Tofu Desserts
For years, tofu got a bad rap: It's too bland! The texture is yuck! It's just there...
However, the good thing about tofu is that it takes on the flavor of the food around it, and, if done right, borrows the texture.
Here are six Tofu Desserts that could change your mind about tofu, including a decadent Chocolate Mousse and Lemon Tofu Cheesecake. Enjoy!
TOFU CREME AU CHOCOLATE
This comes from the January/February 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 46, and begins, “We’ve given this dessert its French name to highlight how decadent it is—a chocolate pudding for grown-ups as well as kids! No one will guess it’s made with tofu.” Serves 8.
To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/tofu-creme-au-chocolat/.
Ingredients
4 oz. dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 Tbs. Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread
1 14-oz. pkg. silken tofu, drained
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1-1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
Directions
Melt chocolate in microwave on medium power or in double boiler. Stir in buttery spread until no lumps remain.
Blend tofu, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in blender or food processor 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
Add chocolate to tofu mixture, and blend 30 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. Transfer to bowl, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours, or until set.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 146; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 15 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 56 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 12 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free
CHOCOLATE TOFU ICE CREAM
This comes from the August 2000 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “You’d never guess that this rich, dense, fudgy ice cream contains considerably less fat than the classic version.” Makes 5 cups.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 lb. soft tofu, drained
1 cup sugar
1 cup plain soy milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Directions
In blender, puree all ingredients in 2 equal batches until very smooth.
Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve right away or transfer to airtight container and freeze up to 3 days.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 126; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Sodium: 25 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Vegan
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
I saw something similar to this a few years back and tweaked it a little. For anyone who is sure that he or she won't like tofu, this may be the game-changer.
Ingredients
1 10-12 ounce tub of silken tofu
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
2 - 3 tablespoons milk (you can use soy milk, if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions
Melt chocolate chips along with the milk over low to medium heat, stirring constantly.
Place silken tofu, melted chocolate chips, vanilla, and syrup into blender. Blend on a medium setting, pulsing if needed to combine.
Pour into 4 bowls or small cups, and let cool for 10 minutes or so.
Dig in! Yum!
VEGAN TOFU CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Ashley Adams on The Spruce Eats. Ashley wrote, "Prepared with silken tofu in place of the eggs and butter called for in traditional recipes, this chocolate cake is one of the healthiest around, yet still so tasty. Frost with whatever dairy-free frosting suits the occasion.
"Although many recipes that call for silken tofu require that you drain the liquid from the box before using, for this recipe just open the box and pour both the liquid and tofu into the blender as directed in Step 3.
"This recipe makes one two-layer 9-inch cake."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Servings: 4; Yield: 1 cake
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegan-chocolate-cake-1000681.
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (12.3-ounce) box firm silken tofu
1-1/4 cups maple syrup
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup boiling water
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil or grease (with dairy-free soy margarine) 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
Process the tofu in a blender until creamy. Add the maple syrup and oil and process until smooth.
Stir the tofu mixture and almond milk into the dry ingredients. Add the boiling water and continue to stir until the batter is just combined. (The batter should be fairly smooth but will still have some lumps in it.)
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 15 to 20 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from the pans to finish cooling on the cooling rack. Once cakes are completely cool, frost with a dairy-free frosting.
LEMON TOFU CHEESECAKE
This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "This vegan dessert brings zippy citrus and creamy texture to the party."
"This lemon tofu cheesecake, originally published by Vegetarian Times in 1997, makes for an elegant vegan dessert. While you can dig in as soon as it sets, after about two hours of chill time, we find it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had time to continue to develop.
"If it’s just too hot to turn on the oven, this recipe can easily be adapted to a no-bake format. Just skip the cornstarch called for in the filling. The result will be something a bit more loose and creamy."
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-tofu-cheesecake-recipe/. Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Filling
1 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon tahini or almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water
1 tablespoons vegan milk such as soy, rice, or almond
Preparation
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, syrup, and extract until crumbs are moistened. Pour into oiled 9-inch pie plate; press mixture firmly to form crust. Bake 5 minutes; let cool while preparing the filling.
Filling: In food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Bake: Pour mixture into crust. Bake until top is slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm, about 2 hours.
QUICK VEGAN CHOCOLATE PIE
This is from Jolinda Hackett on The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, "This super easy chocolate peanut butter tofu pie, similar to a French silk pie, is vegan and can be prepared in just a few minutes. Just be sure to use vegan chocolate. Use a gluten-free pie crust and this vegan pie can easily be made gluten-free as well.
"This one is a classic recipe that's been floating around vegan circles for decades now. Sure, you can make vegan pies much fancier than this one (with much more expensive and unique ingredients), but we like to keep it old school and simple, from time to time. Plus, all of these ingredients are things you can easily keep on hand, and once you've tried this recipe a few times, you can probably whip it up off the top of your head.
"It's tofu as a base, chocolate chips (check the ingredients if you're vegan), and peanut butter for flavor and a little bit of soy milk to mix it all together. Blend, bake, chill, and done.
"Be sure you use semisweet chocolate chips in this recipe since there's otherwise no sugar. It's not a supersweet recipe, even with the semi-sweet chocolate chips, but the richness of the peanut butter more than makes up for it, in my opinion. If you're used to super-sweet desserts, you might disagree, or, you might be pleasantly surprised with just how much you like it.
"Enjoy your chocolate tofu peanut butter pie."
Cook Time: 0 minutes; Total Time: 5 minutes; Servings: 8; Yield: 1 pie
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/quick-vegan-chocolate-pie-3376759.
Ingredients
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu, or firm tofu
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy milk
1 pre-made pie crust
Directions
Melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn.
You can use a double boiler if you have one.
Once the chocolate is melted, blend together the silken tofu, peanut butter, chocolate, and soy milk in the blender until smooth and creamy, adding a bit more soy milk if necessary.
Pour into pie crust and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
However, the good thing about tofu is that it takes on the flavor of the food around it, and, if done right, borrows the texture.
Here are six Tofu Desserts that could change your mind about tofu, including a decadent Chocolate Mousse and Lemon Tofu Cheesecake. Enjoy!
TOFU CREME AU CHOCOLATE
This comes from the January/February 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 46, and begins, “We’ve given this dessert its French name to highlight how decadent it is—a chocolate pudding for grown-ups as well as kids! No one will guess it’s made with tofu.” Serves 8.
To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/tofu-creme-au-chocolat/.
Ingredients
4 oz. dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 Tbs. Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread
1 14-oz. pkg. silken tofu, drained
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1-1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
Directions
Melt chocolate in microwave on medium power or in double boiler. Stir in buttery spread until no lumps remain.
Blend tofu, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in blender or food processor 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
Add chocolate to tofu mixture, and blend 30 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. Transfer to bowl, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours, or until set.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 146; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 15 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 56 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 12 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free
CHOCOLATE TOFU ICE CREAM
This comes from the August 2000 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “You’d never guess that this rich, dense, fudgy ice cream contains considerably less fat than the classic version.” Makes 5 cups.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 lb. soft tofu, drained
1 cup sugar
1 cup plain soy milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Directions
In blender, puree all ingredients in 2 equal batches until very smooth.
Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve right away or transfer to airtight container and freeze up to 3 days.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 126; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Sodium: 25 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Vegan
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
I saw something similar to this a few years back and tweaked it a little. For anyone who is sure that he or she won't like tofu, this may be the game-changer.
Ingredients
1 10-12 ounce tub of silken tofu
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
2 - 3 tablespoons milk (you can use soy milk, if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions
Melt chocolate chips along with the milk over low to medium heat, stirring constantly.
Place silken tofu, melted chocolate chips, vanilla, and syrup into blender. Blend on a medium setting, pulsing if needed to combine.
Pour into 4 bowls or small cups, and let cool for 10 minutes or so.
Dig in! Yum!
VEGAN TOFU CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Ashley Adams on The Spruce Eats. Ashley wrote, "Prepared with silken tofu in place of the eggs and butter called for in traditional recipes, this chocolate cake is one of the healthiest around, yet still so tasty. Frost with whatever dairy-free frosting suits the occasion.
"Although many recipes that call for silken tofu require that you drain the liquid from the box before using, for this recipe just open the box and pour both the liquid and tofu into the blender as directed in Step 3.
"This recipe makes one two-layer 9-inch cake."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Servings: 4; Yield: 1 cake
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegan-chocolate-cake-1000681.
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (12.3-ounce) box firm silken tofu
1-1/4 cups maple syrup
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup boiling water
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil or grease (with dairy-free soy margarine) 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
Process the tofu in a blender until creamy. Add the maple syrup and oil and process until smooth.
Stir the tofu mixture and almond milk into the dry ingredients. Add the boiling water and continue to stir until the batter is just combined. (The batter should be fairly smooth but will still have some lumps in it.)
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 15 to 20 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from the pans to finish cooling on the cooling rack. Once cakes are completely cool, frost with a dairy-free frosting.
LEMON TOFU CHEESECAKE
This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "This vegan dessert brings zippy citrus and creamy texture to the party."
"This lemon tofu cheesecake, originally published by Vegetarian Times in 1997, makes for an elegant vegan dessert. While you can dig in as soon as it sets, after about two hours of chill time, we find it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had time to continue to develop.
"If it’s just too hot to turn on the oven, this recipe can easily be adapted to a no-bake format. Just skip the cornstarch called for in the filling. The result will be something a bit more loose and creamy."
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-tofu-cheesecake-recipe/. Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Filling
1 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon tahini or almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water
1 tablespoons vegan milk such as soy, rice, or almond
Preparation
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, syrup, and extract until crumbs are moistened. Pour into oiled 9-inch pie plate; press mixture firmly to form crust. Bake 5 minutes; let cool while preparing the filling.
Filling: In food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Bake: Pour mixture into crust. Bake until top is slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm, about 2 hours.
QUICK VEGAN CHOCOLATE PIE
This is from Jolinda Hackett on The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, "This super easy chocolate peanut butter tofu pie, similar to a French silk pie, is vegan and can be prepared in just a few minutes. Just be sure to use vegan chocolate. Use a gluten-free pie crust and this vegan pie can easily be made gluten-free as well.
"This one is a classic recipe that's been floating around vegan circles for decades now. Sure, you can make vegan pies much fancier than this one (with much more expensive and unique ingredients), but we like to keep it old school and simple, from time to time. Plus, all of these ingredients are things you can easily keep on hand, and once you've tried this recipe a few times, you can probably whip it up off the top of your head.
"It's tofu as a base, chocolate chips (check the ingredients if you're vegan), and peanut butter for flavor and a little bit of soy milk to mix it all together. Blend, bake, chill, and done.
"Be sure you use semisweet chocolate chips in this recipe since there's otherwise no sugar. It's not a supersweet recipe, even with the semi-sweet chocolate chips, but the richness of the peanut butter more than makes up for it, in my opinion. If you're used to super-sweet desserts, you might disagree, or, you might be pleasantly surprised with just how much you like it.
"Enjoy your chocolate tofu peanut butter pie."
Cook Time: 0 minutes; Total Time: 5 minutes; Servings: 8; Yield: 1 pie
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/quick-vegan-chocolate-pie-3376759.
Ingredients
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu, or firm tofu
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy milk
1 pre-made pie crust
Directions
Melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn.
You can use a double boiler if you have one.
Once the chocolate is melted, blend together the silken tofu, peanut butter, chocolate, and soy milk in the blender until smooth and creamy, adding a bit more soy milk if necessary.
Pour into pie crust and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
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