Tofu Buffalo Wings

Tofu buffalo wings are the perfect appetizer, game day snack, or addition to a balanced meal! The breaded tofu is cooked in the air fryer until golden brown and then tossed in spicy buffalo sauce.

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Jump to:

• Why You'll Love this Tofu Buffalo Wings Recipe
• Equipment
• Tofu Buffalo Wings Ingredients
• Hot Buffalo Sauce Ingredients
• How to Make Crispy Tofu Buffalo Wings
• Making Buffalo Tofu in the Oven
• Variations & Substitutions
• How to Make These Buffalo Tofu Bites Vegan
• Pro Tips
• Serving, Storing, & Reheating
• Recipe FAQ
• Other Recipes You May Like
• Crispy Tofu Buffalo Wings Recipe

Why You'll Love this Tofu Buffalo Wings Recipe

These buffalo tofu nuggets will easily become one of your favorite tofu recipes the first time you taste a piece of tofu. They're air fried to crispy perfection that meat eaters and anyone following a plant-based diet will love at the first bite.

There are many ways to serve this air fryer buffalo tofu recipe, from as-is with your favorite dipping sauce to on a salad to on a wrap (see the Serving section below for more!).

Equipment

• Large plate (~10 inches) - you want to line a plate with paper towels to absorb excess water from the block of tofu. It's important to press tofu to remove that extra liquid.
• Paper towels - these will absorb excess liquid from the tofu so the breading sticks. You can also use a kitchen towel!
• Chef's knife - using a good quality knife will make cutting the tofu easier!
• A heavy object - anything like a cast iron skillet, heavy pan, or baking sheet and a heavy book will work! You want something heavy enough to press down on the tofu to absorb excess moisture.
• Small bowls (~1-cup) - I like using a small bowl for the cornstarch and another for the milk.
• Shallow dish or plate with a lip - you'll set up an assembly line to coat the extra firm tofu in cornstarch, dip the pieces in milk, then coat in the panko breadcrumb mixture. Having a shallow bowl or plate with a lip is ideal for the panko bread crumbs so you can spread the pieces out and coat each of them.
• Air fryer with a basket - having the basket piece is important! Lining the breaded tofu in a single layer along with having hot air circulated all around the pieces (like when using the basket) is crucial to make this tofu crispy!

Tofu Buffalo Wings Ingredients

Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Extra-firm tofu - it's crucial you get extra-firm tofu! Silken tofu will fall apart as soon as you cut into it. Regular firm tofu may hold up but it may crumble a little bit. No matter what type, tofu is a high quality plant-based protein and great to include in your diet.
• Panko bread crumbs - this type of bread crumb will make these tofu bites extra crispy!
• Corn starch - this is important to absorb excess water from the tofu, as tofu is a pretty watery food. Extra water will prevent the breading from sticking and getting crispy, so we want to remove most of the moisture from the tofu! All purpose flour would work in lieu of corn starch.
• Milk - coating the tofu sticks in a liquid, like milk, before tossing into the panko bread crumb mixture will help the breading stick better. You can use any milk you'd like!
• Seasonings - seasonings like garlic powder, salt, chili powder, and black pepper all combine with the buffalo hot sauce so well to make these crispy tofu buffalo wings absolutely delicious!

Hot Buffalo Sauce Ingredients

• Hot sauce or buffalo sauce - this is a main ingredient in this recipe so I recommend picking a sauce you love! Or you could make your own buffalo sauce from scratch.
• Olive oil - this helps to mellow out the hot sauce a little bit. You can substitute melted butter or vegan butter if you like a little bit of a butter flavor in your wings!
• Honey - similar to the olive oil, honey adds a hint of sweetness but also cut some of the strong buffalo flavor. Maple syrup could work but would add a subtle maple flavor and granulated or brown sugars may give the sauce a gritty texture, so I'd stick with honey!

How to Make Crispy Tofu Buffalo Wings

Making Buffalo Tofu in the Oven

You can definitely make this recipe in the oven. It may not get as crispy as making it in the air fryer, but it can be done!

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the breaded tofu sticks onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, ideally at least ½-inch apart (for optimal crispiness).
3. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, flip the tofu pieces over, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
5. Once golden brown and crispy, remove from the oven and toss in the buffalo sauce mixture.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Variations & Substitutions

• If you like buttery buffalo wings, you can substitute melted butter (I'd recommend unsalted since the buffalo sauce is fairly salty) for olive oil in the buffalo sauce mixture.
• I haven't tried using cauliflower instead of tofu in this recipe yet, but let me know in the comments if you give buffalo cauliflower wings a shot!
• You can use regular breadcrumbs instead of panko. The tofu may not get as crispy but it will still taste great!
• Feel free to add/swap seasonings to your liking. Onion powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika would all be really good additions to the breading!

How to Make These Buffalo Tofu Bites Vegan

• To make these vegan buffalo tofu wings, you can use agave or maple syrup in lieu of honey.
• You can use your favorite plant-based milk (almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, cashew milk, etc.) in place of cow's milk.
• Olive oil is primarily unsaturated fat, so I prefer to use this in most of my cooking. But if you prefer a buttery flavor in your wings, you can use vegan butter instead of olive oil!
• Be sure to check that you use vegan buffalo sauce instead of regular (most should be vegan but I would double check!).
• You can serve the buffalo tofu strips with a vegan ranch or blue cheese dressing for the perfect pairing of flavors.

Pro Tips

• You can cut the extra firm tofu block on a cutting board before wrapping in paper towels, but I find it more efficient to cut it right on the plate you're going to press it on.
• If you have a tofu press, that's a great way to absorb excess water from the tofu, but not completely necessary!

Serving, Storing, & Reheating

Serving

• If serving these "vegan chicken wings" as a main dish, I love sprinkling the tofu buffalo wings with fresh parsley and serving them with a small bowl of ranch dressing!
• The tofu hot wings also go so well with homemade 2-ingredient ranch dip too (if you want even more protein and some probiotics!).
• In addition to serving these as they are with a ranch dip of some sort, I love putting them on a salad with romaine, mixed greens, diced cucumbers, shredded carrots, banana peppers, and drizzling ranch dressing on top!
• I also like making a buffalo tofu sandwich or buffalo tofu wrap with this recipe! I put the tofu, romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, and carrot sticks on whole grain bread or a whole wheat wrap. You can drizzle ranch dressing onto the sandwich or wrap itself or serve it on the side. You can even whip up a side of air fryer butternut squash fries to serve with it!

Storing

• Store these buffalo tofu wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freezing the tofu may result in a strange texture once thawed so I don't recommend freezing leftovers! (Trust me, I don't think you'll have enough leftovers to freeze!).

Reheating

• If you have any leftover buffalo tofu, I highly recommend reheating it in the air fryer to crisp it back up again.
• You can toss the reheated tofu strips in a little bit of extra buffalo sauce as well!

Recipe FAQ

Other Recipes You May Like

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