Never eat bland or boring tofu again! This Marinated Tofu recipe easily transforms a regular brick of tofu into the most delicious protein with amazing flavors. Perfect for frying, baking, or air frying!
2-3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
Categories
Main Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
Japanese
Steps
Quick press the tofu: Cut the tofu into cubes. Place them evenly on a flat surface such as a cutting board lined with a clean dish towel. Cover with another clean dish towel, set a baking sheet on top and then something heavy, like a large book or cast iron skillet. Press like this for 15 minutes while you make the marinade.
Make the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.
Marinate the tofu: Place the pressed tofu pieces in a shallow dish. (In the photos above I doubled the recipe, so I used a 9 x 13 inch dish, but for one batch you will need a smaller dish, such as an 8 x 8 inch.) Pour the marinade over the tofu. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour, covered, in the refrigerator. If you want to leave it overnight, it will be even more flavorful.
Cook the tofu: In a large skillet, cast iron preferred, add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil, such as canola oil and heat over medium-high heat. You can omit the oil if needed, but you will need a very good non-stick pan so the tofu pieces don't stick. Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade and add to the pan. Do not discard the marinade sauce. Fry the tofu until golden brown on each side.
Once the tofu pieces are browned, pour any leftover marinade sauce into the pan with the tofu, and stir to coat. This makes the tofu even more flavorful! The tofu will quickly absorb the sauce. Remove from heat, and serve with rice and stir fried vegetables such as baby bok choy, mushrooms and carrots.
Store leftover tofu in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It's also good cold, as a high protein snack or in sandwiches and salads.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 161 kcal
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Protein: 9 g
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 606 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
Tam on 2026-06-21 (5 stars): This is about my 20th time making this so I owe this recipe a thank you. What a great go to recipe. Flavorful. I use it with stir frys or as a salad topper and the marinade becomes my dressing. Balanced. Adjustable. Jist hands down the best for a simple quick perfect flavor marinade
Dave Jones on 2026-06-08 (4 stars): Unfortunately did not read the post about extra/super firm tofu before I made this, but it was still very good as I made extra marinade for the vege stir fry and think that saved it 😊
Victoria on 2026-05-08 (5 stars): Seriously my favorite tofu marinade so far. You totally nailed it. I added some Aleppo pepper at the end for some spice and I’m effectively addicted.
Lara on 2026-04-29 (5 stars): She wasn’t lying, this is truly the best tofu ever!! Thank you Nora you have changed my life with this recipe.
Mabella on 2026-04-16 (5 stars): Prepared a “light” version of this using 1 tbs olive oil for the frying. I also added about 2 tbs of cornstarch after the tofu had been marinated. The result was crispy and delicious. By the way, the only ingredient I was missing was rice vinegar so I substituted with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Loved this recipe. This is the 3rd time I make it and it was the best by far.
