Firecracker Tofu Wings

Name: Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp Sriracha sauce; ¼ cup white vinegar; 3 Tbsp hot sauce; 2 ½ tsp garlic powder; ½ - 1 tsp cayenne powder; ½ tsp salt; 2 ½ - 3 Tbsp sugar; ¾ cup water; 2 tsp cornstarch (or use potato starch ); 12 to 14 oz pack of extra firm tofu (pressed for 15 mins then sliced into thin strips); 1 cup breadcrumbs; ½ tsp paprika; 1/4 tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp salt

Published: Jan 15, 2021 by Richa 35 Comments

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Sweet and Spicy Crispy Baked Firecracker Tofu Wings – an addictive vegan appetizer that will leave you wanting more. This is a super easy and delicious tofu recipe that’s perfect for Game Day, parties, movie night, or any occasion that calls for crowd-pleasing snacks.

I am not in the habit of calling a recipe “addicting,” but if anything would deserve that kind of etiquette, it would be these Firecracker Tofu Wings. They are perfectly crispy on the outside, soft and on the inside, and soak up all of the sweet and spicy firecracker sauce! Like takeout, just way better plus all plant-based and lower in artificial ingredients than the takeout version.

Every bite of these baked tofu wings is absolutely delicious and you will find yourself automatically reaching for the next wing while still munching on the first one! Don’t say I did not warn you! Bookmark this one for your next movie night or Game Day.

What is firecracker sauce?

Firecracker sauce is a simple sweet and hot Asian-inspired stir-fry sauce that goes well with just about anything and is especially great for spicing up anything rather neutral-tasting – from cauliflower to tofu!

Traditional restaurant-style firecracker sauce has a hefty dose of sugar to make it more sweet than hot. With my sauce, I go a bit heavier on the spice and flavor and lower on the sugar. Anything from 2 1/2 – 3 tbsp will be just enough. Start with 2/1 tbsp and add some more to taste. You might not even need the whole amount.

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4.82 from 16 votes

Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings

Sweet and Spicy Crispy Baked Firecracker Tofu Wings - an addictive vegan appetizer that will leave you wanting more. This is a super easy and delicious Asian-inspired tofu recipe that's perfect for Game Day, parties, movie night, or any occasion that calls for crowd-pleasing snacks.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: firecracker tofu, tofu wings, vegan crispy tofu

Servings: 8

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the sauce

3 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
¼ cup (63.75 g) white vinegar
3 Tbsp hot sauce
2 ½ tsp garlic powder
½ - 1 tsp cayenne powder
½ tsp salt
2 ½ - 3 Tbsp sugar
¾ cup (177.44 ml) water
2 tsp cornstarch or use potato starch

Tofu

12 to 14 oz (368.54 g) pack of extra firm tofu pressed for 15 mins then sliced into thin strips

Breadcrumb Coating

1 cup (108 g) breadcrumbs
½ tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉
Make the firecracker sauce, add all the ingredients in a shallow cooking pan. Heat the sauce over medium heat, whisk well to incorporate cornstarch and sugar until well combined
Bring the mixture to a boil, sauce will thicken slightly so keep whisking. Simmer for 1 minute then switch off the heat, let the sauce cool to a warm state so that it thickens a bit more
In the meantime, slice your tofu if you haven’t already and dip strips in the sauce using tongs, the coating on all sides.
Make your breadcrumb coating, mix well and place in a shallow bowl
Dip tofu slices from the sauce into the breadcrumb mixture, coating all sides again. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat for all tofu strips
Bake at 400℉ for 20-25 minutes or until crisp
Serve these strips with the remaining firecracker sauce on the side, or add all the strips to the firecracker pan and toss well to coat, using tongs to turn each piece to coat and cook together, serving immediately.
Serve with vegan ranch and top with thinly sliced green onions or scallions

Video

Notes

Airfry: air fry at 400 deg f and check at 10 mins . Shake and continue if needed
glutenfree: use gf breadcrumbs to make Glutenfree
You can use any hot sauce of choice depending on your tolerance.
Cayenne powder can be substituted with chili powder. For less spicy, use smoked paprika.
The tofu needs to be pressed to get rid of excess moisture which would make the breading soggy.
To press tofu, wrap the whole block of tofu in a double layer of clean kitchen towels or a clean tea towel then put it on a large plate. Put something heavy such as a frying pan on top, and weight it down further with cans and jars, and leave for 30 mins.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 103 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 594mg26%

Potassium 118mg3%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 87IU2%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 38mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ingredients:

Tofu – here you will need extra firm tofu. Anything softer will not hold up to the coating process. Plus we want our tofu wings to be dippable. Soft tofu will end up breaking in half when dipping into any sauce.
Hot sauce — you can use a milder one such as Frank’s.
Sriracha — If you want your sauce a little less spicy, you can omit this and use ketchup or more hot sauce. If using ketchup, lower the amount of sugar.
I like to add some white vinegar to add a bit of acidity to the firecracker sauce
as of dried spices, I like adding some garlic powder and cayenne powder to the sauce. You can play around with the amounts depending on your taste.
To thicken the sauce, I add some cornstarch.
the crispy coating is a simple blend of breadcrumbs, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Don’t skip the salt – nothing sadder than an unsalted breading.

Tips & Substitutions:

I use regular white sugar for this recipe but you could go with coconut sugar to make it refined sugar-free.
You can use any hot sauce of choice depending on your tolerance. Frank’s tends to be rather mild.
for less spicy, use smoked paprika.
We are using garlic powder here, which should not be confused with garlic salt. If you only have garlic salt, use 1 tsp and skip the 1/2 tsp of salt.
The tofu needs to be pressed for making tofu wings to get rid of excess moisture which would make the breading soggy.
To press tofu, wrap the whole block of tofu in a double layer of clean kitchen towels or a clean tea towel then put it on a large plate with a lip. Put something heavy such as a frying pan on top, weight it down further with cans and jars, and leave for 30 mins.

How to make Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings:

Preheat oven to 400℉

Make the firecracker sauce, add all the ingredients in a shallow cooking pan. Heat the sauce over medium heat, whisk well to incorporate cornstarch and sugar until well combined.

Bring the mixture to a boil. The sauce will thicken slightly so keep whisking. Simmer for 1 minute then switch off the heat, let the sauce cool to a warm state so that it thickens a bit more.

In the meantime, slice your tofu if you haven’t already and dip strips in the sauce using tongs, the coating on all sides.

Make your breadcrumb coating, mix well and place in a shallow bowl.

Dip tofu slices from the sauce into the breadcrumb mixture, coating all sides again. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat for all tofu strips

Bake at 400℉ for 20-25 minutes or until crisp

overhead shot of a skillet with vegan baked firecracker tofu wings tossed firecracker sauce

How to serve Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings:

Serve these wings with the remaining firecracker sauce on the side or add all the strips to the firecracker pan and toss well to coat, using tongs to turn each piece to coat and cook together, serving immediately. Serve with vegan ranch or my cilantro jalapeño lime dip and top with thinly sliced green onions or scallions.

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What is firecracker sauce?

More vegan appetizer and snacks :

Recipe Card

Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings

Ingredients

For the sauce

Tofu

Breadcrumb Coating

Instructions

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Ingredients:

Tips & Substitutions:

How to make Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings:

How to serve Vegan Firecracker Tofu Wings:

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