• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Crowded Kitchen
MENUMENU
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Sign Up
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
×

Home » Recipes » Tofu

Baked Tofu Nuggets

Published: Mar 25, 2020 · Modified: Aug 11, 2020 by Lexi

723 shares
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

These crispy baked tofu nuggets are breaded in potato chips and served with a vegan maple mustard dipping sauce. They're made with just a few simple pantry ingredients, naturally gluten free, kid friendly, and SO. GOOD.

overhead view of crispy baked tofu nuggets on sheet pan with bowl of honey mustard

Trying to get your kids (or picky spouse) to eat more tofu? These baked tofu nuggets are for you!

We took plain old, boring tofu and dunked it in a flavorful batter, covered in crispy, salty, delicious crushed potato chips and oven-baked it to perfection. Did we mention the maple mustard dipping sauce?

Vegan dinner heaven.

Serve them up alongside vegan mac and cheese or roasted tomato soup. Or, keep things a bit lighter with a simple salad or roasted vegetables. Either way, we're pretty sure you won't have any leftovers!

overhead view of baked tofu nuggets on plate with honey mustard sauce

How to make potato chip breaded tofu nuggets

We're pretty sure these baked tofu nuggets will become a staple in your weekly meal plan. It's easy to make, perfect for kids, and baked instead of fried!

overhead view of ingredients for baked tofu nuggets

Best tofu to use for crispy baked tofu

Extra firm tofu works best for any kind of crispy baked tofu. Anything below firm will not hold up well enough to the breading.

To best prepare tofu for baking, remove from packaging, drain excess liquid and pat dry with a clean towel. To remove even more moisture, wrap the block of tofu in a clean towel and set something heavy on top, like a cookbook or cast iron pan.

Let sit for at least 30 minutes to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Then, turn the block on its side and slice in half lengthwise. Slice each block into three long strips, then cut into thirds to form nuggets.

Step one: batter

close up view of batter

Since we can't use eggs for the batter, we had to get a bit creative to make sure the breading sticks well.

We found that a mixture of vegan mayo, dijon mustard and a few spices works well both as a coating and to add plenty of flavor. There are plenty of vegan mayo brands on the market – we most often use Sir Kensington's and Follow Your Heart.

Dijon mustard is the best choice and adds the most flavor. Whisk in a pinch of onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper for seasoning.

Use one hand to coat each cube of tofu in the batter. Make sure it's evenly coated on all sides, otherwise the breading won't fully stick. To avoid getting your hands too messy, reserve one hand for batter and one hand for breading!

Step two: breading

overhead view of crushed potato chips in bowl for breading tofu

The breading is one simple ingredient: crushed sea salt potato chips. Just about any brand will do – we used Kettle chips for more crunch. Transfer potato chips to a separate bag, seal and use a rolling pin to crush into crumbs. (See image for reference on texture.)

Once you coat a cube of tofu in the batter, transfer to the bowl of potato chip breading. Make sure to evenly cover all sides. You may have to press gently to make sure they stick well.

close up side view of baked tofu nuggets on sheet pan before baking

Step three: bake

Once the tofu is battered and breaded, transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping the tofu (carefully) halfway through the cook time. That's it! Perfect baked tofu nuggets.

close up side view of baked tofu nuggets on sheet pan after baking

Maple mustard dipping sauce

While the crispy baked tofu is cooking, whip up a super easy vegan honey mustard dipping sauce!

close up overhead of vegan honey mustard dressing with tofu nuggets

Since honey isn't vegan, we simply swapped in maple syrup. Honestly, I think it tastes even better. If you do eat honey, feel free to use either!

The sauce is a simple mixture of vegan mayo, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a touch of cayenne and salt. Whisk it all together – the whole thing takes less than 5 minutes.

I love this dipping sauce so much. We had these baked tofu nuggets alongside roasted brussels sprouts the other day and the sauce is amazing with vegetables, too! So addictive!

If you think you'll use extra, make a double batch. It stores well in the refrigerator for up to a week.

close up view of tofu nugget with bite taken out

More ways to make tofu taste good

Let's be honest, tofu isn't always the most glamorous food. But we've spent the last few years working on tofu recipes that your whole family will love. Here are a few of our favorites!

  • Grilled Tofu Kebabs with Peanut Sauce
  • Vegan Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Mushrooms
  • Spring Roll Bowls with Crispy Tofu
  • How to Make Scrambled Tofu (perfect for using in this breakfast sandwich!)
  • Roasted Vegetable and Tofu Sheet Pan Dinner
overhead view of baked tofu nuggets on plate with honey mustard sauce

If you make these baked tofu nuggets, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Baked Tofu Nuggets


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

These crispy baked tofu nuggets are breaded in potato chips and served with a vegan maple mustard dipping sauce. They're made with just a few simple pantry ingredients, naturally gluten free and kid friendly. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 14 oz extra firm tofu, cubed

Batter: 

  • ⅓ cup vegan mayo
  • ¼ cup dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt

Breading:

  • 5 cups sea salt potato chips, crushed

Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce:

  • ⅓ cup vegan mayo
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp cayenne 
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. 
  2. Remove tofu from packaging, drain excess liquid and pat dry. Wrap in a clean towel and set something heavy on top, like a cast iron pan or a few cookbooks. Let sit for 30 minutes to remove as much moisture as possible. 
  3. Once tofu is pressed, turn the block on its side and slice in half lengthwise. Slice each block into three strips, then cut into cubes. 
  4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. 
  5. Transfer potato chips to a plastic or reusable bag and crush with a rolling pin. See photos above for texture. Transfer crumbs to a separate bowl. 
  6. Using one hand, dip a cube of tofu in batter, coating evenly on all sides. Transfer to coating, then use your other hand to gently press coating onto tofu, evenly coating all sides. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all tofu cubes. 
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through bake time. 
  8. Meanwhile, whisk together ingredients for maple mustard sauce until creamy. 
  9. Let tofu cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 

Notes

If you're not strictly vegan, feel free to sub maple with honey for the sauce. 

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 407
  • Sugar: 10.3 g
  • Sodium: 802.4 mg
  • Fat: 27.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 24.3 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 7.5 g

Keywords: baked tofu nuggets

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

More Tofu Recipes

  • Finished vegan shawarma on a pita with veggies and sauce.
    Vegan Shawarma
  • Overhead view of sticky tofu in a pan with scallions and sesame seeds.
    Sticky Tofu
  • Close up of finished tofu chocolate mousse.
    Tofu Chocolate Mousse
  • Overhead view of tofu teriyaki in a bowl.
    Tofu Teriyaki

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Let us know what you think! Cancel reply

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

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Josey

    June 09, 2020 at 9:25 am

    I followed the recipe to a T. These were So So good!! I like a tofu scramble, but anytime I tried to bread tofu, the texture never seemed quite right. Because of the extreme crunch of the chips, the tofu was a perfect balance. The flavor reminded me of KFC chicken? We've been vegan for 3 + years and I haven't had KFC in probably a decade, so my memeory could be off! The sauce was delicious, a perfect accompaniment; I almost didn't make it, but I'm glad I did!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lexi

      June 11, 2020 at 2:18 pm

      Thank you so much for your feedback, Josey! So glad to hear you enjoyed! Agreed - the sauce is my favorite part 🙂

      Reply
  2. Peekiesmom

    March 25, 2020 at 11:34 pm

    I absolutely love tofu. This looks like a great recipe! Will try it soon, but do not currently have the ingredients on hand.

    Reply
    • Lexi

      March 26, 2020 at 10:30 am

      Thanks so much, hope you give it a try soon!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

More about us →

Featured in:

Featured in Buzzfeed, yahoo, Men's Journal, Huffpost, MSN, Food & Wine, Country Living, yummly, and Parade.

Spring recipes

  • The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar
  • Super Green Vegetable Soup
  • Vegan Pasta Bake
  • Overhead view of spaghetti squash soup in a bowl.
    Spaghetti Squash Soup
  • overhead view of vegan mediterranean sheet pan dinner with tofu, chickpeas, vegetables and tahini yogurt drizzle.
    Mediterranean Sheet Pan Dinner
  • overhead view of vegan creamy beet pasta in large pot.
    Creamy Beet Pasta

Most popular recipes

  • How to make Infused Liquors (5 Ways)
  • close up overhead view of vegan bean soup in a bowl on white linen surface.
    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
  • close up view of a passion fruit martini in a glass with dark backdrop.
    Passion Fruit Martini
  • overhead view of vegan mac and cheese in pot
    The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Two tequila mule cocktails in copper mugs with lime and mint garnish on antique blue table.
    Tequila Mule
  • side view of limoncello spritz cocktail garnished with fresh mint.
    Limoncello Spritz

See more-->

Footer

Back to top ↑

About

  • Learn About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • See our Portfolio

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • As Seen In

Copyright © 2022 Crowded Kitchen