Lemon tofu is an easy, everyday recipe prepared in just 10 mins. Simply fry the tofu on a pan with little olive oil and coat it in a quick lemon sauce.
This recipe is inspired by an Italian recipe for lemon chicken. We replaced the chicken fillet with tofu slices and the result is a delicious meal that can be prepared in no time.
Check out our best tofu recipes collection!
What to expect
We've started experimenting more with this incredible food, trying to use it as our main meat replacement, and adapting it to Italian cuisine.
You can consider this recipe a replacement for chicken. We first fry the tofu with olive oil, then we make a quick sauce with lemon juice that coats the tofu cutlets perfectly, making them super flavourful. PSST! If you're looking for a grilled tofu recipe, try out our marinated tofu. You'll be surprised how chewy and tasty tofu can be.
Along the way, we'll show you some easy but important techniques that are popular in Italian cooking to cook this dish perfectly. Let's get started!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tofu: we use firm tofu that you can find in most supermarkets. Extra-firm tofu will also work. Silken tofu doesn't work in this recipe.
- Flour: all-purpose flour works best. We use it to coat the tofu cutlets.
- Olive oil, rosemary, and garlic: we fry the tofu with those, to infuse it with flavor and give it an Italian twist.
- White wine: it adds acidity to the dish, and it's really a flavor booster. You can replace it with vegetable stock, but it won't add the same acidity and flavor.
- Lemon juice: to flavor the sauce. We recommend juice from a fresh lemon.
- Cornstarch: to make the sauce creamy. If you don't have that, you can replace it with all-purpose flour.
- Salt and pepper: to season.
Instructions
For this recipe, I usually consider 3 slices of tofu per person. That is about 1 block of tofu of 4.5 oz or 125g.
Cut six tofu slices, each ⅕ inch or ½ cm thick. I usually cut about 3 slices per tofu block.
Add flour to a plate, then coat the tofu slices on both sides by pressing them onto the flour. The tofu should be slightly wet for the flour to stick, so do NOT pat it dry.
Add oil, garlic, and rosemary to a non-stick pan, then when the oil is warm, add the tofu slices.
On medium heat, fry the tofu on both sides till golden. It should take about 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Remove the garlic and the rosemary after a couple of minutes, before they start burning.
Add the white wine (or the vegetable broth) to the hot pan with the tofu, then let the wine cook for 1 minute, lower the heat, and squeeze in about ½ lemon.
While the tofu cooks, in a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water, then add it liquid to the pan with the tofu. Move the tofu around, until the liquid becomes thicker, like a sauce.
Finish cooking till the tofu is coated in the lemon sauce. It should take about another minute or two.
Serve with the sauce and some freshly ground pepper on top. If you like, you can sprinkle with some grated lemon zest and chopped parsley.
Tips
Don't burn the garlic: garlic and rosemary burn easily, so keep an eye on them and discard them as soon as you notice that they might burn.
Grate some lemon zest on top: if you really like lemon, then you can grate some zest on top of the tofu before eating it. I love it this way, but some people might not like it, so it's better to ask before adding more lemon.
Deglaze with white wine: deglazing simply means adding a cold liquid to a hot pan. In Italian cooking, it's common to deglaze with wine, either white or red. Wine adds acidity and umami to the dish, creating an irresistible bouquet of flavors and aromas.
Frequently asked questions
Not in this recipe. Pressing tofu to remove water from it it's very beneficial in recipes that marinate the tofu. In this recipe, that step is not necessary.
Also, this is an everyday dinner recipe, and we made it so that you don't have to spend 30 minutes of your evening pressing tofu.
Storage
Lemon tofu is best eaten right after cooking it. If you have some leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. The sauce will clump up, but that's normal.
To reheat it, add a little water or olive oil to a pan, add the tofu and its clumpy sauce and gently warm it up. Serve with some freshly chopped parsley.
We don't recommend freezing for this recipe.
Serving suggestions
It's no secret that we are tofu fans in our family! In fact, it's one of our favorite choices for an easy dinner. That being said, if you want to make it a complete meal, check out these veggie-packed side dishes:
Similar recipes
If you enjoyed this easy tofu recipe, you might also enjoy these tasty tofu meals:
- Tofu salad
- Cacciatore-style tofu
- Fried tofu
- Vegan fish
- Vegan cream cheese
- Tofu in pizzaiola sauce
- Scrambled tofu
- Orange tofu
- Crispy spinach cutlets
What is your favorite way of eating tofu? Let us know in the comments below, we'd love to hear.
For many more tofu ideas, check out our tofu category page.
Recipe
Lemon Tofu
Ingredients
- 8 ounces tofu firm
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup white wine or vegetable broth
- ½ lemon the juice
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch + ⅓ cup water
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- For this recipe I usually consider 3 slices of tofu per person. That is about 1 block of tofu of 4.5 oz or 125g.Cut six tofu slices, each ⅕ inch or ½ cm thick. I usually cut about 3 slices per tofu block.Add flour to a plate, then coat the tofu slices on both sides by pressing them onto the flour. The tofu should be slightly wet for the flour to stick, so do NOT pat it dry.
- Add oil, garlic and rosemary to a non-stick pan, then when the oil is warm, add the tofu slices.On medium heat, fry the tofu on both sides till golden. It should take about 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.Remove the garlic and the rosemary after a couple of minutes, before they start burning.
- Add the white wine (or the vegetable broth) to the hot pan with the tofu, then let the wine cook for 1 minute, lower the heat and squeeze in about ½ lemon.
- While the tofu cooks, in a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water, then add it liquid to the pan with the tofu. Move the tofu around, until the liquid becomes thicker, like a sauce.
- Finish cooking till the tofu is coated in the lemon sauce. It should take about another minute or two. Serve with the sauce and some freshly ground pepper on top.If you like, you can sprinkle with some grated lemon zest and chopped parsley.
Nutritional Values
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Ani
I’ve made this twice. It’s fab as is and so simple. Serve with a nice vegan risotto for a really “wow!” meal. The second time I made it though, I added a bit more garlic and found I liked it that way better. It’s all about personal taste though. Like I said, follow the directions and you’ll love it.
Nico
Thank you so much Ani. We are very happy you liked it. And yes, you cannot go wrong with some extra garlic 🧄