Crispy Tofu Bites (air fryed or baked)
These are so delicious and tasty and make the best lunch! You can pair them with a creamy ranch, buffalo sauce, honey mustard or BBQ sauce. Although this recipe may look intimidating at first glance, I promise you its not! This takes me less than 30 minutes to make. Today we are using the tofu freezing method. So, first things first, FREEZE YOUR TOFU! Yes, I said freeze it. If you haven't heard of this method yet, well I am here to pass it along to you and change your life. I know this sounds like an annoying hassle or lengthy step that you don't have time for, but its worth it. The texture is a lot more chewy and bouncy this way!
To save time, next time you go to the grocery store instead of buying one tofu buy two. When you get home just simply freeze one. Take it out of the plastic box, pour out the liquid, dab it with a towel and place it in a zip block bag. Toss it in the freezer.
When you're ready to make this recipe pull out the tofu and let it defrost in some water. If you don't want to wait the extra time then feel free to microwave it for about five minutes or so (depending how strong your microwave is). The best part is, this makes your tofu last longer too!
Ingredients
For the (mostly) wet mixture:
Three 1/4 cups of unsweetened non dairy milk
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbs of flour (to thicken)
For the dry ingredients (two separate bowls):
1 cup of panko bread crumbs (to start- if more is needed add an additional half cup)
1 1/2 cup of flour
Other Ingredients:
14 oz extra firm tofu frozen and thawed (the frozen method is the best for texture)
Tips
Trader Joe’s extra firm tofu works best using the freezing method but if you can’t grab that brand just grab any.
Having three different mixtures can get messy. After mixing each ingredient into three separate bowls; clean the area around you.. it’s less stressful cooking with clean counters.
If 1 cup of bread crumbs is not enough add an an additional half, if needed.
Place a spoon in each the flour bowl, bread crumb bowl and a fork in the wet mixture.. this will ensure your hands stay clean.
Step 1: Thaw the frozen tofu, press the excess water out and roughly chop or pull a part your tofu. This doesn’t need to be perfect.
Step 2: Grab three small bowls.
Step 3: In the first small bowl combine the non dairy milk, Dijon mustard, flour (1tbs), garlic and onion powder, mix until everything is combined.
Step 4: In the second bowl add the flour.
Step 5: In the third bowl add the panko bread crumbs.
Step 6: Grab a piece of tofu, dip it into the wet mixture and make sure each side is coated evenly. Then dip it into the flour coating it evenly. Dip it into the wet mixture and straight into the panko bread crumbs.
— i.e. Wet mixture, flour mixture, wet mixture, bread crumb mix.
Step 7: If you are air frying place each piece into the air fryer. If you are baking oil up a baking sheet and place them on the baking sheet.
Step 8 (for air fryer): Air fry at 365 degrees for 8 minutes. Flip half way through. Keep in mind all air fryers are different and I’ve learned this the hard way by burning food while following other recipes. So feel free to set the timer for 3 minute intervals instead.
Step 9 (if baking): You can also bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes and flip half way through.
My favorite dipping sauces is to pair this with a creamy ranch, buffalo sauce or vegan honey mustard. Get my vegan honey mustard recipe here!
If you re create this tag @lovebyplants on Instagram and leave a comment below. I love to see it! You can also pin this recipe for easier access and to save for later.
