Marinated tofu, an easy recipe that makes tofu taste amazing. It's low in fat, high in protein, and requires 8 ingredients and 20 minutes.
This marinated tofu is so easy to make! It is a super simple recipe perfect to enjoy for lunch or dinner. And it only requires 8 simple ingredients and just 30 minutes of your time!
I absolutely love to have it at least once a week, as it is delicious, flavorful, high in protein, satiating, and low in fat. Besides, you can customize it with the spices and herbs you prefer and serve it with your favorite ingredients.
Marinated tofu recipe - Short video
How to make marinated tofu - Step by step
- Mix all the tofu marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl until well combined (photo 1). Add the tofu cubes and let them marinate (photo 2), covered in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- Drain the tofu but don’t discard the liquid (photo 3). Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet (photo 4), and sautée the tofu over medium-high heat until golden brown (photo 5).
- Add the marinade liquid to a bowl along with the cornstarch (photo 6) and mix until well combined (photo 7). Pour the sauce into the frying pan and cook until it thickens (photo 8).
- Serve your marinated tofu immediately.
Ingredients and tips
- Firm tofu: firm or extra firm tofu work best for this marinated tofu recipe. Soft or silken tofu are not good choices as they will fall apart easily.
- Water: you could also use vegetable stock instead.
- Soy sauce or tamari: I use soy sauce, but tamari is a good gluten-free alternative. If you can’t eat soy, coconut aminos is a great substitute. You could also add the same amount of water or vegetable stock and add more salt.
- Apple cider vinegar: you could also use white vinegar or lemon juice instead.
- Maple syrup: feel free to use any other type of sweetener. Agave syrup is the best alternative, though.
- Garlic powder: you could also use fresh garlic and sautée it with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. However, I find garlic powder to be more convenient. Onion powder would also be a good choice.
- Cayenne powder: omit this ingredient if you’re not into spicy food and feel free to add more or less of it depending on how spicy you want your tofu marinade to be. You could also use cayenne pepper, chili powder, or any other type of spicy sauce. Keep in mind that you may need to add more or less of it if you’re using cayenne powder.
- Cornstarch: feel free to use any other type of starch instead. You could also omit it, but your sauce won’t have the same texture and it will be more watery.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I’m Spanish, so I use extra virgin olive oil to cook most of my dishes and I always use extra virgin oils when possible because they're healthier. However, using any other type of oil is also okay. If you don’t consume oil, just use some vegetable stock or water instead.
- Feel free to serve it along with some delicious salads to easily incorporate more protein!
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Marinated Tofu
Marinated tofu, an easy recipe that makes tofu taste amazing. It's low in fat, high in protein, and requires 8 ingredients and 20 minutes.
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Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 12 oz firm tofu, cubed
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- â…› teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all the tofu marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl (water, soy sauce, vinegar, syrup, garlic powder, and cayenne powder) until well combined. Add the tofu cubes and let them marinate covered in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. If you let them marinate for a longer period of time, they will have a more intense flavor.
- Drain the tofu but don’t discard the liquid. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and sautée the tofu over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add the marinade liquid to a bowl with the cornstarch and mix until well combined. Pour the sauce into the skillet and cook until it thickens.
- Serve immediately (I added some chopped chives on top, but this is completely optional).
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
Notes
- The original recipe was made with 10 oz or 275 g or firm tofu.
- Feel free to use any type of vinegar, sweetener, or starch.
- Add or omit any spices you want.
- Water can be replaced with vegetable stock.
- If you’re not into spicy food, omit the cayenne powder or add less of it. You can also use chili powder.
- Prep time and cook time don’t include marinating time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.4g | Protein: 13.4g | Fat: 5.8g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Sodium: 1024mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 7.5g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2018, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in February of 2022.
Judy says
Very nice indeed:) I substituted almond meal for the corn starch and it worked very well.
Iosune says
Hi Judy! SO glad you liked it 🙂
Adebayo Wuraola says
Iosune, Thanks for this. I thoroughly enjoyed this; it is very highly health enriching.
I have no problem with the ads because I know they are needed. Though I am not speaking for our friend, Janelle. May be her problem is akin to mine - looking for the recipe for making tofu itself from wheat grains to start with. That is what I was looking for before I ended up in your website, which is a good thing, like Columbus going to India and ending up in America. I have been buying tofu from several sources for a long time. I want to be in a position I can make it myself, whenever I have the time to do so.
Please kindly help and I am so sorry to bother you. Thanks.
Iosune says
Hi Adebayo! I'm so sorry, but I don't have a recipe for making tofu from scratch and I haven't made it myself. Have a nice day!
Carolina Cantrell says
OMG! This is so good! Just started eating a plant based diet, and I was a little skeptical about tofu... I decided to try this recipe because it says ‘Easy’ (haha) and I loved it! My husband and son also loved it, and they’re not even as committed as I am to not eating animal based food.
Iosune says
Hi Carolina! Thanks a lot 🙂 SO glad you guys loved it!
Joshua Howard says
Thank you for this recipe! A few days ago I tried to make it and it was amazing! I like healthy food and it's important for me that tofu is rich in protein.
Iosune says
Hi Joshua! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Andre says
Hey all,
I got medium tofu instead of hard
Do I drain it to make it hard of just try recipe as is?
Iosune says
Hi Andre! I would drain it carefully 🙂
Marion says
Loved this! Very new to using tofu, still trying to figure it out. I did use oil, but think I will try without next time. Can you tell me-are you always supposed to drain/ dry the tofu before using, or can I rely on recipes to say so if needed?
Iosune says
Hi Marion! Thanks a lot 🙂 I hardly ever press or dry the tofu, but it's up to you...
Sagar says
These recipes are fantastic! Tofu can be tasty too 🙂 Thanks!
Iosune says
Hi Sagar! Thanks a lot 🙂
Sandee Protzmann says
This was AMAZING! Tofu nation:) thank you for posting
Iosune says
Hi Sandee! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Filip says
Not a big fan of tofu but marinade/sauce made it better. I´ll definitely try it again later.
Iosune says
Hi Filip! So glad you liked it 🙂
Sophie says
Simply love this marinated version of tofu. Big eater of tofu lover.
Iosune says
Hi Sophie! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you loved it!
Janelle says
I can't find the recipe and content of your site due to all the ads that pop up/are dancing and jumping all over the content. I would like to visit your site to be inspired. But your inspiration is hiding under a barrage of consumerism.
Iosune says
Hi Janelle! I'm so sorry, but our blog is our job and we need the ads to continue our work. Besides, the content is free, so I think is pretty fair. However, we want to reduce the number, so thanks for your comment!
Melissa says
When I mix the marinade together, do I mix ALL of the ingredients, or just the ones listed(not including the optional ingredients)? Because for step 1, it says in parenthesis just 5 of the ingredients, and for step 4, it says too add in cornstarch, so im not quite sure what to mix in. Also, for step 1, do I add in the maple syrup along with the other ingredients?
Iosune says
Hi Melissa! In step 1 you need to mix: water, tamari or soy sauce, vinegar, syrup, garlic powder and cayenne powder. Then in step 4 you need to add the cornstarch. Hope it helps!
Merissa says
Can you use agave instead of maple syrup?
Iosune says
Hi Merissa! Yes, you can 🙂
Janet says
I had been looking for a really good marinade for tofu and this is it! I then wok fried some chopped up onion, ginger and chilli and set aside with the cooked tofu - then went on to stir fry all my veg, adding the left over marinade and a home made vegetable stock. The result was THE best stir fry I have ever done - so thank you for this simple yet tasty marinade recipe.
Iosune says
Hi Janet! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you liked it so much!
Duncan says
Thanks but 1024mg of sodium in a 145 calories. The other 1755 calories for the day better have no salt!
I assume this is all From the soy, so maybe a low salt alternate.
Iosune says
Hi Duncan! It's not the real amount of sodium, as we discard part of the marinade, but feel free to add less tamari or soy sauce or use low sodium if you want 🙂
Elaine says
This was my first time preparing tofu in many years. The recipe for the marinade was very good. I ended up placing my sauteed tofu on top of a bed of baby spinach, arugula and spiralized carrots. I also added some fresh ginger to the pan before serving. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I look forward to trying more!
Iosune says
Hi Elaine! Sounds great 🙂 You're so welcome!
Isabelle B. says
Loving how easy this recipe is! I can see from a lot of your tofu recipes you use cornstarch, would tapioca flour (cassava root) be an okay alternative to the cornstarch?
Iosune says
Hi Isabelle! Yes, any other starch will do 🙂
Jay says
I tried this today and it was delicious. Very easy to make too, thank you.
Iosune says
Hi Jay! Thanks a lot 🙂 SO glad you enjoyed it!
Bu says
Thanks for the recipe, I'm using it twice a month 🙂 I also add ginger for more flavor - very recommended 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Bu! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Roara says
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! It is fantastic, I have made it so many times. I am a college student so being vegan is hard. Most of the recipes I find are expensive and time consuming. But your entire blog has been an absolute life changer! Thank you so much!!
Iosune says
Hi Roara! You're so welcome 🙂 I'm so happy to hear that. Have a nice day!
Deb leone says
Great recipe. All guests asked for it.
Iosune says
Hi Deb! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂