These easy Tofu Nuggets pack some serious crunch! Marinated, tossed in a seasoned cornflake crust, and baked until golden, they’re a perfectly poppable snack to serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
I’m no stranger to feeding picky kids, which is why I have so many vegan kid-friendly recipes on my blog! My kids always love these Simple Vegan Pancakes, my Best Vegan Mac and Cheese, and, of course, Vegan Sloppy Joes.
These Tofu Nuggets, or vegan chik’n nuggets, have everything you love about classic chicken nuggets, just without the meat! They’re soft and tender on the inside and satisfyingly crispy on the outside (kids won’t even care that they’re eating tofu).
The trick to making them so amazing? We tear the tofu into bite-sized chunks, so the delicious 5-ingredient marinade gets trapped in the nooks and crannies. After a quick soak, they’re coated in seasoned cornflake crumbs and baked until super golden and crispy.
Serve them hot with the Classic Dipping Sauce or your favorite store-bought dip and watch them disappear!
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“These are amazing and so easy to make! I’ve been making them weekly now 🙂 The sauce is so delicious!” – Heather
Why you’ll love these vegan chicken nuggets
- The best dippable snack – I highly recommend making a double batch and serving them with my Vegan Ranch Dressing, ketchup, vegan honey mustard, and the Classic Dipping Sauce!
- Seriously crispy! Coating the tofu chunks in seasoned cornflake crumbs before baking gives them that satisfying fast-food style crunch.
- Packed with flavor – Marinating the tofu for just 10 minutes infuses every nugget with as much crave-worthy flavor as classic chicken nuggets.
How to make crispy tofu nuggets
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Prepare the tofu: Press the block tofu to remove the excess water, then rip it into bite-sized pieces.
How to press tofu
Pressing the excess moisture out of the block of tofu is how you get tender, meaty nuggets. To press the tofu, wrap the block in paper towels (or a clean, dry tea towel) and balance a plate or skillet on top. Place a few heavy books on the plate/skillet and let the tofu drain for about 30 minutes.
Marinate the tofu: Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the tofu pieces to the bowl and stir gently to coat. Set them aside to marinate for about 10 minutes.
Set up your dredging station: Add the plant milk to a medium bowl and the flour to another bowl.
Add the cornflakes, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt to a food processor. Process until you’re left with coarse crumbs, then pour them into a third bowl.
Bread the tofu: Dip one piece of tofu at a time into the flour, then the milk, and finally, the cornflake crumb mixture. Place it on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat the same process with the remaining tofu nuggets.
Don’t overcrowd the nuggets
Leave about 1 inch between each nugget on the pan. If they’re packed too closely or touching, they’ll steam rather than crisp up. I recommend dividing them between two baking sheets if you run out of room.
Bake the tofu nuggets until they’re golden and crispy, then serve them hot with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Yes, it’s true that kids love these crispy nuggets in all forms: after school, for movie night, at dinner, and for an appetizer. As long as you have a few dipping sauces on the side, I know they’ll be gone in a flash. They go great with:
- The Classic Dipping Sauce (find it in the recipe card below)
- Sweet & savory sauces: BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce, vegan honey mustard, or plum sauce.
- Spicy & zesty sauces: Chipotle sauce, bang bang sauce, or vegan buffalo sauce.
- Kid-approved staples: Vegan ranch dressing, garlic mayo, or ketchup.
And if you want to make these tofu nuggets for a full meal, fold them into a tortilla or pita with fresh veggies and ranch dressing, top them on this Vegan Kale Caesar Salad for extra protein, or pair them with steamed broccoli and cooked rice for dinner.
Frequently asked questions
I like using firm or extra-firm tofu. They’re a little squishy in the middle but get nice and tender after baking. You can also use super firm tofu. It doesn’t need to be pressed ahead of time and has a less-squishy, meatier texture.
The coating will have a hard time sticking to dry varieties of tofu, like super firm tofu. It also helps to process the cornflakes into coarse crumbs, not huge pieces (those won’t stick). Lastly, dipping the tofu into the milk/flour before the cornflake mixture always helps the breading stick.
Sure. Just use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari instead of soy sauce in the marinade. For the coating, use gluten-free flour and gluten-free cornflakes.
Panko breadcrumbs do work, but I find that cornflakes have the most crunch!
Yes! Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray and place the coated tofu in a single layer in the basket (work in batches so the pieces aren’t touching). Spray with cooking spray, then air fry at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Flip the tofu, then cook for another 15 minutes.
I prefer to bake the tofu because it’s less hands-on and requires much less oil than the stovetop. That being said, the pan-frying method does work! Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet on the stovetop, then add the tofu pieces (making sure they aren’t touching) and cook until each side is golden brown. It helps if you leave the pieces alone so they have plenty of time to get crispy.
The leftover cooked nuggets will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in an air fryer, oven, or stovetop until crispy.
Yes, the leftover cooked nuggets will freeze well for about 2 months! I’d probably reheat them in a 350ºF oven or air fryer until warm and crispy.
Crispy Tofu Nuggets
Ingredients
Tofu + Marinade
- (2) 14.5 ounce blocks firm tofu
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Milk + Flour Batter
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plant milk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Cornflake Crumb Coating
- 4 cups cornflakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- spray oil, for baking
Optional Classic Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
Instructions
Press, rip and marinate tofu
- Press the tofu by wrapping in paper towels (or a clean dry tea towel). Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books on top of that. Let the tofu press for about 30 minutes.
- Rip tofu into pieces – Slice the tofu into about 6 slices. Now, rip each slice into medium-large pieces. You can also simply cut them into cubes, if you prefer, but ripping gives the tofu a great texture for the nuggets.
- Marinate – In a large bowl, whisk all the marinade ingredients together until well combined. Add the tofu pieces to the bowl and stir gently to coat the pieces. Let marinate for 10 minutes while you prepare the batter and coatings.
Bread the tofu and bake the nuggets
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. This will help the nuggets be very crispy and not stick.
- Place milk and flour in bowls – Pour the plant milk into a medium sized bowl. Place the flour in another bowl.
- Prepare cornflake crumb mixture – In a food processor, add the cornflakes, smoked paprika, onion powder and salt and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the crumbs to a medium bowl. Place the bowl of milk, flour and crumbs next to each other for a dipping station that is also close to the prepared pan.
- Coat the tofu – Remove a piece of tofu from the marinade and dip it in the flour. Shake off excess flour and dip into the milk. Shake off any excess milk, then roll in the cornflake crumb mixture to coat. Place on the baking sheet and continue until all the pieces are coated and ready to bake.
- Bake tofu nuggets – Spray the tofu nuggets well with cooking spray. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until golden and crispy. Alternatively, fry them for a few minutes on each side in a pan coated in oil over medium-high heat, in batches.
- Make the quick classic dip – Simply whisk all dip ingredients in a bowl. That's it!
- Serve vegan tofu nuggets with classic dip, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce or ranch and enjoy.
Notes
- Gluten free? Use gluten free tamari and gluten free flour.
- If you don’t want to use cornflakes, vegan panko breadcrumbs work in place, though they are not gluten free. And I highly prefer the crunch of cornflakes.
- Leftovers: Store leftover nuggets in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and reheat in an air fryer, oven or stovetop until crispy again.
I re-read the comments and i wasn’t the only one with sticking issues. I did tear the pieces and I did try to make it finer. What about more cornstarch? Would that help?
PS I usually like all Nora’s recipes!
Hi Melinda, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. Yes, I’ve noticed quite a few comments where people are having trouble getting the coating to stick and I’m going to do some testing this week. It sounds like it might need a bit of a revision!
Just wanted to let you know that after some testing I added an extra step that really helps the cornflake crumbs stick better, so that should solve the problem that some folks have had! Thank you.
Wonder what i did wrong? I couldn’t get the cornflakes to stick?
Any suggestions?
Hi Nora, I followed this recipe but cut my tofu into steaks to create “fried chicken” for a sandwich with bread and butter pickles and vegan mayo. It worked wonderfully and was so delicious! I’ll echo other comments and say that the cornflakes must be crushed VERY fine in order to stick to the tofu. Uneven coverage didn’t matter much for my purposes, but it’s something to note. These were easy enough and delicious enough that I’ll definitely be making them again.
Hi Jessica. I appreciate your fabulous review and wonderful idea for a chicken sandwich!
This recipe did not work at all for me.
As much as I love nora cooks, and I do, I use her recipes all the time, this was an utter disaster.
First off like many said the toppings do not stick to the tofu at all so I wound up with almost naked tofu and a bowl full of wasted topping.
I did persevere though and I cooked it and it had absolutely no taste whatsoever.
It was a lot of cleanup, a lot of cooking a lot of preparation and I’m still not done cleaning.
Topping that didn’t stick to the tofu certainly stuck to everything else like glue.
It also was a relatively expensive recipe to make I figure at least $9.
I would recommend staying away from this recipe.
But definitely keep looking at her recipes cuz most of them are absolutely fabulous.
I’m really sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. Did you by any chance use the super firm variety of tofu that it pretty dry to begin with? That one makes it hard for things to stick to. Another trick is to make sure you process the cornflakes into coarse crumbs, not huge pieces or they will have trouble sticking. And don’t forget to dip in the milk/cornstarch first, then quickly into the bowl with the cornflake mixture, so it sticks. Anyhow, glad you’ve enjoyed some of my other recipes. 🙂
Just wanted to note to read the directions and don’t assume marinade means overnight. The breading is wonderful and the texture after freezing is amazing but marinading overnight turns them into soy sauce sticks.
Can you use 2% milk instead of SOY?
Hi Tracy. I have not tested this, however, it should work! Happy cooking!
Amazing, I was skeptical but even my husband liked them. A little labor intensive for me but will definitely make again!
I really wanted to love these but I was so frustrated making them. I started with using the corn flakes, the flakes werent sticking to the tofu and the flakes themselves were getting soggy from the marinade I guess…? So then I switched to the panko and it was the same thing, not sticking and getting soggy/clumpy. Idk what went wrong because I followed the directions. I ended up getting so annoyed that I threw them away. Any ideas on what could have gone wrong?
I had the same issue unfortunately.
I just wanted to add that the cornflakes did not stick to a smooth surface so I suggest to just rip the tofu block without cutting it
I’m sorry to hear that, Neve! Were your cornflakes crushed into fine crumbs? The larger pieces won’t stick as well. The cereal can also become a little soggy when touching the batter, but it crisps up in the oven.
I’ll try to crush the cornflakes a bit more. Making this again this afternoon 🙂 Thanks for your reply and the suggestion!
You are welcome! Enjoy!
I’d suggest editing your recipe to say to pulse the corn flakes until they are fine crumbs. It says not to do this, but I just made these and had the same issue of the crumbs not sticking. If I make this recipe again I’ll do them until they are ground to a fine powder.
I actually don’t prefer fine crumbs, but it’s okay to blend until fine if you prefer. I like the texture better with crumbles, but not totally powder.
This recipe is fantastic… I add red pepper flakes to the panko; I might try it next time with heavy whipping cream. Really outside job In this recipe. Do you Have any Recipes for Asian cuisine without rice vinegar? And I hate to admit it; I wouldn’t say I do not like the flavor it gives.
These nuggets are the best ever!!! I made the dipping sauce as well and it brings them to the next level! I pressed the tofu then tossed it in the freezer. Once frozen I put it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to defrost. This gave the tofu a chewy, more meat-like texture. I baked them as per the recipe to cook them but then used my air fryer to reheat the leftovers (370 for 4 minutes). It worked great! They were nice and crispy and the breading stayed on. Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe! I will definitely be making it again and again!
Thanks for sharing your great review and comments! I’m thrilled that you love the nuggets! I also love the crisp they get when put into an air fryer! Happy cooking!
If I make these in the air fryer, would it still be the same temp/time?
Yes, that’s what I would do. Thanks!
I tried making these for dinner. I love the idea and want to nail these down. It seems my breading flaked off taking them out of the air fryer. Would too much moisture cause this?
The sauce is excellent!
Thanks Alex, let’s see if I can help! They are a little tricky in the air fryer, since air fryers tend to be small. So if you are putting too many tofu bites in at once, that could be part of the problem. Make sure you press the tofu well first, and handle the pieces very carefully. I honestly find it easier to bake them.
Made this tonight – delicious! Love your recipes. They are always tasty!
Thanks Lori! I’m glad you love the tofu! Thank you for using my recipes, and for sharing!
Hey Nora! I was getting really frustrated after purchasing the fake meat “chkn” nuggets from the market. Though they are one of the easy meals I can throw in the oven for my three year old son, they are processed and aren’t exactly healthy. I was so happy when I made these and my son loved them! (my husband also liked them and I had to stop him from eating them all) They are super easy to make and one of his favorite meals. More kid friendly recipes of yours would be great!
Hi Hannah. I’m glad your son loves the nuggets (and your husband)! Thank you!
SO GOOD!! The nuggets came out crispy and delicious. Even my mom, who can be a little fussy about tofu, loved these. Didn’t add the maple syrup to the dip and it still turned out delicious (and just a liiiiittle healthier). I crave these!
I’m glad you like the nuggets, Maddie! Thank you so much fo sharing!
I’ve been making tofu “chicken” for years – instead of just pressing it like you do, I use frozen & pressed tofu. The texture is remarkably like chicken. The tofu gets sliced, put on a baking sheet and frozen, then thawed and pressed. This can be repeated multiple times until there is very little water left. For “chicken” the marinade is vegetarian imitation chicken bouillon (from cubes) or vegetarian low salt bouillon plus paprika, onion power & parsley, and a little toasted sesame oil
Sounds great, thanks for sharing!
I LOVE THESE!! I am not fully vegan as I do enjoy the occasional chicken or steak but I just try to stay conscious of my meat consumption. I made these the other day and I’m about to make them again. They were that delicious! At first, I was going to use something else besides corn flakes but I am so glad I used the corn flakes because it gives the tofu such a nice crunch!! Definitely going to be a staple recipe for me!! Thank you!
Hi Danielle. I agree that the corn flakes give these nuggets a fantastic crunch! I’m glad you love them! Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments!
My husband and I LOVED these! We made without spritzing with oil and it turned out just fine. Today we will make for the second time and have with oven fries (cooked on baking racks to mimic an air fryer). Reminds me of the days 25 years ago when I’d make my kids boxed chicken nuggets and bagged fries – but this is WAAAAAY tastier and better for us! Wish I knew then what I know now! I’d have done things very differently!
Hi Cathie. I’m glad you and your husband love the nuggets! They are a favorite in my home as well. Thank you!
Yummy! Tried the dip too and it was lovely 🙂
I made this twice. It was a HUGE success with two non-vegans.
I made a double recipe of the sauce and it was perfect. I think I must buy giant heads of cauliflower because I needed to use a whole box of panko flakes for mine.
The second time I made it I did the following tweaks: used ginger grated with a microplaner instead of powdered ginger, cut the sugar by 1/3, and added some orange zest.
Without the tweaks the recipe is a 5/5 with the tweaks it’s just a little bit different and better for my pre-diabetic spouse.
Thank you for this!
That sauce was incredible. Thanks for all the great recipes; your site is my go to for a lot of meals.
You’re welcome!
You have some outstanding tofu recipes but this one is my favorite! Outstanding! And the dip is fabulous too!
Thanks so much!
These are SO good! I used firm tofu and it was fine. There are a number of steps but they’re very easy to make. This is yet another keeper recipe from Nora. Well done and thank you!
You’re welcome!!
Hi Nora
I make crispy tofu at least once a week. It goes well with EVERYTHING! What I do is put some cornstarch and seasoning salt in a gallon size zip lock and put the tofu cubes in and give them a good shake to coat. I place them on a greased cookie sheet in the oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes, turn and bake for another 15. Totally crispy and yumm. No need to marinate. Love, love, love!
These are amazing!! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
In place of cornstarch, would arrowroot work?
It would probably work quite well, yes.