These vegan chicken nuggets aka tofu nuggets are crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. Tofu pieces are battered and rolled in a seasoned crumb coating and baked to crispy perfection.
These vegan chicken nuggets are breaded and baked and so crispy you will fall in love with them right away. They are the best thing ever dipped in some vegan yum yum sauce (or any sauce really) and make a delicious high protein snack.
They’re just as good (or better) than store-bought vegan nuggets and healthier too.
And if you love these tofu nuggets then I’m willing to bet you’ll also love our crispy fried tofu and crispy baked tofu recipes. Our marinated tofu is also a winner. And for more vegan ‘chicken’ try our vegan fried chicken.
What You’ll Need To Make These Tofu Nuggets:
Ingredient Notes
- Firm tofu – or extra firm tofu are both great to use.
- Panko breadcrumbs – bake up really crispy so they are perfect to use in this recipe.
- Crushed cornflakes – in addition to the panko we also use crushed cornflakes. They add some wonderful crunch to these nuggets. You can crush them in the food processor or by placing them in a ziplock bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin.
- Vegan chicken spice – or vegan poultry seasoning. Just check the ingredients list for any brand of chicken spice or poultry seasoning as many are vegan without explicitly saying so.
- Soy milk – can be replaced with a different non-dairy milk.
How To Make Vegan Chicken Nuggets
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Put the tofu on to press for 30 minutes. It’s ideal if you have a tofu press but if not, then place the tofu on a plate, place another plate on top of it and then stack something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books.
- When the tofu is pressed, cut it into strips.
- Tear each strip into rough cubes of tofu.
- In a large mixing bowl, add soy milk, all purpose flour, cornstarch, vegan chicken spice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and whisk it into a batter.
- In a second bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, salt and pepper and mix together.
- Add the tofu pieces to the batter and toss the tofu in the batter to coat each piece.
- Transfer the tofu pieces in batches to the breadcrumbs bowl and gently toss them in the breadcrumbs so that they are coated on all sides.
- Place the tofu onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Spray each piece of tofu with cooking spray.
- Place into the oven and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Your vegan chicken nuggets are ready to serve.
Chef’s Tips For The Best Vegan Nuggets
Press the tofu. Pressing the tofu first creates the best texture. If you don’t have a tofu press yet, then what are you waiting for? They are simply brilliant. We use ours all. the. time.
Tear the tofu instead of cutting it. This makes the edges nice and rough which suits the nugget look and texture nicely.
Spray the tofu with cooking spray before baking. This crisps and browns them up even more.
Serving suggestions. These nuggets are divine dipped in any dipping sauce. We love our vegan yum yum sauce, but vegan ranch dressing, vegan tartar sauce, vegan bbq sauce, vegan buffalo sauce and vegan thousand island dressing are all good options. Even plain ketchup or sweet chili sauce work great as dipping sauces for these nuggets.
Make Them In The Air Fryer
If you have an air fryer and want to use it (I know the feeling) then you can definitely use it for these nuggets.
Place the nuggets in an even layer in your air fryer so that there is space between each nugget. Spray them with cooking spray as usual and then air fry at 350°F (180°C) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Make Them In The Skillet
If you want to fry these vegan nuggets then simply heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add as many nuggets as can comfortably fit in a single layer in the pan without touching.
Let them fry for a few minutes before flipping and cooking on the other side until each side is golden brown. Don’t move them around too much as you don’t want to remove their crumb coating.
Storing and Reheating
They are best eaten fresh and hot from the oven for peak crispiness. Leftovers do store very well in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days but they do lose some crispiness. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
If you have an air fryer then reheat them in the air fryer for around 5 minutes at 350°F to restore maximum crispiness.
More Delicious Vegan Snacks
- Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
- BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower
- Crispy BBQ Tofu
- Vegan Nachos
- Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Vegan Shrimp
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Firm Tofu (450g) or Extra Firm
Batter:
- 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ¾ cup All Purpose Flour (93g)
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Vegan Chicken Spice or Vegan Poultry Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Breading:
- ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Crushed Cornflakes (56g) approximately 1 and ¼ cups whole cornflakes
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Serving (Optional):
- 1 Recipe Vegan Yum Yum Sauce
- Fresh Parsley Chopped
Instructions
- Put the tofu on to press for 30 minutes. It's ideal if you have a tofu press but if not, then place the tofu on a plate, place another plate on top of it and then stack something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- When the tofu is pressed, cut it into strips. Tear each strip into rough cubes of tofu.
- In a large mixing bowl, add soy milk, all purpose flour, cornstarch, vegan chicken spice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and whisk it into a batter.
- In a second bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, salt and pepper and mix together.
- Add the tofu pieces to the batter and toss the tofu in the batter to coat each piece.
- Transfer the tofu pieces in batches to the breadcrumbs bowl and gently toss them in the breadcrumbs so that they are coated on all sides.
- Place the tofu onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Spray each piece of tofu with cooking spray.
- Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until golden and crispy.
Notes
- Cornflakes. You can crush them in the food processor or by placing them in a ziplock bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin.
- Air fryer instructions: Place the nuggets in an even layer in your air fryer so that there is space between each nugget. Spray them with cooking spray as usual and then air fry at 350°F (180°C) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Skillet instructions: Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add as many nuggets as can comfortably fit in a single layer in the pan without touching. Let them fry for a few minutes before flipping and cooking on the other side until each side is golden brown. Don’t move them around too much as you don’t want to remove their crumb coating.
- Storing: They are best eaten fresh and hot from the oven for peak crispiness. Leftovers do store very well in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days but they do lose some crispiness.
- Reheating: You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F until heated through. If you have an air fryer then reheat them in the air fryer for around 5 minutes at 350°F to restore maximum crispiness.
- Nutritional information is for vegan nuggets only and excludes yum yum sauce.
Absolute hit with the kids. They said it was restaurant quality! Thank you for another brilliant recipe Alison. We shall be adding it to our regulars. Side note if you don’t have panko breadcrumbs in stock – blitz some bread in a food processor and lightly toast on a tray in the oven. Worked a treat.
Thanks so much Kirsti!
I don’t recall ever leaving a recipe rating on a blog before but this is worth it! This is hands down the best tofu main course I’ve ever eaten. To be fair, I haven’t tried a ton of recipes online, but out of all the ways I’ve prepared it or had it in restaurants, this is the most tasty and satisfying. The only other tofu recipe I’ve enjoyed is a chocolate tofu mousse dessert, but that doesn’t fall into this meal category. 🙂
I didn’t have cornflakes, so I just used extra panko breadcrumbs, and I used Italian Seasoning instead of chicken seasoning, and it turned out great! I want to try the breading with cornflakes next time to see how it ups the crunch ante. 😀
It’s a little time-consuming to make, but totally worth it and I had lots of leftovers. To reheat, I microwaved for about 30 seconds to get the insides hot, then put them in my convection toaster oven at 350 for about 10 mins, and they were absolutely perfect every time! It only took about 5 pieces to totally fill me up. I even found myself craving it and looking forward to having it at my next meal, which I NEVER do with tofu. And for all those people who say tofu absorbs flavors, that’s B.S. in my experience. I’ve never found tofu to be flavorful except for what I put on top of it. Until this recipe, I’ve only eaten it for the protein, but that’s all changed now!
I wasn’t a fan of the yum-yum sauce — too much like Thousand Island dressing for me, minus the little pickle pieces — but BBQ sauce, vegan ranch dressing, and mustard were all fantastic on these little nuggets. I’ll bet buffalo sauce would be great, too.
I’m excited to try more of your recipes, Alison. I’m not 100% vegan but close. I don’t eat much meat but I do miss the flavor, so anything that comes close and is still nutritious is awesome. This recipe totally knocked it out of the park for me!
Thanks for the awesome comment and review Ginger! I’m so glad this recipe has turned you into a tofu fan!
Alison, if I don’t have cornflakes, could I just use extra panko? Thanks, Lydia
Hi Lydia, yes you could use extra panko instead of cornflakes. 🙂
Looks like another scrumptious recipe! Will definitely try it with gluten free flour and breadcrumbs. I’m sure that would work out fine?
Yes, that will work.
I’m excited to try these! I usually only have extra firm tofu on hand unless I go out and get some firm or soft etc. for a specific recipe. Will extra firm work still?
Extra firm is perfect!