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Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets No Breadcrumbs

Tofu nuggets baked in the oven and crispy with sesame seeds on the outside, no breadcrumbs and are so good to pop in your mouth. A great vegetarian snack or meal that even your kids will enjoy!

baked-tofu

Baked tofu nuggets are easy to make. Season, leave plain, coat with sesame seeds or breadcrumbs and cook in your oven or air fryer. They are a healthy vegetarian snack that even kids love dipped in a sauce. (affiliate links present, originally published 6/22)

Tofu Bites

You don’t have to make these into bite size squares, but why wouldn’t you?? Below we have instructions for baking tofu in the oven to make them crispy. If you want more of a deep fried outside you can follow the same directions but then follow our air fryer tofu temperature and cook timing instead.

Baked Tofu Nuggets no Breadcrumbs

If you need a gluten free option for still that crispy outside but without the bread we have an answer. You can use any type of flour you’d like with nutritional yeast that gives each bite a TON of flavor.

Baked Tofu Nuggets Nutritional Yeast

If you have never used this powder it is amazing. It gives anything you add it to some depth and deeper flavors. If you wanted to skip the flour entirely you could add more of this to thicken the batter.

Is it better to pan fry or bake tofu?

Baking is by far better, or you can air fry it too. Both methods will get the crisp texture on the outside you really want. In a pan on your stovetop will certainly warm it and best if it were marinated like our sweet and sour tofu recipe. Just don’t expect it to get as golden brown on the outside as this way.

tofu

What to do to tofu before cooking?

This plant based protein made from coagulated soy milk curds pressed into blocks has a lot of liquid in it. If you just sliced it and threw it into a pan it will soon fill up with what looked like water. Ok if you wanted to steam it essentially. BUT if you do want it browned you need to soak some of that up first. How??

The best way to reduce liquid in tofu is to wrap it in a cheesecloth or a few paper towels. Gently press the tofu or it will fall apart. On the top place a book on it for about 5 minutes. Or use a light palm to very gently press down and absorb a lot of that water.

After you’ve drained the tofu and it’s unwrapped you can slice it into any shape or size you want. You will notice the difference if you did this to one piece and not to another. The smaller the pieces the faster they will cook and crispier the outside will become.

1×1″ would be the smallest size I’d do. if you are going to dredge in egg in order for the seasoned breadcrumbs to stick you want the least amount of moisture on the outside too.

Healthy Tofu Nuggets

baked tofu recipe

We are going to dip each piece in a tasty sauce of sorts that will add flavor and allow the seeds of choice to stick on the outside too. It’s made up of nutritional yeast, rice flour, milk and seasonings. Just salt and pepper were added here. As far as the outside you could opt for everything bagel seasoning instead of sesames. Or make Tempura Nuggets instead.

If you did use something else I would not add any other seasonings as most already have some sodium in them and you wouldn’t want to overwhelm your nuggets of tofu with salt. Especially if you are serving these with dipping sauces like soy sauce you want to wrap the tofu with mild ingredients.

Easy Tofu Recipe

If you have ever made homemade chicken nuggets it is kinda’ similar to making those. Dipping the main ingredient in some sort of liquid or batter in order for the bread crumbs or coating to stick nicely. Get your baking sheet ready with a piece of parchment paper on top so they don’t stick while you’re preparing the rest.

how to cook tofu

Not only do you not want to create a mess, or have them stick but after a few minutes flip them over and with some type of non stick surface that makes everything easier. If you wanted to make a more breaded tofu treat you’d follow the same recipe but use Panko breadcrumbs instead of seeds like we did.

Tofu Nuggets No Breadcrumbs

When you’re done with this you can pop them in your mouth as a snack, or make tofu lettuce wraps out of them with a bit of sauce!

  • Start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking tray / cookie sheet with a drizzle of oil or parchment.
    • Whisk together nutritional yeast, flour, salt and milk in a small bowl.
  • Lay tofu in middle of cheesecloth or a few paper towels, fold over and gently press down to remove moisture.
  • Unwrap and place tofu on a cutting board. Cut into bite size pieces. One at a time dip pieces into the batter you made.
  • Place the sesame seeds or breading in another small bowl.
  • Roll each piece around in the bowl until they stick on all sides.
  • Spread the tofu nuggets on to the prepared baking tray.
  • Bake them for 5 minutes, move them around and bake them for another 5-8 minutes until the outside browns.

Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

  • Follow recipe as directed
  • Preheat machine to 400 F. for 5 minutes
  • Lay in a single layer and cook for about 8-10 minutes (turning halfway) or until crispy

Sprinkle with seasonings like salt and/or garlic powder at the end if you think you needs it. We’d rather dip into some of our spicy sriracha mayo, a homemade fry sauce or teriyaki sauce instead.

tofu cubes

Same with our pork bites, the exact cook timing will depend on how large your pieces are, how browned and crispy you want the outsides to be, and what rack you use. I always place in the middle but ovens do vary very slightly so I say 5-8 minutes at the end. Keep an eye on them after minute 5 to see which is best for y’all.

How do you store leftover tofu

First off, only make what you think you’ll eat that day. It doesn’t save well in the fridge with the “breading” on the outside as in a bag it will get wet and kinda’ yucky that way. Instead, keep the coating and everything else separate. Then make from fresh again the next day or whenever.

The flour batter can be saved in a container and thinned out a bit if it gets too thick to use again. Now on to the container itself. Once you open the sealed top you’ll want to leave the remainder in the liquid. Then use some cling wrap, press and seal is best, to reseal the top so no air gets in. Always keep it in the refrigerator up to 3 more days.

Baked Tofu Nuggets no Breadcrumbs
Are tofu nuggets suitable for vegetarians or vegans?

Tofu itself is made from soybeans and is a popular plant-based protein source. Tofu nuggets are typically made by coating with breadcrumbs or a nutritional yeast batter and then frying, air frying or baking them in the oven for a crispy texture.
Derived from plants, it does not contain any animal products making it okay for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet to eat.

Can tofu nuggets be baked instead of fried?

Yes! We will show you how to do that right here. Ours are dipped into a flour nutritional yeast batter and our tofu nuggets baked in the oven come out crispy but with less calories and fat than fried.

Are tofu nuggets a healthy alternative to chicken nuggets?

Yes! They are lower in saturated fat, cholesterol free, high in protein and iron, calcium, and magnesium too.

Tofu Bites

If you do make it earlier in the day and don’t finish you could warm again in the air fryer (ideally). 380 degrees F for about 3 minutes should do it. Beyond that it will dry out though so I wouldn’t warm again more than once. Give them a whirl. Even if your kids are picky I bet they might try these because they are “cute”.

With a variety of fun sauces too they are more likely to think it’s a fun snack. Mine as teens will now make these and chicken bites themselves with different coatings and dips. A great recipe to pop into the oven after school that take less than 30 minutes to done.

Tofu Nuggets

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Tofu Nuggets

Tofu nuggets baked in the oven and crispy with sesame seeds on the outside are so good to pop in your mouth. A great vegetarian snack or meal.
Course Appetizer, Entree, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword bites, sesame seeds, tofu, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 544kcal
Author The Typical Mom

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a large baking tray with a drizzle of oil in the base. Mix nutritional yeast, flour, salt and milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Lay tofu in middle of cheesecloth or a few paper towels, fold over and gently press down to remove some of the moisture. You can set a book on top too and leave it there for 5 minutes.
  • Unwrap and place tofu on a cutting board. Chop it into bite-size pieces. One at a time dip pieces into the batter you made. If you run out of batter, simply re-filled it following the same proportions.
  • Place the sesame seeds in another small bowl, roll each piece around in the bowl until they stick on all sides. Spread the tofu nuggets on to the prepared baking tray.
  • Bake them for 5 minutes, move them around and bake them for another 5-8 minutes until the seeds turn golden brown. Can serve with sriracha mayo.

Video

Nutrition Facts
Tofu Nuggets
Amount Per Serving (1 oz)
Calories 544 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 300mg13%
Potassium 272mg8%
Carbohydrates 71g24%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 22IU0%
Vitamin C 15mg18%
Calcium 533mg53%
Iron 10mg56%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Baked Tofu Nuggets Nutritional Yeast
Recipe Rating




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