Tofu and Green Onion Salad | ネギと豆腐サラダ

Quick, refreshing, and healthy, this tofu salad is a delicious protein and flavor-packed dish. Ready in 15 minutes with just 8 ingredients!

Are you a fan of soft tofu? Or do you usually stick to firm tofu for cooking? Where I live it seems most tofu-buyers only like firm tofu, as there have been tofu shortages at the store, but there’s almost always soft tofu left. In fact, the Sprouts that I go to doesn’t even carry soft tofu anymore! Really disappointing for me, as I now have to make a second grocery trip to a different store to stock up on soft tofu. I love soft tofu because it’s silky, creamy, smooth, and doesn’t require much preparation to taste good! I wouldn’t eat firm tofu without some kind of cooking, but soft tofu is delicious right out of the package with just a few seasonings. This has been my current quick & easy go-to soft tofu dish.

Ingredients

This healthy and delicious salad is made with just 8 ingredients!

• Soft or Silken Tofu ⟶ has a soft & creamy texture perfect for salads and soups! Firm tofu is better cooked in stir fries, baked, or fried, but I do not recommend it here.
• Dried Wakame Seaweed ⟶ a little goes a long way so you don’t need much
• Cucumber ⟶ adds crunch. I recommend using small Japanese or Persian cucumbers rather than the long variety.
• Green Onion ⟶ for fresh flavor and crunchy texture
• Ginger ⟶ complements the green onion perfectly!
• Soy Sauce ⟶ adds salty, umami, Asian flavor
  • GF OPTION: tamari
• Sesame Oil ⟶ adds Asian flavor and brings out flavors from the green onion and ginger
• Toasted Sesame Seeds ⟶ for additional nutty flavor and crunch

How to Make

This salad requires no cooking and is ready in 15 minutes!

1. Rehydrate wakame in a bowl of water. The wakame will expand a lot so don’t use too small of a bowl.
2. Slice the cucumber with a mandoline slicer, or use a knife to make thin slices.
3. Sweat the cucumbers by sprinkling them with salt and letting them sit for 10 minutes. The salt will pull water out of the cucumbers, making your cucumbers nice and crunchy.
4. Mix the dressing ingredients together. You will end up with a thick green onion sauce.
5. Squeeze excess water out of the cucumber slices, but be gentle so you don’t completely break the cucumbers. Squeeze excess water out of the wakame pieces, too.
6. Assemble the salad! The tofu breaks easily so be gently when mixing everything together.

How to Serve

This tofu salad is a great appetizer or side dish. I like serving it along with other Japanese dishes, such as my shortcut hayashi rice, curry, sesame miso soup, kinpira gobo, gyoza, or any other meal that could use a little protein boost. Just be sure to serve it with some rice and extra veggies for a complete meal.

You could also serve this as a main dish with some rice or noodles for a super quick and easy meal, if you’re short on time or not super hungry.

Helpful Cooking Tools

• Mandoline Slicer

More Tasty Tofu Dishes

• Crispy Sweet and Sour Tofu (GF)
• Chili Sauce Tofu & Broccoli
• Air-Fried Smoky Tofu (GF)
• Air-Fried Tofu Katsu (GF)
• Tofu Gyoza
• Vermicelli Noodle Salad with Soy-Lime Tofu (GF)
• Baked Miso Tofu (GF)

I hope I’ve inspired you to make this easy tofu and green onion salad! If you try it out, don’t forget to tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking, leave a comment/rating down below, and let me know how you liked it! I love seeing all of your tasty recreations 🙂 Happy cooking ♡

Tofu and Green Onion Salad

Quick, refreshing, and healthy, this tofu salad is a delicious protein and flavor-packed dish. Ready in 15 minutes with just 8 ingredients!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp dried wakame seaweed
• 1 small cucumber
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 ½ – 2 tbsp soy sauce, adjust to taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 block (14 oz) silken/soft tofu, cubed
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

 

• Rehydrate wakame: Soak dried wakame in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. The wakame will expand a lot.
• Sweat cucumbers: Use a mandoline slicer to thinly slice the cucumber. Toss the cucumber slices with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. The salt will draw water out from the cucumbers as they sit.
• Make dressing: Mix together green onions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
• Drain cucumbers: Drain the water that was released from the cucumbers. Take a handful of cucumber slices and gently squeeze out excess water. Repeat for all the cucumber slices.
• Drain wakame: Once the wakame has expanded, drain the water out of the bowl. Take a handful of wakame pieces and squeeze out excess water. Repeat for all of the wakame.
• Assemble salad: Place cucumber slices on the bottom of a shallow bowl. Top with tofu and wakame and pour green onion dressing all over. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and gently mix.

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