tofu

American  

[toh-foo] / ˈtoʊ fu /

noun

• tofus
  plural

1. a soft, bland, white cheeselike food, high in protein content, made from curdled soymilk: used in Asian and vegetarian cooking.

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tofu British  

/ ˈtəʊˌfuː /

noun

1. unfermented soya-bean curd, a food with a soft cheeselike consistency made from soya-bean milk

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tofus
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tofu

First recorded in 1875–80; from Japanese tōfu, from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese dòufu ( dòu “bean” + fǔ “turn sour, ferment”)

Explanation

Tofu is a spongy cake made from the curds of mashed soybeans. Tofu isn't very flavorful unless you cook it with other ingredients and seasonings. Tofu can be described as a kind of cheese made from soy milk, and it often shows up on menus as "bean curd." Many East and Southeast Asian cuisines include tofu cooked in various ways, including deep fried, stir fried, curried, and grilled. Tofu is considered a healthy food, since it's high in protein and relatively low in calories. The word tofu is Japanese, from the Chinese doufu, a combination of dou, "beans," and fu, "rotten."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tofu tofus

In a video watched 2.8 million times, a foreign reviewer described it as "kind of like chewy tofu" and "very oily".

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

He labelled rogue bankers as "half-wits" and said the dams and flood dykes lining the Yangtze River were as "flimsy and porous as tofu dregs".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

I Am Trusting was apparently roasted veggie hash, I Am Hearty was a tofu scramble and I Am Valued was a chorizo breakfast burrito.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The restaurant makes eight varieties of potstickers in-house, including kimchi pork, curry chicken, butternut squash and shrimp, and vegan options like tofu with mushroom and kale.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

As I rinse the tofu in the sink, I am startled by a dark mass that appears suddenly at the window.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

I was making one of my go-to tofus, whisking together the cornstarch and oil that, when roasted at high heat, creates a golden, crunchy crust.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2023

"For silken-style tofus, you cannot press out excess liquid anyway, as the gelled matrix is so tight, you'd end up just breaking it."

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2022