The 5 Best Tofu Presses of 2023, According to Experts
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
These easy-to-use gadgets are the secret to crispy results.
Food & Wine / Jaclyn Mastropasqua
Tofu is an excellent alternative to animal protein for vegans, vegetarians, and those looking to try more plant-based recipes. If you want to incorporate more tofu in your meals but aren’t fond of its texture, we recommend investing in a tofu press. This gadget allows you to remove excess moisture so that the block holds its shape while cooking, absorbs spices easier, and is able to get crispy when seared, baked, or fried.
Tofu presses are available in two styles (plate-style and box presses) and can be made of plastic, stainless steel, or bamboo. To achieve optimal flavor and texture, shop our list of the best tofu presses based on their design, performance, and ease of use and cleaning.
Tofuture Tofu Press
Best Overall
Pros: This compact, hands-off press is ideal for those who don’t want to manually press or adjust.
Cons: It may take up to an hour or more to fully press your tofu.
This tofu press by Tofuture is easy to use, store, and clean and doesn’t break the bank. It might be compact in size, but it’s extremely efficient at squeezing out the water from blocks of tofu. To use it, attach the silicone bands on the sides to one of three hooks that best suits your needs. The three different levels let you gently drain water from delicate silken tofu and press firm to extra-firm tofu. The pressing process begins once the clips are pushed down on the side, and it takes as little as 20 minutes. For extra crispy results, we recommend leaving the tofu press in the refrigerator overnight. Once you remove the block, simply dump out the water and get cooking!
Price at time of publish: $33
Material: Plastic
Dimensions: 6 x 5 x 2.8 inches
Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Mangocore Tofu Press
Best Value
Pros: This sturdy option is affordable and can even be used to make homemade tofu.
Cons: This does not provide any weight or tools to press the tofu, so it requires external weight to work properly.
Whether you’re looking to press store-bought tofu or make your own at home, this press by Mangocore can help you do both. “It's a basic press that is great for beginners and includes a reusable cloth,” says Vasudha Viswanath, author of The Vegetarian Reset and founder of We Ate Well. “I usually use a can of beans as the weight. I tend to buy extra-firm tofu, and this works well without making it too chewy while still holding its shape. I have also used this press to make paneer with great results.” Though it does not provide a weighted top to press the water out, you can easily place something like a can on top as Viswanath suggested, and put the press over a dish or bowl to catch the drainage.
Price at time of publish: $10
Material: Plastic
Dimensions: 5.51 x 4.13 x 3.54 inches
Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Raw Rutes Ninja Tofu Press
Best Splurge
Pros: This stainless steel press gets the job done quickly and without much effort.
Cons: There are other tofu presses available that give a similar result at a fraction of the cost.
This tofu press by Raw Rutes is produced in New York and is constructed of food-grade recycled materials with a sleek exterior. Free from springs, screws, and bands, simply place your tofu in the base and put the 6-pound weight on top. It does not have a separate compartment to collect the water from the tofu, so you should place it in a bowl or on a plate with high sides to avoid a mess. It gets the job done quickly without the work some presses require but comes with a higher price tag than most. The brand suggests hand-washing your press between uses since the dishwasher could be too harsh on the shiny stainless steel.
Price at time of publish: $105
Material: Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 4.1 x 3.1 x 2.5 inches
Dishwasher-Safe: No
EZ Tofu Press
Best Plate-Style
Pros: The press works quickly and is on the larger side, enabling it to hold a bigger slab of tofu.
Cons: This is more hands-on than other options that can be pressed with weighted objects.
The EZ Tofu Press is our editor-approved pick for a plate-style tofu press. In 15 minutes or less, the result is a block of tofu with no water remaining. Simply place your tofu between the top and bottom slabs, and twist the tension knobs every two to three minutes. Water will be expelled from the tofu, but since there is no separate compartment to drain the liquid, we recommend placing it inside a baking dish to prevent a mess on your counters. This plastic press can be washed by hand or placed on the top rack of the dishwasher.
Price at time of publish: $22
Material: Plastic, stainless steel
Dimensions: 9 x 5.25 x 4 inches
Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Yarkor Bamboo Tofu Press
Best Bamboo
Pros: This bamboo plate-style press is naturally antibacterial and has a drainage compartment that doesn’t make a mess.
Cons: The wingnuts on the top might be hard for some people to tighten as the tofu presses.
For a plastic-free press that doesn’t make a mess, try this Yarkor Bamboo Tofu Press. Made up of a lid, a slotted surface to place your tofu block on, a drainage tray to collect the liquid, and two stainless steel screws and wingnuts, it is a plate-style press that requires manual tightening to provide an even press.
Not only approved by us, but this model is also Jackie Akerberg’s, plant-based recipe developer and author of The Clean Vegan Cookbook, “absolute favorite” tofu press. “I love that it is constructed of natural materials and is aesthetically pleasing,” she says. “I love that it catches all the excess liquid that is pressed out for a totally mess-free tofu pressing experience.”
Price at time of publish: $31
Material: Bamboo
Dimensions: 8.6 x 3.9 x 3.5 inches
Dishwasher-Safe: No
Our Favorite
The Tofuture Tofu Press is our best overall pick, and a beginner-friendly way to get tofu to the exact texture you desire thanks to three different settings. For those looking for a bamboo option, the Yarkor Bamboo Tofu Press is a plate-style design that presses the tofu and catches water in a drainage tray underneath.
Factors to Consider
Type
When shopping for a tofu press, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is whether you want a box press or a plate-style press. As the name suggests, a box press looks like a box and is typically made of at least two to three components, allowing the tofu to be pressed and drained into either an attached tray or a dish from your kitchen.
A plate-style press is made of two slabs, where the tofu fits snugly in between. These are often more hands-on than box presses and require tightening of the screws on either side of the press. Some presses will have an attached drainage compartment but not all will.
Material
Tofu presses are commonly made from plastic, stainless steel, or bamboo. There’s no one material that reigns supreme over the others, but each has its own benefits. Bamboo presses have natural antibacterial properties and are usually not dishwasher safe but are a more eco-friendly alternative to plastic or metal. Stainless steel presses are extremely durable, while plastic is the most affordable of the bunch.
Maintenance
The best way to clean your tofu press depends on the manufacturer’s instructions, but sticking to hand-washing helps prevent any accidental damage and prolongs its life. Plastic presses are usually dishwasher-safe, while stainless steel and bamboo tend to require hand-washing. Some presses, like our top pick, use silicone bands to press the liquid out of the tofu, which can be replaced if broken or damaged. A product warranty may also be available if your tofu press has a manufacturer defect.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to press tofu?
According to Akerberg, here’s how to press tofu in five steps:
Start by removing it from the package and discarding any extra liquid from the package. Optional: wrap your block of tofu in a paper towel or clean dish towel.
Place the tofu inside the press and gradually tighten it to apply pressure to the block of tofu.
Continue tightening every 1-2 minutes until the tofu is firmly pressed.
Leave the tofu in the tofu press for (at least) 15 minutes total.
Remove the pressed tofu from the press, discard the water, and enjoy your firm and meaty tofu in a variety of recipes!
Do you have to press tofu?
Tofu does not have to be pressed to be enjoyed; it’s more a matter of personal preference but can also depend on the recipe, texture you’re trying to achieve, or type of tofu.
“It depends on the type of dish. I prefer a softer texture for ramen, versus a firmer texture for a stir-fry,” says Viswanath. “However, I have found that extra-firm tofu can be enjoyed without pressing. Coat it with spices mixed with a little cornstarch and pan-fry in olive oil — it's delicious and so easy!”
How do you store tofu after pressing?
Akerberg says she typically uses pressed tofu right away but also shares that it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. “Another great way to store it is in the freeze,” she says. “Once the tofu has been pressed, frozen, and thawed it has the meatiest texture you can imagine.”
Our Expertise
Jacqueline Weiss is a professional food writer with over five years of experience and a lifelong lover of working in the kitchen. Her writing has appeared in Eat This Not That, EatingWell, AllRecipes, Simply Recipes, and more. For this article, she spoke with Vasudha Viswanath, author of The Vegetarian Reset and founder of We Ate Well, and Jackie Akerberg, plant-based recipe developer and author of The Clean Vegan Cookbook, to find out what professionals look for in a tofu press. She then used their insights and her own expertise and market research to curate this list.
