These onion, celery, and cheese-topped tofu burgers, a family favorite, are fantastic! Tofu that has been frozen for 72 hours and then immediately defrosted is used in this dish. Tofu is always available to me frozen and prepared for usage. Serve them on buns with your preferred toppings, such as lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo, or substitute them for meat as the main course.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 burgers |
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu, frozen for 72 hours
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- ¼ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer. Leave frozen tofu in its package and place into the water. Remove from the heat and let tofu thaw for about 20 minutes in the hot water.
- Remove tofu from the package and transfer to a plate. Place another plate on top of tofu. Set a 3- to 5-pound weight on top. Press tofu for 20 to 30 minutes; drain and discard the accumulated liquid.
- While tofu is draining, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; sauté until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Finely chop tofu and place into a mixing bowl. Add onion and celery mixture, Cheddar, egg, salt, and pepper; mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour 1/4 inch oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Drop tofu mixture into the skillet in six equal portions. Flatten with a spatula to form patties. Fry until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Instead of frying these burgers, you can bake them in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 151 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 28 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 59 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
These came out great! I made a few changes. I used 1 egg instead of 2, added breadcrumbs, used carrots instead of celery, added garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and Italian seasoning. After I formed the patties, I put them in the fridge for an hour or so and they did not fall apart. I baked on 350. 15 minutes each side. Definitely a keeper. Will make again.
This was the worst recipe ever. Not really sure how freezing the tofu is necessary and the amount of water that is extracted is impacted by the deep freeze and quick defrost. My version turned into a tofu scramble because there wasn’t enough binding ingredients to keep anything resembling a burger.
I used 2 eggs and I did not freeze tofu. Turned out really good! This is my first time ever eating tofu!
We found that one egg in one brick of previously frozen tofu is not nearly enough as a binding agent. We used 2 eggs, ½ cup of rolled oats and then the same amount of flour. I think once the tofu has thawed, it needs to be squeezed and drained for a long time.
I made these with slight changes: I didn’t want to fry, so I used my cast iron pan with maybe 2 teaspoons of oil. The mixture was a bit crumbly as was, I added some egg whites, and for flavor a tablespoon sriracha mayo as well as a healthy teaspoon red curry paste. It STILL was crumbly but I tried to be patient and kept the crumbles together in like patty form, lowered the heat and didn’t flip until I was pretty sure it would hold. It did! Voila! Next time I will wrap a towel around the tofu, put it between two cutting boards with some weight on top to control how much moisture is lost, in order to improve the texture. I see no need for freezing since you can control the water content that way.
This is the first time making Tofu burgers. I like the recipe but I substituted onions for green onions because of the recall, and I added garlic, chopped spinach, and grated carrots and zucchini in place of the celery with pepper jack and asadero cheese. I halved the mixture and made two large burgers. The other half I added a combination of black beans and chick peas (smashed) equaling less than a quarter cup and fried them. I liked both versions but in the future I will bake them.
This recipe needs work. Nobody has time for the freeze and defrost thing, first of all. Second, it needs way more spices than just salt and pepper so I added cumin powder, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. I guess because of how I didn’t freeze it beforehand, it was difficult to bind together so I had to add and additional egg and more cheese. THEN, the frying was hard to get right without overbrowning them… And at least 2 out of 8 of them fell apart… It was a mess. BUT!! The taste was amazing. I ate 3 patties in one day. So great concept and foundational recipe but it’s kinda tricky and difficult to execute without seriously tweaking it. I can’t even imagine how bland it would have tasted without those spices.
LOVE IT! I froze the tofu and, after thawing, made sure I got as much liquid out before breaking it up with my hands and combining it with the other ingredients. I added 2 T nutritional yeast, some grated carrot, 2 t dried Italian spices, and another egg, then fried them in a hot pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. They held together great. This is one of the best uses for tofu I’ve tried! Really flavorful and toothsome!
I fried the tofu burgers in a spray of Pam and it turned out great – I did not add cheese but I added fresh parsley they stuck together well in the pan and they are absolutely delicious- I cooked on high heat so they browned well!
I added super fine shredded carrots and a bit of All Season and plain bread crumbs to help keep it together. So yummy!
I had to add breadcrumbs. I have to say these were awful. There was no taste, very bland even w/ flavored bread crumbs, and keeping them together in the pan was more of a challenge then these were worth. I Sorry!
I found the recipe to be okay. I made some changes though. After I thawed the tofu according to directions and sautéed the celery and onion mixture I combined it in a bowl with two eggs because the ones I have are small and I also added about a tablespoon of garlic salt and about half a tablespoon of season all along with pepper. Then I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and covered a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (to keep the dish load to a minimum) and I placed the patties on it and put in the oven and I cooked them for about 15 minutes on one side them I flipped them and cooked them for another 15 mins.
Concerning that these burgers don’t have any meat this was amazing! Even my picky husband loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
I don’t freeze the tofu beforehand. I drain in cheesecloth in a colander. And I add chopped peppers and scallions to the mixture. I love serving them on nice, fresh, while grain rolls with wasabi mayo, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, and sometimes a pickle. Yummo!
i used a grill with same results i used chipotle sauce to give it a glaze and didn’t freeze it turns it into mock chicken* wich is very tasty tho! so i was able to get a burger taste
These were absolutely wonderful!!!! I even added a few extra spices just to test, and it tasted amazing! It’s also good to add flour to the mixture after you have shaped it up so it will stick together and fall apart less! Thanks for the recipe! This is sure to be a favorite of mine for a long time.
First time cooking and eating tofu – just sounded bland & boring. I was pleasantly impressed and will keep a few of these ready to go in my freezer! The only thing I did different was add a little cornstarch and fry in olive oil. Even my husband thought they were good! I’m sure there is better out there – but decided a 5 star was the way to go. Thanks for the recipe!!
I made these without the cheese, added about 1/2 tsp. cumin powder, 1/4 cup oats, 1/4 cup wheat bran, and 1/4 cup shredded zucchini. Then stuffed them in bell pepper halves, baked them, and they were delicious. You could not tell you were not eating meat. Sprinkle just a little olive oil on them about halfway through baking so they don’t dry out so bad before the peppers are done. Yum-Yum!
I am currently moving to tofu and made this for me and my boyfriend. We love it. I used the baking method and had some variations: *Squeezed the water out of the tofu for 20 min between plates & paper towels *Then soaked the tofu in beef stock for 20min before crumbling into the baking pan *Sauteed green peppers instead of celery *Add fennel seed for a more meaty flavor *Add cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes to add spice(we like spicy) With the cheese and egg it will do well in the oven. Used 2 eggs instead of one to make it bind a little more.
8) I will definetly make these again one day theres plenty of time. Don’t make on short notice they were worth it and next time I’ll bake them. But had to add flour or else too wet. 8)
I added an extra egg white since my mixture was not binding well. Once in the hot oil… they didn’t hold their shape and I got frustrated and started “scrambling” the whole thing. Maybe my tofu was old? It had been frozen for longer than 72 hours… 🙁 Don’t think I’ll try it again since the flavor wasn’t that good to me. I’m sad… 🙁