How many calories are in tofu?

Tofu is one of the few plant foods that delivers serious protein without a serious calorie cost. A 3 oz serving of firm tofu (85 g) runs about 122 calories — that’s 144 calories per 100 g — and carries roughly 15 g of complete protein with almost no carbohydrate. A full 8 oz block lands near 327 calories for about 39 g of protein. For a food that’s also a calcium source when set the right way, that’s a strong return, and the reason tofu reads lower in calories than nuts or fatty meats is in its make-up — soybean fat and water, not much else.

Where the calories come from

Tofu’s calories split between fat and protein, with carbohydrate barely on the board. Run firm tofu through the standard Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and you get roughly 54% fat calories and 46% protein, with only a sliver from carbs. The fat is the lever: 8.7 g per 100 g of soybean fat, largely unsaturated, and at 9 calories a gram it’s what makes tofu a touch more calorie-dense than its modest totals suggest. The upside is that this is a clean macro picture — high-quality protein and heart-friendly fat, with very little sugar or starch riding along, which is exactly why tofu fits so many eating patterns at once.

Firmness drives the calorie count

Here’s the catch that surprises shoppers: there’s no single “tofu calories” number, because firmness drives density. Tofu starts as soy milk that’s curdled and pressed, and how hard it’s pressed decides how much of everything ends up in each ounce. Silken tofu is barely pressed — it holds most of its water, so it’s soft, custardy, and lower in calories per gram. Firm and extra-firm have had that water squeezed out, which concentrates the protein, fat, and calories all at once, so they read higher per ounce. This USDA reference is the firm, calcium-set entry at 144 per 100 g; a silken block would come in under it. If you’re cooking to a calorie target, the firmness on the label tells you more than a generic figure can — and pressing a firm block yourself removes water, raising protein and calories per ounce without adding a thing.

For the full protein side of the same block — and why tofu counts as a complete protein when most plant foods don’t — see protein in tofu.