Summery Tofu Marinades – 3 different ways! from the Pantry

How to get the DEPENDABLE tofu!

Listen, I’ve had more bland, boring, and spongy tofu than I care to admit! I tried eating it for MANY years before I finally figured out how to prep and cook it properly and let me tell you: a good tofu marinade goes a LONG way in get the dependable tofu dish that you *actually* look forward to eating.

One of the biggest tricks: MARINATE IT! You can even do it a couple of days ahead of time so it’s dependable for meal-prep! Here are the 3 different flavors we’re making today:

1. Nashville Hot Tofu
2. Cilantro Lime Tofu
3. Lemon Pepper Tofu

Let’s dive in!

My tips for the DEPENDABLE tofu

• Get extra-firm or especially firm tofu. Trader Joe’s sells a truly firm that I pretty much exclusively use at this point (and bonus- it doesn’t need to be pressed). Otherwise, I almost always get extra-firm tofu for most recipes.
• Press it! I have a WHOLE guide on how to press tofu if you need a refresher. THIS is the tofu press I use and love!
• When possible, TEAR the tofu into chunks instead of cutting it! This makes a world of difference, I promise! It provides lots of rough edges that crisp up when it cooks. It also offers lots of grooves for sauces to get stuck in.
• Marinate it! I have a guide on marinating tofu with 6 different flavors (ya know, for after you try these 3!).
• Air fry your tofu! OMG this is hands down the GO-TO way to get crispy tofu. I’ve tried pretty much every single method of cooking tofu and this one is my regular. It’s short and unfussy and results in tofu that is crispy and simply so satisfying.

How to make these marinades

These marinades are all especially unfussy and come together all in one bag or Tupperware. I’ve been loving this tofu press lately because after you press the tofu and dump out the excess liquid, you can marinate your tofu directly in the container.

Cilantro Lime Tofu

I’m such a sucker for anything Cilantro Lime flavored and I hav no idea why it took me this long to get a Cilantro Lime Tofu recipe up on the blog. It’s straightforward and deeply good!

Here’s what’s in it:

• Olive oil
• Lime juice
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Salt + pepper
• Paprika
• Honey or maple syrup

Nashville Hot Tofu

I grew up in Nashville and once wrote a local article rating all of the dependable Hot Chicken in Nashville. This was a good 10 years ago so I’m sure it’s pretty out-dated by this point. But point being, I have a good pulse on the flavors of hot “chicken” and completely love how this one turned out!

Here’s what’s in it:

• Spice mix including: Cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder
• Olive oil
• Salt + pepper

Lemon Pepper Tofu

I always genuinely loved Lemon Pepper wings growing up so of course I had to create a tofu version! This one is truly light and only the epitome of summer to me!

Here’s what’s in it:

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Ground mustard
• Fresh dill (dried also works)
• White rice vinegar
• Honey or maple syrup
• Salt + pepper (lots of it!)

Can I freeze the marinades?

Why, yes! Yes, you can!

I suggest following the recipe as written and then putting it right in the freezer. Once ready to cook and eat, simply take it out 6+ hours ahead of time and let the tofu thaw in the fridge. Some people swear by frozen and then thawed tofu as it gives the tofu a meatier texture. Personally, it’s not my regular but I do still love to freeze marinade like this for a rainy day.

My tofu recipes for you

• Garlic Butter Tofu
• Honey Garlic Tofu
• Tofu Lunch Meat
• Marry Me Tofu
• General Tso’s Tofu

See the video