How to Make Tofu

by Michael Rucci

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Intro: How to Make Tofu

Tofu is great in so many recipes and easy to make. Along the way you will also make soy milk and have some okara left over. Okara is basically just bean pulp but it is great in breads, burgers, or cookies.

STEP 1: What You Will Need.

Ingredients:
You'll need water, 3 cups of dry soy beans and 2 TBSP of Epsom Salt. As an alternative to the Epsom Salt, you may use 75ml of lemon juice. Most of the nicer grocery stores will have the soy beans and you can find Epsom Salt at the pharmacy. 

Equipment:
Food processor or blender, 2 large pots, 1 colander, 1 strainer, and a mesh bag. Instead of the mesh bag you could also use a few layers of cheesecloth. 

*Also note this recipe works doubled.

STEP 2: Soak and Blend

Soak 3 cups of dry soy beans over night in the refrigerator.

Rinse the soaked beans and discard any discolored ones if you spot any.

Blend a little at a time with enough water to cover the beans.

Add the processed beans to your largest pot with 12 cups of water.


STEP 3: Stir and Simmer

Stir frequently and simmer for about 20 minutes. This will foam up a bit so be careful not to let it boil over. 

STEP 4: Strain Out Milk

Strain into your second pot. Use a spoon to press out as much of the milk as you can. The liquid is soy milk. The solids are okara.

I usually take out a jar or two of soy milk at this point and continue making the rest into tofu.

STEP 5: Coagulate

Heat the soy milk back up to around 180 degrees (fahrenheit).

Dissolve 2 TBSP of Epsom Salt in 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water.
(Alternatively you could use 75ml of lemon juice.)

Remove from heat and gently stir together.

In about 5 to 10 minutes the curds will separate.

STEP 6: Add to Mold

Your colander with a mesh bag or cloth makes an excellent mold. Skim out curds and pour into mold.

Press down with a small plate and heavy object.

Leave for about 20 minutes.

STEP 7: Finished

That's it! You are left with a nice slab of tofu, some soy milk and quite a bit of okara. It gets easier every time.

237 Comments

Manju Sri 11 months ago

I did everything according to the instructions and the soy milk just won't curdle up. I don't know why.

Michael Rucci 11 months ago

Sorry to hear that. Did you confirm with a thermometer that you heated the soy milk up to a full 180 degrees (fahrenheit) before adding the coagulant? It is ok to add more coagulant if it doesn't take the first time. Did you try epsom salt or lemon juice or something else? For me epsom salt worked best.

Hope that helps,
Michael

TersiaM 1 year ago

My milk does not look like that! What have i done wrong?
Milk on left, tofu in middle, okara in right.
I used about 700 g of soya beans.

Michael Rucci 1 year ago

Soy milk is what you have before adding the coagulant. You can set some aside at that point as soy milk. What you have in the photo is just access water. Your tofu looks great!

journeybegins54 1 year ago

Instead of tofu I get porridge, wh it happens? Is it possible to convert tofu from that porridge. Or else any recipe can be made with that porridge

Michael Rucci 1 year ago

So when you added the coagulant to the soy milk it thickened up but never seperated out the water? In my experience the issue is very often that the soy milk is not heated up to the full 180 degrees when you add the coagulant. If it does not begin to work it is ok to heat it up more and add more coagulant.

Hope that helps.

Yang_ 1 year ago

How much tofu does this recipe yield? Asking to make it for soup that will be served for guests at my gf birthday

Michael Rucci 1 year ago

It depends if you set aside any of the skim milk. I haven't weighed the amount made in the end but I would estimate it around 2 pounds.

RuthC60 1 year ago

Thank you for posting this descriptive way to make tofu. I made before from another recipe w/no success but this one worked perfectly.

pavithirasrisubramani 2 years ago

After adding the coagulate my soya milk turned into porridge. I didn't get tofu.
Please tell me what mistake i am making
Thank you

Michael Rucci 2 years ago

Sorry to hear that. In my experience the issue is very often that the soy milk is not heated up to the full 180 degrees when you add the coagulant. If it does not begin to work it is ok to heat it up more and add more coagulant.

Hope that helps.

Michael Rucci 2 years ago

Yes, and the longer you leave it in the mold the firmer it will get.

chibeau 2 years ago

Thanks, please what did you use the okara for

mcatronw 3 years ago

Hi there, is it really necessary to heat the soy milk for 20 to 30 minutes instead of just letting it reach 185 and going ahead and added the coagulant? Thanks!

Michael Rucci 3 years ago

Hello. The 20 minute simmer is before you have strained out the okara, leaving you with milk. After that you just need to be sure it is heated to 185 before adding the coagulant.

Michael Rucci 3 years ago

I've never tried it myself. Looking into it a little it seems like folks get mixed results. Seems like it is worth experimenting with but you might want an alternative on hand like lemon juice in case it does not coagulate.
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