These crispy buffalo tofu wings are crispy, spicy, and full of flavor! Serve them as an appetizer with vegan ranch, buffalo sauce, and carrot and celery sticks, or use them to make a buffalo tofu wrap.
This post is sponsored by EZ Tofu Press.
Buffalo tofu wings are a popular appetizer at vegan restaurants and for good reason—they’re breaded and fried with a crispy, spicy coating that pairs perfectly with crunchy carrots and celery and vegan ranch.
It seems like they would be complicated to make at home, but you can get that crispy texture without a deep fryer or special equipment like an air fryer. Making buffalo tofu wings requires a few more steps than your typical tofu recipe, but you can make them in the oven and with easily accessible ingredients.
Serve these buffalo tofu bites on game day, make a buffalo tofu wrap, or even put them on a pizza!
🌶 Ingredients
- Extra firm tofu
- Vegan “chicken” broth or bouillon
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cornstarch
- Non-dairy milk
- Flour
- Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- Smoked paprika
- Oregano
- Buffalo sauce (cayenne pepper sauce)
- Vegan butter
- Brown sugar
Extra Firm Tofu
I recommend using extra firm tofu for this recipe so that it holds its shape when breading, baking, and coating in sauce.
New to cooking tofu? Check out my Tofu 101 post, which explains the different types of tofu, preparation methods, cooking methods, and other tofu recipes.
Vegan “Chicken” Broth
The tofu marinade base calls for vegan “chicken” broth. I like to make my own broth using vegan “chicken” bouillon or base (such as BulkFoods Vegan Chicken Base or Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base), which can be stored in the fridge or cabinet, and mixed with water.
Panko
Panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs, are coarse breadcrumbs with a lightweight texture. They give the buffalo tofu wings a crispy “wings” texture. You can find them at most supermarkets in the Asian section.
If you can’t find panko, you can use regular breadcrumbs, but I would replace the panko AND the flour with the regular breadcrumbs since they are much finer in texture than panko.
🍽 Equipment
Using a tofu press, such as the EZ Tofu Press, makes pressing the tofu quick, easy, and mess free!
The simple design of the EZ Tofu Press makes it work for all of your tofu pressing needs—no springs, extra pieces, or complicated instructions. The honeycomb design of the plates uses minimal plastic and the press is USDA approved and made in the USA! I’ve had my press for years and it shows no signs of stopping.
If you cook tofu even just once or twice a month, the EZ Tofu Press will get plenty of use in your kitchen. Order your own EZ Tofu Press here.
To use, place your block of tofu between the plates and keep it in place by turning the tension knobs. As the water is pressed out of the tofu, keep turning the knobs every 5 minutes. After about 15 minutes, the tofu will be half its original size and ready to prepare.
🔪 Instructions
To prepare the tofu:
Press the tofu to remove the excess water.
Slice the tofu into bite sized pieces.
Combine the vegan “chicken” broth, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow dish. Add the tofu pieces and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
To bread and bake the tofu:
Take out 3 bowls. Pour the cornstarch in the first bowl, the non-dairy milk in the second one, and combine the flour, panko, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and oregano in the third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with oil and set off to the side.
To bread the tofu, first take a piece and dip to coat in the cornstarch.
Quickly dip in the non-dairy milk.
Move the piece to the breadcrumb mixture to coat.
Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with all of the tofu, replenishing the cornstarch, milk, or breadcrumb mixture if you run out or if they get clumpy. The shape of your tofu pieces will change how much of each ingredient you use.
Place the baking sheet with the breaded tofu in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 20 more minutes, or until golden.
To serve:
Meanwhile, mix the buffalo sauce, vegan butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir to dissolve the vegan butter and brown sugar. Keep warm.
Once the tofu is done baking, coat the tofu pieces in the buffalo sauce, 1-2 pieces at a time, then transfer to a dish.
Serve immediately with vegan ranch, extra buffalo sauce, and carrot and celery sticks.
💭 Tips
- The buffalo tofu will get soggy if it sits too long after coating in buffalo sauce, so wait to do this step until you’re ready to serve.
- Make sure to change the cornstarch, non-dairy milk, or panko mixture if it gets clumpy. This will make the breading gummy.
- “Buffalo sauce” is cayenne pepper sauce.
- Looking for vegan ranch? You can find prepared vegan ranch dressings at most supermarkets, or you can make your own. My Vegan Ranch Dressing recipe is easy to make and tastes so much better than store bought! You can even make the vegan mayo from scratch too with my Aquafaba Mayo recipe.
📋 Variations
Buffalo Tofu Wrap
To make a buffalo tofu wrap, place 3-4 pieces of buffalo tofu on a large tortilla, then add lettuce, vegan ranch dressing, and any other fillings you like, such as tomatoes, onion slices, or pickles.
Roll up like a burrito and cut before serving.
Seitan or Tempeh Wings
This recipe can also be made with seitan or tempeh. You can use 1lb store bought or homemade seitan (such as Chicken Style Seitan) or tempeh. Marinate the seitan or tempeh, then proceed with the recipe as written.
📖 Recipe
Crispy Buffalo Tofu Wings
These crispy buffalo tofu wings are crispy, spicy, and full of flavor! Serve them as an appetizer with vegan ranch, buffalo sauce, and carrot and celery sticks, or use them to make a buffalo tofu wrap.
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra firm tofu (1 block)
- 2 cups vegan “chicken” broth or prepared bouillon
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Breading:
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup flour
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
Sauce:
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
To prepare the tofu:
- Press the tofu to remove the excess water.
- Slice the tofu into bite sized pieces.
- Combine the vegan “chicken” broth, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow dish. Add the tofu pieces and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
To bread and bake the tofu:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Take out 3 bowls. Pour the cornstarch in the first bowl, the non-dairy milk in the second one, and combine the flour, panko, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and oregano in the third.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with oil and set off to the side.
- To bread the tofu, take a piece and dip to coat in the cornstarch, then quickly dip in the non-dairy milk. Move the piece to the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat with all of the tofu, replenishing the cornstarch, milk, or breadcrumb mixture if you run out or if they get clumpy. The shape of your tofu pieces will change how much of each ingredient you use.
- Place the baking sheet with the breaded tofu in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 20 more minutes, or until golden.
To serve:
- Mix the buffalo sauce, vegan butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir to dissolve the vegan butter and brown sugar. Keep warm.
- Once the tofu is done baking, coat the tofu pieces in the buffalo sauce, 1-2 pieces at a time, then transfer to a dish. Serve immediately with vegan ranch, extra buffalo sauce, and carrot and celery sticks.
Notes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 360Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2493mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 17g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
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