Soft silken Tofu Pudding (Blancmange) dessert made with tofu, honey, gelatin, and soy milk. Topped with a sweet-tart strawberry sauce, this pudding makes a delightful low-caloric dessert.
Growing up in Japan, when I go the dessert and snack aisle in the supermarket, there are endless choices to pick from. One of my favorite dessert is pudding or flan. The smooth silky texture topped with a bit of caramel sauce is irresistible. Besides the traditional pudding that uses eggs and milk, the Japanese also make pudding out of tofu. Today I want to introduce you to this delicious and delicate Tofu Pudding!
Tofu is a pretty common ingredient in Japan, enjoyed by itself or used in savory and sweet dishes. If you haven’t tried tofu dessert, I hope today’s recipe will help you discover a new way to enjoy nutritious tofu!
Watch How To Make Tofu Pudding (Blancmange) 豆腐プリン（ブラマンジェ）の作り方
Melt in your mouth silky Tofu Pudding (Blancmange) made with tofu, soy milk, top with a delightful strawberry sauce.
What is Tofu Pudding?
Tofu pudding, or sometimes called Tofu Blancmange, has a silky melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s made with simple ingredients: silken tofu, soy milk, almond extract, and a sweetener such as honey. I recommend to make a simple fruit sauce to go with the tofu pudding to improve both the visual and the taste of the dish. For today’s recipe, I made a delightful strawberry sauce, but feel free to try your own sauce and let me know what works!
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What kind of tofu to use for Tofu Pudding?
To get the best texture for this dessert, please use silken tofu. Silken tofu is undrained, unpressed tofu that contains the highest moisture content of all fresh tofu. Silken tofu is available in several consistencies, including “soft”, “light firm” and “firm”, but all silken tofu is more delicate than regular firm tofu. For this recipe, I’ve used Mori-Nu silken tofu.
I recently saw Mori-Nu tofu in the vegetarian section of an American grocery store near my house and I was intrigued, because it’s by Morinaga, a Japanese food company with over 110 years of history. It’s unusual to see their products on the shelf. I did a bit of research on the product and learned that Morinaga Milk Industry Inc. developed the package technology where tofu can be stored without refrigeration over 40 years ago. In addition to no refrigeration required, it has a long shelf life without preservatives.
Knowing this, I now always keep a few packages of Mori-Nu silken tofu in my kitchen pantry so that I can make tofu miso soup anytime.
Plus, all of Mori-Nu silken tofu is made with non-GMO soy. Tofu is a great source of protein and is a versatile, reliable substitute for dairy and eggs. It is also gluten free so you can use in your gluten free recipes.
If you want to test out their products, make sure to enter the sweepstakes hosted by Mori-Nu at the end of the recipe.
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- ⅓ cup boiling water (⅓ cup = 100 ml)
- 0.4 oz gelatin powder/sheet (0.4 oz =10 g = 4 sheets)
- 6.2 oz firm silken tofu (6.2 oz = 175 g)
- 5 Tbsp honey
- 1½ cup unsweetened soymilk (1½ cups = 350 ml)
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ lb strawberries (½ lb = 227 g)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Juice from ¼ lemon
- Mint leaves (for garnish)
- Extra berries (for garnish)
Gather all the ingredients. You'll need 5 4-oz ramekins (4 oz = 1/2 cup = 120 ml).
- Combine boiling water and gelatin in a bowl (or measuring cup) and whisk together until gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes and add them inside a food processor. Add honey and soymilk and puree all together.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the gelatin mixture and almond extract and whisk without making too much bubbles.
- If you like your pudding to have extra smooth texture, run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (optional).
- Ladle the mixture into individual ramekins. Chill in the refrigerator until set, for at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile make the strawberry sauce. Cut strawberries into small cubes and mash with fork or potato masher. Add honey and lemon juice.
- When the pudding is set, run a knife around the pudding to loosen. Turn over onto a plate and shake gently to release the pudding. Pour the strawberry sauce and garnish with mint leaves and extra berries (if any) on top.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
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Megumi
Oh wow. That looks so good! I can’t wait to try it out and serve it to my family! I’m sure they’ll love it! Thanks, Nami!
Megumi
Sorry, I accidentally commented on the space above as well! I meant to post it down here!
Nami
No, that’s alright. I kept this comment open so that I can get notification and answer to questions people may have. 🙂
Megumi
Yes, for sure! I used to hate tofu but after I was introduced to this in Japan, I really liked it, so I’m sure to try this out! Thanks again, Nami-san!
Nami
Happy to hear you like tofu now. 🙂
Nami
It is very delicious! Wish I can serve this to everyone who loves tofu… I think it’s an eye opener tofu dish for people who don’t like tofu. 🙂
ray
That tofu pudding looks amazing, Nami. We used tofu as a dessert and I’m sure my family would love this recipe. Thank you, Nami. 🙂
Hotly Spiced
This looks so pretty, Nami. It’s gorgeous. It looks so much like panacotta yet it’s tofu! I love how this is a dairy-free dessert xx
[email protected] Riffs
What a gorgeous dessert! This looks lovely. And I’m impressed by the product, too — the packaging sounds fantastic! Great to have an option for tofu that doesn’t require refrigeration — I’ll definitely be looking for this brand. Thanks!
Eha
Oh Nami – you may have broken a ‘hex’!! I never eat desserts and hardly ever have sugar in the house! Remember blancmange from my childhood days 🙂 ! But I adore tofu and use it all the time and your wonderful recipe does not have one ingredient I ‘forbid’ myself to use. And the dish looks SO pretty!! It shall be tried and I’ll faithfully report back . . .
Nami
Hi Eha! It’s a Japanese take on blancmange. 🙂 You can change the sweetness according to your taste. I wanted to make sure it’s sweet enough that my kids will consider this as “dessert”. 😀 I think this sweetness is just perfect. The strawberry makes the dish fancy for sure. 🙂 Thank you for your comment!
Elizabeth Ann Quirino @Mango_Queen
This is the kind of dessert I like where you don’t need to bake, just boil and mix. It sounds so delightful. I must try it. Thanks for the tofu suggestion and sharing the recipe, Nami.
Mei
Hi Nami,
I assumed that u’re using the unsweetened soy milk in this recipe since there’s honey in it? Thanks!
Nami
Hi Mei! Yes, it is unsweetened. I updated my recipe. Thank you! 🙂
Millie l Add A Little
I love tofu and this looks super delicious!
Rosa
Beautiful, original and refined!
Cheers,
Rosa
Kelly
This is so so pretty, Nami! I love tofu desserts and yours look so elegant especially with the strawberry sauce! I would love to try making this at home one day 🙂
Medeja
This tofu pudding looks so lovely!
Choc Chip Uru
Yay it is dairy free 😀
And much healthier as well! Beautiful presentation!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Gourmet Getaways
Beautiful, Nami! Love the texture of the pudding plus the fruits!
Gourmet Getaways
[email protected]
Already a fan of silken tofu puddings so this one looks really yummy and different from the one I make. Definitely going to give ti a try.
Kathleen Bryce
what kind of gelatin can I use ? And where do I get it. could I use powdered agar ? Same amount?
Nami
Hi Kathleen! For this recipe, I use Knox Gelatin. You also can use powdered agar as well, and yes same amount.
For the ratio, it should be:
1 tsp. (2g) agar powder = 1 tsp. (2g) powder gelatin (this will set 1 cup of liquid)
1 tsp. (2g) agar powder = 1 Tbsp. agar flakes
1 tsp. (2g) agar powder = ½ agar bar
I saw this article. I hope this helps!
http://www.thekitchn.com/vegetarian-and-vegan-substitutes-for-gelatin-tips-from-the-kitchn-189478
Linda | Brunch with Joy
Sweeettt! I love pudding, especially tofu pudding. I grew up eating tofu pudding with melted palm sugar and these days I’ve been adding tofu to smoothies for breakfast, too.
donna mikasa
This reminds me of Chinese Almond Float, but individual size! I like that you use tofu as the base–makes it healthier!
Nami
Hi Donna! Actually the texture is very similar. 🙂 Thank you for your kind comment!
Helene D'Souza
I can’t believe that I never came across a tofu pudding in my life. I absolutely adore the idea and can’t wait to try this sometime when they start selling more tofu choices here. Brilliant dessert Nami, thank you for sharing. =)
Catalina @ Shades of Pink
I love pudding, this one loks so pretty, love the colors!
the Squishy Monster
I’ve never had tofu pudding, which really is a shocker to me. Thanks for the inspiration, Nami!
ATasteOfMadness
This looks amazing! I love tofu pudding, but have never thought to make it myself!
Sugar et al.
The pudding looks beautiful. I don’t think I have come across a better way of using Tofu. I love it immensely in savoury recipes but if an ingredient can be used both ways..it is on my favourite list of ingredients. I’ll be making this soon. And also your tutorials are wonderful.
Sissi
What a gorgeous sophisticated pudding! It sounds like a Japanised version of panna cotta! I really must try making it one day.
mjskit
I really need to get over here more frequently because going through 4 to 5 of your recipes at once had made me very, very hungry! Tofu pudding is a new one for me but I hope to become familiar with it soon. As you may remember, we are a pudding loving household, so having a new pudding to try is exciting. It’s so pretty!
Sandra Garth
This is so pretty, light and playful! 3
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
I first had this at an Iron Chef restaurant in Tokyo and really loved it! I think they paired it with yuzu which was so nice. And the shelf tofu is handy-I find all the packaging in Japan so clever.
Raymund
Looks like an Asian version of panna cotta. I bet this would taste good as we have something similar called taho
Juliana
I have never had this dessert…looks like panna cotta…and I love the idea of using tofu. Awesome shots Nami…
Have a great week ahead 😀
Allison
I try to make it at home today, but it seems there are so many bubbles after i put them into the blender. Should I just remove the bubbles with a spoon? And can I replace honey with sugar? If yes, what is the conversion? Also I watched your video and the mixture seems to be thicker than what I made, is it because the brand of the tofu that we used cause the difference?
Nami
Hi Allison! I had lots of bubbles too. I strained it so that extra foam stays behind and finer liquid will go into the pudding molds. You can definitely use sugar instead, and if I remember correctly, 1 Tbsp. honey = 1 tbps. sugar. However, I haven’t used sugar yet for this recipe, so please test it to see if that’s good amount. 🙂 Could be the brand of tofu – you used silken tofu, right?
Allison
I did use silken tofu but because I couldn’t find the brand you suggested in supermarket, I just picked up a brand that I found in Shaw’s. And in replacing of the honey, I put about 4 tbsp of sugar and the final product is not as sweet as I like but my mom really like it for some reason. In addition to the taste, I feel like the almond extract was a little strong in comparison, maybe next time I will adjust the sugar and extract so it will fit more to my preference!
Nami
Hi Allison! Ha ha, I am glad your mom really liked it. 😀 Typically, dessert like this tends to be “healthier” on the sweetness. Japanese dessert is less sweet than typical American sweet, trying to keep the flavor of tofu by not overpowering with sweetness. Hope you can adjust the almond extract and sweetness when you make next time. Thank you so much, again! 🙂
Cristina
Beautiful presentation, Nami, and love that strawberry sauce!
TheKitchenLioness
Nami, a beautiful looking dessert – I love panna cotta, so I know I would love this tofu blancmange as well – so nice to learn about the silken tofu, I knew there were three different ones, from soft to firm, but I never knew which one to use for dessert – I will choose the firm silken tofu for making a dessert like this then – thanks for sharing, dear friend!
Lail | With A Spin
The tofu pudding sounds incredibly delicious. Do you think I can substitute gelatin for agar agar? We don’t use gelatin as most ofter it is derived from pork. Thanks Nami.
Cindy
Hi Nami,
Just wanted to start off by saying I love your recipes and the way you present them makes it very easy to follow! I was going to make this recipe until my husband told me you are not supposed to have tofu and honey together. Have you heard anything like that?!
Cindy
Nami
Hi Cindy! Yes I heard from Chinese readers that tofu and honey creates from indigestion to going deaf. But I couldn’t find any scientific proof that it is true (let me know if you find it – I’m curious!). In Japan we don’t have that belief. 🙂
Cindy
Hi Nami,
Instead of honey, can you think of a substitution? Just in case!
Thanks!
Cindy
Nami
How about using regular granulated sugar or maple syrup?
Darlene
Hi Nami,
After making the tofu pudding, they looked so irresistible and tasted so good that I ate all 5 puddings today. I really liked that you used honey in this recipe. Thanks.
Nami
I’m glad to hear you liked it, Darlene! 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind feedback! xo
Erin
Hi! New to your blog, but love all the pictures and videos-you present all your food so beautifully. Do you know if you can substitute agar agar or another vegan thickener instead of gelatin?
Nami
Hi Erin! Welcome to my blog! Thanks so much for your kind words.
You can use agar agar instead of gelatin.
For the ratio, it should be:
1 tsp. (2g) agar powder = 1 tsp. (2g) powder gelatin (this will set 1 cup of liquid)
1 tsp. (2g) agar powder = 1 Tbsp. agar flakes
1 tsp. (2g) agar powder = ½ agar bar
vegan/vegetarian option: http://www.thekitchn.com/vegetarian-and-vegan-substitutes-for-gelatin-tips-from-the-kitchn-189478
Christine
Hi Nami! I just made this pudding and its sitting in the fridge waiting to chill 🙂 Just looking at it makes me want to take a bite out of it. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes (^_^)
Nami
Hi Christine! I hope you enjoy(ed) this recipe! Thanks so much for your kind comment. 🙂
Shino
Hi Nami–
I was obsessed with the Japanese 7-11’s Tofu Pudding when I visited a few months ago, and this recipe looked about right so I gave it a go! The taste is about the same but the texture is not as smooth and the color more off-white. I think the reason may be the brand of soymilk and/or gelatin I’m using. I used Silk Unsweetened. Your final product looks more white and creamy. Which soymilk did you use? And would using the agar create a softer mouth feel? Thanks!
Nami
Hi Shino! When I searched in Japanese 7-11’s Tofu Pudding, only product that comes up is this Almond Tofu.
http://netachou.com/2035.html
Is that it?
Shino
Thank you Nami- Yes, that is totally the one I ate nearly every chance I got! I only recognized the tofu symbol because my Japanese is very basic. I had no idea there was such thing as almond tofu! So I guess that means they used almond milk instead of soymilk as well. Oh this is just the realization I needed. That explained the texture. Almond milk is so much smoother. Thank you so much!
Nami
Hi Shino! Great! Almond Tofu is a Chinese dessert which is popular in Japan. My friend has a almond tofu recipe, in case you’re interested in. This might not be same consistency as 7-11 one (more Japanese taste).
http://www.chinasichuanfood.com/chinese-almond-tofualmond-jelly/
Hope this helps! 🙂
Nami
And I also use Silk brand. For the texture, I’d use less gelatin or agar amount for softer texture (from reading the description). And need almond extract if it is almond tofu. 🙂
Wales
Hello,
Just looking for matcha pudding recipe recently. It seems you don’t have it before. If there is any chance, it would be nice if you add it to your blog. I’m looking forward too^^ I love all of yours green tea sweet recipe. They are really tasty 🙂
Thank you for tufu pudding recipe.
Nami
Hi Wales! Someone requested it before so it’s been on my list. Was that you? Sorry I haven’t had a chance to get around it yet… hopefully soon! 🙂
Tiffany
Hello,
How long does the tofu pudding last in the fridge? Also how about the for the strawberry sauce?
Nami
Hi Tiffany! Probably 2 days at most? It doesn’t last long in my house, so I never checked how it is passed 2 days… Strawberry sauce can last a bit longer, I think. But 3-4 days, I’d say (but could be longer, but I don’t guarantee…). 🙂
Carmen
Hi! I just came across this recipe and would love to try it for Chinese New Year! What soy milk did you use? I can get fresh ones here in Singapore that’s without any stabilizers – I find the soy milk in cartons in supermarkets always have some form of stabilizers or emulsifier. Does it make a difference to the pudding what type of soy milk you use?
Nami
Hi Carmen! I used Silk’s soy milk I never used fresh one to make it (I’m so jealous of your fresh soy milk!), so I’m not sure how it’ll be like with fresh one… I’m sorry I wish I could help you!
Carmen
Hi Nami! I tried the recipe and it works with soy milk that doesn’t have stabilizers! Turned out amazing. (I’m currently having one now 😉 It took overnight to set though, but that might not have anything to do with the type of soy milk.
Nami
Hi Carmen! I’m so relieved and happy to hear that soy milk worked and you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for letting me know about the result. 🙂
Debbie Sakamoto
Would this work with agar instead of gelatin?
Nami
Hi Debbie! I haven’t tried with agar for this recipe yet, but theoretically it should work! 🙂
Annie
Hi! This was a really delicious recipe, thank you so much for sharing! Can this be made with agar agar instead of gelatine? If so, how do I adjust the water:agar ratio? I tried with agar flakes but it didn’t work and was wondering if I did something wrong! When I used gelatine it worked beautifully but I wanna make this for my vegetarian friends to enjoy too!
Nami
Hi Annie! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! Yes, you can use agar agar instead of gelatin, and raito is here.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/agar-agar-kanten/
However, I recommend you to test the recipes. The gelatin and agar agar’s hardness is very different.
Gelatin is giggly, but agar agar is more solid block. You can change that slightly with the amount of agar, but you also want to make sure it’s solidified enough. Hope this helps! 🙂
Betty
I love your recipie so much..Can i substitute the gelatin powder with gelatin sheet or agar agar pwder? And what is the measurement?; thanks for the reply
Nami
Hi Betty! Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear you like my recipes.
Yes, you can substitute the powder with sheet (I started to use ONLY sheet because it has less smell). If you use sheet, each sheet is 2.5 gram of gelatin.
For agar agar powder, each brand may slightly different but you’ll need the same weight for gelatin powder.
Hope that helps!
Maria
Hi Nami! I’m making this recipe for my friend who loves all thing tofu, but I was wondering if there was an alternative to the almond essence? She’s allergic to one of the ingredients. Would another mild flavoured essence work or could I leave it out? Thank you!
Nami
Hi Maria! You don’t have to add it. Make sure the sauce or topping you plan to add has great flavor. 🙂 Hope she’ll enjoy! You’re such a great friend. xoxo
Ren
This looks amazing and I would really love to try it. Is there a way I can substitute kanten for the gelatin? My body has issues with the stuff for some reason. If I can use kanten (I have the powdered one at home) about how much should I use?
Thanks!!
Nami
Hi Ren! Sure you can use kanten. The texture will be not as jiggly with kanten but if you don’t mind, it’s totally possible.
10 g gelatin powder is about 1 Tbsp. gelatin powder.
1 Tbsp. gelatin powder = 1 Tbsp. kanten powder.
Kamonwat
I’ve made this several times and always love the result. I leave out the almond extract because I’m allergic to nuts but it’s still good. Perfect recipe for a tofu lover like me! Moreover, I’ve been having some problem with my stomach and the doctor told me to avoid eating sugar (honey is still fine) and also that I might have lactose intolerance so…this recipe is perfect for when I crave some sweets! Thanks for your hard work. I would love it if you could post more dairy-free sweet recipes.
Nami
I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! And thank you for your request on dairy-free sweet recipes. I’m not so expert so I’ll have to study a little bit. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Donna
Is this recipe using the equivalent of ONE gelatin sheet?
Nami
Hi Donna! I added the info. Each gelatin sheet is 2.5 g for mine, so I’d need 4 sheets. Please check your package. You’ll need 10 g of gelatin in total. 🙂
Pamela Dipzinski
My daughter wanted strawberry pudding, so I just changed up your blancmange recipe a little. I thawed out 1 cup of sliced frozen strawberries. I drained the juice into a measuring cup and added enough soy milk to make 1 1/4 cups. You have to decrease the liquid to adjust for the liquid remaining in the berries. I also added 1/8 tsp of powdered red food coloring to give it a nice pink color. Followed the rest of the recipe minus the almond flavor and we had a relatively healthy strawberry pudding. Thanks for the recipes!
Nami
Hi Pamela! That sounds incredible! Thank you so much for sharing your adjustment to make strawberry version with us! xoxo
Jenny
Is there any substitutes for honey? Sugar free substitutes?
Nami
Hi Jenny! I had never tried this recipe with substitute… If you don’t sweeten, it’ll be more like savory, so you need to sweeten this to make it dessert. How about maple syrup?
Ruth
Hi nami
I want to make this dessert but I have a question: how many oz / ml are the molds you use?
Nami
Hi Ruth! You will need 5 4-oz ramekins (4 oz = 1/2 cup = 120 ml). 🙂
Erica
Is there a way to subsitute almond extract, since My family cannot have almonds?
Nami
Hi Erica! I apologize for my late response. You can totally omit it. Vanilla, maybe?
Ruth
Hello nami, where I live it is possible to get tofu Mori-nu, however I am not clear which variety is used in this recipe; is the blue box (firm) ?. I also have facilities to buy the red box variety (soft) at a very cheap price, however I do not know in which recipes I can use this variety since I have heard that it is very brittle, have you ever used it? Would it serve for example for miso soup or would it be better to opt for a firmer variety (blue box)?
Thanks for your recipes
Nami
Hi Ruth! I used firm silken tofu (blue) but you can use other varieties as they are all silken tofu and softer than other brand.
Yes, they are brittle – it’s silken tofu (with different firmness). I would use these silken tofu for miso soup, mapo tofu, hiyayakko (cold tofu) etc. Something that’s easy to break but okay to be broken (no need to stay in square shapes).
Hope I answered to your question. 🙂