Welcome to What Does Tofu Taste Like

 But seriously, what does tofu taste like? The most basic simple answer is tofu can taste like almost anything. Tofu actually absorbs flavors around it.

I prefer to look at tofu like a blank canvas. It is basically tasteless. Tofu starts as a bland, almost flavorless protein source of soy. So consider yourself an artist in the kitchen when it comes to tofu. You are starting with a blank canvas and you need to add flavors to make the kitchen art work beautiful. Think spices, marinades, etc Would I ate plain flavored tofu? No, I would not eat it without some sort of flavoring. It needs something added to it for flavor.

Tofu is probably one of the popular vegetarian protein or vegan protein sources. For people outside of vegetarian or plant based eating, tofu is kinda confusing and often times scary. Tofu however, is super versatile, you can literally recreate many meat dishes with tofu. We are talking about “vegan orange chicken” made with tofu and not with chicken. So in this case, when asked what does tofu taste like, we can answer it tastes very similar to the panda express orange chicken but with a smoother texture. It is the sauce that changes the taste of tofu. In this case, the tofu absorbed the flavor of the orange sauce.

Some people think that tofu has an odd texture. I would agree, but also disagree. Tofu does have a different texture than let’s say meat. So if you are comparing the texture of those two protein sources, then you are right, it does have a different texture than what you may already be eating. And quite frankly, change is hard.

When it comes to making tofu for the first time, I suggest a breaded tofu. The breading on the tofu changes the texture of tofu. It makes the outside crunchy and the inside more soft. This helps to eliminate any texture issues people may have with tofu. I suggest breaded tofu with a dipping sauce like Vegan BBQ Sauce. At the end of this post I am going to share several tofu recipes for you to make, so you can decide for yourself what does tofu taste like!