Crispy Tofu Nuggets
crispy vegan tofu nuggets
These tofu nuggets are crispy, flavoursome and SO delicious!
Tofu is probably one of the most versatile ingredients out there, you can do so much with it! This is definitely one of my favourite dishes to make using Tofu, if you have some time on your hands, this recipe is worth trying. It’s something that everyone at home can enjoy. Egg free and dairy free, these vegan ‘chicken’ nuggets give you that meaty takeaway feel but without the meat and without the grease! You can enjoy these in a sandwich, a wrap or even on their own! Serve with a dip of your choice and some fries on the side to make the perfect fakeaway (homemade takeaway) meal!
Some notes before you begin:
TOFU
You want to use extra firm tofu for this recipe as this will give the nuggets the correct texture and chewiness.
Draining:
You must drain the water out of your tofu as this allows it to absorb more flavour and improves the texture of it.
The best way to drain out the water, wrap the tofu in a kitchen towel, put it on a chopping board and place a weighted object on top of it. Let this sit for 20-30 minutes so that the tofu can drain and get firmer.
In this recipe I also freeze the tofu after draining it once to remove more water and get the tofu even firmer. Once you remove from the freezer and defrost, press out water again.
Thawing:
To thaw the tofu, either leave the tofu at room temperature or place it in the microwave for quicker results. Thawing helps the tofu to absorb the marinade better!
MARINATING THE TOFU
I find that marinating the tofu before coating it in the batter and breadcrumbs adds so much flavour to these nuggets. The longer you allow the tofu to marinate, the better, but even just 15-20 minutes gives your nuggets an amazing taste!
COOKING THE NUGGETS
I don’t feel its necessary to deep fry these nuggets. Shallow frying them yields the same golden brown and crispy nuggets but with much less oil. The oil should reach about 1/3 height of the nugget when frying. Alternatively, you can also bake these nuggets if you’d like to reduce the oil completely. Simply spray the nuggets with some oil and bake them in the oven at 200°C/400°F for 20-25 minutes. Turn them over in between to ensure that they cook evenly and are golden brown on each side.
Crispy Tofu Nuggets
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wrap tofu between paper towels and place a weighted object on top to drain out the water. Leave for 20 minutes until the towels are soaking wet.
- Place tofu in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and allow tofu to defrost until thawed. Repeat step 1, pressing the tofu for another 10 minutes until all of the water has been drained.
- Cut or tear the tofu into equal sized nugget like pieces.
- Put tofu pieces into a large bowl and add the smoked paprika, garlic, salt and soya sauce marinate. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Whilst the tofu marinates, prepare 3 bowls for the batter and coating. In the first bowl, add the milk and apple cider vinegar, mix and allow it to sit for a few minutes. In the second bowl, add the flour on its own. In the third bowl, add all of the ingredients for the breadcrumb coating (breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, garlic granules, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper).
- Once tofu has finished marinating, dip each piece into the flour, then into the milk, back into the flour, then milk again and finally into the breadcrumb batter. Place all battered pieces on a plate.
- Place a pan over medium heat and add some oil. The oil should cover about 1/3 of the height of the nuggets in order to shallow fry.
- Once the oil is hot, add the nuggets and cook until golden brown. Keep turning to ensure that all sides of the nuggets are golden and crispy. This will take a few minutes.
- Prepare a plate with a paper towel. Once the tofu nuggets are cooked, remove from the pan and place on plate to absorb the extra oil. Serve and enjoy!
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