• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Olives for Dinner

Vegan Recipes for Those Who Love to Cook and Eat

  • Recipes
  • Work with Us
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Home ยป Entrees ยป Tofu ยป How to Press Tofu: A Primer

January 12, 2011

How to Press Tofu: A Primer

How to Press Tofu: A Primer

While I was writing a post involving marinated tofu for the blog, I googled “how to press tofu” with the intent of linking to it for the recipe. During my search, I came across a TofuXpress, which I own and find useful for transforming the texture and density of tofu, but using this does not produce the same result as incorporating in some kind of absorbent material (towels) to get out virtually all of the moisture.

And although many of the links I found involved a weight and towels, I couldn’t find a “how to” that followed my method. So I thought, “Why not make my own?” Now, this isn’t rocket science, but properly pressed tofu is an essential step when marinating, as it maximizes the tofu’s ability to fully absorb the flavor of the marinade.

Step One: Grab four thick handtowels and place the block of tofu on a cutting board like so:

Step One: Grab four thick handtowels and place the block of tofu on a cutting board like so.
Step Two: Cut your tofu in half, and then the halves into halves and then those halves into halves to make eight equal-sized pieces.
Step Two: Cut your tofu in half, and then the halves into halves and then those halves into halves to make eight equal-sized pieces.
Step Three: Lay the pieces out like so, using two of the four towels:

Step Three: Lay the pieces out like so, using two of the four towels:

Step Four: Place the two remaining towels over the top of the tofu, like so:

Step Four: Place the two remaining towels over the top of the tofu, like so.

Step Five: Place, one by one, large, heavy coffee table books, until you’ve added about 10 pounds of books. Let the tofu press for at least one hour before removing the weights:
Step Five: Place, one by one, large, heavy coffee table books, until you've added about 10 pounds of books. Let the tofu press for at least one hour before removing the weights.
Step Six: Cut the pressed tofu as desired and place in marinade, flipping over halfway through the marinade timing:
Step Six: Cut the pressed tofu as desired and place in marinade, flipping over halfway through the marinade timing.

You may also like:

Mushroom Tacos
Mock Eel
Socca Pizza Crust (Gluten-Free)
Sesame-Ginger Soba Noodles

Filed Under: Entrees, Tofu Tagged With: basics

We hope you enjoy this content!

We'd love for you to leave a comment below. For recipes, we would also love it if you gave it a rating. Thanks so much!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fanny says

    January 23, 2011 at 5:20 pm

    This is a perfect how-to, really great! I have the problem of not having so many towels to use and then just throw them in the washing machine, since I don't wash clothes very often. But pressed tofu really is something different from non-pressed so I guess it's worth it in the end.

    Reply
  2. vegantester says

    February 11, 2011 at 5:44 am

    this is great but i also find baking it works too:

    1. freeze and defrost tofu
    2. cut into chunky pieces
    3. lay out and press between a couple of paper towels for a minute
    4. place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet
    5. bake for an hour at about 200F
    6. place in a marinade

    Reply
  3. erinwyso says

    February 11, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Thanks vegantester! I've heard of the freezing/pressing method before but the baking step is new to me. I'm going to try your method the next time I marinate my tofu!

    Reply
  4. vegantester says

    February 16, 2011 at 4:22 am

    an extra tip: the baking time and temp really depends on how 'properly' you want to do it and how dry/chewy you like it. i sometimes over-bake it and it gets a little too dry.

    one other thing i discovered recently is that the texture is even better when you 'rest' the tofu after cooking – just like meat!

    Reply
  5. Blue says

    May 9, 2017 at 4:09 pm

    Hi Erin. Your photos are incredible, and I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. I just found your site.

    I also just got a tofu press yesterday, first day of using it. I see that you make no mention of using an actual press. Is there any reason for that? I did find that the “dishes on tofu on plate” idea worked fine, but took longer than the press that allows me to adjust the screws ever so often.

    I tried a recipe today (scallops, not yours) made of tofu, and found that it was too wet in the middle still. I’ve never read just how “dry” it’s supposed to be, and so I was concerned about mashing it too much. I thought if I screwed it super flat, the middle would bulge out so much as to burst and cause “egg” salad tofu, instead of my block. Does that realistically happen? And is it even possible to get it the correct dryness and texture without cutting it in half?

    And I’m assuming it’s cool to use the tofu press with towels, so I’ll try that next time for sure. Thanks for your elaborate — and BEAUTIFUL — recipes. (We just *love* your use of color!)

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      May 9, 2017 at 6:30 pm

      Hi Blue,

      Thanks for your kind words about the site! I don’t like using a tofu press for the reasons you list above: it always leaves the tofu wet in the middle. My thought on cutting the tofu into pieces is that is the best way to allow for maximum absorption of marinade and it’s likely going to be cut anyway.

      I made an additional tofu press post that may be helpful to you if you haven’t already seen it … good luck! ๐Ÿ™‚

      https://olivesfordinner.com/2014/02/how-to-towel-press-tofu-for-marinating.html

      Reply
      • Blue says

        June 16, 2017 at 10:32 pm

        Thanks. I wrapped my tofu (cut in half, lengthwise) in a microfiber kitchen towel, then put it in the tofu press. Worked great, far better than the press alone, and no lint due to the microfiber.

        P. S. I *have* now tried many of your recipes, and both I and my (meat-loving) family find them simply wonderful! You’re extremely talented – and creative! Thanks for helping get these two “hard sells” eating more healthfully.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Erin Wysocarski. Glad you’re here.

I create vegan recipes for those who love to cook and eat. My husband Jeff photographs them. We live in Boston with our rescue dog, Harper. More about Erin โ†’

Follow Me!

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

As Seen On

Popular Recipes

Pasta, artistically draped around a fork on a table.

Pasta with White Wine Sauce

Two hands holding a glass mason jar of coffee sugar scrub

Homemade Coffee Sugar Scrub

Two hands framing a plate of curry on a dark background.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Curry

A whole head of firecracker cauliflower, basted with sauce in a cast iron pan against a dark background.

Firecracker Cauliflower

A top-down shot of sweet potato tempura and avocado vegan sushi rolls with pickled ginger against a dark background.

Sweet Potato Tempura and Avocado Rolls

Vegan Shrimp

Vegan Shrimp

Two hands holding a bowl of bang bang cauliflow

Vegan Bang Bang Cauliflower

A bagel loaded with carrot lox, red onion, capers and vegan cream cheese on a wooden board.

Carrot Lox

Footer

About

Olives for Dinner is a vegan food blog for those who love to cook and eat. You'll find fresh, creative and delicious recipes here, all made with plants!

Search for recipes

VIEW ALL RECIPES

Interviews

Amber St. Peter | Fettle Vegan - Good Saint
Timothy Pakron of Mississippi Vegan
Cara Ansis of Fork and Beans

Sign up to get new recipes via email.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
HOME โˆ™ ABOUT โˆ™ CONTACT โˆ™ PRIVACY

Copyright© 2023 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks