marinated tofu cubes in a bowl

Spicy Tofu Marinade

Ido Zivli

Want to add a little spice to your diet? You’re in the right place! This dish is the ideal balance of sweet and spicy – the chili powder mixed with the sweet molasses, plus the aromatic flavors from the garlic and apple cider vinegar make this marinade absolutely mouth-watering!

Use it in stir-fries, for vegan barbecue skewers, on tofu, tempeh, or seitan, and even drizzled over salads. Add your veggies of choice and some grains to create a colorful and flavorful dish that will brighten your day and nourish your soul.

Looking for a recipe without chili or hot pepper? Try our Asian Tempeh Marinade and you’ll be coming back for more.

Recipe yield
3 servings
Total time
2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300 g firm tofu (or 10 oz), cut into cubes of 1-inch (2.5 cm), or sliced into 1-inch slices
  • ¼ cup dried tomatoes, soaked for at least 30 minutes before use (or 14 g)
  • ⅛ cup sugar (or 25 g)
  • 3 tbsp molasses or maple syrup (optional)
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ hot pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Mix everything (except for the tofu) in a medium-sized bowl, by hand, or blend it on high until well combined.
  2. Chill the marinade in your fridge for a few minutes so it can thicken.
  3. Marinate the tofu in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but you can keep it for up to 24 hours to get a more flavorful result.
  4. You can serve your marinated tofu in salads, or use it in hot dishes, like Pad Thai or fried rice.
  • You can replace the tofu with seitan or tempeh (but don’t serve them raw).
  • For a BBQ you can place the tofu slices straight on the BBQ, or thread the tofu cubes onto skewers.
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