Author: Looking for a great seitan or tofu marinade? Well, we got 12 seitan or tofu marinades in the house!!! After making my Vegan Seitan Tenders (a recipe designed to be similar to chicken), I've been having fun playing around with so many different flavour combinations and enjoying my seitan everywhere: on sandwiches, salads, pasta, as the main dish, in tacos or burritos, stir-fry, everywhere! Serving up my seitan with endless flavour combinations. SO MUCH YUM! So get ready, because with these seitan or tofu marinades, your life is about to take a turn toward the delicious!
How to Marinate Tofu or Seitan:
With these 12 Seitan or Tofu Marinade recipes on hand, you are on your way to some seriously scrumptious meals. Each recipe takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and makes enough to marinate 2 seitan tenders (or about 1 block of tofu), but you can make more or less as needed. Then just pop these in the fridge until ready to use! The flavours get even better the longer you marinate. Or you can put them straight in the freezer to save for another day. My 12 Seitan or Tofu Marinades are a real-deal game-changer! And for those of you looking to reduce the amount of plastics you are using, check out these reusable storage bags. I have a bunch in my kitchen and find they work perfectly when marinating my seitan or tofu. Now head on down to the recipe card and get marinating!
Common Questions:
- Do I need to press the tofu before marinating? If using tofu, use a medium, firm, or extra-firm tofu. It's also recommended to press the tofu first before marinating.
- How long should I marinate tofu or seitan? Marinate your seitan or tofu for a minimum of 15 minutes, but up to 4 days in the fridge for maximum flavour or you can toss these in the freezer.
- Can you marinate and then freeze tofu or seitan? The seitan freezes beautifully, but tofu changes texture when frozen (it gets kind of spongey), so freeze tofu only if you enjoy that texture (personally, I'm not a fan).
- Why should I marinate tofu or seitan? In a word: flavor. By marinating seitan or tofu, you can elevate your meals to all sorts of levels. BBQ, Thai peanut, Italian spices, lemon mustard, it goes on. Marinating is key to a delicious tofu or seitan dish.
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12 Seitan or Tofu Marinades
Servings: each marinade makes enough for 2 seitan tenders or 1 block of tofu
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Ingredients
BBQ Marinade:
- 6 tablespoons BBQ sauce,, (check to make sure it's vegan)
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Lemon Mustard Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Jerk Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons jerk marinade, hot or mild, (I like to do a combination of both)
- 2 tablespoons water
Sweet Chili Marinade:
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Sriracha Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
Italian Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Balsamic Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Thai Peanut Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoon agave
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
Coconut Curry Marinade:
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
Mexican Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons light oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Sweet and Smoky Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
Teriyaki Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons orange juice or water
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
Instructions
- For any marinade you choose, simply add all of the ingredients to a resealable bag or airtight container, mix, then add your seitan tenders or sliced or cubed tofu. Let marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes or up to 4 days.
- * Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Notes
- These marinades are designed to be used with my Vegan Seitan Tenders recipe, but the marinades would also work gorgeously with tofu, tempeh, or another seitan recipe that calls for a marinade.
- If using tofu, use a medium, firm, or extra-firm tofu. It's also recommended to press the tofu first before marinating.
- Each recipe makes enough to marinate 2 seitan tenders or 1 block of tofu. Feel free to multiply or reduce the recipe as needed.
- I designed each recipe to be SUPER quick and easy to make- no chopping, mincing or cooking. Each recipe uses pantry staples- sauces, spices, and seasonings that you likely already have on hand. That said if you would like to sub in fresh herbs, garlic, or ginger, instead of the powdered versions, feel free to do so.
- Marinate your seitan or tofu for a minimum of 15 minutes, but up to 4 days in the fridge for maximum flavour or you can toss these in the freezer. The seitan freezes beautifully, but tofu changes texture when frozen (it gets kind of spongey), so freeze tofu only if you enjoy that texture (personally, I’m not a fan).
- If you prefer oil-free marinades, sub any oil in these recipes for water, vegetable broth, or aquafaba.
- Once marinated, cook up your seitan or tofu any way you like! Pan fry, grill, BBQ, bake. My favourite is to pan fry the seitan tenders over medium-high heat, a couple minutes per side so the seitan gets a bit crispy on the outside, and hot all the way through.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
weerasingha says
Iam interest your recipes
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂
Frank&Maggie says
Thanks for the great recipes/ideas and super clear weights and instructions.
Tried a few and will work through them all. Has made tofu a twice-a-week meal for us. The coconut curry one is super quick and tasty, served with broccoli and carrots on quinoa. 👌
Browsing your other recipes and will certainly try a few. Thanks for your efforts! 👍
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Frank & Maggie! I’m so glad the recipes have helped make tofu a regular meal for you. That curry combo sounds delicious 😊
Marie says
Love your Chicken Tenders Seitan recipe & also tried it with your Sweet & Smoky marinade but omg, this marinade is Amazing on raw zucchini or any veggies or Anything!: Im obsessed & am going to use it on salad next. Thanks so much for creating & then sharing this with us!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
You're most welcome Marie!! It's my favorite of the marinades as well 🙂
Suzanne Carol Goll says
I have been a vegan for 10 years and just trying homemade seitan thanks to your website. I made the Vegan Chicken (terrific) and tried the sauce that went with that recipe. Question: what is the order in which I marinade things and how do I treat the marinade - is it also a sauce? Do I marinade the seitan/tenders etc after steaming and then after marinating, remove the excess marinade and then fry? if so what do I do with the extra marinade?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Suzanne! Yay for making seitan at home 🎉 you’ve got it right, steam first, then marinate, then fry. You can totally use the leftover marinade as a sauce, I like to pan fry the seitan without the sauce first, then I brush the sauce on as the seitan cooks for extra moisture. Yum!
Dawn says
I came across this on google when looking for tofu marinade to pan fry or grill. I think I am going to choose one at random and make it for supper tonight. I have all the ingredients for all of them in my pantry and fridge. I will let you know which one I chose and how it turns out later this evening.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
That's exciting! We hope it was delicious!
Dawn says
I coated my tofu in the barbecue marinade. I didn’t really like it. It didn’t get into the tofu at all, just coated it. Didn’t absorb any of the flavor, when I grilled it , it just cooked off. I used the remaining barbecue sauce as a dip for the cubes. I’m not giving up on the rest of the marinades. I think this be one was too thick. I used my homemade barbecue sauce. If I try it again I may thin it out with some apple cider vinegar.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Sorry that one didn't work well for you! It might need a longer marinade if it's super thick. We hope you enjoy one of the other marinades!
Lisa S. says
I just had to leave a review for this amazing group of marinades! I have been using these for years now and I can't tell you how easy they are! I love tofu in pretty much any flavor and having these quick marinades on hand with ingredients that I almost always have helps me eat tofu in a variety of ways. I probably make one of these marinades every week. My absolute favorite is the Sweet & Smoky Marinade. I could eat a whole cake of tofu in one sitting when I make this one! That's not a bad thing, right? I have even shared it with a friend who also loves it. The Sweet & Smoky version has many uses: Asian dishes like with cauliflower rice, veggies, sesame oil, etc. or in an Asian salad with rice wine vinegar and so many more. Thanks, for these great and addictive marinade recipes, Sam!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for the wonderful review! I’m thrilled to hear you’ve been enjoying these marinades for so long and that they’ve become such a staple in your kitchen. The Sweet & Smoky marinade is definitely a favorite, and I love hearing all the creative ways you’re using it—it’s definitely not a bad thing to eat a whole cake of tofu in one sitting! Thanks for sharing the recipes with friends too. Happy cooking, and enjoy those tofu dishes!
Karen Wear says
Thank you, I love your recipes.
Michelle says
I've tried many of these and I especially like the lemon mustard one. I use it to marinate my seitan to serve over a salad for lunch. They all work great with tofu or seitan.
Nancy Stein says
Make these marinades often they are delicious!
Andria says
We’ve tried quite a few of these marinades with firm tofu and they’re outstanding!
Sweet and Smokey is our go-to with mixed veg, rice, grilled pineapple and and homemade GT sauce. Cold leftovers are also great. Thanks Sam ☺️