Jordan Myrick
Ariana Losch
Tofu is an elite protein. It can do anything and everything. It takes on the flavor of whatever you pair it with. It’s easy to prepare and affordable. Tofu is a food of endless possibilities, and it often doesn’t get the hype it deserves here in the U.S. But what’s the best tofu—firm, silken, or otherwise? That’s what we wanted to find out.
How we sourced the tofu brands for this taste test
This is our second time taste-testing tofu brands. Before, we covered most of the stuff you can find at a regular grocery store, so this time we took a trip to our friendly neighborhood H-Mart to pick brands you can really only get at Asian grocers. (I was even brave enough to try some soy-free “tofu” blocks to see if they were yummy enough to make the list. Nope! Begone, posers!)
What we looked for in the best tofu brands
We tasted each tofu brand raw, then dried and pan-seared them for texture and flavor testing (except for silken tofu, which we scrambled instead). Here’s what we were looking for:
- Silken tofu with a smooth, velvety texture for soups, stews, and scrambles.
- Firm tofu that has a little bit of give, but isn’t too soft, crumbly, or porous.
- Extra firm tofu that lives up to its name and holds together when fried.
- A pleasantly neutral-all-around flavor that isn’t too nutty or earthy and can adapt to both savory and sweet dishes.
Hard, soft, or somewhere in between, here are the best tofu brands you’ll actually want to put in your mouth. Let’s get into it.
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- Sprouts Sesame Ginger Tofu
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Sprouts carries several flavors of pre-marinated tofu that are all pretty decent, but I would reach for this sesame ginger one again over the rest. The light flavor combo just works in so many different Asian dishes. The ingredients are pretty simple (and organic, if that means anything to you), with tamari soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger powder as the primary tasting notes. The flavors really saturate the block, , and the tofu itself is decent quality, too, with a nice spring and texture that’s super easy to sear on the pan. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts
- Nasoya Organic Super Firm Tofu
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Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm earns the title of “best for vegans” because it has so many potential uses. It’s not too firm and not too soft. It’s pre-drained which is super convenient. It could be broken up and eaten for breakfast as a tofu scramble. You could crumble it and make soyrizo for taco night. You could fry chunks of it to make bang bang tofu. There’s really nothing this tofu couldn’t do. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- 365 Organic Firm Tofu
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At $2.29 a package, you can’t get much cheaper than the Whole Foods 365 Organic Firm Tofu. Toss a ton of this in your cart to make a huge portion of stir fry to feed your family for the week. It has a great texture and mild flavor. It gets super crispy when you fry it up and is also great sauteed. Plus, if you have tofu-resistant family members who might be skeptical about softer tofu, this is almost firm enough to act as a meat substitute. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Hodo Organic Extra Firm Tofu
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Hodo makes some of the best tofu on the market. Their wide variety of pre-seasoned tofus are incredibly flavorful and super easy to cook. They are also one of the few brands selling yuba sheets, which I think is super cool. But make sure you don’t forget about their plain tofu! It’s just as wonderful as everything else they sell. I think it’s ideal for frying because it’s super firm and doesn’t come packed in a ton of water. All you have to do is take it out of the package, cut it up, and toss it in the air fryer for crispy tofu nuggets you could add to all sorts of meals. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Target
- Pulmone Firm Tofu
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I did a little research and looked at forums online for the best tofu brands from Asian grocery stores, and Pulmone (a South Korean tofu brand) kept getting mentioned. Their firm tofu is a pretty perfect product, so I totally get the hype. It lightly jiggles with a neat firmness, and it’s not very porous at all. And look, while I do think Pulmone’s silken tofu is totally worth the trek (more on that below), I’m not sure you need to go out of your way to buy this over other accessible firm tofu brands. But if you’re already shopping at an Asian grocer, it’s definitely one of the best firm tofu blocks to pick up. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / H-Mart
- Mori-Nu Nigari Silken Tofu
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I absolutely loved this tofu. Mori-Nu Nigari Silken Tofu literally melts in your mouth. It’s creamy and mild and everything you want silken tofu to be. I brought home what was left over and topped it with a soy/scallion/chili oil mixture. It was the perfect dinner. I imagine this would also be wonderful in soups like soondubu jjigae or pureed into tofu-based desserts, like vegan chocolate mousse. It’s affordable and has so many uses, so what are you waiting for? Buy it! —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Pulmone Silken Tofu
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This silken tofu is unreal. Restaurant-quality. I could tell as soon as it was out of the tube that texture would be luxuriously silky and creamy. It’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom, which is weird to say, but I stand by it. The flavor is super clean and fresh. With some chili oil and American cheese, you could make the best tofu scramble with this, my god. I ate half of this tofu tube with nothing but the new drizzle BBQ sauce from Bibigo and enjoyed every g’damn second of it. If you’re making Korean silken tofu soup, you need to buy this. You can eat this raw on its own, but it’s definitely some of the best tofu for smoothies, scrambles, dips, soups… the list goes on. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / H-Mart
- House Foods Premium Extra Firm Tofu
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House Foods Premium Extra Firm Tofu was the favorite of every single one of our taste testers. It’s super firm and has a strong soybean flavor. This would be great in any kind of preparation and would hold up to all kinds of sauces. Another great thing about this tofu is that it’s widely available, making it one of the more accessible options. Good job, House Foods! —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Flavored Tofu
Best for Vegans
Best Budget
Best for Frying
Best Firm
Best Soft
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other Products We Tried
Simple Truth Organic Silken Tofu, Wildwood Extra Firm Tofu, Simple Truth Organic Extra Firm Tofu, House Foods Premium Soft Tofu, Sprouts Organic Firm, Azuyama Firm Tofu, Good & Gather Extra Firm Tofu, Trader Joe’s Firm Tofu, Sprouts Organic Teriyaki Baked Tofu, Sprouts Organic Savory Baked Tofu, Sprouts Organic High Protein Super Firm Tofu, Big Mountain Foods Soy-Free Fava Tofu, Big Mountain Foods Baked Sriracha Soy-Free Fava Tofu, Earth Grown Extra Firm Organic Tofu, Jayone Silken Tofu, Nature Soy Soft Tufo, San Sui Firm Tofu, Nature’s Soy Firm Tofu, O Organics Tofu Extra Firm
Luke Field
Vinz Karl
Gwynedd Stuart
