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Vegan Buffalo Wings
These extra crispy Vegan Buffalo Wings are a fun addition to any get-together. Made with bread-crumb-coated tofu strips tossed in buttery vegan buffalo sauce, they are spicy, tangy, and sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Servings: 4
Equipment
Ingredients
Vegan Buffalo Wings
- 1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk or other unsweetened plant milk
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs regular
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pack extra firm or super firm tofu cut into 1/4"-1/3" strips, and pressed for 1 hour or boiled (instructions below in the notes)
- non-stick cooking spray
Buffalo Sauce
- 1 cup Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Sauce or favorite vegan buffalo sauce
- 1 tsp cane sugar
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
Vegan Ranch Dressing
- 16 oz silken tofu or 1 standard package
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice preferably fresh
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
To Serve
- 4 stalks celery cut into sticks
- parsley chopped
Instructions
Bake or Air Fry Vegan Buffalo Wings
- Pour the soy milk into one mixing bowl and set aside. In another mixing bowl combine the panko, breadcrumbs, and Italian seasoning. Combine the cornstarch, garlic, and onion powders, paprika, and black pepper in a third mixing bowl.
- If baking the wings, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Working one tofu slice at a time, use one hand to dip the tofu into the soy milk, then use your dry hand to coat it in the cornstarch mixture. Dip it back into the soy milk before coating it in the panko mixture. Repeat the dredging process with the remaining tofu, placing dredged pieces on the prepared baking sheet if baking or in the air frying basket if air frying.
- Lightly spray the wings with non-stick spray. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping 30 minutes in, or air fry at 350° for 15 minutes, flipping the pieces after 10 minutes.
Buffalo Sauce
- Add 1 cup of buffalo sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 3 tablespoons of vegan butter to a small or medium-sized saucepan.
- Bring the buffalo sauce mixture to a simmer over medium heat cook for about 5 minutes, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside until the wings are ready to coat.
Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Add the tofu, garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dill, parsley, and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend for 15-30 seconds, until smooth.
- Set the ranch dressing aside until the wings have been cooked and tossed in the buffalo sauce.
Prepare Wings
- Place the crispy cooked wings into a large mixing bowl and pour the buffalo sauce over them. Use tongs to toss the wings in the sauce, ensuring that they are totally coated in the sauce.
- Garnish the wings with minced parsley and serve with the vegan ranch dip and celery.
Notes
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Allow the plant-based wings to cool completely to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container and storing for up to 3-4 days. Store leftover buffalo sauce and vegan ranch in separate airtight containers or glass jars for 5-7 days.
- Freezing: Place cooled wings on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until solid, for about 2 hours. Then, transfer the frozen wings to a freezer-safe container and store them for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Reheat refrigerated wings at 350ºF in the oven for 10-15 minutes or in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes. Extend the baking time for frozen wings to 20-25 minutes in the oven or 10-15 minutes in the air fryer.
- Deciding to press vs. boil tofu. Extracting excess water from tofu is the secret to the best vegetarian wings. It gives it a meaty texture and allows it to soak up more of the seasoning. You can extract the moisture in two ways: pressing or boiling the tofu. Press the tofu when you have at least 30 minutes to do so. Boil it when you are short on time.
- How to press tofu. Place the tofu between two sheets of paper towel or a kitchen towel. Place a heavy pan or plate on top of it and let it site for at least 30 minutes, removing as much moisture as possible.
- How to boil tofu. Add the tofu slices to a pot of heavily salted boiling water. Boil for 60 seconds before removing it from the water and thoroughly draining it.
- Cut tofu in uniform pieces. Or, ¼-inch or ⅓-inch strips. This will ensure that it cooks evenly. Also, lay the pieces in an even layer before cooking so they crisp up well.
- Double coat tofu for extra crunch. For a super crispy outer tofu layer, dip the sticks in soy milk before adding the cornstarch mixture and then again before adding the panko mixture.
- Use an air fryer. If you have an air fryer, I suggest using it for this recipe! The process is faster and lends to extra crispy vegan buffalo chicken compared to baking.
- Adjust buffalo sauce to taste. Customize the spiciness of the buffalo sauce to your liking. For milder wings, use a mild buffalo sauce or add more vegan butter to the sauce mixture.
- Serve immediately. For the best flavor and texture, serve the veggies wings immediately after tossing them in the buffalo sauce. This prevents them from becoming soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 2461mg | Potassium: 562mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 814IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 4mg