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Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets Recipe

April 22, 2019 By florentina 11 Comments

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Crispy tofu nuggets a.k.a. the ultimate “ vegan chicken nuggets “ air fried without any oil and good for you. Finished with a simple panko bread crumb and nutritional yeast coat for the ultimate tasty crunch. 
Crispy Tofu Nuggets - Air Fryer Recipe
 
Dip them in your favorite bbq or tomato sauce, mustard dip or plain old ketchup, stuff them in a sub or just snack on them popcorn style, these little nuggets are every kid’s tasty dream come true. 
 

For all of you awesome parents who are trying hard and doing all you can to get your children to eat a clean plant based diet:  you won’t ever have to buy any chicken nuggets ever again. I’ll show you how to easily prep these cruelty-free goodies in advance so you can make them anytime you want without much trouble. 

Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets with Panko Bread Crumb Crust
 

The secret to meaty tofu nuggets texture ?

 
The frozen defrost method!
 

By pressing the tofu then freezing it and defrosting you’ll achieve a perfectly meaty texture that will leave you saying: I can’t believe that’s not chicken! 

Panko Coated Tofu Nuggets
 

Enter my favorite kitchen tool: the air fryer! 

Come to think of it some of my most favorite recipes here on the blog are now made in the air fryer without the use of any oil at all. We’ve come a long way from deep frying you guys. You’ll also wanna try my famous air fried orange tofu , sweet & sour tofu and killer peanut tofu with noodles too.
 

 

These Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets are Divine: 

 
perfectly crunchy
homemade
popcorn style
healthy & oil-free
meaty texture
WFPB vegan

simply the best.

Air Fried Crispy Tofu Nuggets with Panko Bread Crumb Crust
 

Super easy to make:

 
  1. Press tofu
  2. Freeze and defrost
  3. Coat in spices, batter and panko crust
  4. Air fry to perfection!
 

Crispy Tofu Coating Ideas:

 
Panko bread crumb
Brown rice cereal 

Corn flakes cereal.

Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets
 
P.S. If you make this recipe please come back here to rate it, snap a photo and tame with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it always makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s 
Print Pin

Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

Crispy tofu nuggets a.k.a. the ultimate “ vegan chicken nuggets “ air fried without oil, and good for you. Finished with a simple panko crumb and nutritional yeast coat for the ultimate tasty crunch. 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword Tofu Nuggets
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Pressing + Freezing 10 hours
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 people
Calories 361kcal
Author Florentina

Ingredients

  • 14 oz block firm tofu , organic non-GMO
  • 1 tbsp tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs ( crispy brown rice or corn flakes cereal)
  • sea salt to taste ( aprox 1 tsp)

the Batter:

  • 3/4 cup plant milk
  • 2-3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Drain the tofu, wrap it in a tea towel and set on a plate. Place a heavy pot/pan/dish on top of it and allow it to press for a couple of hours. You can do this on the kitchen counter or in the fridge.
  • After you have pressed the tofu try to pat some more moisture out of it. Transfer to a freezer safe glass container, cover with a lid and freeze. You can do this step in advance and prepare a dozen blocks of tofu at once for future use if you'd like.
  • Defrost the tofu block and repeat pressing as much moisture out of it as possible with a tea towel.
  • Use your hands and tear it into 1 inch irregular pieces. Set aside.
  • In a bowl combine together the tapioca, sea salt, black pepper, garlic and onion powder. Add the tofu pieces and toss to coat well.

Prepare the Batter & Coating:

  • In a small bowl whisk together the plant milk, whole wheat flour and sweet paprika until smooth and creamy. Set aside. 
  • In a separate bowl combine the panko bread crumbs and nutritional yeast.

Air Fry:

  • Dip each nugget in the batter until coated then toss in the bread crumb mixture. Shake any excess and place them on a parchment lined air fryer tray without touching each other. Repeat with all the nuggets.
  • Air fry the tofu nuggets at 375”F for 15 minutes until golden and crispy flipping them half way. Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces.

Notes

  • To make these gluten free just use a brown rice flour in the batter and swap the panko bread crumbs for crushed puffed brown rice cereal or corn flakes.
  • Though these nuggets require absolutely zero oil, I know some of you are still going to insist on using some. I totally understand, in this case please try to use an olive oil spray to coat the nuggets before air frying. Believe it or not you will end up using way less fats than you would by brushing or drizzling it on top. Plus the coverage is so much better too.

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 352mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Calcium: 415mg | Iron: 4.5mg

Tofu Recipes:

Air Fryer Orange Tofu

Orange Tofu

Peanut Tofu Bowl

Peanut Tofu

Air fried sesame tofu with broccoli and garlic ginger sesame sauce.

Sesame Tofu

Filed Under: Appetizers, Plant-Based, Tofu, Vegan Recipes

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Hi, I'm Florentina! I'm the voice behind the easy Plant-Based recipes here at the Veggie Society. Peluci is our COO and taste tester in chief! Continue reading…

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