Crispy Tofu Bites

If you're new to tofu or a little skeptical, then this is the recipe for you! These Crispy Tofu Bites have been marinaded, tossed in panko breadcrumbs, and then fried until G.B.D. (Golden Brown Delicious). ⁠The preparation takes a little bit of time, but once you're set up you'll be on a roll and done cooking in no time. I chose to shallow fry these so that I can use a smaller amount of oil, but you could totally bake them if you wanted to avoid frying altogether.

There's one ingredient in here that you may or may not have ever heard of, nutritional yeast. It might sound a little weird to include something like this in food but nutritional yeast gives vegan and vegetarian food a delicious savory flavor without having to use animal products.

Nutritional yeast is from the same yeast species as bakers or brewers yeast but is a very different product. Nutritional yeast is grown and manufactured to be a food product. The yeast cells are killed during manufacturing and not alive in the final product. Nutritional yeast contains high-quality protein, an abundance of B vitamins, and several trace minerals.

These tofu bites just aren't complete without a dipping sauce! Introducing my favorite Honey Mustard Greek Yogurt Sauce to dip these tasty little bites of heaven into! I promise you're going to love it, you can thank me later.

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Crispy Tofu Bites

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. tofu, drained and pressed (see notes on how to press tofu)

¼ - ½ c. canola oil, for frying (amount depends on pan size)

Marinade:

¼ c. tamari or soy sauce

½ c. water

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

Batter:

½ c. flour

1 c. milk (I used unsweetened oat milk)

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Breading:

1 ½ c. panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Marinade

1. Once your tofu has been pressed, slice crosswise into ½ inch slices. From hear can cut the tofu into bite-size pieces according to preference. (Mine were about ½ inch thick and about 1 inch long little rectangles. You could also opt to tear it into pieces if you want.)

2. In a flat-bottomed container, add all of the marinade ingredients and stir to combine. Add in the tofu and stir to combine so that all of the tofu is coated. Allow marinating for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Batter and Breading

1. For the batter, in a bowl, combine the milk and apple cider vinegar. This creates a sort of vegan buttermilk.

2. Add in the flour and stir to combine until there aren’t any more lumps.

3. For the breading, combine all of the ingredients into a separate container and stir until everything is evenly incorporated.

4. Create an assembly line by starting with the batter, then placing the breadcrumb mixture next to that and then place a small sheet pan or plate next to the breadcrumb mixture for you to place the tofu on before frying it.

Assembly

1. Take a piece of tofu from the marinade and dip into the batter. Using a fork remove from the batter (allowing any excess to drip off) and place into the bread crumb mixture. Cover with breadcrumbs and then place them on the sheet pan to be fried.

2. Repeat with the remaining tofu, then it’s time to cook.

Cooking

1. Put your oil in a skillet, enough to come about halfway up the tofu. Then heat over medium-high heat. (See notes for testing if your oil is hot enough to cook in.)

2. Put tofu in the pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Flip to the other side and continue to cook until golden brown.

3. Once cooked, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate or on a cooling rack that is placed over a sheet pan. (This will prevent the tofu from getting soggy while you finish cooking the rest.)

4. Continue to cook the rest of the tofu, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. If there are too many in the pan it will cool the oil down too much and they won’t get crispy.

5. Serve with my favorite Honey Mustard Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce or your favorite sauce.

Notes:

1. To press your tofu, wrap in a couple of paper towels and then wrap that in a dishtowel. Place the tofu on a plate and then place a heavy pan on top and let it sit like that about 30 minutes. The towels will absorb all of the liquid and will allow the tofu to absorb marinades better while also having an amazing texture.

2. When testing to see if your oil is hot enough you can either use a thermometer and bring the heat to about 350 degrees F. Or you can take a pinch of the breading and place it in the oil, if it starts to bubble and sizzle right away then you’re ready, if it doesn’t, give it a little more time to heat up.