Dehydrating Tofu

The secret to dehydrating tofu that rehydrates well in meals, is to freeze it first. This page explains how to dehydrate tofu in three important steps, and then describes how to incorporate tofu into dehydrated meals for backpacking or home use.

Photo above: Meals made with dehydrated tofu. You’ll find the recipes further down the page.

How to Dehydrate Tofu that Rehydrates Well & Tastes Great

Step One: Freeze It.

Choose firm or extra-firm tofu. Keep the tofu in its original package and freeze it solid. Once frozen, thaw it out overnight in the refrigerator.  That way you can prep and dry it during the day.

Why is freezing tofu before drying it so important? Tofu is very dense. Freezing it opens up air spaces in the tofu through the expansion of frozen liquid inside. Dehydrating tofu, without freezing it first, results in tofu that resists rehydration. It will be rubbery and hard. Freezing also shortens the drying time because the heat and air circulation of the dehydrator can get into the air pockets.

Photo above: A 250 gram (9 ounces) of extra-firm tofu.

Step Two: Slice It Thinly

Even with freezing, tofu is still dense. It dries best when sliced into thin slabs about half-a-centimeter (less than a quarter-inch) thick. Slicing tofu thinly also allows more flavor to penetrate it when you cook it before drying it.

Photo above: Tofu cut into noodle shapes on right. (4 cm long, or approx. 1.5 inches)

Open package and drain off any liquid.

Slice thinly down the entire block of tofu. Then, turn the tofu a quarter-turn and cut the other way into desired shapes. This is best accomplished by dividing the block into two or three stacks. Slice into noodle shapes, or small squares (two quarter-turns). A good size for squares is one centimeter, or about a third of an inch.

Step Three: Add flavor and Cook It

In the same way that rice and potatoes absorb flavors when cooked in broth before dehydrating, tofu also absorbs flavors well. The following examples show how to dehydrate tofu in vegetable bouillon, taco seasoning, and curry seasoning. When combined with other ingredients in a dehydrated meal, the captured flavors enhance the whole meal.

Cooking Tofu with Vegetable Bouillon

Starting Tofu Quantity: 250 grams (9 ounces).

Add six to ten grams of vegetable bouillon to a pan with eight ounces (236 ml) of water. Chicken or beef bouillon can alternatively be used.

Bring water to a light boil. When the bouillon is dissolved, add tofu squares or noodles.

Simmer tofu for ten minutes, then turn off stove. Leave tofu in pan, uncovered, until most or all of the liquid is absorbed.

Photo above: Noodle-cut tofu in vegetable bouillon.

Cooking Tofu with Taco Seasoning

Starting Tofu Quantity: 250 grams (9 ounces)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. Chili Mix Powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
• ¼ tsp. Onion Powder
• ¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• ¼ tsp. Oregano
• ¼ tsp. Paprika
• ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

Combine all ingredients with eight ounces (236 ml) of water in pan.

Bring water to a light boil. When the seasonings are dissolved, add tofu squares or noodles.

Simmer tofu for ten minutes, then turn off stove. Leave tofu in pan, uncovered, until most or all of the liquid is absorbed.

Photo above: Tofu squares cooking in taco-seasoned liquid.

Cooking Tofu with Curry Seasoning

Starting Tofu Quantity: 250 grams (9 ounces)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. Curry Powder
• 1 tsp. Vegetable Bouillon
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
• ¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• ¼ tsp. Cumin
• ¼ tsp. Paprika
• ¼ tsp. Turmeric
• ¼ tsp. Onion Powder
• ¼ tsp. Ground Ginger
• ¼ Cinnamon

Combine all ingredients with eight ounces (236 ml) of water in pan.

Bring water to a light boil. When the seasonings are dissolved, add tofu squares or noodles.

Simmer tofu for ten minutes, then turn off stove. Leave tofu in pan, uncovered, until most or all of the liquid is absorbed.

Photo above: Tofu squares after cooking and absorbing curry-seasoned liquid.

Dehydrate Tofu at 135°F (57°C) for 4–8 hours

Place seasoned tofu in a single layer on dehydrator trays. One Excalibur tray will hold one cooked batch.

The smaller the pieces, the faster they dry. Dehydrated tofu is hard. You can snap it in half, rather than bend it like jerky. It’s too dry to enjoy as a snack, but it rehydrates well in meals.

Store dehydrated tofu in air-tight containers until ready to use.

Photo above: Dehydrating tofu noodles and squares on Excalibur Dehydrator trays.

Photo above: Dehydrated tofu on left, rehydrated tofu on right. Use 1:1 ratio water to dried tofu.

Rehydrating Tofu

If you want to rehydrate tofu by itself, such as with the Spicy Tofu Tortilla recipe below, use a 1:1 ratio of food to water. So, for half-a-cup of dried tofu, 45 grams, add half-a-cup of water. There may be a little water remaining, but it will taste good.

The photo above shows the main ingredients that went into the first meal: Tofu noodles, green onion, mushrooms, carrots, and corn. For the soup, broccoli was used in place of corn.

Tofu Noodles with Vegetables & Rice

1 Large Serving

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Dried Rice (66 g)
• ¼ cup Dried Tofu (20 g)
• ¼ cup Dried Spring Onions, lightly packed (2 g)
• ¼ cup Dried Mushrooms (5 g)*
• ¼ cup Dried Vegetable Medley (10 g), Carrots and Corn shown.
• 1 tsp. Vegetable Bouillon Powder

* Soy sauce was added to the mushrooms before drying them. This adds soy sauce flavor to the meal.

Water to rehydrate: 2 cups

Preparation: Place all dried ingredients in pot with water. Bring to a boil, and then transfer pot to an insulating cozy for fifteen minutes or longer.

Photo above: Tofu Noodles with Vegetables & Rice after rehydration.

Tofu Vegetable Soup

1 Large Serving

Ingredients: Same as the meal above without the rice. Dried broccoli substituted for corn.

Water to rehydrate: 2½ cups

Preparation: Place all dried ingredients in pot with water. Bring to a boil, and then transfer pot to an insulating cozy for fifteen minutes or longer.

Photo above: Tofu Vegetable Soup

Spicy Tofu Tortillas

Servings: 2 Tortillas

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Dried Taco Spiced Tofu Squares (45 g)
• 2 8” Tortillas

Water to rehydrate: ½ cup (118 ml)

Preparation: Place dried tofu squares in pot with water. Bring to a boil, and then transfer pot to an insulating cozy for fifteen minutes or longer. Spoon rehydrated tofu into tortillas and fold in half. Tip: Make one at a time, keeping the tofu for the second tortilla warm in the pot.

Photo above: Square cut, taco-flavored tofu after rehydration. Enough for two tortillas.

Curry Tofu & Vegetables

Photo above: Dried Curry Tofu, Apples, Carrots, and Broccoli.

1 Large Serving

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Dried Curry Seasoned Tofu Squares or Noodles (45 g)
  
• ¼ cup Dried Carrots (10 g)
• ¼ cup Dried Broccoli (5 g)
• ¼ cup Dried Apples (10 g)

Water to rehydrate: 1¼ cups (295 ml)

Optional Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. Powdered Milk, or 1 Tbsp. Powdered Coconut Milk

Preparation: Place all dried ingredients, except milk or coconut milk powder, in pot with water. Bring to a boil, and then transfer pot to an insulating cozy for fifteen minutes. Stir in milk powder while there is still a little liquid remaining. Wait another five minutes or longer.

Photo above: Although you can’t see it, there is a little curry sauce under the pile that was made with the addition of powdered milk.

Dehydrating Tofu Summary

Freezing, thin slicing, and cooking lightly with seasonings and liquid, are the three steps that will result in delicious tofu that rehydrates well in meals. Using the four tofu recipes on this page as examples, experiment with your own combinations of seasonings and complimentary ingredients.

These instructions for dehydrating tofu are included in Chef Glenn's newest book, Recipes for Adventure II: The Best of Trail Bytes.

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Books to Help You Dehydrate Better Backpacking Meals

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