Crispy Tofu Nuggets
Total Time
40 minutes
Frozen chicken nuggets were a staple of my childhood. Warm and toasty, with a supercharged flavor, they still elicit a sharp pang of nostalgia, just like the Zoo Pals plates my mom served them on. These days I eat less meat, so you won’t find them in my kitchen anymore, but you will find something even better: these thrillingly easy tofu nuggets.
Firm or medium-firm tofu both work here; just try to avoid extra-firm tofu, which has a drier texture. No need to press the block—you want the nuggets to maintain some moisture. Instead of cutting the tofu into neat cubes, tear apart the block into generous hunks with your hands. Those nooks and crannies add lots of texture and spots for the seasoning to stick.
Consider this recipe a flexible formula: equal parts flour, starch, and nutritional yeast, plus some seasoning. I’ve made these nuggs with all-purpose flour or rice flour (which makes them gluten-free), plus cornstarch or potato starch. Any combo works, so feel free to use what you’ve got in the cabinet. And no need to flip mid-bake—leaving them be lets the nuggets get extra crisp on the bottom, just like the ones you used to heat up in the toaster oven.
If you’re feeding a larger family, this recipe easily doubles. Serve with lots of dipping sauce: ketchup, honey mustard, ranch, or any condiment your heart desires.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$26 At Amazon
Kitchen Towels
$16 At Amazon
French Wire Whisk
$18 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
$17 At Amazon
Ingredients
2 servings
2
2
2
2
1
1
1½
14–16
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a rack in the upper third of oven and preheat to 425°. Oil a baking sheet; set aside. Whisk together 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour or rice flour, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch or potato starch, 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1 Tbsp. onion powder, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set seasoning mixture aside.
Step 2
Pat 14–16-oz. block firm tofu, drained, dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Using your hands, break into craggy, nugget-size pieces (about 1"). Place pieces in another medium bowl and pat dry again.
Step 3
Drizzle 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil over tofu and, using your hands, gently toss to coat. Sprinkle reserved seasoning mixture over tofu and gently toss to coat. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and toss again. Spread tofu nuggets out on prepared baking sheet (giving them direct contact with the pan helps them get crispy).
Step 4
Bake tofu nuggets, reducing oven temperature to 400° halfway through if browning too quickly, until outside of nuggets is golden brown and crisp, 30–35 minutes. Season with salt if desired and serve with your condiment of choice.
Leave a Review
Reviews (0)
Back to TopThese are so, so good. I have been cooking tofu forever and was a strong believer in pressing it, so I was skeptical, but this really worked. They were so crispy and craggly, and perfect substitute for frozen nuggets. Our kids loved them, too.
Juliana
10/12/2023
I’ve definitely made better crispy tofu. I wanted to love it because I love nutritional yeast but came out bland. Tofu is definitely better fried :(
Gabby
Decatur, ga
10/9/2023
Great taste but tofu doesn’t break as suggested it would. Also how much time on oven ? Direction says turn oven down halfway through, but when is through?
Shelley Lindauer
NJ
10/3/2023
even the non-vegan liked them
suzanne
charleston , sc
9/28/2023
Alright so I've made this recipe twice in the last two days and have some thoughts: First, you actually DO need to press the tofu as it yields a MUCH crispier coating. The first time I made this, I did not press my block of tofu. The tofu started leaking water the second I placed it in my bowl and the flour coating congealed immediately. Today, my second time making it, I pressed me block for 15 mins and had a much easier time coating it with olive oil and the floury coating. The result came out looking a lot closer to what's pictured above, although the colour saturation in the header image has clearly been heightened for aesthetics. Whether you choose to press the tofu or not, the recipe is a winner and the nugs came out tasting yummy both days, they just happened to be crispier when I pressed the block. The nutritional yeast is key! Additionally, make sure to toss the block of tofu in a LARGE bowl as the flour mixture will coat much more evenly that way. I served this as the protein component alongside a bowl of kokuho rice + BA's caramelized cabbage recipe. My vegetarian BF was immediately clamouring for the tofu nugget recipe.
i was cooking
Boston, MA
9/26/2023