Easy 10-minute Chinese Tofu Pudding

Name: Easy 10-minute Chinese Tofu Pudding
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 lb silken tofu (or soft tofu/plain dessert silken tofu (chilled)); 3 cups water (cold); 3.52 oz Yellow Rock Sugar (or substitute with cane sugar); 3 tbsp brown sugar (light or dark brown sugar both work); 5 slices ginger

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Smooth silken tofu in a sweet ginger broth. This quick and easy Chinese tofu pudding is a popular dessert served at Chinese dessert cafés. Ready in 10 minutes with just 5 ingredients! This is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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💬 Reviews

Chinese Tofu Pudding features chilled silken tofu in a sweet ginger broth. This dessert can also be served warm or cold and it's typically served at Chinese dessert cafés or at select Chinese restaurants or buffets.

I absolutely adore this Asian dessert! It's probably my all-time favourite Chinese dessert if I had to pick just one.

The contrasting temperatures between the cold silky tofu in that hot broth and the plain tofu pairs perfectly with the sweet gingery broth.

The best part about this dessert is that you can easily make it at home with minimal ingredients in little time! It's a sure crowd pleaser and it's inclusive for all because it's vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.

This dessert bring back many wonderful memories for me as it is commonly made for a celebration in Chinese culture, such as Lunar New Year or weddings.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Chilled Silken Tofu: or substitute with cold soft tofu or sweetened dessert tofu, but make sure it's not the flavored kind.
Cold Water
Yellow Rock Sugar (pictured below): or aka Yellow Lump Rock Sugar. This ingredient is sold at many Asian grocery stores or online, like on Amazon. Or substitute with cane sugar.
Brown Sugar: light or brown sugar both work. Or substitute with coconut sugar if you don't mind the coconut taste.
Fresh Ginger: or substitute with ginger powder to taste.

Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.

Expert Tips

Use fresh silken tofu and check the expiry date! Since this is the main ingredient it's important it's fresh. A lot of grocery stores tend to neglect removing expired tofu for some reason, at least in my shopping experience.
Keep the silken tofu chilled until you're ready to serve. The contrast of the hot sweet broth over the cold tofu is so delicious!
Dissolve the yellow rock sugar completely by letting it simmer. You'll know it's dissolved, when you don't hear any more rattling in the pot.
Use a large spoon to scoop layers of the tofu into the serving bowls.
Enjoy immediately to get the full effect of the chilled tofu in the hot broth. Otherwise the hot broth will cook the tofu a bit.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Chinese tofu pudding:

In a small pot, add water and bring it a boil. Then add ginger slices, yellow rock sugar and brown sugar. Mix, cover and reduce to a rolling simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved completely.

In a small pot, add water and bring it a boil. Then add ginger slices, yellow rock sugar and brown sugar. Mix, cover and reduce to a rolling simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved completely.

Then scoop layers of the chilled silken tofu with a large spoon dividing between five small bowls.

Then scoop layers of the chilled silken tofu with a large spoon dividing between five small bowls.

Once the sweet broth is ready, ladle equal parts into each bowl. Enjoy immediately or you can also serve this cold.

Once the sweet broth is ready, ladle equal parts into each bowl. Enjoy immediately or you can also serve this cold.

Storage

This dessert is best enjoyed fresh.
Chinese tofu pudding will last up to 4 days stored in the fridge and I recommend storing sweet ginger broth and the sliced tofu in cold water in separate airtight containers. To reheat, boil the broth only and pour it over the cold tofu.
Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing Chinese tofu pudding, but you can make ahead the sweet ginger broth, remove the ginger and freeze it after it's cooled down in a freezer-safe bag. Do not freeze the tofu because this changes the texture. To enjoy, thaw the sweet broth and reboil it and pour it over fresh cold tofu.

Pairing Suggestions

Chinese tofu pudding serves well with:

cold desserts like Mango Pudding, Mango Sago, Coconut Mango Sago Dessert, Strawberry Sago, Hong Kong Style Mango Pancake, or Earl Grey Milk Tea Pudding
hot desserts like Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)
coffee, milk or tea

FAQ

Can I make this in advance?

Chinese tofu pudding can be prepared up to 4 days in advance and I recommend storing the tofu and sweet ginger broth into separate airtight containers in the fridge. To reheat, reboil the broth in a pot until hot and pour it over the cold tofu.

Can I use medium or firm tofu for Chinese tofu pudding?

I don't recommend using medium to firm tofu, as it doesn't have the same texture as silken tofu.

Can I warm up the tofu?

The tofu will warm up after you pour the hot boiling ginger broth over it. I don't recommend adding the tofu into the pot of boiling broth.

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