Make super crispy breaded tofu sticks with just 5 base ingredients and a pan, oven, or air fryer. Delicious, versatile, and easy to make gluten-free and adapt with your seasoning and coating of choice! Plus, they're ready in just 20 minutes only!
We’re certainly not tofu shy here at PBOAB. We’ve shared pineapple glazed tofu, sweet and spicy tofu, and garlic-ginger tofu (among many others). Now, though, it’s the turn of something crispier with these super versatile crunchy breaded tofu sticks/ nuggets.
We’re using just 5 pantry staples for the base breaded tofu recipe, including cornstarch, nutritional yeast, soy sauce (or a GF alternative), and breadcrumbs. But keep reading for plenty of possible adaptions to the recipe.
First of all, we’ve made these into tofu sticks/fingers but feel free to chop them into nuggets, triangles, or cubes instead. Next, you can swap out the breadcrumbs and seasonings in almost endless variations. Finally, decide whether you want to pan-fry, bake, or air fry the breaded tofu strips until golden. No matter which method you choose, the results are crispy, tender in the middle, and super delicious.
Once cooked, enjoy the crispy tofu as a crowd-pleasing (child and omnivore approved, too!) finger food with your favorite dipping sauces, serve as a side, or even the main protein for any number of meals.
All you need is five base ingredients for this crispy breaded tofu recipe, plus salt, oil, and water.
We love serving the tofu fingers with BBQ sauce.
First up, how to make pan fried breaded tofu. This is the quickest method but does require more oil.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions.
For even crispier results, you could pre-freeze the tofu (before draining it). As it freezes, the water within expands. When it thaws, you’re left with lots of pockets in the tofu, making it easier to fully drain for crispier tofu and a chewier texture.
Air fried breaded tofu: Slice the tofu to your desired shape (strips vs. cubes), season, and coat. Then spray with an oil spray and cook in a single layer with space in between for 12-15 minutes at 400F/200C, shaking after 8 minutes.
Cubes will cook in 10-12 minutes generally. Whereas strips take closer to 15-17 minutes.
Baked breaded tofu: Follow steps 1-5 (skipping step 4), spread the tofu across a baking sheet, spray with a bit of oil, then bake at 400F/200C for 40-45 minutes (closer to 30 for small cubes). Flip halfway and spray the top with a little more oil. Enjoy the baked crispy tofu while it’s still warm – delicious!
Use tamari or liquid aminos with gluten-free breadcrumbs, panko, or corn chips.
This method will also work with chickpea tofu.
We recommend using whichever method works best for the tools and time you have.
*Pan fried breaded tofu will yield super crispy tofu nuggets/strips in under 10 minutes but requires more oil.
*Baked breaded tofu doesn’t need as much oil, but it’s worth spraying with a generous layer of oil to encourage crispiness. Unfortunately, this method also takes up to 45 minutes.
*Air fried breaded tofu requires minimal (or even no) oil and is ready in under 15 minutes. However, you may have to cook them in batches if you have a small machine.
You can drain and press tofu in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Once cooked, store the breaded tofu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. It’s at its crispiest directly after cooking, but you can bring some back when reheating.
You can reheat the breaded tofu either in a pan (a few mins only), oven (10-15 mins), or air fryer (for 3-4 minutes) until warmed through.
There are plenty of ways you can enjoy these crispy tofu fingers, for example:
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Lexi says
I LOVE how crunchy these are, especially with panko, and the nutritional yeast adds a bit more density. I will definitely add more spices next time bc they were not as flavorful as I was expecting. Cutting the tofu in half one more time also helped them crunch up a bit faster and not get stuck in the corn starch mixture!
Andrea White says
Right?! The texture is so spot on!
Janaye says
Omg these look so good I would love it!
Andrea White says
Let us know if you try them out 🙂
Beth Aaron says
Can they be baked so no oil? I'd think so. And I might add ground pecans to the crumbs.
Andrea White says
The texture might come out differently but let us know if you try it out! The pecan addition sounds awesome!
Teodora Grujic says
Perfect snacks for weekend evenings!
Andrea White says
Yesss! Great as a snack, topper for salads, pasta, and more!
Gina House says
YUM! I can't wait to try these. The added BBQ sauce sounds like a perfect addition.
Andrea White says
Brings some extra flavor to the table!
Addie says
These are so yummy in the air fryer! Easy, crispy and so flavorful.
Andrea White says
Definitely! Such a satisfying crunch!
mihaela|theworldisanoyster.com says
Oh, this is the best replacement for fish fingers! Why didn't I think of it? Thanks, Andrea; will make asap and hope my fussy eater will like them:)
Andrea White says
Right?! Hope you and your family enjoy it!
Michelle Cehn says
These are SO good, I've made them a few times!
Andrea White says
The best!
Amanda Meth says
I could eat fried tofu all day! These look SO GOOD!
Andrea White says
I'm with you!
Tina G says
Love how crispy these tofu sticks are. So easy to make in the air fryer too! I have them in a wrap, but plan on using them in so many recipes!
Andrea White says
Yesss! Let us know what you make with them next 🙂
Jacqui says
These are fantastic! Turn out so crispy and delicious - perfect for all tofu lovers
Andrea White says
I'm a big fan of crisp and tofu so this one is a fave of mine too!
Katie Jacques says
These came out perfectly crispy! Love how simple this recipe was!
Andrea White says
Nothing like a delicious and simple recipe!
Anaiah says
Yuuum!! These are perfect snacks for my toddler and super easy to make. It's also great chopped up over salads too!
Andrea White says
Yesss! So easy and perfect for the little ones 🙂
Nancy Wu says
these tofu sticks are perfect snacks - so crispy and also wonderful on buddha bowls
Andrea White says
Right?! So crisp and perfect with everything!
Gustavo De Obaldia says
Loved these tofu sticks! I made them yesterday for a get together with friends and they all loved them! Thanks for the recipe!
Andrea White says
Yay! They're such a crowd pleaser!
Kayla says
These cripsy breaded tofu sticks were delicious! Such a fun snack!
Andrea White says
Love a good delicious protein-packed snack too!