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These Vegan Tofu Nuggets are baked and not fried and taste just like Southern fried chikin with my secret marinade & spice mix! Nutfree Glutenfree. Your whole family will love these!

vegan baked tofu nuggets on a white plate with two different dips
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Stop what you’re doing and go marinate some tofu NOW because you don’t want to miss out on these Crispy Baked Vegan Tofu Nuggets! They are my new favorite vegan party snack – well, along with my Baked General Tso Cauliflower!

I use the spices used for southern fried chicken and add them to the coating and the marinade. Together they add so much amazing flavor. These are perfectly crispy on the outside and wonderfully meaty on the inside – seriously the best texture and flavor thanks to some key tips and a delicious tofu marinade. Seriously, if you know someone who dislikes tofu, give them these Tofu Nuggets and their minds will be changed forever.

vegan baked tofu nuggets served with two different dips

Now there are two things that are super important for making the perfect Tofu Nuggets.

Number one: you need to press your tofu! For most of my tofu recipes, I recommend pressing your tofu, and this is no exception. Squeeze all that excess water out of your tofu. This will give you much better tofu and will prepare it for my tofu nuggets. Use extra firm tofu so that you don’t end up with squishy bites.

tip #2 Marinate your tofu.  Let the pressed tofu sit in the marinade a minimum of 5 minutes. We really want the marinade to soak up into the insides of the tofu, making the texture even better. You can marinate your tofu for 30 minutes, or even overnight.

More vegan party food:

Bbq Cauliflower Wings

Vegan Mediterranean Nachos

Baked Popcorn Okra

Crispy tofu strips 

Mango Sriracha cauliflower 

Spinach pinwheels

Everything Bagel seasoning Tofu 

Baked Tofu Nuggets

5 from 22 votes
By: Vegan Richa
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
These Vegan Tofu Nuggets are baked and not fried and taste just like Southern fried chikin with my secret marinade & spice mix! Nutfree Glutenfree
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Ingredients 
 

  • 14 ounce extra firm tofu pressed for at least 20 minutes

For the marinade:

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 2 teaspoons oil

For spice coating

  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon celery seeds or use ½ teaspoon celery salt and use only ¼ salt earlier
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • A generous pinch each of cinnamon,, nutmeg and allspice
  • 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning or mix of 1/8 teaspoons each of sage,, thyme, rosemary
  • 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, or tapioca starch

To serve

  • vegan barbeque or vegan ranch or hot sauce or dips of choice
  • Garnish cilantro or green onion

Instructions 

  • Press the tofu if you haven’t already, then break into bite size pieces using your hands. Keep them at least 1 inch in size, add to a bowl.
  • Marinate: Then add the marinade ingredients to the bowl and toss well to coat, let the tofu sit for 5 minutes(or longer in the fridge till ready to bake)
  • Spice coating: In another small bowl add all of the coating ingredients and 1 ½ tablespoons of corn starch and mix really well.
  • The marinade should have gotten absorbed in the tofu, there shouldn’t be any liquid left. Sprinkle all of the spice coating mixture over the tofu and toss well to coat. If the tofu is too wet then add some more cornstarch, 1 teaspoon at a time. Then spread this tofu on parchment lined baking sheet and keep at least ½ inch distance between all the pieces.
  • Bake at 400F(205c) for 20-25 minutes or until the tofu is crisp to preference
  • Depending on the brand of tofu, if it’s a good extra firm tofu then the coating will get crisp around 23-24 minutes and if the tofu is a bit softer then the outside will get crisp, but tofu might be somewhat soft in the middle.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven then let it cool for a few minutes before plating it and serving it with dips of choice. You can also use this tofu to add to wraps or tacos or serve it as a side.

Video

Notes

  • Tear your tofu instead of slicing it into cubes. Tearing your tofu means there are more rough edges for not only the marinade to soak into, but for the cornstarch spice mix to coat the tofu.
  • For extra crispy tofu: use 1/4 -1/3 cup breadcrumbs instead of cornstarch 
  • To make this soy free, use 12-14 oz seitan or use cauliflower florets.  Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce 
  • Variation: use (6-7 oz)dry soycurls, then rehydrate in warm stock, squeeze out excess stock and proceed. 
  • To make this without onion garlic, omit them and add 1/8 teaspoon asafetida(hing) or 1/8 teaspoon fenugreek powder. If you don’t have these, add a teaspoon of miso to the marinade and add 1/2 teaspoon a oregano to the spice mix 

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 698mg, Potassium: 78mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 257IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 134mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
a platter with baked cripsy tofu nuggets

Ingredients:

  • for this recipe, we need extra firm tofu pressed for at least 20 minutes
  • For the spicy marinade, we blend soy sauce with hot sauce and a small amount of oil
  • for the spice coating, we blend nutritional yeast with salt, onion powder, garlic powder,  black pepper,  sage, paprika,  celery seeds, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
  • cornstarch is used as a coating to crisp up

Tips:

  • Tear your tofu instead of slicing it into cubes. Tearing your tofu means there are more rough edges for not only the marinade to soak into, but for the cornstarch spice mix to coat the tofu.
  • After adding the spiced mixture to the marinated tofu, you should go with your gut. If the tofu still feels a bit too wet then add some more cornstarch, 1 teaspoon at a time.
  • Depending on the brand of tofu, you might have slightly different textures.  I recommend you invest in a good extra firm tofu
  • Instead of the celery salt, you can use ½ teaspoon celery salt and use only ¼ salt earlier
ingredients needed for making tofu nuggets

How to make Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets

torn tofu chunks in a white bowl

Press the tofu if you haven’t already, then break into bite-size pieces using your hands. Keep them at least 1 inch in size, add to a bowl.

marinade being added to torn tofu chunks in a white bowl

Then add the marinade ingredients and toss well to coat, let the tofu sit for 5 minutes.

marinated tofu chunks in a white bowl
spice mix in a small glass bowl

In another small bowl add all of the coating ingredients and 1 ½ tablespoons of corn starch and mix really well.

marinated tofu chunks in a white bowl

The marinade should have gotten absorbed in the tofu, there shouldn’t be any liquid left.

Sprinkle all of the spiced coating mixture over the tofu and toss well to coat. After adding the spiced mixture, if the tofu is too wet then add some more cornstarch, 1 teaspoon at a time.

then spread this tofu on a parchment line baking sheet and keep at least ½ inch distance between all the pieces.

marinated tofu chunks in a white bowl
marinated tofu chunks on a sheet pan

Then bake at 400F (205c) for 20-25 minutes or until the tofu is crisp to preference

baked tofu nuggets on a sheet pan

Depending on the brand of tofu, if it’s good extra firm tofu then the coating will get crisp around 23-24 minutes and if the tofu is a bit softer then the outside will get crisp, but tofu might be somewhat soft in the middle.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven then let it cool for a few minutes before plating it and serving it!.

a plate with vegan baked tofu nuggets with ranch and bbq dip

Serve

Serve these immediately with dips of choice. These are best served right out of the oven. The pieces will tend to soften after sitting for an hour or so. They will still taste amazing though!

You can also use this tofu to add it to lettuce or tortilla wraps or tacos! You can also serve it as a side.

About Richa

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.

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5 from 22 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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59 Comments

  1. Kari E Gray says:

    5 stars
    SO good as a salad topper, wrap filling, or just to pop in your mouth while you’re watching tv. 😀

    [I freeze the tofu before (thawing), pressing, and tearing into chunks for a chewier texture.]

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      I love it as a salad topper!

  2. maria says:

    5 stars
    i made this today. so very delicious. i added mint powder.
    thxs

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      glad you enjoyed!

  3. Aniisha says:

    5 stars
    Thank for you providing no onion no garlic options!

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      🙂

  4. Michelle says:

    5 stars
    This looks great! I found your site looking for a soy-free tofu recipe: thank you so much! (I have just been put on a gluten, soy, and dairy free diet by my doctor for cardiac autonomic neuropathy). Thank you so much for providing alternative recipes for people eating GF and SF!

    Do you think your chickpea flour tofu could work with this recipe? Thanks again!

    1. Richa says:

      Yes! Add some of the spice mix into the chickpea batter for additional flavor

      1. Michelle says:

        Thank you so much for your reply, Richa! I look forward to trying many of the recipes on your site!

        1. Vegan Richa Support says:

          yay! thank you!

  5. Christine T. says:

    Good grief…where has this recipe been all of my life? This is so crazy simple and absolutely impossible to stop eating, right out of the pan dipped in Trader Joe’s zhoug sauce. Need to make a second batch stat.

    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      yay! glad you loved. don’t forget to rate!

  6. Nancy Hall says:

    5 stars
    Richa, I follow you, save so many of your recipes, and dream of the day I will have more time to cook.

    I love seeing that this recipe does not require flipping the tofu 1/2 way thru cooking! The flipping part is why I dont make tofu as so many recipes call for it. I am an impatient cook.

    Can you tell me if when you stovetop fry or airfry your tofu, do you flip it?

    Thank you for your reply,

    1. Richa says:

      It depends on the recipe. For many I don’t flip, for others i do and its mentioned in the recipe instructions