🧈

Make Your Own Soy-Free Tofu: Chickpea, Red Lentil, Pumpkin Seed & Hemp

Four base recipes for tofu without a soybean in sight — the Burmese starch-set method and the seed-curd method, with yields, textures, which one to use where, and how to swap each into the dishes on our menu.

Our soy guide ends with a list of soy-free tofus — chickpea, pumpkin seed, hemp — for anyone with an allergy or who simply wants out of soy. The natural next question: do you have to hunt specialty shelves for them, or can you make them yourself? You can make every one of them, in a normal kitchen, from bulk-aisle ingredients. (Perfectly happy with soy? Classic tofu is just as makeable — that guide is here.) These are the base recipes we cook from — make a block on Sunday and it slots into the 22 tofu dishes on the menu wherever tofu gets seared, crisped, or glazed.

Two families, one idea

Starch-set (chickpea, red lentil): the Burmese shan method — a legume batter cooked thick like polenta, then chilled until sliceable. No coagulant, no pressing, no special equipment. Slices clean, fries shatteringly crisp, never crumbles. The weeknight workhorse.
Seed-curd (pumpkin seed, hemp): the classic tofu method with seeds standing in for soybeans — make a seed milk, curdle it with acid, press the curds. Denser, nuttier, protein-forward; this is the family the store-bought “Pumfu” belongs to.

1 · Chickpea Tofu (Burmese Shan Tofu)

Makes one loaf-pan block, about 4 servings · ready in 30 min + 2h chill

Ingredients (all organic)

✓Chickpea flour, 1.5 cups
✓Water, 4.5 cups, divided
✓Turmeric, 1/2 tsp
✓Fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp

Method

Whisk the chickpea flour, turmeric, and salt with 1.5 cups cold water until lump-free; rest 10 minutes.
Bring the remaining 3 cups of water to a boil in a wide pot.
Whisk in the batter and stir constantly over medium heat 8–10 minutes, until thick, glossy, and pulling from the sides.
Pour into an oiled loaf pan, smooth the top, and chill at least 2 hours until fully set.
Slice into slabs or cubes; pan-fry, bake, or grill like firm tofu.

This is the same block behind our Crispy Shan Tofu with Chili-Lime Drizzle — that page has the full plated application. Keeps 4 days refrigerated under water, changed daily.

2 · Red Lentil Tofu

Makes one block, about 4 servings · overnight soak + 25 min + chill

Ingredients (all organic)

✓Split red lentils, 1 cup, dry
✓Water, 3 cups (plus soaking water)
✓Fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp
✓Optional: garlic powder or smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp

Method

Soak the lentils in plenty of water 6–8 hours; drain and rinse well.
Blend the soaked lentils with 3 cups fresh water until completely smooth — a full 60 seconds.
Pour into a pot and cook over medium, stirring constantly, 10–15 minutes until very thick and glossy.
Stir in salt and any seasoning; pour into an oiled loaf pan and chill 2+ hours.
Slice and use exactly like the chickpea version.

Same starch-set family as shan tofu, but from whole soaked lentils instead of flour — slightly earthier, a touch more tender. If the center stays loose after chilling, it needed a few more minutes on the stove.

3 · Pumpkin-Seed Tofu (Pumfu-Style)

Makes about 10–12 oz · 45 min + 30 min press

Ingredients (all organic)

✓Raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), 2 cups
✓Water, 4 cups
✓Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, 3 tbsp
✓Fine sea salt, 1/4 tsp

Method

Blend pepitas and water on high until completely smooth, about 90 seconds.
Strain through a nut-milk bag or fine cloth, squeezing hard — you want every drop of the green seed milk.
Bring the seed milk to a gentle boil in a wide pot, stirring so it doesn't catch.
Stir in the vinegar and salt; within a minute the milk splits into soft green curds and thin whey.
Ladle the curds into a cloth-lined strainer or tofu mold, fold the cloth over, and press under a weighted plate 30 minutes.

Denser and higher-protein than soy tofu, with a quiet nutty flavor that takes any marinade. This is the homemade version of the block sold as “Pumfu” — buying that works too. Save the strained seed pulp for granola or crackers.

4 · Hemp Tofu

Makes about 8–10 oz · 40 min + 30 min press

Ingredients (all organic)

✓Hemp hearts, 1.5 cups
✓Water, 3.5 cups
✓Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, 2.5 tbsp
✓Fine sea salt, 1/4 tsp

Method

Blend hemp hearts and water until smooth; hemp blends easier than pepitas, 60 seconds does it.
Strain through a nut-milk bag — hemp milk runs freer, so this goes fast.
Bring to a gentle boil, add vinegar and salt, and watch for the curds to separate.
Press the curds in cloth 30 minutes, weighted, for a firm sliceable block.

A complete protein with a distinctly nutty, almost sunflower flavor. Firmer than it looks — sears well. Same acid-curd method works for a half-and-half hemp + pumpkin seed block.

Which one, where

Crisping, frying, glazing (most of our seared-tofu dishes): starch-set wins — chickpea or red lentil. It holds any shape and never falls apart in the pan.
Marinating, grilling, high-protein bowls: seed-curd — pumpkin seed or hemp — soaks up marinade like the real thing and brings more protein per slice.
Where these don't swap: silken-tofu applications (our green shakshuka, creamy sauces) depend on soy's custard texture — there's no good soy-free stand-in, so pick a different dish instead of forcing it.
Sodium check: every base recipe above adds ½ tsp salt or less across 4 servings — well inside the budget of any dish you fold it into. Making your own also means bulk-aisle prices: chickpea flour, red lentils, and pepitas are all bin staples.

Start cooking

The fastest on-ramp is the block you don't have to press: Crispy Shan Tofu with Chili-Lime Drizzle takes the chickpea base straight to the table (16g protein, soy-free, gluten-free). From there, search the menu for the soy-free tag, or read the soy evidence if you're going soy-free by choice rather than necessity — the science is friendlier than the internet says.

Keep reading