This easy herb crusted tofu chicken fingers recipe comes with its own vegan lemon pepper honey mustard dipping sauce perfect for your next vegan dinner.
If you are looking for a new and interesting vegan dinner idea, then this easy herb crusted tofu chicken fingers recipe is just what you need.
Tofu is so good for a number of reasons. Being that both of us didn’t think we liked tofu before going vegan, we are here to tell you 9/10 times if you don’t like tofu, it’s likely that you just didn’t like how it was cooked.
Thankfully, there are so many ways to season or enhance the flavor of tofu to make it truly something unique.
This crunchy herb crust is perfectly seasoned to bring out so many awesome flavors, with minimal effort on your part. And we think you’ll love it!
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Tofu Tips:
- Best Type of Tofu : For this recipe, you’ll want to use extra firm tofu. Do NOT use silken or soft tofu for this recipe.
- Best Texture : To get the best texture out of your tofu, you’ll want to freeze it (in the package) first. Then, thaw completely and proceed with pressing.
- How to Press Tofu: The easiest way to press out tofu is to use a tofu press. We use this tofu press because it’s easy to use and works great. However, if you don’t have a tofu press then you could wrap the block of tofu in a kitchen towel, place it on a plate, and then put something heavy on top like a cast iron skillet.
What other kid-friendly tofu ideas could I make?
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Herb Crusted Tofu Chicken Finges
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chicken Fingers
- 28 ounces extra firm tofu (2 blocks)
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 ¼ cups vegan corn flakes or breadcrumbs, finely crushed (use GF breadcrumbs if needed)
- 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour (sub for GF flour if needed)
- 1 tablespoon dried chives or green onions
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder'
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
Vegan Lemon Pepper Honey Mustard (Optional)
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup agave (sub for maple syrup)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
Instructions
- For best texture: Place tofu, in package, in the freezer and freeze overnight. Thaw completely, then remove from package and drain water.
- Press tofu out for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight) by using a tofu press or wrapped in a towel with something heavy like a cast iron skillet places on top. Carefully pat dry any excess moisture with a towel.
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add 1 cup dairy free milk and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to a shallow bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes (this makes a vegan buttermilk).
- Cut each tofu block in half lengthwise, then into 6 strips. In order to give the triangular shape of traditional "chicken fingers" cut a few diagonal pieces on one side. *Note: It's not necessary to cut the diagonal pieces off – if you do, toss those pieces in the. mixtures as well and cook. *Optional: You can cut these into any size or shape you want including using small cookie cutters as seen in the photo.
- In a second shallow bowl, combine the 2 cups corn flake crumbs, 2 ½ tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon each dried chives and parsley, 2 teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and ½ teaspoon each black pepper and cayenne pepper (or less if you don't want it spicy). Mix together well.
- Dip each piece of tofu in vegan buttermilk, and then dredge through the herb crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the tofu has been used. Do not allow tofu pieces to touch. Spray the tofu strips with olive oil spray to help make even crispier (omit if oil free).
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and heated through.
- While tofu is baking, make the dipping sauce by adding ¼ cup each dijon mustard, agave, and olive oil, 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ⅛ teaspoon salt to a small bowl or jar and whisk together.
- Serve warm dipped in sauce or on sandwiches, in wraps and more.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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Frequently Asked Questions
For the tofu – you can use pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu) or chickpea tofu. Alternatively, you could do this with cauliflower or oyster mushrooms (cooking time may vary).
Make sure the non-dairy milk is safe for your allergens.
For the flour – use chickpea flour, almond flour, or a gluten-free 1:1 blend.
Finally use a safe cereal or gluten free breadcrumb for your allergens.
Yes! You just want to make sure everything is pressed out throughly.
Yes! Once cooked and cooled, you can store it in an air safe container in the fridge for up to 7 days. We find it best when prepping it ahead and not eating right away that you reheat in an air fryer; however, if you do not have an air fryer, then you can heat it back up in the oven.
Yes! Let it cool completely, and then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. We find it best to place on a baking sheet and allow to freeze prior to putting in your container so they don’t stick.
Yes! Set your air fryer to 375˚F. Let cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overcrowd your air fryer with the pieces.
a tasty take on tofu, great recipe!
So glad that you liked it! Thanks for taking time to leave a review!