Vegan Tofu Recipes: 15 Easy Dinners, Salads and Desserts

Hello lovelies,

for ten years I heard the same sentence, at the family table and in the comments: tofu tastes like nothing. I used to say it myself. These days tofu is on our table almost every week, and nobody rolls their eyes anymore.

The difference was never one miracle recipe. It was the selection. Some dishes let tofu shine and others expose it. These 15 are the ones that stayed: 11 with firm or smoked tofu, 4 with silken tofu, all of them vegan, sorted by what you actually want to cook tonight.

Which tofu should you use for which recipe?

Firm tofu for anything that should get crispy, smoked tofu for anything that has to be fast, and silken tofu for anything creamy. That one decision happens in the store, and it shapes the dish more than any spice you add later.

Tofu is made by curdling soy milk with a coagulant and pressing the curds, much like cheese. How hard the curds are pressed is the difference between firm and silken tofu. Smoked tofu is firm tofu that has been smoked afterward, which is why it already brings its own flavor. Soy is also one of the few plant foods whose protein is complete, containing all nine essential amino acids, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan Nutrition Source.

What separates the types nutritionally is mostly water. Calcium-set firm tofu delivers 17.3 g of protein and 144 calories per 100 g (3.5 oz) according to USDA FoodData Central; soft silken tofu delivers 4.8 g of protein and 55 calories. If you count on tofu for calcium, read the ingredients list: firm tofu set with calcium sulfate provides 683 mg of calcium per 100 g, while nigari-set tofu provides around 345 mg. Extra-firm tofu is simply pressed harder at the factory, so it needs less time under the board at home. Smoked tofu, in turn, is the tofu for evenings without a plan: it holds its flavor and shape with zero prep, diced in the pan or in strips on the sheet pan, and that is exactly how it ends up in our salads, wraps and lunchboxes. You can tell the types apart by the package: silken tofu usually sits unrefrigerated in a shelf-stable carton, while firm and smoked tofu are vacuum-packed in the refrigerated aisle.

Why does tofu taste like nothing, and how do you fix it?

Tofu tastes like nothing because it is supposed to: it is a carrier that soaks up marinade and sauce once the water is out. That is where most first attempts fail, not the tofu itself.

I wrote up the three moves that change everything in how to cook tofu properly. The short version: firm tofu sits between two kitchen towels under a board for 15 to 30 minutes, then soaks for at least 30 minutes in a marinade of soy sauce, something acidic, a little sweetness and aromatics, and gets tossed in about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 200 g (7 oz) right before it hits the pan.

In the pan the order is: heat first, then oil, then tofu, and leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The crust releases by itself. The same thing works in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, turned once, and your hands stay free for the rest of dinner. Once you have pulled that off, you will understand why every recipe below works, and none of them needs special equipment.

Salads and bowls with crispy tofu

Crispy tofu is the category that wins over skeptics fastest, because a crust and a punchy dressing do half the work together. These are the dishes that show up most often at our table.

No. 1, the crispy tofu salad with matcha sesame dressing, is the recipe I cook most. The tofu is pressed, marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil and crisped in the air fryer or oven, and the matcha dressing brings a gentle bitterness and that green color. About 20 g of protein per serving, ready in 25 minutes. The one move that carries the salad: the crispy tofu goes in right before serving and the dressing goes on last, otherwise the crust turns soft within minutes.

No. 2 is my fall and winter classic: lamb's lettuce with oven vegetables and smoked tofu. The smoked tofu goes onto the sheet pan without pressing, the roasted vegetables bring sweetness and the lettuce brings freshness. No. 3, the colorful salad with sweet potato and quinoa, is my winter salad for days that call for more than lettuce: roasted sweet potato, tofu tossed in starch and baked crisp in the oven, quinoa, spinach and pomegranate seeds in one bowl that fills you up and packs well for lunch. All 3 keep for a day in the fridge, as long as tofu and dressing stay apart until you eat.

Crispy Tofu Salad with Matcha-Sesame Dressing

Lamb’s lettuce with oven vegetables and tofu

Colorful salad with sweet potato and quinoa

Soups and curries: the most forgiving vegan tofu recipes for fall

In soup and curry, tofu does not have to be crispy; it gets to drink the sauce, which is exactly why these are the most forgiving tofu recipes there are. A quick press, a dice, in it goes. For soups and stews the pressing can be short, because the tofu is meant to soak up liquid here anyway, and the cubes can be larger than for the pan so they stay whole in the pot.

No. 4, the red curry soup with coconut tofu, is the soup that improves most noticeably at our house when it sits: the tofu keeps pulling the curry paste into itself overnight. That is why I almost always cook a double batch and freeze half. If the coconut milk looks curdled after thawing, nothing is wrong; the emulsion has separated. Stir hard while reheating and the soup turns creamy again.

No. 5, the vegan tom kha gai, is the Thai coconut soup with lemongrass and lime in which tofu takes the chicken's place and turns soft and fragrant in the coconut milk. No. 6, the vegan umami ramen, is the weekend project of the three: a deep broth, noodles, vegetables and tofu on top, and it earns the name umami.

Red curry soup with coconut tofu

Vegan Tom Kha Gai with tofu

vegan Umami Ramen

Pasta, sheet pan and grill pan: tofu the whole family eats

Tofu works best for kids when it is hiding inside a dish they already love. Bolognese, skewers and a savory tart are the three nobody argues about at our table.

No. 7, the vegan bolognese with tofu, mushrooms and eggplant, is our most-cooked pasta dish: tofu, finely chopped mushrooms and eggplant give the sauce body and bite, and it tastes even better reheated. It freezes without any trouble, which makes it our meal-prep candidate among pasta sauces. No. 8, the grilled tofu and mushroom skewers with salad, follow the marinade principle from the tofu guide exactly: soy sauce, a spoonful of maple syrup and plenty of herbs, with the lemon saved for the salad's vinaigrette. Off the grill in summer, out of the grill pan at our place in fall.

No. 9, the vegan tomato quiche, is the only savory silken tofu idea on this list: the filling is blended silken tofu that sets in the oven and slices cleanly, no eggs anywhere. As long as there are tomatoes with real flavor around, it is our Sunday dish.

Vegan Bolognese with tofu, mushrooms and eggplant

Grilled tofu mushroom skewers with salad

Vegan tomato quiche

Appetizers and dishes to share

Tofu can be a starter, a hostess gift and finger food, and in that role it wins over even the guests who usually avoid it. Three ideas that land on every appetizer board at our house.

No. 10, the pickled basil tofu with olives, is my gift from the kitchen: tofu cubes with basil, olives and sun-dried tomatoes in oil, given away in a jar or set out as bites. No. 11, the summer rolls with peanut dip, are child labor in the best sense at our house: rice paper, glass noodles, vegetables, herbs and crispy fried tofu are laid out, and every kid rolls their own.

No. 12, the panzanella with tofu, is the Tuscan bread salad with tomatoes, cucumber and crisp baked tofu cubes, the perfect dish for as long as the last summer tomatoes still taste like something. The tofu bakes crisp in the oven together with the bread; if you are in a hurry, pan-fry the cubes instead, and if you love olives, simply crumble the tofu raw over the salad.

Pickled Basil Tofu with Olives

Summer rolls with peanut dip

Panzanella with Tofu

Silken tofu: creamy, sweet, and egg-free

Silken tofu is never pressed and never fried, only blended smooth, and in that form it replaces eggs, cream and cream cheese in desserts without tasting like tofu. It is the other half of the tofu story, and at our house it is the sweet half. Two things silken tofu cannot do: hold its shape, or bind like an egg in patties, and for those you need firm tofu.

No. 13, the perfect vegan cheesecake with silken tofu, is one of the most-visited recipes on this blog. Silken tofu, lemon and vanilla make a creamy, slightly tangy filling that comes remarkably close to the classic, and if you let it cool slowly you get it without cracks.

No. 14, the orange cream with silken tofu, is the fastest dessert here: blend, pour into glasses, chill. The cream turns almost mousse-like, and with mandarin, blood orange or lemon you can vary it all year. No. 15, the vegan gingerbread mousse with cherries, is the dessert for the holidays: silken tofu and gingerbread spices turn into an airy mousse, the cherries bring the fruity acidity, and because nothing gets baked, it is in the fridge within minutes.

For what silken tofu can do on the savory side, see how to fry silken tofu. One base ratio that always works at our house: 200 g (7 oz) of silken tofu, 100 g (3.5 oz) of melted chocolate and a little maple syrup make a mousse for 4 small glasses, no recipe required. And because the question comes up so often: in baking, 60 g (about 2 oz) of blended silken tofu replaces 1 egg, with every other option laid out in my table of egg substitutes for baking.

The perfect vegan cheesecake – with silken tofu

Orange cream with silken tofu

Vegan gingerbread mousse with cherries

How do you plan a week around tofu?

At our house it runs on a Sunday routine: press 2 blocks, make 2 marinades, fry once, and the crispy tofu carries us through half the week. One block goes Asian with soy sauce and ginger, one Mediterranean with lemon and herbs, and both hit the pan together.

When I started cooking tofu a good ten years ago, nobody at home would touch it voluntarily. Today my girls take smoked tofu with crackers and veggie sticks to school, and here in Bali fried tofu lands on the plate at every corner anyway; in Indonesia it is everyday food. The road there was never persuasion. It was always the same thing: one crispy piece, one good dressing, and at some point nobody asks what it is anymore.

The rest is storage. Opened firm tofu keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge if you cover it with water in a container and change the water daily; use silken tofu within 2 to 3 days. Crispy tofu stays crispy only if it is stored away from anything wet. To reheat it, give it a minute in a hot pan or the oven, never the microwave, where the crust turns soft in a minute. If you want to cook ahead for a whole week, the right dishes are in my vegetarian meal prep recipes. Fried tofu lasts 2 to 3 days there as long as it stays dry in its own container and only meets the sauce on the plate. And where tofu fits into the bigger picture is in my post on the best plant protein sources.

Lovelies, start with a single dish, ideally the crispy tofu salad with matcha dressing, and give the tofu the three moves it needs. Once it has been truly crispy on your plate, the rest of this list is just a question of appetite.

Tell me in the comments: which dish made peace between you (or your family) and tofu?

Yours, Verena

Recipes to try

Creamy spring pasta with asparagus and tofu

Vegan stick bread with tofu wiener

Fermented beetroot with tofu dip

Mushroom Fennel Risotto with Smoked Tofu