Homemade tofu begins with soy milk. A food-grade coagulant brings the milk together into curds, which can be drained and pressed into a block. The right recipe keeps each stage working together.
Choose your tofu style and recipe
Start with a complete recipe for the texture you want. Firm tofu and silken tofu use different setting methods, so choose one before buying a coagulant or preparing your milk. Mad Millie's tofu guide includes whole-bean soy milk, firm tofu and silken tofu recipes, with quantities, temperatures and storage directions.
Gather the essentials
A pressed-tofu setup typically needs a saucepan, cooking thermometer, measuring tools, clean straining cloth, draining mould, tray and a suitable pressing weight or press. You will also need the exact food-grade coagulant specified by your recipe. Have your cooling and storage containers ready before heating the milk.
Make soy milk for the job
Use the bean-to-water ratio and preparation method in your chosen tofu recipe. Keep the milk plain and unsweetened. Its concentration matters to the finished result, so avoid diluting it or substituting an everyday drinking-milk recipe without checking the tofu method.
For an explanation of the starting process, read our guide to making soy milk from soybeans.
Measure, set and press carefully
Follow the recipe's milk temperature, coagulant amount and mixing instructions. Coagulants have different formulations, so do not swap equal spoonfuls between products. Give the curds the specified time to set before transferring them to a lined mould and pressing as directed.
Just One Cookbook's whole-bean tofu method shows the milk, curdling and moulding stages in photographs, including a liquid-nigari approach.
Keep the finished tofu cold
Follow your chosen recipe's cooling and storage steps, and refrigerate promptly. Food Standards Australia New Zealand recommends clean hands and utensils, quick cooling, and keeping perishable food at 5°C or colder. Label your container so you know when you made it, and follow the recipe's storage limit.
Make your next batch easier
Keep a short note of the recipe, bean quantity, coagulant and texture you achieved. Store the remaining dried beans using our pantry storage guide, ready for another batch.