Chickpea tofu is also known as Burmese tofu. It's a quick and easy recipe made on the stovetop in just minutes with some chickpea flour, water, and salt. The perfect soy-free alternative to tofu! Use it interchangeably with tofu in most recipes for a protein-packed healthy meal.
To be honest, I was a little skeptical when I heard about chickpea tofu. It sounded kind of weird to me and since I am a fan of traditional tofu, I thought that there was no way that it could taste as good, but I was wrong!
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❔ What does it taste like?
Chickpea tofu has a fairly neutral flavor similar to regular tofu, but I would say more egg-like. You can make it with flavored broth and add any spices that you wish so it can be as plain or flavorful as you like. It's also more firm than traditional tofu and holds up well in cooked or mixed in with other things.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- chickpea tofu is easily made with a few simple and inexpensive ingredients.
- you can make a batch in about 10 minutes. (plus about an hour to let it set).
- it fries up and performs like tofu in most recipes.
- you can add spices and flavors to it during the cooking process, so it's more flavorful than tofu.
- it's gluten-free, soy-free, and vegan.
❔ Why is it called Burmese tofu?
The traditional Burmese tofu recipe originates from the Shan region of Burma made with gram flour, water, turmeric, and salt cooked into a paste similar to polenta. There it is commonly served in a chickpea tofu salad.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Chickpea Flour - aka garbanzo bean flour - sold in the gluten-free flour section of most grocery stores. I use Bob's Red Mill chickpea flour made from ground white chickpeas.
- Note: You can also find chickpea flour at Indian markets where it will be under the name Gram Flour or Chana Besan. These other types of chickpea flours are made from brown chickpea or a mix of chickpeas and yellow lentils. They will also work for this recipe, but some are ground very fine and may need a little more water added to achieve the correct consistency. You can read more about types of chickpea flours and how to make your own in this article from Piping Pot Curry.
- Salt - for flavor. (Use less if you are making it with broth instead of water.
- Water - or broth. I like to use a vegetable broth to add more flavor to the chickpea tofu.
Optional Ingredients
- Tumeric - for color. (optional)
- Nutritional Yeast - for flavor. I like the depth of flavor that it adds, but it's totally optional.
- Spices - you can add any additional spices that you wish. If you are going to use the tofu for an Italian dish, 1 tsp of Italian spices taste good. If you are going to use the tofu on tacos or a Mexican style dish, some taco seasoning or cumin tastes great!
🥄 Instructions
Step 1 - Put 1 cup of chickpea flour in a bowl or measuring container that is easy to pour. Slowly stir in 1 cup of cold water - stirring constantly until all the lumps are out of it. Set it aside for about 5 minutes while you prepare the hot water or broth.
Step 2 - Heat 2 cups of water or broth plus salt, turmeric, nutritional yeast, and any spices that you wish in a medium-sized saucepan until it boils.
Step 3 -Give the chickpea flour another stir and then add it to the boiling broth while stirring it with a whisk. It will quickly thicken and turn into a very thick paste. (Don't taste the chickpea tofu until it is done cooking! Raw chickpea flour tastes terrible!)
Step 4 -Turn down the heat so that it continues to slowly boil but not splash you with bubbles of the thick paste. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the mixture is very thick and smooth.
Step 5 -Pour into a dish to set. (I use a 6 X 8-inch rectangular glass dish.)
Step 6 -Allow it to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes then cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours until it has cooled completely.
Step 7 -Cut into the sized pieces that you want and use like you would tofu.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Add the water to the chickpea flour slowly and stir well after each little bit you add. This will prevent clumping.
- Let the chickpea flour and water mixture sit for at least five minutes before adding to the hot water or broth. This will help it have a smoother consistency.
- Once you add the chickpea flour and water mixture to the hot water, stir constantly with a whisk for 5 minutes until the batter has gotten very thick and slightly glossy.
- Immediately pour the hot chickpea tofu into a mold to set. It will start to harden as soon as it cools.
- Allow the chickpea tofu to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes before covering and putting in the fridge. This will allow the steam to escape so you get the correct consistency.
🥡 Storage
Refrigerator: Chickpea tofu will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freezing: It also freezes well, so feel free to make a double or triple batch and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
❔ What can I make with chickpea tofu?
Use your homemade chickpea tofu as you would regular soy-based tofu in most recipes. You can simply pan fry it in some oil or you can use it in place of tofu in my recipes for breaded tofu, crispy fried tofu, grilled tofu, or teriyaki tofu. You can even marinate it in any of my tofu marinade recipes before cooking.
It tastes good either warm or cold, so feel free to toss it on salads or pasta for extra protein.
🌟 Other chickpea flour recipes
Chickpea flour is a truly amazing ingredient! I've been using it for nearly 20 years and I still constantly find new and exciting ways to use it like in my vegan omelets, vegan French toast, Farinata (Socca), and chickpea bread. I love it so much I even wrote a blog post about 45 Chickpea Flour Recipes that Will Amaze You, dedicated to the many uses of chickpea flour.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Burmese style tofu made from chickpea flour water and salt. Add spices and flavorings to make it your own and use it in place of tofu as a soy-free tofu alternative.
- 1 cup chickpea flour aka garbanzo bean flour
- 1 cup cold water (for mixing with chickpea flour)
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (increase to 1 tsp salt if using water instead of broth)
- 1 dash turmeric
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- herbs and or spices of choice to taste
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Put 1 cup of chickpea flour in a bowl or measuring container that is easy to pour. Slowly stir in 1 cup of cold water - stirring constantly until all the lumps are out of it. Set it aside for about 5 minutes while you prepare the hot water or broth.
-
Heat 2 cups of vegetable broth or water, plus 1/2 tsp salt, a dash of turmeric, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, and any spices that you wish in a medium-sized saucepan until it boils.
-
Give the chickpea flour mixture another stir and then add it to the boiling broth while stirring it with a whisk. It will quickly thicken and turn into a very thick paste.
-
Turn down the heat so that it continues to slowly boil but not splash you with bubbles of the thick paste. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the mixture is very thick and smooth. (Don't taste the chickpea tofu until it is done cooking! Raw chickpea flour tastes terrible!)
-
Pour into a dish to set. (I use a 6 X 8-inch rectangular glass dish.)
-
Allow it to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes then cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours until it has cooled completely.
- Add the water to the chickpea flour slowly and stir well after each little bit you add. This will prevent clumping.
- Let the chickpea flour and water mixture sit for at least five minutes before adding to the hot water or broth. This will help it have a smoother consistency.
- Once you add the chickpea flour and water mixture to the hot water, stir constantly with a whisk for 5 minutes until the batter has gotten very thick and slightly glossy.
- Immediately pour the hot chickpea tofu into a mold to set. It will start to harden as soon as it cools.
- Allow the chickpea tofu to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes before covering and putting in the fridge. This will allow the steam to escape so you get the correct consistency.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Did you make this recipe? I would love to hear from you! Please take a minute and leave a quick comment and a star review below. Thanks!
Hi there, does this tofu hold its form when added to liquid recipes or does it start to melt once it is placed into heat?
Hi Fran, It holds up very similar to regular tofu. It will break apart if you are rough with it, but it can be fried, baked, or grilled like tofu and not melt. Enjoy! 🙂
I made the Tofu and it came out delicious! I made Teriyaki chickpea tofu stir Fry and it came out amazing, Thank you so much for this recipe you rock🖤
The teriyaki chickpea tofu sounds delicious. I'm so happy that you liked the recipe.:)
This looks so easy. I was wondering if you can make this in bulk and freeze it
I think that it would work, but I have never tested it. My family eats it as fast as I can make it, so there are never leftovers for freezing. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Could I add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the broth / seasoned water, or would that cause any texture or other problems?
Recipe sounds great! Mom can't have soy so I could maybe get her try some of this tofu.
I'm only a little concerned because even though I can eat chick peas, I've reacted to garbanzo flour before. 🙁
Just made this and it’s amazing! I have a soy allergy and there aren’t many other options but now this! Oh the possibilities! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
You're welcome, Kellie. There are so many possibilities with this stuff! You have to try my recipe for Socca too, it's one of my favorite things to make with chickpea flour! Here the link 🙂 ... https://thehiddenveggies.com/farinata-socca/
I had to keep it in the fire for about 10 minutes before the consistency was like it the photo, but it turned out beautifully.
I'm happy that you liked it, Victoria! 🙂
One of my favorite recipes. I keep coming back to it as it always turns out perfect. My kids are tofu fiends (like 5+ pounds a week), so this mixes things up a bit. I like to add a little black salt and fry up some thin slices as an egg substitute for a breakfast sandwich.
I'm so happy that you like it, Emily. We have the same thing going on here going through tons of tofu! I love the idea of using it as an egg substitute in breakfast sandwiches!
My wife is allergic to soy and she wanted soy free vegan tofu so we made this Burmese tofu and she loved it!
I'm so happy that she loved it! 🙂
What seasoning/spices did you use?
I just followed the recipe
This is SO intriguing! I've made both tofu & polenta in the past & I'm having a hard time imagining the small cubes holding together as well as firm tofu... polenta kind of starts to soften & fall apart if a sauce is on it. Do you find that you need to be a little more careful when moving this around the pan for a saute or stir fry? :O)
It's actually really firm after it sets. I would say that it's pretty comparable to firm tofu. Enjoy! Let me know what you think! 🙂
wonderful! thank you!
What spices have you used that made this flavorful? I'm not good at choosing spices or the amounts to use.
I like about 1/4 teaspoon of onion or garlic powder for more flavor. If I'm using it in a Mexican style dish, about 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1/2 tsp of chili powder is good. For a herbed chickpea tofu, about 1 tsp of a dried herb mix like Italian herbs or herbs de Provence works well. Enjoy! 🙂
So, how wold you use this chickpea tofu?
You can use it as you would tofu in most recipes. It's great pan-fried and eaten plain or added to stir-fries.
Could one add the same ingredients with which you'd use to make a marinade to the garbanzo bean tofu mix, or would it not be the same?
You can add some of the spices, but usually, marinades have acid like vinegar or lemon juice that may be too strong. Also remember a lot of the marinade falls off the tofu, so you won't need as much cooked into it. I usually use about 1/2 to 1 tsp of spices depending on what they are added to the broth.