These Nashville hot tofu bites are juicy and flavorful on the inside, coated in a crispy crust, and smothered in a sweet-spicy sauce. Perfect for dipping, stuffing into sandwiches, or piling onto salads, they’re absolutely scrumptious and dangerously addictive!
I can’t get enough tofu in my life, but I REALLY can’t get enough of crispy little tofu bites. I have lots of variations on them, many adapted from classic crispy chicken recipes. I’m talking Buffalo tofu, crispy tofu “chicken” nuggets, barbecue tofu, and baked tofu nuggets. So when I learned about Nashville hot chicken, I had to make it happen… but with tofu.
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Nashville hot chicken is similar to Buffalo chicken, but with a bit more sweetness and tang, thanks to the genius inclusion of dill pickle juice. To make my Nashville hot tofu, I took the classic chicken recipe, swapped in tofu, and made a few tweaks to keep everything tofu-friendly.
This stuff is delicious. I serve mine in bite-size cubes that are perfect for dipping and dangerously easy to keep snacking on. You can absolutely change the size or shape of the tofu and adapt the recipe for sandwiches, salads, or whatever you’re craving. If you stick with the bites, they’re especially perfect for parties, gatherings, and game day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Super-firm tofu. Extra-firm tofu also works, but you’ll need to press it before using it.
- Non-dairy milk. Use any plant milk that’s unsweetened and unflavored, such as soy, almond, oat, or cashew. Check out my guide to dairy-free milk if you need help choosing.
- Dill pickle juice.
- Hot sauce. You can use just about any type of hot sauce — cook’s choice! I like Cholula and Crystal for a tangy, relatively mild flavor.
- Vegan butter. Traditional Nashville hot chicken is coated in a sauce that’s made with the oil in which the chicken is fried. We’re using vegan butter here instead, because the flavor is better, and it avoids getting any bits of breading from the frying oil in your sauce. Look for vegan butter in the refrigerated case at the grocery store.
- Brown sugar. Conventional brown sugar is often processed using animal bone char, so we’re using organic (processed differently) to keep the recipe vegan.
- Cayenne pepper. This is where a lot of the heat in this dish comes from, so adjust the amount according to your taste.
- Flour. I’ve only tested this recipe with all-purpose wheat flour, so be careful if experimenting with any others.
- Cornstarch.
- Salt.
- Paprika.
- Garlic powder.
- Vegetable oil.
- Accompaniments. Serve your tofu with pickle slices (this is how Nashville hot chicken is served), and preferably some dipping sauces like vegan ranch and vegan blue cheese.
How It’s Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Marinate the tofu. Make the marinade by combining the non-dairy milk, pickle juice, and hot sauce. Add cubed tofu and let it soak for at least half an hour.
Step 2: Make the sauce. Stir melted vegan butter, hot sauce, brown sugar, pickle juice, and cayenne pepper together in a small container. Set it aside for now.
Tip: You can let the tofu marinate for up to 24 hours. Just make sure to cover the container and stick it in the fridge at or before the 2-hour mark.
Step 3: Make the breading. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, and garlic powder together in a large bowl.
Step 4: Heat the oil. Pour at least ⅛ inch into a skillet. You want enough oil to come halfway up the side of each piece of tofu while it cooks. Keep in mind that the oil level will rise when you add the tofu. Place the skillet over medium heat.
Step 5: Bread the tofu. Add a few cubes at time to the flour mixture and gently dredge them in the breading.
Step 6: Fry the tofu. Add the coated tofu cubes to the hot oil and fry them for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy.
Tip: Don’t crowd the tofu in the skillet. The pieces will stick together! Instead, fry them in a couple of batches if needed.
Steps 7 & 8: Finish the tofu. Plate the tofu when it has finished frying, then coat the cubes in sauce, either giving them a drizzle while on the plate, or adding everything to a bowl and tossing.
Step 9: Serve. It’s best to serve this tofu immediately, while the coating is still crispy! Make sure to include some pickle slices. Dipping sauces are optional!
Frequently Asked Questions
Probably, but I haven’t experimented with a gluten-free version. You may be able to replace the wheat flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour, or with more cornstarch, although this will make the coating very delicate.
It can be as spicy or mild as you want. For a very spicy version, use extra cayenne pepper and/or a very spicy hot sauce, like Tobasco. For a milder version, skip the cayenne and use a mild hot sauce, like Valentina.
If you’d like a version with baked tofu, I’d recommend making my baked tofu nuggets and coating them in the sauce from this recipe.
Store any leftover Nashville hot tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it on a baking sheet in a preheated 400°F oven until hot. I like to finish them briefly under the broiler to get the coating to crisp back up.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Nashville Hot Tofu
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Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package super-firm tofu, drained and patted dry, then cut into 1-inch cubes (or size and shape of choice)
For the Marinade
- 1 cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup dill pickle juice
- ¼ cup hot sauce (Note 1)
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
- ¼ cup hot sauce (preferably the same variety used in the marinade)
- 3 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (Note 2)
For the Breading
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
For Frying
- Vegetable oil
For Serving (Optional)
- Vegan ranch dressing
- Vegan blue cheese dressing
- Dill pickle slices
Instructions
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To make the marinade, stir the milk, pickle juice, and hot sauce together in a shallow dish. Add the tofu cubes and gently stir to coat the tofu. Let the tofu marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Be sure to cover the dish and place it in the fridge if marinating for longer than 2 hours.
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Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or cup, until the brown sugar completely dissolves. Set this aside.
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Whisk the breading ingredients together in a medium bowl.
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Very generously coat the bottom of a medium or large skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat. The oil should be about ⅛-inch deep.
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While the oil heats up, take a few tofu cubes out of the marinade and add them to the bowl with the breading. Gently roll the tofu cubes around to evenly coat them with the breading.
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Once the oil begins to shimmer, start removing the tofu cubes from the breading, one at a time, shaking off any excess breading mixture, then placing the tofu into the skillet. Continue coating and adding tofu cubes, placing them in an even layer so they're not touching. Fry them in batches if needed, for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Add oil to the skillet between batches if needed.
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Transfer the tofu to a plate when it comes out of the skillet.
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Once all of the tofu has finished cooking, drizzle the tofu with the sauce to coat it, or place it into a bowl and gently toss it. You'll have a bit more sauce than you need.
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Serve immediately with extra sauce and any additional accompaniments on the side.
Notes
- Use whatever hot sauce you like, but keep in mind that the dish includes a lot of it, so it can get quite spicy. I like brands like Cholula and Crystal for this recipe, which will give it a mild kick. Valentina is very flavorful but even milder. Sriracha will make it a bit hotter, and Tobasco will give you a very spicy dish.
- Reduce or even omit the cayenne pepper if you’d like the dish to be milder.
Nutrition
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