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With almost twenty 5-star reviews, you can be sure these almond-crusted baked tofu nuggets will be a hit with the whole family! Instead of a wheat-based breading, we’re using a healthy almond-based breading and pairing it with a creamy avocado dip. What’s not to love?
save this recipe!Chicken nuggets always have that crispy breading that people either love or hate. If they hate it, it’s usually because the breading is too thick and there isn’t enough filling.
But with these almond-crusted tofu nuggets, that’s not an issue because we’ve got a big chunk of umami-packed tofu and a light but crispy almond breading. Let’s cook!
Reader rating
“I made these for dinner tonight, and they were a real success! I eat a lot of tofu, and it gets hard after a while to find new and interesting ways to cook it. Thanks for the inspiration!” —Bess
Key ingredients
Jump to the recipe card for the quantities.
- Tofu: We’re going to make this by marinating firm tofu with sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic. Opt for reduced-sodium soy sauce.
- Breading Basics: You just need all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour) and an egg to get the crust to stick.
- Almonds: I prefer to pulverize whole almonds as opposed to using almond meal because the larger texture adds more crunch.
- Seasoning: Nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and paprika keep the spices simple but flavorful.
- Dipping Sauce: Just blend up avocado, Greek yogurt, parsley, garlic, lime juice, and a bit of salt and pepper.
how to make almond-crusted tofu nuggets
These are very simple to put together. Here’s a quick overview. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.
- Prep the tofu by draining it and pressing it dry. Then, marinate it in the sauce.
- Make the breading by pulsing everything in a food processor.
- Bread the tofu nuggets in the egg wash and breading.
- Bake, flipping halfway through.
- Make the sauce, then enjoy together!
make it vegan
You can easily swap the egg with a flax egg and the Greek yogurt in the sauce for a vegan mayo. Then it’s totally plant-based too!
more family-friendly dinners to try
Almond Crusted Baked Tofu Nuggets
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 16-oz block tofu, 453 g
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 15 mL
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL, or just 2 Tbsp olive oil if you don’t have sesame
- 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce, 30 mL
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Breading
- ¼ cup flour, 31 g, or all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 egg, or 1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water for vegan, whisked
- 1 cup whole almonds, 170 g
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Dipping Sauce
- 1 avocado
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 142 g, or dairy-free alternative
- ½ cup fresh chopped parsley, handful
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Drain tofu and slice into 1’’ x 1’’ x ½’’ blocks. Lay on a few layers of paper towel and gently press with more paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place tofu blocks in a deep dish (like a storage container).
- Combine sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Pour over tofu, cover, and let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better). Every once in a while, flip the container so all the tofu gets exposed to the tasty marinade.
- In a food processor or by hand, chop almonds until coarsely ground. Mix with nutritional yeast, salt, paprika, and black pepper.
- Prepare your breading station, placing the flour in one bowl, the whisked egg in another, and your almond mixture in the last, with a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at the end. Shake off excess marinade from the tofu blocks then, 1 or 2 at a time, coat each lightly in flour, then egg, then almond mix, and set on the baking sheet.
- Bake tofu nuggets at 400 degrees F (204 C) for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and toasted.
- While the nuggets cook, throw all the Dipping Sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve nuggets warm with dipping sauce!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!P.S. Love vegetarian nuggets? Try my chickpea nuggets next time, or these classic tofu nuggets.
What kind of tofu and brand do you use? I would love to make this reciepe!
Hi Sophie! I just used a firm block of tofu. I live in Holland so my brand is probably different form yours, but any firm (not silken) tofu will do the trick! 🙂 I’d love to hear how it turns out! These are one of my favorite meals!
I made these for dinner tonight, and they were a real success! I eat a lot of tofu, and it gets hard after a while to find new and interesting ways to cook it. Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re very welcome, Bess! These are one of my favorite recipes because they just totally revamp tofu. So happy they were a success for you! 😀
Instead of grinding almonds in the food processor, can I just use almond flour instead? I already have almond flour on hand. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hey Emily! You certainly can, though they’ll be less crispy without the coarse almonds 🙂
I loved swapping out the soy for coconut aminos!
I haven’t tried that before but heard it’s a great substitute! Guess I better order myself a bottle online 😀
These are so good, a new favorite in my house!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
So happy to hear, Kim! They’re a little bit of work but SO worth it 😀
How many nuggets are per serving?? Great recipe!
Hi Grace, about 9 or 10! 🙂
I was sick of tofu stir fry so i made these for dinner tonight. THEY WERE A HIT!! Thanks for sharing!
Yay, so happy to hear Reinaldo!! These are one of my favorites! And aren’t they SO filling? 😀
do you cook the nuggets for 10 minutes flip then another 10 minutes? mine didnt seem to be cooked after only 10 minutes
Hi there! Yep, you should just need to cook for 10 minutes total, but everyone’s oven is a bit different. There’s no harm in cooking them longer until they reach the golden brown crispiness that you want 🙂
I got 12 out of them and they were probably too large for me so next time I would cut them into 16 cubes. I cut the big block in half (2 fillets) then down the middle lengthwise and 2 more cuts width wise so that each “fillet” half gave me 6 cubes.
I did like them and they were sooo filling, my son could only eat 2 large ones and I was full with 3 but maganed to stuff 2 more .
I like to make them about “chicken nugget size” (though smaller is also nice because it means you get more of the almond crust!) And they are sooo filling, aren’t they? But I also always manage to squeeze in a few more 😀
I made these last night for a girls night and they were a big hit. Thanks so much for a great recipe. I did 16 pieces. Changes I would make for next time – I only needed half the almond mixture and 1.5 times the egg (I used a flax egg) and half the dipping sauce.
Thanks for the suggestions, Rita!! And so happy you liked them 😀