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, can absorb delicious spices and seasoning. You can use it in regular recipes using tofu, put it in a salad, pasta, curry dish and enjoy this soy-free yet delicious recipe! To create different textures of tofu (firm to soft), simple adjust the amount of water used in the recipe.
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, less water for a more firm texture.
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)
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!
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Chickpea Tofu (Soy-free, Plant-based, 2-ingredients)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
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 a few hours or until the shape resembles tofu.
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Burmese
Keywords: 2-ingredient, gluten free, soy free, tofu
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:
This looks interesting. What do you do with the remaining chickpea mash once liquid has been extracted to make the tofu?
Hi Marina, you can use the chickpea mash to make a scrambled ‘egg’ chickpea or falafel 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Will it fall apart if added to soups? Thank you.
Thank you for your comment. It should stay intact when added to soup.
Can you use canned chickpeas or must they be dry chickpeas?
I’m very curious about this recipe and look forward to trying it.
Hi Suzen, it has to be dry chickpeas. Canned chickpeas wouldn’t work.
Is there a reason why canned chickpeas specifically won’t work? Even if you remove the water in the can and dry them after?
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.
Want to try but I don’t want to deal with the straining part. Can I just cook the whole thing!
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.
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!
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! 😀
How long does it keep, can you freeze it?
Thanks 😊
About 3-4 days in the fridge, covered 🙂 I’m not sure if you can freeze it actually!
Did you ever come up with ideas to use for the pulp?
Hi, you can use it in falafel, or scrambled chickpea ‘egg’ 🙂 I haven’t made the detailed recipes for them yet.
Delicious and easy! Great for me who lives in a place where tofu is hard to find 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks for your review, Monica!
Thank you thank you thank you! So glad I found your site!
Thank you Jennifer! I’m glad you find it helpful!
Absolutely amazing recipe so easy and cheap to make. Can’t recommend enough . Thank you
★★★★★
Thank you so much Chloe!!
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!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!! I agree with the smooth texture after straining! Let me check and get back to you about the nutritional data.
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!
Thank you for your comment. Glad you find it helpful!
Love this recipe. I have already made 2 batches. Thank you again for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for your review! I am so glad you liked it! 😀