Your new DIY cheese substitute: Whipped Tofu
Why Whipped Tofu?
You know how you don’t know you want something until you see it?
I don’t think I would have ever wanted whipped tofu until I saw it pop up on an Instagram feed.
Supposedly, whipped tofu has a similar taste and texture to ricotta or cream cheese.
Supposedly, whipped tofu is great as a spread with toast or wraps, as a dip with crackers or raw veggies, or as a dressing.
It also looks dreamy.
But is it all real? Let’s put it to the scientific test.
Hypothesis 1: Whipped tofu will taste creamy and smooth.
Hypothesis 2: It will pair nicely with a toasted piece of my homemade whole wheat sesame zucchini bread (want a post on this? Comment here on my Instagram page!)
Method
Recipe Source:
Procedures
Gather the minimal ingredients. You can customize further with spices if you’d like!
Fig 1. Whipped tofu ingredients.
2. Crumble your tofu into your blender or food processor.
Fig 2. Crumbled Tofu in Blender.
3. Add oil, spices, and lemon zest.
Fig 3. Tofu, oil, spices, and lemon zest.
4. Add in water, and blend for the recommended time.
Fig 4. All whipped up.
5. Serve, and store any remainders in an airtight container in the fridge.
Fig 5. Whipped tofu in all its glory, ready to serve.
Results
Results suggest that our first hypothesis was strongly supported- as pictured above, the results were indeed light, creamy, and extremely smooth.
Additionally, our findings also supported our second hypothesis, in that it tasted delicious paired with my homemade toasted whole wheat bread with zucchini and sesame, and paired nicely with some fresh tomatoes.
Fig 6. Delicious but a little sad looking, unadorned toast.
Fig 7. Even more delicious toast, topped with whipped tofu and sprinkled with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper.
Fig 8. Pairing nicely with tomatoes.
Fig 9. The cool, creamy, and light whipped tofu pairs nicely with the hearty, warm, herby, crispy toasted bread.
Discussion
Our primary hypotheses were strongly supported by the evidence. Whipped tofu was indeed light, creamy, and extremely smooth, and paired deliciously with some warm, hearty, and crispy toast. Not pictured above, but I also paired the toast and whipped tofu with sauteed spinach and oven-dried tomatoes, and it was divine.
Results were bolstered by the extremely simple steps as noted above, and as described in full on Bon Appetit’s website. However, some concerns may limit generalizability. I did not try pairing the whipped tofu with other foods, nor did I test modifications with additional spices. Naturally, I also did not directly compare it to ricotta or cream cheese. Do I suppose whipped tofu will completely replace these ingredients in either function or taste? No, but I firmly believe that whipped tofu deserves a try. But you don’t have to take my word for it!