Makes 12 – 16 tofu balls
Time: 30 minutes
This is modified from Louise Hagler’s Tofu Cookery. It was the recipe that my family and I started cooking together over 20 years ago.
1 lb. extra firm tofu
1 small very finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
A few pinches fresh basil or oregano
Flour for rolling balls in
Oil to pan-fry in
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in flour and fry in preheated skillet, cooking until slightly to medium brown on all sides.
Wow, these were great! A hit with my picky six-year-old, too! Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Made our gluten-free spaghetti and meatballs a filling, delicious meal.
I’ve found that grating the tofu with a box grater works best for me 🙂
Has anyone tried rolling in cornstarch instead of flour? I always found that crisps up my regular sliced tofu really well. Also, adding a bit of Nutritional Yeast to the mixture helps with flavor.
For those who are getting a mushy result: truly firm tofu cannot generally be purchased at a super market. You must get your tofu from either a health food store or Asian grocery. This is the secret.
Get the extra liquid out by pressing the tofu. Fold it in a dish towel on a cutting board. Tilt the cutting board so water drains into the sink. Set smith heavy(I use a cast iron skillet)on it and wait about 15 min.
Before I make these, which kind of peanut butter would be best to start with? The kind you need to stir with just peanuts and salt (more runny and grainy) or the no stir kind (usually also has sugar in it and thicker)? Thanks 🙂
Just made these tonight for supper. I read that they stay together bet if refrigerated a bit so I made them a bit early in the day and they probably sat in the fridge for 2.5 hours. I had zero problems with them falling apart and they were excellent! I kept the ingredients hidden from the man in fear that he’d reject them, but after taking a bite and exclaiming how good they were he was shocked at what the ingredient list was. Definitely a recipe to make again in the future.
I plan on making these tonight and am hoping for some clarification. The type of tofu here, is it the bricks in liquid? Or the unrefrigerated blocks on the shelf? Also, this will require at least two bricks of tofu, right? Will tamari be an adequate substitute for the soy sauce? Should I use a bit more tamari or some salt in addition to make up for it? I don’t have soy sauce on hand. Thank you! I have loved EVERY one of your recipes so far and just got VWAV and AFR in the mail today!
It’s a refrigerated block of tofu. Only one. They are usually 14 oz or so, so not quite a pound. Tamari will work as a 1:1 swap. Enjoy!
I made these last night with the following variations – tamari subbed for soy sauce, almond butter instead of peanut (I don’t like peanuts or their butter), and I added italian seasoning, garlic salt, and oregano to taste. They were amazing. Like, not just vegan-good, they were out of this world delicious. I dried the tofu out very well, and microwaved it a bit to get out some of the moisture. It was the perfect consistency. I used a medium-sized ice cream type scoop to scoop out the balls and they were just perfect. Not crumbly or anything. Perfection. I will forever be in your debt, for these and many more vegan delights!!!!!!
Tried these today! Didn’t have breadcrumbs so I pused some oats in my food processer and this held together well! Love i!
This recipe turned out grrrrrreat!!
I Love, love these! Had the recipe years ago. Lost it. Soooo happy to have found it. Thanks!
I just made them but they are not my peace of cake. Like falafel much better.
These are great. Seems the key is to chop the onions almost to the point of mincing. And mash it up really well. Also, I used tongs to turn them in the skillet. I think if I’d used a spatula or spoon, they would have fallen apart. I made these gluten-free also, and they turned out great–I used Ener-G gluten-free breadcrumbs and Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour. Excellent recipe. Will definitely keep it on file.
I used chickpea flour instead of bread crumb and baked them.
I’ve made this a couple of times and half the time, I don’t roll them flour and just bake them at 400 for 20 min, turning a couple times and I think they are just as tasty!
Also, I use panko breadcrumbs, worchestershire sauce for half the soy, and add some strong mustard. mmmm! Love new ideas for the old tofu block!
Awesome and easy to modify! Thank you!
I regularly make vegan sausage and seitan so this was a nice addition to the rotation.
My “additions”: added 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten, worcestershire and soy, italian seasoning, 2 tbsp of ketchup. Fried in oil first then baked at 325 for 20 min.
Results: great taste and yummy possibilites!
I made these after reading all the positive reviews…no one in my family liked them. We each tasted one and threw away the rest.
Nice I have the Tofu Cookery in my cook book stack as well , bought it 25 years ago or so 🙂 I’ll be giving your version a wurl 🙂 thanks Iza you rock !
Wow! I am pleasantly surprised and impressed!! These are VERY similar in texture to the tofu and edamame nuggets from Trader Joe’s, and that’s a very good thing! After I mixed everything, I let it chill in the fridge while I made the Bestest Pesto, and they held together beautifully (I also had about 1 or 2 Tbs extra breadcrumbs, just to be safe). They were a bit chilly in the middle (my ancient stove has issues), so after getting a nice sear on them, I finished them in the oven. YUM. I see a tofu meatball sandwich happening very soon.
I’ve made these many times and enjoy them. Today I tried something different and baked them instead of frying. I put them on an oiled baking sheet, spritzed them with olive oil and baked them at 400F for about 25 minutes. The tops didn’t brown well so I broiled them for a few minutes. Turned out okay, but I think next time that I try baking them I’ll leave off the flour coating and see how that works.
Hi Isa… I absolutely LOVE Isa Does It!!! Did I say LOVE. Some of the items are part of my reg. repertoire. This is a FAB recipe for Pesto… Thanks and about those Tofu Balls…. Can I substitute tahini for peanut butter? I don’t ever use pb.
Thanks!
Disa 🙂
so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we used toasted hamburger bun instead of bread crumbs and chopped the onion in the food processor.
Can you freeze them without ruining texture/taste?? I couple of people asked about freezing and using at a later date but I didn’t see any answer? Thanks.
What if we added a chia egg to the mix. Do you think that would help it stay together?
Our family loves these. I have been making them for several years now (maybe 8?). I always bake mine, which lowers the fat and also makes them super easy since I don’t have to monitor a frying pan (I don’t roll them in flour first and I just use a cooking spray to give them a bit of oil to brown). Otherwise I follow the recipe as is and have no problem with them falling apart. I bake at 400 for ~10 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10. I have also frozen them after baking and they thaw just fine. I often make a triple or even quadruple batch to use over a month or two.
Is oat flour ok to Rollin ?
How much should I worry about pressing the tofu before mashing? I know the water-content is substantially higher prior to pressing. Indeed, I often freeze my tofu prior to pressing; through that method I am able to extract even more water. But is the extra water helpful for this recipe, for purposes of forming the balls?
These are so good! I made them almost exactly as written (rolled in cornstarch though because I was out of all-purpose flour). I did press my tofu beforehand. They held together exceedingly well, no flax egg or pre-chilling needed! My somewhat tofu-averse boyfriend loved them too, I’ll definitely make these again 🙂