Tofu is a great option for vegetarians, or an alternative protein if you’re getting bored of the usual. Fresh tofu is heavy, so dehydrating it is the ideal way to make it backpacking friendly!

Dehydrated Tofu Recipe

Ingredients:

1 brick of firm or extra firm tofu

Seasonings or sauce to taste (see below)

* You can basically spice or sauce your tofu with anything you want, depending on what you are going to do with it. I added piri piri spice to mine, and I intend to add it to rice and veggies for something like a stir fry. You can also leave it plain if you plan to add it to something that already has sauce, like fettuccine alfredo. Tofu has a fairly neutral flavor, so make it taste however you want!

Directions:

Drain tofu, and cut in half across the middle. Cut the short side into 1/4 inch slices, and season or sauce as you wish. Some people have asked if it’s necessary or advisable to press the tofu before dehydration. The short answer is no, because you’re going to remove ALL of the moisture in the dehydration process. Pressing is great when you are going to use the tofu fresh, but is an extra step that isn’t required for this.

Spread it out on your dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at 125° for six to eight hours. When it’s done, it will still be somewhat pliable, gut the edges should be pretty dried out.

I don’t feel comfortable storing anything I’ve dehydrated at home at room temperature for a long period of time, so if I am going to use it within a few days, I put in the fridge, but if I am dehydrating over winter, in preparation for summer, I throw it in the freezer until I am going out on the trail.

On the trail, I like to throw lunch/supper in a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle at least three hours before we plan to eat, and then pour an equal volume of boiling water over it (so if you have three cups of dehydrated food, you add three cups of water, etc.) and then screw the lid on and leave it soak until meal time. I find this especially awesome on hikeing days, since you don’t have to waste a lot of time with meal prep if you still have distance to cover. Stop for lunch, pour your already hydrated meal into a pot, heat, eat, and get back on the trail!