These tofu nuggets are dreamy!
Vegan Nashville hot tofu nuggets are little bites of bliss. I warn you, they may make you cry from joy. My take on Nashville hot chicken. Which is deep fried, and I promise, I made these just as crispy, but without frying them! These tofu nuggets are baked, but unbelievably crispy and crunchy! Nashville hot sauce is a little sweet and very spicy. These vegan Nashville hot tofu nuggets didn’t last more than 5 minutes in my house!
These tofu nuggets stay crispy for a long time, in case you want to serve a platter at a party! You can even bake them ahead of time, and toss them in the sauce right before you are ready to devour them! I love pressing my tofu over night to make these nuggets ultra firm on the inside!
My friend recently sent me a picture of some pre-pressed tofu she got, and I was totally excited. I feel like I spend a good 20% of my life pressing tofu. Think of all the things I could accomplish. Whatever way you press your tofu, the longer you do it, the firmer it will be!
These vegan Nashville hot tofu nuggets are super quick and easy, baked, sweet and spicy and one of the most amazingly addictive things I have ever eaten. Serve alone, just pop them in your mouth, serve with any dipping sauce you may want, or classic on white bread with pickles!
Vegan Nashville Hot Tofu Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 Block Extra firm tofu
- 1 C. Almond milk or other non dairy milk
- 1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Hot sauce, divided
- 1 C. All purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt, divided
- 2 C. Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 C. Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
- 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. Agave syrup
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
Instructions
- First, you need to press the tofu. You can either use a tofu press, or place the tofu on a plate, and put something heavy on top. Press for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better, and you can even do it over night.
- Once you are ready to make the tofu nuggets, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Now, cut the block of tofu into cubes. Set aside.
- Then take 3 medium/smallish mixing bowls. In the first bowl, whisk together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar and the 1 tsp. of hot sauce. In the second bowl, whisk together the flour and the 1 tsp. of salt. In the third bowl, add the panko.
- Now, taking a few cubes of tofu at a time, toss them in the flour, shake off excess, now put them into the almond milk mixture, make sure they are totally soaked, then back into the flour then back into the almond milk, then into the panko coating completely. Pat the panko on to the tofu to make sure it is fully coated.
- Repeat with all the tofu cubes, placing them on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray, until all the tofu is coated. Then bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes flipping them halfway through baking, or until they are brown and crunchy.
- While the tofu is baking, make the sauce. In a small sauce pan, melt the vegan butter and olive oil together on medium low. Then whisk in the 2 Tbsp. of hot sauce, agave, paprika, garlic powder, and the 1/2 tsp. of salt. Let simmer for a minute, then turn the heat off.
- Once the tofu is done, toss the nuggets in the sauce and serve immediately!
Video
I love to make tofu nuggets!
I always fry my crispy tofu with rice flour because I don’t have oven.
Great recipe!
Curious which hot sauce you used? These looks fantastic!
I used Frank’s. It is my favorite!
The best kind. Tobasco!
Thanks so much!! Can’t wait to try this dish!
Is there any way I can sub the agave for something else? Idk how it would turn out with maple syrup, lol…
You can use brown sugar, or I think maple syrup would taste great!
This is a great recipe. Learned about it from YouTube Julian solomita. Can’t wait to try to make this tomorrow.
Same here! I have all the ingredients on-hand to make these, coincidentally. I am stoked!!
This recipe was SO amazing & delicious! I’ve been eyeballing it for years & finally got around to making it; my only regret is not making it sooner! My boyfriend, son & I devoured it quickly. It was a hit with everyone!
I pressed my tofu for the entire day (starting first thing this morning) which was definitely key to getting it firm & giving it a really good texture, like it says. I substituted 4C seasoned bread crumbs because I didn’t have Panko, & I used pure raw honey because I didn’t have agave. It turned out absolutely incredible – seriously guys…on it’s own as an app, or put it on some bread with pickles & ranch & ohhhhh my. Yum. I can’t wait to make it again! And with two guys that loved it, I think I may have to make two blocks next time!
Thanks for the recipe!🤤
I am making some now, have been wanting to try them
and they smell amazing, can’t wait to try them
oh yum! these look amazing!
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a blog post, but seriously I couldn’t not. Just made these and they are SO GOOD. I don’t even know how but they are amazing. My husband (a meat eater) absolutely loved them too!! Keep up the good work! <3
Thank you!!! Just made these for Sunday football, absolutely wonderful, will make again and again. fabulous recipe! Vegans win today!
Would it turn out okay if I did more of patty type shape instead of the nugs?
I think that would still work out great. They may need to bake a little longer if they are larger than a nugget, but I would just bake until crispy.
Do you press the tofu overnight and leave them in the fridge? Or just leave them out? Looks amazing btw!
I usually just leave the tofu out on the counter!
I don’t want to remember life before I found this recipe. It is SO GOOD. My meat eating husband not only goes bananas for these, but he (who also hates leftovers) will shamelessly snatch these out of the fridge on his way to work the next day.
Hello:)
How many grams is 1 Block tofu?
Amazing photos:)
One block of tofu would be about 425 grams. 🙂
Any at to make sauce mild instead of hot (spicy)? I want to make them because they look delish but neither my husband or I do super spicy stuff. Thanks!
You could do a sweet BBQ sauce, or make the sauce with a very mild hot sauce. Or maybe with just tomato sauce and the agave?
Frank’s hot sauce isn’t terribly spicy- you could use half of the hot sauce called for and the rest tomato sauce.
Literally the BEST. Crispy, hot and delicious, thank you so much for this recipe!!
I just made these and wolfed them all down immediately! SO delicious, perfect combo of sweet, crispy and spicy!
I’ve made this a bunch of times now. THANK YOU!!!! This is absolutely my favorite tofu recipe. I usually make without the hot sauce and then toss half with BBQ sauce for my kids and 1/2 with hot sauce for me.
Perfect as written. You’ve done it again with a DELICIOUS recipe!
Is the 375 degrees celsius or farhenheit? European asking here haha xx
It’s 375 degrees Fahrenheit. So that converts to about 190 degrees Celsius.
I have every ingredient to make the Nashville hiot nugs right now….
Except I have to press the tofu. I don’t want to wait!!
I have some pre-pressed five spice tofu also. Anyone have good suggestions for what to do with it?
These are crispy and delicious. I’m not a vegan or even vegetarian, but I would eat these all day every day.
These were delicious! I didn’t quite end up with enough sauce, so maybe increasing the sauce by just a little bit would be a good idea, but this was so tasty. I wanted to have leftovers for tomorrow, but the hubby and I finished them in the blink of an eye.
This was amazing! My partner and I have been vegetarian for a while but we have never had tofu that came out so well, and I lived in Japan for university so I’ve had plenty of tofu in my life. I saw this recipe on Reddit. Thank you so much!
I’ve made this twice now and it is so good!!!! I used sweet baby rays buffalo sauce and doubled the amount of hot sauce.
I also modified this recipe and used orange sauce to make orange “chikn”.
Also amazing!
Literally dream about these tofu nuggets. Go to bed excited that I could eat them again the next day , if I so choose. I add a bit of extra smoked paprika to the sauce and season the tofu with garlic, paprika and chipotle before I bread it because I love really smoky food, but it’s insanely delicious just the way it is. Since going vegan, Nashville Hot has been the dish I missed the most, but no longer!! Thank you. My decidedly not-vegan boyfriend inhaled these.
First time making today. Mine didn’t look like the photo; maybe my Panko was chunkier..had to bake them longer to get the crunch and “nugget” firmness inside..They are awesome!!; will make extra sauce next time (and there will be a next time).. would even be good in a salad..Thanks for sharing this!!!
Do you know how many calories are in these a piece?
So! Freakin’! Good! Was skeptical about crispy baked tofu, but I was pleasantly surprised. So drlicious that I’m making them for my birthday dinner this week. Probably gonna add a bit more hot sauce. I would recommend Frank’s Red Hot.
Hi…can you use almond flour or just gluten free would be best? Trying to make it gluten free. Thank you!
I think gluten free all purpose flour would be best if you have that. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you! Baking now and hoping they hurry up and brown 🙂
Just made these and probably should’ve doubled the sauce! Love how crispy the tofu turned out without having to fry it. Personally, it wasn’t spicy enough for me so next time I think I’ll add more hot sauce in general (I used Frank’s). Overall great recipe and makes a big portion!
Loved the crispy outside soft inside double feature. The sauce is hot for those that don’t realize. Many suggest using barbecue sauce. You can cut calories by using barbecue sauce or sweet and sour sauce or peanut sauce or honey mustard…. The possibilities are endless. They are good as an accompaniment to a salad.
Absolutely delicious! I make these for everyone!
I saw these on Julien’s video and had to make them immediately. My mind is seriously blown! The crispy crunch, the flavor, the texture! I wish I had made a double batch! I’ve never had fried chicken this good. I used coconut milk and rice flour bc that’s what I had on hand, and damn these were amazing!
I didn’t have exactly all the same stuff but I followed it super duper close and WOWZA! hit the spot, they were so yummy ❤️ so happy I came across this blog and recipe! Can’t wait to try another one 😍
Im an idiot and used silken tofu rather than normal tofu and this recipe still turned out ok! the sauce tastes amazing and the bites are so crisp. even though mine turned out more like nashville hot cream cheese, i still loved it and cant wait to try it the right way!
These are great. I put them in a taco with some romaine lettuce and vegan ranch.
Oh my goodness, this was so good! We had to substitute a few things but man, it was still delicious! We are already pressing another slab of tofu for tomorrow 😆
I used regular bread crumbs instead of panko and maple syrup instead of agave and they turned out great! Crunchy and chewy and flavorful and delicious. I’d probably add a bit more heat next time, but that’s just a personal preference. I will definitely make these again!
Wonder if anyone has tried making these in the air fryer? Any advice on cooking temp and time?
I did these in the air fryer last night. I did 370* for 13 minutes and then did 390 for 7 minutes. They turned out great.
Made these for my Super Bowl snack and holy moly are they good. Crispy, spicy-sweet, satisfying. Can’t wait to riff on this base nugget with different finishing sauces (bbq for sure, toss Italian seasonings into the breading and then dip into tomato sauce?). Have been eyeballing this recipe for awhile and am glad I finally tried it!
It looks absolutely mouthwatering! I’ve never managed to get a good recipe with tofu, but yours it’s another story
Thank you
How would this taste using buffalo sauce instead of hot sauce?
I think that would be great!
These were amazing! Even skeptical family members were a fan. Thanks for sharing.
This is one of the most requested meals in my house. I’ve used and followed this recipe so many times I cant even count. Thanks for sharing. It’s so good!
These were pretty quick and simple almost like a vegan bar food. I swapped the agave syrup for maple syrup. Maple-hot is an incredibly underrated flavour combo!
This is a great recipe that does not require obscure ingredients that call for going to the store. They taste amazing! At the end, I dip in the buffalo sauce and then bake an additional 5 minutes. If anyone wants “saucier” wings there is always Frank’s available for dipping.
Did this recipe with coconut flour and honey instead of agave sugar. Also used Sriracha instead of hot sauce. Oooo so great. Just cooked a little longer for crispy nuggets. Thanks for the recipe
I made these for dinner tonight! They are incredible!! My husband is not a fan of tofu, but said he really liked them!
I absolutely love this recipe! I sub the hot sauce for gochujang and brown sugar instead of agave. So amazing!
Could you use dairy milk?
Sure! It should work the same!
Awesome recipe. Plans went awry so I ended up soaking my drained tofu in the wet mix overnight. Then dipped in the flour and back in the wet and then the panko. Made it super flavorful and didn’t compromise the texture. Thanks for the recipe!
So i used brown sugar because i didn’t have any agave on hand for the sauce and they came out really good!!! My husband and kids ate it…i only used spicy korean sauce for the milk when breading but didnt add it to the sauce because my kids wont be able to eat it and so it wasnt spicy for me and my husband, i mean we made our own separately to dip but this was really good with or without the spice. Ketchup with this and toasted whole wheat organic bread and pickles!! OMG!! My kids licked their fingers after finishing everything and i have a 4 year old picky eater and she said mom that was the best chicken nugget(Laughing emoji)! Thank you for a really easy and delicious recipe!
Have you tried to make this in the air fryer? if so, what degrees and for how long?
We haven’t done it ourselves but we have seen others use it for the tofu nuggets with success!
I’ve never mad tofu in this manner before. OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!! LOVE, LOVE! I’m so glad I came across this recipe today. The tofu was THE.CRISPIEST! I’m so happy there was no frying involved and they crisped up PERFECTLY in the oven. It did take some time (not the gathering 3 bowls w/ ingredients, but the actual coating, bathing and coating and bathing, etc,) BUT I didn’t mind AT ALL! I was enjoying the process very much and the end product was WORTH every minute. My hubby really enjoyed these as well, I’m the veggie head in our marriage, but he never hesitates to try what I’ve made or eating. 🙂 I’ll definitely be trying out more recipes from this page. Thank you for the food love!
These were totally addictive! We had them with roasted broccoli and blue cheese dressing. Delicious!
Made these this weekend with my boyfriend for his family, as everybody loved them. Absolutely delicious.
So good, we can’t stop thinking about them. Do you think if we used slices of tofu they’d crisp up the same way? Would love to try them on a sandwich.
Omg this was AMAZING!! Pressing the tofu was a game changer. Thank you!
What is the weight of the tofu?
This sounds amazing!! I love Buffalo sauce! When pressing tofu overnight should it stay in the refrigerator?
I have been making your recipes for a couple years and none have failed me. Made the Nashville Hot Tofu Nuggets for my family of 5 to rave reviews, hubby of 22 years said it was the best tofu dish I have ever made. Thanks for making such amazing recipes and perfect directions. I agree Franks is the bomb.
Holy heck, this recipe is incredible! Thank you!
Lauren this was fantastic. I made it exactly how you have it posted. I put the tofu on top of brown rice with broccoli and made for a great lunch! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
David
The sauce on these are ah-mazing and drinkable. Yea, I said it. I used GF panko that didn’t stick as great, so might try with a traditional panko. Next time, I’d like to dip in a ranch or blue cheese sauce. Fantastic!
This is a great recipe.
I have made these twice now and I love them. I didn’t have any agave so I used date syrup and I think it gave them a very nice flavor. Thanks for sharing!
I usually do not comment on blogs/recipes however I have been so impressed w/these recipes I had too. First off, I am SO glad I found this blog! I’ve made these nuggets & 3 other recipes chickpea cutlets, Salisbury steaks, & Caesar fettuccini alfredo. Even my picky toddler has enjoyed all of them! I just bought your cookbook & I am so excited to make more. Thank you for posting & making such creative/delicious recipes that are totally approachable & have brought me back to so many childhood favorites but vegan ❤
this is so kind. Thank you!
I’ve seen this recipe for awhile on Pinterest, thinking that it is just seasoned tofu but OH MY GOD!!!! This is SO GOOD. I added a couple tablespoons of buffalo sauce to the butter mixture and oh my goodness this is INCREDIBLE! It is such a unique recipe. I can’t believe how butter and spices can make such a flavorful sauce. I’m so impressed!! Will definitely make again.