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These Tofu Nuggets are easy to make and call for 8 simple ingredients. They bake up super crispy and they're totally kid-approved! Serve them at parties, movie night, or snack time along with your favorite dipping sauce. They are irresistible!
How can anyone resist crunchy little bites that are perfect for dipping? It's impossible! Especially, when they are homemade and much healthier than deep-fried treats.
You can make these Baked Tofu Nuggets without oil or just a minimal amount for a super golden crust. They are a favorite amongst kiddos and big kiddos too!
My son is a super-fan and he requests these crispy bites at least once a week. How can I say no?
You don't have to reserve them for an appetizer or snack, you can also serve them on the side of a light meal, with soup, or top them on a delicious salad!
HOW TO MAKE TOFU NUGGETS
(full ingredient amounts in recipe card below)
First, you’ll want to press the tofu for at least 30 minutes (longer if you prefer) After it's fully pressed, pat dry and cut tofu lengthwise in half, then cut each half into four equally-sized squares.
TO PRESS TOFU: wrap a block of tofu in a few paper towels and place it on a rimmed plate. Add a cast iron skillet on top (or something equally heavy) and let it drain for at least 30 minutes. When finished, pat dry to remove excess moisture on the surface. You can also use a Tofu Press to make it even easier or you can buy Pre-Pressed Tofu.
Now preheat your oven to 450° F (230° C) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add Breadcrumbs to a bowl or rimmed plate. Combine with ½ teaspoon each of Garlic, Onion, and Salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the Flour and remaining Garlic, Onion, and Salt. Pour the Milk and Water in and whisk to combine. Add a splash of water if the batter is too thick.
- Submerge a tofu square into batter and coat well. Gently shake off excess and place in the breadcrumbs. Roll around to coat well and place on baking sheet. Spray with oil if preferred.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until they turn crispy and golden. Flip over pieces at the halfway mark and spray with oil again if desired.
INTERESTED IN MORE SMALL BITES? YOU MIGHT LIKE TO TRY THESE:
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
📖 Recipe
Baked Tofu Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs , more if needed
- 1 14 oz block extra firm tofu , drained and pressed (*see note)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup water , more if needed
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk , unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic , divided
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion , divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt , divided. More to taste
- Cooking oil spray (*Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F (230° C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a large rimmed plate (or bowl), add the Breadcrumbs, and ½ teaspoon each of Garlic, Onion, and Salt. Combine well and set aside.
- Cut tofu lengthwise in half, then cut each half into 6 equally-sized squares. You should have a total of 12 squares.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the Flour and remaining Garlic, Onion, and Salt. Now pour in the Milk and Water and whisk to combine well. The batter should be thick, but still pourable. If it's too thick, add a few splashes of water.
- Submerge a piece of tofu into the batter and coat well. Lightly shake off excess batter and place in the breadcrumbs. Gently roll around to coat well and place on baking sheet, leaving room in between each piece. *Optional: spray with oil for extra golden nuggets. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until they turn golden and crisp. Flip over pieces at the halfway mark and spray with oil again if desired.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauces of your choice. Enjoy!
Nancy
Easy to make and tasty--dipped in peanut sauce
Melissa Huggins
Sounds yummy indeed! Thanks Nancy. 🙂
Stacey
Ultra crispy is right! These nuggets are simple & delicious. I don't have Granulated onion or garlic, but powder worked just fine. We dipped in a sweet chili sauce with sauteed veggies.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Stacey, thanks for the great review. I am happy you enjoyed the tofu nuggets. 🙂
Angela
I have to say, I have been using your recipes and recommending your site to my friends and family for years. This is my first review. Just had to say my picky eater husband - who doesn't like tofu much - LOVED these! Couldn't get over the crunch, the light texture of the tofu. Just delicious in every way. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and creativity.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Angela,
Thank you so much for the support and referrals, this is very much appreciated!
Glad to hear you husband enjoyed them. Cheers for more to come. 🙂
Lorri
Made these last night and they were delicious!
Used Grama’s Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping (Whole Foods carries it) Yum!!!
Melissa Huggins
I am glad you tried and liked this recipe, Lorri! Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
Rachael S
Finally, crunchy tofu nuggets that stay crunchy! Only thing I changed is to add 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast powder to the wet mix and 1/8 cup to dry mix. My family can’t stop raving about this. I also used tofu that had been previously frozen then thawed out and pressed/squeezed out extra water. Next time going to toss in Buffalo sauce!
Melissa Huggins
I am glad you all enjoyed the Tofu Nuggets Racheal! Nice touch with the nutritional yeast. 🙂
Angela
I do not see how much milk and water to add. Did I miss it somewhere?
Melissa Huggins
Hi there, it's in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Were you able to find that? There may be a glitch. As for the milk and water amounts, you'll need 1/3 cup water (more if needed)
and 1/4 cup non-dairy milk. I hope this helps. 🙂
Kay
How long can you keep tofu beyond the expiration date?
Nicole
So delicious! My whole family gobbled them right up! I accidentally cut into 16 pieces and they were perfect nugget size. I recommend this size more. I'd actually even go smaller next time like popcorn chicken. Also, 2 cups seemed like a lot of Panko so I did 1 and 1/4 cup for all the nuggets and it was the perfect amount. I kept the same amount of spices.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Nicole, I'm so glad you liked them. I'll have to try the smaller pieces too. Thank you so much! 🙂
Anastasiia
Thank you so much for such a good recipe, Melissa! It worked really well. I think I had to bake them longer like around 30 mins (flipped them 2 times) because I was baking potatoes, ,too. Taste plain but with ketchup was awesome. I think, I like them plain ,too.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Anastasiia! So glad you liked them. 🙂
Cory
Hi! Any idea how to change the temp and cooking time if I were to air fry these little nuggets? Thanks!
Millican Pecan
Thank you for your recipe. I love tofu and look for new recipes all the time. And I love crunch! This definitely fulfills a craving!
Betty Gabriel
These tofu nuggets look so delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Betty! 🙂
Alocasia
This sounds great. My parchment paper and silicone liners both say no temps above 428F. How much time would you add for the lower temperature?
Melissa Huggins
I would just watch them closely. They probably would only need 5-7 minutes more. You can also skip the parchment/silicone mats and just lightly spray with oil. I hope this helps 🙂
Renee T
I'm making the for my vegan dinner partsas appetizers tomorrow night!