Crispy Buffalo Tofu (Vegan)

The perfect vegan game day snack, everyone will love this crispy buffalo tofu! Serve with your favorite creamy dip and get snacking.

I’m not big into spicy food, but I absolutely love buffalo sauce. In college, I used to eat buffalo chicken wraps regularly, and the flavor really brings me back! Since I stopped eating meat, I’ve found other ways to satisfy my buffalo cravings, including this crispy buffalo tofu.

These buffalo tofu bites are akin to buffalo wings, because they’re perfect for dipping and snacking. If you’re looking for a plant-based game day buffalo snack, look no further! The’re baked instead of fried, yet still crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

More healthy tofu recipes to try: vegan peanut tofu rice bowl, honey balsamic tofu, and grilled miso tofu.

Ingredients in buffalo tofu

Here is everything you need to make this vegan crispy buffalo tofu:

• Tofu: I recommend using extra-firm tofu for this recipe, because it has the least amount of water. After pressing out the water, it holds its shape nicely to be cut into squares. Learn all about how to prepare tofu for cooking, here!
• Flour: You’ll do an easy three-step process to coat the tofu in crispy breadcrumbs. Start with coating each tofu square in flour.
• Unsweetened almond milk: After dipping in flour, dunk the tofu in almond milk to create a wet surface for the breadcrumbs to stick to.
• Panko breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs are bigger and crunchier than regular breadcrumbs – perfect for crispy tofu!
• Buffalo sauce: You want a vinegar-based cayenne pepper buffalo sauce for this recipe. Frank’s Red Hot is a classic that happens to be vegan!
• Creamy dressing: I prefer blue cheese dressing with buffalo sauce. Daiya makes a vegan version!
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper, and paprika

How to make buffalo tofu

First, remove packaging and drain excess water from tofu. Wrap tofu in a clean tea towel and press between two plates. Add a heavy cast iron skillet, some canned food, or a few cookbooks for extra weight. Press for 30 minutes or more.

Slice the tofu into large chunks, about 1.5 inches long. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Set up a breading station using three shallow bowls. In one bowl, whisk together flour and spices. In the next bowl, add almond milk. In the third bowl, mix panko breadcrumbs and olive oil together.

For each piece of tofu, coat lightly in the flour mixture, then dip into the almond milk, and finally dip into the panko mixture to evenly coat each side. Place tofu pieces evenly spaced apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Then, dunk each piece of tofu into buffalo sauce. Serve right away to ensure tofu stays crispy.

Tofu nutritional benefits

Tofu is an incredibly healthy, nutrient dense food to include in your diet. A 1/2 cup serving of tofu provides about 100 calories and 10 grams of protein. 

Tofu, made from soybeans, is considered a complete protein, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids our bodies need for muscle and tissue growth and repair. Plant-based proteins are low in saturated fat, so they do not raise cholesterol levels.

Tofu contains other important nutrients, like calcium and iron. One serving contains about 550 mg (43% of your daily needs) of calcium and 2.5 mg (14% of your daily needs) of iron. These particular nutrients are generally found in animal foods, so they are sometimes harder to get when following a vegan diet.

In addition, tofu contains compounds called isoflavones, which may have health protective effects. Isoflavones have been linked to reduced risk of heart disease and some cancers.

More game day recipes to try

• Buffalo Chickpea Quinoa Meatballs
• Buffalo Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps
• The Best Homemade Guacamole
• Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Lime Tahini Sauce
• Loaded Greek Salad Hummus for a Crowd

Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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