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
-
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.
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