Sizu Riatto
Vegan Pantry Math · Chapter 5

The Marinade Formula

Write the marinade as percents once. Then any amount of tofu, mushrooms or vegetables gets the same flavor, to the gram.

Home › Calculators › The Marinade Formula

Opens on the book's Stall Batch. Change any number to your own and press Calculate.

The formula: each ingredient as % of the marinade, and its density for a volume (blank for powders)

The acid

A quick fridge pickle brine (optional)

Enter the food and the formula, then press Calculate.

The formula

  • Marinade = food × marinade % ÷ 100 (or the weight you type)
  • Each ingredient = marinade × its % ÷ 100; volume = grams ÷ density (g per mL); 1 tbsp = 14.8 mL
  • Acid in the marinade = vinegar's share × its acidity: 8 % of a 5 % vinegar = 0.4 % acetic acid
  • Quick-pickle brine before the vegetables go in is about vinegar × acidity ÷ (vinegar + water): 1 : 1 with 5 % vinegar is about 2.5 %
The book's worked example, Chapter 5. The Stall Batch marinade is 25 % of 3,493.6 g of pressed tofu = 873.4 g: tamari 40 % = 349.4 g, water 30 % = 262 g, maple syrup 14 % = 122.3 g, cider vinegar 8 % = 69.9 g, liquid smoke 3 % = 26.2 g, house rub 5 % = 43.7 g. No oil. The vinegar carries 0.4 % acetic acid into the marinade.
Check it. The weights add back to the marinade, and the percents to 100. The acid here is arithmetic: only a calibrated pH meter tells you the pH.

Honest limits. pH cannot be worked out reliably from these percents; test it with a calibrated meter. Quick fridge pickles are not shelf-stable, and selling pickles (acidified foods) needs a tested process and, in the US, the 21 CFR 114 rules. No oil in the jerky marinade: garlic or herbs held in oil are a botulism risk; the guidance the book cites is the fridge and use within 4 days, or freeze. Volumes and spoons are approximate: weigh. Prices are illustrative US prices from October 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.

These calculators go with Vegan Pantry Math (Craft & Studio, Book 3), where every number on this page is worked by hand.