You are going to love this crispy breaded tofu! If you're sick of the same old baked or stir-fried tofu and want more texture and flavor in your tofu, you have to give this a try! The tofu coating is super versatile and can be made with panko bread crumbs, crackers, stuffing, corn chips, or even cornmeal, plus your choice of herbs and spices to give it a flavorful crunch.
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❤️ You'll love this recipe because it's
- easily made gluten-free.
- bursting with flavor.
- crunchy comfort food.
- kid-friendly.
- a protein-packed meal that the whole family will love.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Tofu - extra firm or the super firm high protein type work the best.
- Soy Sauce - or Tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos for flavor and to moisten the tofu and help the coating stick.
- Bread Crumbs - You can also crumble and use any of the following:
- crackers (any vegan cracker will work)
- a vegan stuffing (like Pepperidge Farm's cornbread stuffing mix).
- corn flakes (GF)
- corn chips (GF)
- Spicy Sweet Chili or Blaze flavored Doritos
- cornmeal. (GF)
- *I have used all of these choices many times and I can't say which is best. They all make a great coating for the tofu, so I just use what I have.
- Flour - you can use white, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour mix. This helps creates a coating that sticks to the tofu and crisps up when cooked.
- Corn Starch - to help the breading be extra crispy. (optional)
- Nutritional Yeast - for flavor. Optional, but recommended.
- Spices - this can vary depending on the flavor that you want to achieve. I like to use poultry seasoning for a chicken nugget flavored tofu or Italian seasoning if I'm serving it with pasta or something Italian flavored. I also like to use Tony Chachere's for a spicy creole flavored tofu too.
- Salt - for flavor. (You may want to reduce or omit if your spices already have salt in them).
🥄 Instructions
- Drain and press a block of tofu getting out as much liquid as possible.
- Mix together breading ingredients on a plate or shallow dish.
- Sprinkle tofu with some soy sauce or equivalent.
- Place the tofu in the breading and press down a little to make the coating stick to the tofu.
- Flip over and coat the other side.
*Now you have 2 choices to cook your tofu baking or Pan Frying.
🥘 Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spread about 2 tbsp of oil on the bottom of a cookie sheet.
- Place the breaded tofu on the cookie sheet and bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, take out of the oven and flip with a spatula.
- Bake for an additional 20 minutes on the other side.
🍳 Pan-frying
- Place 2 tbsp of oil in the bottom of a skillet. (I highly recommend using an iron skillet for tofu. It always cooks perfectly and never sticks to my iron skillet).
- Place the coated tofu in the frying pan and turn heat to medium-high.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crunchy.
🍞 How to make it gluten-free
If you need this to be gluten-free, simply use gluten-free panko, cracker, corn chips, or cornmeal instead of the bread crumbs made from wheat. Also, make sure to use a gluten-free flour mix.
Serve this tofu hot along with pasta, rice, potatoes or any other side dish you like.
You can also make this recipe soy-free, by using chickpea tofu instead of soy-based tofu.
🌟 More tofu recipes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Breaded Tofu - Baked or Pan-Fried
A delicious, easy way to make flavorful breaded tofu.
Servings: 4
Calories: 181kcal
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce or Tamari
For the Breading
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs or crumbled cracker, vegan stuffing, corn chips, cornmeal, or corn flakes cereal to give the breading texture.
- 1/4 cup flour wheat, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour mix works well.
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (optional)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or Italian seasoning or any other dried herb mix of choice.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For cooking the tofu
- 2 tablespoon canola oil or light olive oil
Instructions
Preparing the Tofu:
- Drain and press a block of tofu, getting out as much liquid as possible. Then slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Mix together breading ingredients on a plate or shallow dish.
- Sprinkle tofu with some Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce or equivalent.
- Place the tofu in the breading and press down a little to make the coating stick to the tofu.
- Flip over and coat the other side.
Cooking the tofu: (You have 2 choices, baking or Pan Frying)
Baking the breaded tofu
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread about 2 tbsp of oil on the bottom of a cookie sheet.
- Place the breaded tofu on the cookie sheet and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, take out of the oven and flip with a spatula.
- Bake for an addtional 20 minutes on the other side.
Pan-frying the breaded tofu
- Place 2 tbsp of oil in the bottom of a skillet. (I highly recommend using an iron skillet for tofu. It always cooks perfectly and never sticks to my iron skillet).
- Place the coated tofu in the frying pan and turn heat to medium-high.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crunchy.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 3.5oz | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 918mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2.1mg
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