Soft and silky Tofu Pudding (Blancmange) is made with tofu, honey, gelatin, and soy milk. Topped with a sweet-tart strawberry sauce, this pudding makes a delightful low-calorie dessert.
Growing up in Japan, when I go to the dessert and snack aisle in the supermarket, there are endless choices to pick from. One of my favorite desserts 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!
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 making 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!
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 packaging 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 it 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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Tofu Pudding (Blancmange)
Video
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- 4 gelatin sheets (0.4 oz, 10 g; 2.5 g per PerfectaGel Gold gelatin sheet)
- 6.2 oz firm silken tofu (I used Mori-Nu brand)
- 5 Tbsp honey
- 1½ cups unsweetened soy milk
- ½ tsp almond extract
For the Strawberry Sauce
- ½ lb strawberries
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ¼ lemon
For the Garnish
- mint leaves
- fresh berries
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. You‘ll need 5 ramekins that are 4 oz (120 ml) each.
- Combine ⅓ cup boiling water and 4 gelatin sheets in a bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Cut 6.2 oz firm silken tofu into 1-inch cubes and add them to a food processor. Add 5 Tbsp honey and 1½ cups unsweetened soy milk and purée all together.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the gelatin mixture and ½ tsp almond extract and whisk without making too many bubbles.
- If you‘d like your pudding to have an 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 ½ lb strawberries into small cubes and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add 1 Tbsp honey and the juice from ¼ lemon.
- 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 on top and garnish with mint leaves and fresh berries on top.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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!
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
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
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!
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!
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! 🙂
Would this work with agar instead of gelatin?
Hi Debbie! I haven’t tried with agar for this recipe yet, but theoretically it should work! 🙂
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?
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!
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.
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. 🙂
How many days it will last for in refrigerator after its set?
Hi Katie, just for two days or so… 🙂
Hello,
How long does the tofu pudding last in the fridge? Also how about the for the strawberry sauce?
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…). 🙂
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.
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! 🙂
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 (^_^)
Hi Christine! I hope you enjoy(ed) this recipe! Thanks so much for your kind comment. 🙂
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?
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
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.
I’m glad to hear you liked it, Darlene! 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind feedback! xo
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
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. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Instead of honey, can you think of a substitution? Just in case!
Thanks!
Cindy
How about using regular granulated sugar or maple syrup?
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?
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?
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!
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! 🙂
what kind of gelatin can I use ? And where do I get it. could I use powdered agar ? Same amount?
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
Hi Nami,
I assumed that u’re using the unsweetened soy milk in this recipe since there’s honey in it? Thanks!
Hi Mei! Yes, it is unsweetened. I updated my recipe. Thank you! 🙂
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!
Sorry, I accidentally commented on the space above as well! I meant to post it down here!
No, that’s alright. I kept this comment open so that I can get notification and answer to questions people may have. 🙂
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!
Happy to hear you like tofu now. 🙂
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. 🙂