Vegan Richa

Vegan Food Blog with Healthy and Flavorful Vegan Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • (new) Recipe Filters
    • Popular Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch / Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Indian
    • Instant Pot
    • Burgers
    • Pizza
    • Recipe Index
  • Videos
    • Instant Pot
    • Dessert
    • Holidays
    • Easy Vegan Meals
    • All Recipe Videos
  • CookBooks
    • Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen (Print & Digital)
    • Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen (Print & Digital)
  • Resources
    • How To Start A Food Blog
    • Resources for Food Bloggers
    • Vegan Subs & Resources
    • Our Vegan Journey and FAQs
    • Indian Pantry
    • Indian Dal / Lentil Names
  • Shop
  • About / Contact

Firecracker Tofu Wings

January 15, 2021 By Richa 24 Comments

Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

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.

overhead shot of a plate with vegan baked firecracker tofu wings served with side of vegan Ranch

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.

a bowl with firecracker tofu wings served with a dip and a small plate with vegan tofu wings drizzled with ranch

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.

More vegan appetizer and snacks :

  • Baked Sweet Potato Fries with vegan Chipotle Ranch
  • Baked Garlic Fries with Garlic Tahini Sauce. 
  • Nashville hot cauliflower bites
  • Spicy Pepper Crisp Cauliflower bites with celery ranch
  • Mango Sriracha Cauliflower Bites

vegan crispy baked firecracker tofu wings served with a vegan ranch dip

Print Recipe
4.88 from 8 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 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time45 mins
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

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.

 

overhead shot of ingredients needed for making vegan firecracker tofu

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℉

firecracker sauce ingredients being stirred together in a small saucepan

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.

firecracker sauce being stirred together in a white saucepan

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.

breading ingredients for baked vegan tofu wings being stirred together

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.

breading for making vegan firecracker tofu wings in a white bowl next to a bowl with firecracker sauce

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

breaded vegan tofu wings on.a parchment paper lined baking sheet

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.

two plates with vegan baked firecracker tofu wings served with vegan ranch

 

 

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, gameday, july 4th, memorial day, nut free, superbowl Tagged With: cayenne powder, garlic powder, hot sauce, sriracha, tofu, vegan



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

« Vegan Glutenfree Vanilla Donuts Recipe
Vegan Pizza Waffles »

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Emily says

    January 16, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    Made these today! I reduced the hot sauce and sauce and cayenne a bit and the kids loved them too

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 16, 2021 at 9:26 pm

      Awesome!!

      Reply
  2. Carolyn BARNETT says

    January 17, 2021 at 4:25 pm

    Hi, I was wondering if you thought 4 of these “tofu wings” was equivalent to one serving? Thanks,I am trying tonight!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 17, 2021 at 6:29 pm

      Yes 3-4 depending on how you slice them

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    January 17, 2021 at 6:18 pm

    5 stars
    Wow these are amazing!! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 17, 2021 at 6:28 pm

      Yay

      Reply
  4. Nisha Batel says

    January 18, 2021 at 4:05 am

    firecracker tofu wings is so tasty and yummiest fast food i ever eat.

    Reply
    • Vegan Richa Support says

      January 19, 2021 at 4:00 pm

      yay!!

      Reply
  5. Mamatha says

    January 18, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    5 stars
    Loved the firecracker sauce!!!

    Reply
  6. Ash says

    January 19, 2021 at 6:30 am

    5 stars
    These are so good! They crisp up nicely, and the flavor is great! We’ll definitely make these again.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 19, 2021 at 7:41 am

      Thanks!!

      Reply
  7. Brianna says

    January 25, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    Hey! I am looking to make this recipe tomorrow. would corn flakes work instead of bread crumbs?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 26, 2021 at 11:09 am

      Yes should work. Crush them so that they are small enough and stick easily

      Reply
      • Brianna says

        January 27, 2021 at 8:46 am

        5 stars
        I made them and they came out amazing! Thank you for this wonderful recipe you never disappoint!

        Reply
        • Richa says

          January 27, 2021 at 11:28 am

          Yay

          Reply
  8. Denise says

    January 26, 2021 at 5:54 am

    These look amazing!! Do you think I could sub chickpea tofu?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 26, 2021 at 11:10 am

      Yes! Use my chickpea tofu recipe which makes firm chickpea tofu . Softer chickpea tofu might not work.

      Reply
  9. Charlotte says

    January 31, 2021 at 1:07 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this. Double-dipping is the ONE! Doesn’t taste like tofu. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 31, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      Yay!!

      Reply
  10. Shanna says

    February 5, 2021 at 4:45 pm

    This sounds great. Cannot wait. In place of sugar can I use coconut or date syrup or coconut sugar?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      February 5, 2021 at 6:29 pm

      Yes use either. Cook longer to thicken when using syrups

      Reply
      • Shanna says

        February 9, 2021 at 11:06 am

        5 stars
        These were fantastic. I did use the coconut syrup. We’ll be having these again very soon. Delicious!

        Reply
  11. Patricia says

    February 8, 2021 at 8:01 am

    4 stars
    I made this for Super Bowl Sunday. I baked it a bit longer than 25 minutes and it came out crispy and really good. My hot sauce was not super spicy. I did serve it with ranch dressing. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Vegan Richa Support says

      February 8, 2021 at 2:09 pm

      TOUCHDOWN

      Reply

ORDER TODAY!

Vegan Richa's Everyday Kitchen Cookbook Now Available everywhere where Books are Sold | VeganRicha.com
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // BAM! // Chapter Indigo // International

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options. Read more about me and the blog...

Lets get Social! Join 1Million followers and friends

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Vegan Richa 's Indian Kitchen Cookbook
Amazon || Barnes & Noble || BAM! || IndieBound || Details & International

Affiliate Links

All content on this blog is owned by Vegan Richa LLC.  Links on some posts are affiliate links for e.g. we are participant in Amazon services LLC Associates program. Vegan Richa is monetized in part through the use of such affiliate links. More Details

LINKSPOPULAR POSTSKEEP IN TOUCH
My Favorite ThingsBuffalo Chickpea PizzaYouTube
Recipe IndexLentil Quinoa LoafFacebook
Advertise, Work With MeCrispy Orange CauliflowerInstagram
Privacy PolicyPumpkin Cinnamon RollsPinterest
Terms Of UseSweet Potato Peanut BurgersTwitter
Copyright and Disclaimers
Copyright © 2021 Vegan Richa LLC