Tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate

About this food

Firm tofu made with calcium sulfate supplies over 17g of protein per 100g — a meaningful amount for a plant food — alongside a modest 8.7g of fat and under 3g of carbohydrate. It's one of the more calorie-efficient plant-based protein sources on this list, gram for gram.

Tofu itself has a mild, absorbent flavour; most of what a finished tofu dish tastes like comes from the marinade, sauce, or cooking oil, which also adds to the fat and calorie totals shown here for the plain, uncooked block. Firmness (silken through extra-firm) mainly changes water content and texture rather than the underlying protein-to-fat ratio dramatically, though firmer styles are generally somewhat more calorie- and protein-dense per gram than softer ones.

For anyone building a protein target from primarily plant sources, tofu is one of the more efficient single ingredients to lean on, alongside legumes like edamame or lentils — reaching a higher daily protein number from plant foods alone generally takes more deliberate planning than from animal sources, and tofu is one of the denser building blocks for doing that.

For a full daily target across calories and all three macros, try the protein calculator.