Silken Tofu Salad

Name: Silken Tofu Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon ume plum vinegar ((umeboshi vinegar)); 1 Tablespoon sesame oil; 1-12.3 ounce box silken tofu (cubed (soft, firm, or extra-firm can be used)); ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes (quartered); ½ cup cucumber ((Persian or English, if available) sliced); ½ cup avocado (cubed); 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Silken Tofu Salad is a delicious combination of tofu, tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado with a light flavorful dressing. This Japanese-style tofu salad is perfect as a nutritious lunch or as a starter with other Asian-inspired dishes. It's ready to eat in 15 minutes!

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Special diet: gluten-free, nut-free, vegan

Plate of Silken Tofu Salad with blue napkin and wooden chopsticks.

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I first tried a silken tofu salad at a Japanese restaurant which offered it as a vegan option. Not only did I enjoy it, I realized I could easily make it at home with only a few ingredients.

This version features a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. And it's so quick and easy to make!

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Serving suggestions
Storing
Recipe FAQs
More vegan salads featuring tofu
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Why you'll love this recipe

You can make it in 15 minutes with only 7 ingredients.
You don't need to cook the tofu since it's served cold, straight from the box.
It's light and refreshing, making it perfect as a warm-weather meal.

Ingredients

Silken tofu comes in different textures: soft, firm, and extra firm. Besides salads, it's also used in recipes for sauces, desserts, and silken tofu scramble.

For this easy tofu salad recipe, you can choose whichever texture you prefer. I usually use firm or extra firm because it’s easier to cube, but this is purely for aesthetics rather than taste.

When you open the box to remove the tofu, don't worry if some of the tofu has crumbled. It will still taste delicious even if it's not cut into perfect cubes.

Ume plum vinegar (also known as umeboshi vinegar), is tangy and salty, and a little bit goes a long way. Please note that if you are on a low-sodium diet, you can substitute rice wine vinegar in place of the ume plum vinegar.

For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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Instructions

This salad is easy to make in minutes. All you need to do is combine the cubed tofu with cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado.

Then the simple two-ingredient dressing is drizzled on top, along with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Serving suggestions

Close up of sliced cucumbers, quartered cherry tomatoes, chunks of avocado, and cubes of tofu topped with toasted sesame seeds next to wooden chopsticks.

This recipe makes one serving as a meal. Or you can divide it up and serve it as a refreshing starter.

It goes well with other Asian-inspired dishes such as coconut jasmine rice and marinated asparagus spears.

And even though Silken Tofu Salad features Japanese ingredients and flavors, it’s a wonderful choice as part of a plant-based Mediterranean diet. After all, tofu is made from crushed soybeans, and beans are a staple of the Mediterranean diet.

Storing

This salad is best enjoyed right away. While you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, it will get rather soggy and won't taste nearly as fresh, so I don't recommend it.

Recipe FAQs

What is silken tofu?

If you've ever eaten miso soup, the little cubes of tofu floating in the soup are usually silken tofu. It's creamy with a custard-like texture. Unlike regular tofu, it hasn't had any water pressed out.

Where can I buy silken tofu?

Silken tofu is typically sold in shelf-stable aseptic boxes. Look for them in the Asian foods section of major supermarkets, at Asian markets, and online. The hermetically sealed boxes keep the tofu protected from spoiling. And they will last unopened in your pantry for a whole year.

Can I substitute regular tofu for silken tofu?

If you can't find silken tofu, you can use soft tofu in its place for many recipes like salads, sauces, and desserts.