Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Vegan Chicken Nuggets are perfectly poppable bites that are great for dunking into your favorite dipping sauce. Consider making a double batch because they will disappear fast!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 165kcal
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, salt and pepper 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 chicken 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 796mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 436IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 6mg