Author: So here's the story: I originally made these baked tofu bites for my Vegan Cobb Salad recipe. I was trying to aim for a simple tofu recipe with a "chicken-ish / chicken nuggets" vibe. Vibe achieved. These bites were easy to make, needed only 5 ingredients, flavourful, and perfect for my Cobb salad. But I also discovered that they were more than just perfect for a Cobb salad. These cube are bursting with flavor and are delicious all on their own. I'm actually surprised any tofu even made it to the salad as I couldn't stop eating them directly baking sheet. There will be no leftovers.
I decided I needed to share this recipe as it's own post so that you too could experience the awesomeness of this baked tofu. These crispy tofu bites have such an amazing texture, are scrumptious all on their own and they are perfect on a salad BUT they are so much more than that. This is one of those easy vegan recipes that, once you make it, you start discovering all of the wonderful ways these tofu bites can be used. New to tofu? Check out my tofu 101 guide!
They are delicious served with buffalo sauce. They are delicious on top of pasta. They are delicious in a taco. They are delicious in a sandwich. They are delicious on nachos... I think you are starting to get it, these tofu bites are completely addictive and they are delicious EVERYWHERE!
I've been making large batches of these glorious tofu nuggets and storing them in the fridge in an air-tight container so they are ready to use whenever hunger strikes.
I like to make a big batch of these using two blocks of tofu at a time, but if you prefer you can cut the recipe in half and just use one block of tofu... But if you do decide to reduce the recipe, you might regret it. You have been warned.
Instructions on How to Make Baked Tofu Bites:
In a bowl (you can use a small bowl or large bowl depending on how many you want to make), mix together the nutritional yeast, olive oil, soy sauce and garlic powder. This is your marinade.
Drain excess moisture from the tofu block and then break into small chunks and add them to the bowl. (No need to press the tofu first).
Toss the tofu well to evenly coat in the sauce mixture. Spread the tofu evenly across the baking sheets and bake about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until lightly golden.
Serve hot or store in an air-tight container in the fridge to use later, or they freeze well too. Great as main, as nuggets, on salads, on stir-fries, in sandwiches, in tacos, on pasta, on nachos, the options are endless, use these everywhere! Be sure to check out the recipe card for both oven and air fryer cooking instructions.
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Baked Tofu Bites
Servings:
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 blocks (12 oz/ 350 g each) extra-firm tofu, drained
Instructions
- Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.Air-Fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
- Mix the coating: In a large bowl, combine the nutritional yeast, olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
- Prepare the tofu: Use your fingers to break the tofu into bite-sized chunks and add them to the bowl. (No need to press the tofu first.) Toss well to evenly coat each piece. The mixture will just barely coat the tofu, that’s exactly right. Don’t be tempted to thin it out. It’s not a marinade, but a light coating that clings to the tofu and helps it crisp up perfectly in the oven.
- Cook the tofu (choose ONE method):Oven: Spread the tofu evenly over the baking sheets and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until lightly golden.Air-Fryer: Add the tofu to the air fryer basket and cook for about 20 minutes, shaking halfway through, until lightly golden.
- Serve or store: Enjoy hot, or let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam
Sara says
Hi! I'm intolerant to nutritional yeast. Any idea what I could replace it with? (I'm vegan.)
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
It's difficult to replace, so I would try skipping it and maybe upping the garlic powder a touch. Hope that helps!
Psuke says
I commented below as well, but I used white miso (out of nutritional yeast), and it worked fine. 1:1 replacement ratio.
Sara says
Thanks a lot!
RoseAnne says
Love love love this recipe, Sam! Seems like I'm making at least once batch a week. Most recently, I added it (and veganized) a favourite chicken recipe, https://eatnorth.com/eat-north/earls-hunan-kung-pao, and it turned out perfectly (at least as good as the original)!
Thanks again,
Best,
RoseAnne
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!! So happy you loved it so much, RoseAnne 🙂
Nancy says
I just discovered your wonderful website! These tofu bites are our new family favorite. Do you have a specific taco recipe for these?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love them, Nancy!! You could just layer them on tacos with your favourite fillings, or you could try my tofu taco crumbles for a different recipe 🙂
Yummy says
I love this, taste is amazing, thank you!! I just have one question, how do you get such nice pieces? When I mix the tofu with the sauce, it crumbles and ends up looking like ground tofu 🙁
Tianna says
Yes same here!! I’m curious on how to get around this 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoy it so much! I break the tofu into fairly large pieces so it doesn't resemble ground tofu at all. If you are having trouble with your tofu breaking up when mixing, then double check that the tofu you are using is extra-firm (less firm tofu will crumble fairly easily), and maybe try a different brand as they can vary in texture. Hope that helps!
Jen says
I could seriously eat these every day. So good!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! SO happy you enjoyed them, Jen 🙂
Yareli says
Wow, this really does taste like chicken, I'm shook
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Love it 🙂
Dianna says
These are delicious!!! These tofu bites have expanded my lunch/dinner menu to include many foods I never was able to really enjoy fully without ground meat since I adopted a plant based diet. Thank you so much for posting this!!!
I also love the tofu crumble that is part of the Tofu Bolognese
( https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/tofu-bolognese/) and Best Vegan Chili Ever (https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/2017/01/10/the-best-vegan-chili-ever/) recipes (both amazing as well)
This crumbled seasoned tofu has been a total game changer for me because it's so much quicker to make than pressing, marinating, and baking; and it's super delicious and you can use it everywhere that ground meat is usually used in busy weeknight recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So thrilled you are enjoying so many recipes, Dianna 🙂
Heather says
Best tofu bites I’ve ever made!! I substituted parmesan cheese for the yeast. Unbelievable. Thank you!
Aimee says
My 4 (almost 5 year) old devoured almost an entire bowl I had made for myself. The almost is because my husband was helping at first! We are not vegans but try to work a ton of plant based food into our household for multiple reasons. It felt great hearing my youngest proclaim he loves tofu and he will eat anything his brother won't! Thank you for this recipe for our repertoire.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's great! Glad you and your family enjoyed, Aimee 🙂
Emily says
Girl, these are delish and addictive! I love that the recipe is super simple - I didn't need to press the tofu AND had all the ingredients on hand. Does it get any better than that?!?
Sam Turnbull says
It really doesn't! Haha! Thrilled you loved it so much, Emily 🙂
Kelsey says
This is one of the best tofu recipes I have ever had. So easy, so good, ingredients I always have on hand. I can see myself making this again and again!!! I baked them for extra time cause I wanted them a little crispier, and I used pre-pressed firm tofu. This is a life-changing tofu recipe!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Kelsey 🙂
Cassidy says
I love all of your recipes, Sam! These are no exception, so easy, delicious, and versatile! One thing I wanted to add was that I live in high elevation and had to almost double the cooking time. So any vegans living up high you may want to consider this 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Great to know, Cassidy! I have no knowledge of high altitude cooking!
Chris says
How do you think these would turn out in an air fryer? I tried to see if this had already been answered but there’s so many comments about how awesome they are that I gave up! Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it myself, but I had a search through the comments for you and Rachel C said "These tofu bites work wonderfully in my air fryer." 🙂
Lise F. says
As soon as I saw that recipe, I knew that it would become a hit! I use them everywhere...fried rice, hot chicken, sandwich, as is with a dip, in a salad....!
It's a quick and easy meal on vacation with no fuss! My grand children (non vegan) just love them. Thank you for all your good recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So thrilled you love them so much, Lise 🙂
Cindy B. says
Was so excited to make this! My nutritional yeast seemed to soak up all of the soy sauce & oil and I was left with a paste that didn't stick to the tofu. Any suggestion on how to fix this? Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
That's exactly what it should look like, Cindy. Just toss very well and the paste will coat the tofu. Enjoy!
Cindy says
Thank you! I mixed it up the best I could and just baked it even with the paste bits and pieces. All I have to say is that it was delicious!!! Only half of it made it to the bowls
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing!
Amanda says
Made these today for meal prep for my lunches this week, and regretting that I didn't double the recipe! They are amazing!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy you loved them 🙂
Karen says
I made these during the polar vortex in the US Midwest yesterday (-21F). There are great and even more chicken-y the next day. I used the sauce recipe on one 454gram block of super firm tofu. What a nice treat on an Arctic day. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it, Karen 🙂
Daria says
Omg the best tofu recipe ever!! They smelt amazing while baking, I took them out of the oven and hubby and I ate the whole batch from the baking sheet! (I only had one tofu ) Hubby said “these are f$&king the best” and then continued say yum yum yum!!
Always love your recipes...you are the best!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Love it! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Daria 🙂
Rachel says
Holy moly, these are amazing! I'm for sure making "chicken" finger subs with this next time.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you loved it, Rachel 🙂
Amy says
I keep making these and telling myself I need to leave a comment! These are so delicious. They actually taste very similar to Chick-Fil-A nuggets in my opinion. I’m not one to leave comments or be super impressed by recipes, but this one is SO easy, SO fast, and SOO tasty! Thank you so much. Even my omnivore husband loves these 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's so amazing, Amy!! So very happy you love the recipe so much. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Michelle says
OMG Sam! You have done it AGAIN!!! I love tofu, have a few favourite ways of preparing it, so wasn't really looking for another. But these looked soooo good, I couldn't resist. I love how easy they are - no pressing of the tofu, just crumble and stir and spread across the baking sheet. Easy peasy! My husband loved them too!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha!! YAY!!!! There's always room for more delicious tofu recipes in my opinion! Haha.