Veganuary Day 3 - Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

Jan 03, 2025

Hi there! 💚

How is the start of the year going? We just made it back home after a two-week holiday in Ireland. It was very nice seeing all our family and friends there and spending quality time with everyone for Christmas.

I’m getting some of your pics with the first veganuary recipes, and they look amazing! Thanks for sharing them, keep sending them to me and I’ll make sure to feature some of them 😀

We just came back not long ago and needed to make something very simple for the family, so we made some air fryer tofu nuggets, and this is the recipe I’m sharing today because, who knows, maybe you’ll appreciate something super simple for the day too!

For this recipe, we use some spices to give our tofu a flavorful coating, and we serve the nuggets with a mouthwatering peanut and tahini sauce. Seriously addictive!

Become a Paid Subscriber and get our weekly Veganuary Meal Plan starting from the 6th of January and instant access to all our exclusive content. Now 50% off our yearly subscription (only some spots left).

Veganuary Offer

Ingredients

Tofu Nuggets

Tofu block. Choose a firm or extra-firm tofu for this recipe, as it's easier to cook without breaking or crumbling into smaller pieces. If you want to make this recipe soy-free, you can check out our Red Lentil Tofu Recipe.

Rice flour. Our favorite vegan restaurant always gives us little tips on how to cook just like they do, and adding rice flour to your coatings to make them extra crispy was one of their advice; it makes such a great difference! No rice flour? You can use tapioca or cornflour.

Cornstarch. Cornstarch is our second secret ingredient to make our nuggets extra crispy.

Spice mix. For our tofu nuggets, we use nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, turmeric, white pepper, and a pinch of salt.

Peanut and Tahini Sauce

Peanut butter. We prefer using smooth peanut butter to make our dipping sauce, but you could use crunchy butter to add more texture.

Tahini. Tahini or sesame paste adds creaminess to this dipping sauce.

Maple syrup. This ingredient is optional.

Soy sauce. You can use tamari as a gluten-free option.

Rice Vinegar. Adding a little bit of rice vinegar adds umami to your dipping sauce.

Cooking Method for our Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

First, combine all the flours and spices for the tofu: rice flour, cornflour, spice mix, and salt. Whisk until the mixture is uniform.

mixing the flour and spices for the nuggets

Drain the excess water from your tofu using paper towels or apply some pressure using a heavy item such as a plate or a pan. Once drained, crumble the tofu into bite-size nuggets and coat with the spice mixture. If it makes the whole process easier, coat the tofu with your hands to make sure the nuggets are evenly seasoned.

Place the tofu nuggets in the air fryer basket, drizzle with some olive oil, and air fry for about 17-20 minutes at 400F (200C), or until golden and crispy.