Chickpea tofu is an easy and affordable alternative to soy tofu! This is the perfect recipe to make if you are soy intolerant or sensitive.
Origins of this Chickpea Tofu
If you like tofu but are soy intolerant/sensitive, or if you just want to try new ways of making tofu, this Burmese chickpea tofu is for you. Regular tofu is made from soybeans, whereas Burmese tofu is made from chickpeas and has a smooth, silky texture.
Burmese tofu is a food of Shan origin, made from water, chickpea flour (or soaked dried chickpeas). Knowing this way to make tofu has been a game changer, because it's such an easy and affordable way to make tofu, and so healthy too!
This is an easy, fast, and delicious hack to use up your dry chickpeas. The final result has a similar neutral taste to tofu, and can absorb delicious spices and seasoning. You can use it in regular recipes using tofu, put it in a salad, pasta, or curry dish, and enjoy this soy-free yet delicious recipe! To create different textures of tofu (firm to soft), simply adjust the amount of water used in the recipe.
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe is:
- Soy and gluten-free: it's perfect for when
- Affordable: with minimal ingredients, this chickpea tofu can be more affordable than store-bought ones.
- Easy to make: the process of making this recipe is relatively easy: soak the chickpeas, blend with water, drain, and cook on the stovetop. You can also make a batch, freeze it, and use it over time.
Ingredients and Substitution
This recipe is super easy to make and only requires 2 ingredients:
- 200g dry chickpeas (equivalent to 1 cup): soak the chickpeas overnight, then drain and rinse. You can substitute this for an equal amount of chickpea flour.
- Water: use more water for a softer texture (500 ml), and less water for a firm texture (400 ml).
Optional:
- Turmeric powder: the traditional Burmese tofu uses turmeric
- Other spices to add flavors
To make different textures of tofu:
- For firm tofu: blend the soaked chickpeas with 400ml water (equivalent to 1.6 cup of water)
- For soft tofu: blend the soaked chickpeas with 500ml water (equivalent to 2 cups of water)
How to make this chickpea tofu?
First, soak your chickpeas in plenty of water for 4 hours or ideally overnight. The chickpeas should expand 3 times in size.
In a blender, blend the drained and rinsed chickpeas with water.
Use the cheesecloth or a tea bag to separate the chickpea pulp from the liquid.
Heat the chickpea liquid on the stove (medium heat) and mix vigorously until thickened. The more you cook the liquid, the thicker the mixture will be and the firmer the final result will be. Add seasoning if you'd like at this stage.
Pour the mixture into a container, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The longer you let it set, the firmer the tofu will become.
When the mixture has firmed up to your liking, transfer it to a plate and cut it into equal-sized pieces. Cook and enjoy it as you do with the regular tofu.
What to do with the leftover chickpea pulp
The leftover chickpea pulp can be used to make falafel, curry spreads or scrambled chickpea 'eggs'. I will work on these recipes and share them soon!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the chickpea tofu is thickened using the starch from the dry chickpeas. With the canned chickpeas, there will be less starch so it will not work as well
Yes, you can use the leftover chickpea pulp to add to your stir fries, scramble to make chickpea 'eggs', or make falafels?
Any sauce that you like, my recommendation is BBQ sauce, vegan sriracha mayo or (gluten-free) soy sauce.
Yes, you can add some turmeric powder to create the color and some flavor spices like onion or garlic powder, salt, and paprika powder!
Straining the chickpea mix will allow the result to be smoother, however, not required. The chickpea tofu, without straining, will be less smooth.
Yes, you can make tofu using most other legumes or beans. Check out my blog post about Red Lentil Tofu here: https://veggieanh.com/red-lentil-tofu-soy-free-tofu/
You can keep the chickpea tofu in the fridge for up to 5 days.
📖 Recipe
Chickpea Tofu (Soy-free, Plant-based, 2-ingredients)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
If you love tofu but are sensitive to soy, this chickpea tofu is for you! The recipe only calls for 2 ingredients: dry chickpeas and water and is super easy to make. The final result resembles soy tofu and can be used in many dishes!
Ingredients
- 200 g dry chickpeas (~ 1 cup)
- 400 - 500 ml water (~ 1.6 - 2 cups, adjust to make different tofu textures)
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight. Rinse and drain. After soaking, the chickpeas should expand 3 times.
- In a blender/food processor, blend the chickpeas with water. Use 400 ml for firm tofu and 500ml for a softer texture.
- Use a cheesecloth or strainer to separate the liquid part from the chickpea pulp.
- Heat the chickpea liquid on the stove (medium heat) and mix vigorously until thickened. The more you cook the liquid, the thicker the mixture will be and the firmer the final result will be.
- Pour the mixture into a container, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The longer you let it set, the firmer the tofu will become.
- When the mixture has firmed up to your liking, transfer it to a plate and cut it into equal-sized pieces. Enjoy like how you would like with tofu.
Notes
The tofu keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it to keep longer.
- Soaking Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Burmese
Keywords: 2-ingredient, gluten free, soy free, tofu
If you would like to learn how to use red lentils to make tofu, check out this blog post!
How to use chickpea tofu in recipes?
You can use the soft version of chickpea tofu in soups or dessert recipes, such as:
You can use the firm version of chickpea tofu in fried tofu or stir fry recipes, such as:
Marina Deppeler says
This looks interesting. What do you do with the remaining chickpea mash once liquid has been extracted to make the tofu?
Veggie Anh says
Hi Marina, you can use the chickpea mash to make a scrambled 'egg' chickpea or falafel 🙂
Sande says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Will it fall apart if added to soups? Thank you.
Veggie Anh says
Thank you for your comment. It should stay intact when added to soup.
Suzen says
Can you use canned chickpeas or must they be dry chickpeas?
I'm very curious about this recipe and look forward to trying it.
Veggie Anh says
Hi Suzen, it has to be dry chickpeas. Canned chickpeas wouldn't work.
Brianna says
Is there a reason why canned chickpeas specifically won’t work? Even if you remove the water in the can and dry them after?
Veggie Anh says
Hi, thanks so much for your comment. To cook and thicken the chickpea tofu, we are relying on the starch from dried chickpea. The canned chickpeas are already cooked so the starch won't be there 🙂 hope it answers your question.
Michelle says
Want to try but I don't want to deal with the straining part. Can I just cook the whole thing!
Veggie Anh says
No that wouldn't work, but you can use 150g chickpea flour in place of 200g chickpeas. This way, you don't have to strain.
Michelle says
I have not been able to see chickpea flour for years! I went ahead and soaked my dried chickpeas for at least 4 hours and then added them in to my Vitamix with water. I had about 800grams of the soaked beans so I quadrupled the water in your recipe. I added a teaspoon of agar agar powder thinking that you said it would not work if I don't strain but as I was cooking, I realized that there was no way to tell the doneness since it started out looking like pudding! 😂 I timed the cooking to 25 minutes on low heat Thank God it firmed up and I now have a lot of soft to medium firm Burmese tofu. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you Michelle. In the recipe, the beans measurement is for pre-soaking tho! Interesting that not straining does work, I thought it wouldn't be as smooth! 😀
Eleanor Golding says
How long does it keep, can you freeze it?
Thanks 😊
Veggie Anh says
About 3-4 days in the fridge, covered 🙂 I'm not sure if you can freeze it actually!
Arwen says
Did you ever come up with ideas to use for the pulp?
Veggie Anh says
Hi, you can use it in falafel, or scrambled chickpea 'egg' 🙂 I haven't made the detailed recipes for them yet.
Monica says
Delicious and easy! Great for me who lives in a place where tofu is hard to find 🙂
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thanks for your review, Monica!
Jennifer says
Thank you thank you thank you! So glad I found your site!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you Jennifer! I'm glad you find it helpful!
Chloe says
Absolutely amazing recipe so easy and cheap to make. Can't recommend enough . Thank you
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much Chloe!!
Jude says
I love this recipe, it's like magic, thank you! I've made it both strained and unstrained. It gets very thick if you don't strain before cooking and is less smooth and "pillowy" when fried. It's still good though and removes the problem of what to do with the pulp. It got me wondering about the nutritional content of the filtered liquid and the pulp. Do you have any data about this? Thanks!
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much!! I agree with the smooth texture after straining! Let me check and get back to you about the nutritional data.
Nina Jackson says
This is an excellent idea. I have a soy allergy, a dairy allergy, and so many dairy free recipes call for tofu. Chickpea is my jam! Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm pinning this for the next time a recipe calls for tofu!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you for your comment. Glad you find it helpful!
Theresa says
Love this recipe. I have already made 2 batches. Thank you again for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much for your review! I am so glad you liked it! 😀
Chloe says
A fantastic recipe that works so well and is so simple. I love tofu but it's expensive so this really helps
★★★★★
Kay says
Love this recipe! Is there any nutritional value to the tofu? I made Italian “meatballs” with the chickpea purée and plan to make egg salad sandwiches with the tofu itself. Thanks!
★★★★★
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much!! Sounds so delicious!! I added on my to do list to add the nutritional value of the chickpea tofu.