These buffalo tofu wings are perfectly crispy on the outside, tender, and “meaty” on the inside. They are the perfect, high-protein appetizer, game day meal, or weekend comfort food. Buffalo tofu wings that will make you love tofu!
Buffalo Tofu Wings
I grew up eating buffalo wings all the time when I was a teenager. Growing up in the bay area, I was a frequent flyer at Wing Stop and Buffalo Wild Wings. After going vegan I KNEW I had to recreate my own version of a good “boneless” buffalo wing. Safe to say that after testing this recipe multiple times, I am finally able to share this masterpiece.
There are few secrets to getting the perfect buffalo tofu wings. I highly recommend using the air fryer instruction for getting the crispy texture without extra oil. However, I provide instructions for baking, air-frying, and regular frying method as well.
Ingredients
- Tofu: The type of tofu must be extra firm or high protein tofu for best results. I get my high-protein tofu at Trader Joe’s. PRO TIP: freeze tofu overnight and then fully defrost for a more chicken-like texture.
- Soy Sauce: This will add a good umami flavor to get that “meaty” taste. You can also use tamari if gluten-free or liquid aminos.
- Chicken-less seasoning: I used to get mine from trader Joe’s but I don’t think they have it anymore.
- Oil: Tofu has significantly lower fat content than chicken so it’s important to add oil if you want to achieve a similar flavor and texture. I use avocado oil but you can also use canola, vegetable, or safflower oil.
- Nutritional yeast: Also known as “Nooch”. I highly recommend that you don’t skip this ingredient! It gives it an extra umami flavor that is a tad bit nutty but perfect for this recipe. It truly brings all the flavors together. It can get pricey at most stores but good ole trader Joe’s has it for $2.99!
- Garlic & Onion Powder: You will absolutely need these two ingredients, don’t skip them!
- Corn Starch: You can also use flour or tapioca starch. These will help the tofu get extra crispy.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: One of the most important ingredients to get that crispy breaded chicken wing texture. I really like Whole Foods 365 brand but sometimes I make my own at home.
- Buffalo Sauce: Gotta love Frank’s Red Hot Sauce but use YOUR favorite one 🙂
Tips For The Best Buffalo Tofu Wings
- Freeze and fully defrost your tofu before making them. This will give it a more “chicken-like” texture.
- Press your tofu after defrosting it.
- Avoid cutting tofu with a knife, you want to break it apart with your hands for extra surface area.
- When cooking in the air fryer or oven, rotate every 6-7 minutes to cook it evenly.
- Pair with veggies and a carb for a balanced meal!
- Dip in a vegan ranch for extra flavor.
- Use an air-fryer is possible for best results with minimal oil.
- If air-frying, cook time may vary depending on the type of air fryer and the size of your tofu wings.
More Delicious Appetizers:
PrintBuffalo Tofu Wings
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These buffalo tofu wings are perfectly crispy on the outside, tender, and “meaty” on the inside. They are the perfect, high-protein appetizer, game day meal, or weekend comfort food. Buffalo tofu wings that will make you love tofu!
Ingredients
- 1 packet of extra firm tofu (454g)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp chicken-less seasoning
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4–1/2 cup buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Press tofu until most liquid is out.
- Using your hands, break into wing-sized pieces.
- Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add soy sauce, and oil, and toss to coat evenly.
- Add all other ingredients to the tofu and toss to coat evenly.
Air-fryer:
- Air fry at 400 F for 16-20 minutes flipping every 6-7 minutes.
- Coat in buffalo sauce and serve or toss back into the air-fryer to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 420 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Take the tofu wings out and coat in buffalo sauce, and bake again for another 10-15 minutes.
Deep Fry:
- Heat a large pan with 1 cup of oil.
- Once hot, place seasoned and breaded tofu wings in the pan.
- Fry for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Remove from oil into a paper towel to absorb excess oil
- Coat in buffalo sauce and serve.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Tofu
- Method: Air Fryer, Baking, Stove
- Cuisine: American
Delicious! I left the oil out and accidentally poured the hot sauce in before I air fried it, but it turnout out perfect! Thank you!
Hehe, glad it still came out perfect! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Soooo good!!!! I can’t believe how much it’s like the boneless wings that I was craving. I’ve recently become a vegetarian & up until now, I didn’t much like tofu. Now I love it! Thank you for this amazing recipe. It hit all the right notes & I won’t miss chicken wings anymore.
This made my entire week 🙂 SO glad you loved these tofu wings Maureen! I hope you check out the other tofu recipes i have on here especially the orange chicken (tofu) one 😉