for that comes from our marinated tofu recipe. But don’t worry, we’ll go over it again here. 

    Press the tofu for 20 minutes before you start. It’s ideal if you use 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 stack something heavy on top of that like a heavy pot or some heavy books. 

    Mix up a marinade sauce of soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil and hoisin sauce. 

    Marinade ingredients added to a bowl and whisked together.

    When the tofu is pressed, cut it into cubes and place it into a glass dish.

    Tofu cut into cubes and placed into a glass dish.

    Pour over the marinade sauce and turn over the blocks of tofu so they have marinade sauce on both sides. Let them sit in the marinade sauce for 30 minutes. 

    Marinade sauce poured over tofu and tossed.

    Then heat a frying pan with a little sesame oil. Take the tofu out of the marinade and fry it until golden brown.

    Marinated tofu in a glass dish and then fried in a frying pan.

    Add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the leftover marinade sauce and then pour it over the fried tofu and fry until thickened. 

    Marinated tofu in a frying pan.

    Assemble the Salad:

    Assemble the other ingredients for your tofu salad as follows:

    • Chopped romaine lettuce
    • Sliced cherry tomatoes
    • Sliced cucumber
    • Chopped red bell pepper
    • Grated carrot
    • Chopped green onions (also called salad onions or spring onions)
    • Pickled ginger
    Assembling a salad in a salad bowl.
    • Chopped Basil
    • Sesame Seeds
    Adding chopped basil and sesame seeds to a salad and tossing.

    When the salad basics are assembled and your marinated tofu is cooked, simply add the tofu to the salad and toss together.

    Marinated tofu added to salad and tossed.

    Pour over the dressing and toss together.

    Tahini dressing poured over salad and tossed.

    Garnish with some chopped chives and sesame seeds and chopped avocado.

    Tofu salad in a wooden salad bowl.

    The Dressing

    For the dressing we went with our tahini salad dressing recipe which is a simple mix of tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, crushed garlic, water and salt and pepper. 

    It makes a wonderfully creamy dressing that works perfectly with this salad. 

    Pouring tahini salad dressing over a tofu salad.

    Which Tofu is Best For Tofu Salad?

    Firm or extra firm tofu is the best to use in a salad. We still press the tofu to make it even firmer and then marinate and fry it. 

    If you use a regular or soft tofu it will break up too much in the process and then when stirring it into the salad it will not hold its shape at all. So use a firm or extra firm tofu and then press it to get it as firm as possible.  

    Tofu salad in a wooden salad bowl with tahini dressing.

    Storing Tofu Salad

    Keep leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within a day or two. This is fresh food so it’s not going to last for too long.

    Ideally if you think there will be leftovers then don’t add avocado to the salad, rather just add avocado directly to each serving. That way the salad itself will stay as fresh as possible for as long as possible. 

    A forkful of tofu salad over a bowl.

    More Vegan Salads

    1. Vegan Caesar Salad
    2. Vegan Sweet Potato Salad
    3. Vegan Kale Salad
    4. Vegan Couscous Salad
    5. Vegan Quinoa Salad
    6. Vegan Potato Salad

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Tofu salad in a wooden bowl.

    Tofu Salad

    This delicious tofu salad is packed with crispy vegetables and marinated tofu and it's topped with a creamy tahini salad dressing.
    5 from 15 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 303kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Marinated Tofu:

    • 16 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (450g)
    • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
    • 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
    • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
    • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil plus more for frying
    • 1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch

    Salad:

    • 6 cups Chopped Romaine Lettuce about 2 small heads
    • 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
    • 2 cups Sliced Cucumber
    • 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Chopped
    • 1 cup Grated Carrot about 2 medium carrots
    • 1 Green Onion Chopped*
    • ¼ cup Pickled Ginger
    • ½ cup Fresh Basil Chopped
    • 2 teaspoons Sesame Seeds

    Tahini Dressing:

    • 1 Recipe Tahini Salad Dressing

    Serving:

    • 1 Medium Avocado Chopped
    • Chopped Chives
    • Sesame Seeds
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Marinated Tofu:

    • Press the tofu for 20 minutes before you start. It's ideal if you use 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 stack something heavy on top of that like a heavy pot or some heavy books.
    • Add the soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil and hoisin sauce to a bowl or measuring jug and whisk into a sauce (leave the cornstarch until later).
    • When the tofu has finished pressing, cut it into cubes and place into a glass dish. Pour over the marinade sauce and turn over the cubes of tofu so that both sides are covered in marinade sauce. Place into the fridge and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
    • After 30 minutes, heat a frying pan with a little sesame oil. Take the tofu out of the marinade sauce and fry it until golden brown.
    • Add the teaspoon of cornstarch to the leftover marinade sauce and then pour it over the fried tofu and fry until thickened.

    Salad:

    • Now assemble your salad. Add chopped romaine lettuce to a salad bowl followed by sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber and chopped red bell pepper.
    • Add grated carrot, chopped green onion, pickled ginger, chopped basil and sesame seeds and toss together.
    • Add the marinated tofu and toss with the salad.
    • Prepare your dressing and pour it over the top of the salad and toss together.
    • Serve topped with chopped avocado, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped chives.

    Notes

    1. Green onions are also called spring onions or salad onions.
    2. We used half black sesame seeds and half white sesame seeds, but either or is fine.
    3. Prep time includes pressing the tofu for 20 minutes and marinating for 30 minutes. While the tofu is pressing and marinating the other salad prep can be done. So the whole meal can be ready in an hour. 
    4. If you’d like this salad to be gluten-free then use a gluten-free soy sauce and hoisin sauce.
    5. Nutritional information includes the marinated tofu and all salad ingredients but excludes the tahini salad dressing. Nutritional information for the salad dressing can be found on that separate linked recipe.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.9g | Protein: 17.9g | Fat: 16.9g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Sodium: 763mg | Fiber: 7.3g | Sugar: 10.6g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sabrina says

      October 24, 2024 at 1:43 am

      This salad is amazing! Even my picky husband who usually hates salad eats a lot. We devoured this big bowl of salad for dinner. Satisfied!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        October 24, 2024 at 3:43 pm

        That’s great Sabrina! Thanks so much for sharing and for your awesome review!

        Reply
    2. Marie says

      November 14, 2023 at 2:21 pm

      Can you bake the tofu instead of frying it?

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        November 17, 2023 at 8:47 am

        Yes you can!

        Reply
    3. Janis T Lee says

      September 27, 2023 at 5:00 am

      Where can I buy pickled ginger? Is it necessary? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        September 29, 2023 at 12:34 pm

        Hi Janis, at your local grocery store or Amazon. You can leave it out if you’d prefer.

        Reply
    4. Vicky says

      August 09, 2022 at 9:36 pm

      Loved it!!! It’s a keeper!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 10, 2022 at 10:09 am

        Thanks Vicky!

        Reply
    5. Shannon says

      May 17, 2022 at 7:47 pm

      Headed to the grocery store after work to pick up my ingredients! I have most but need to get a few things. Can’t wait to try and leave my review. 🙂

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 18, 2022 at 11:40 am

        Awesome, hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    6. Silvie says

      February 13, 2021 at 6:08 pm

      We had it for dinner yesterday and it was delicious, especially the tofu. The dressing was also great, but just after mixing it suddenly thickened a lot, like a paste. What could I have done wrong? Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 15, 2021 at 11:01 am

        Hi Silvie, you can just add extra water to thin it out if that happens. So glad you enjoyed the salad!

        Reply
    7. Shannon says

      September 01, 2020 at 12:54 am

      Absolutely delicious!
      The tofu marinade.. absolutely incredible.. not a fan of red peppers so omitted that. The tahini dressing was incredible – Ive never had tahini before but it was really subtle flavor that really complements it well. This easily fed me for 2 meals.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 01, 2020 at 1:07 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it Shannon! Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    8. Cindy says

      August 24, 2020 at 8:09 pm

      I’m not vegan or a vegetarian – just looking for something different for lunch. This marinade is delicious and I will definitely make it again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 25, 2020 at 12:44 pm

        Thanks Cindy!

        Reply
    9. Anna says

      November 22, 2019 at 6:27 am

      The tofu puts an added element of deliciousness in this salad!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 22, 2019 at 8:58 am

        Absolutely! Thanks Anna. 🙂

        Reply

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    5 from 15 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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