- Calories: 110
- Protein: 10 g
- Total Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0 g
- Total Sugar: 0 g
- Natural Sugar: 0 g
- Added Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 790 mg
Happy Hour, indeed…Buffalo “Wings” are back on the menu for vegetarians and vegans! My meat-free version incorporates tofu, and they are every bit as tasty as the real deal. Serve with hummus, or if dairy is an option for you, try this indulgent Bleu Cheese Dip.
I’ve served up a few other creative Buffalo “Wing” spins including Cauliflower Buffalo “Wings” and Buffalo Tempeh “Wings.” Which one will be your favorite? Try them all and decide.
- Prep time
- Total Time
- 14 ounces firm tofu, well-drained
- ¼ cup flour*
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter spread
- Optional ⅛ to ¼ cayenne pepper
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Press down on a block of extra firm tofu for about 30 minutes to release as much water as possible. (To do this, you can layer a plate with a dish towel and paper towels, then put tofu on top. Cover with another layer of paper towels, dish towel and another plate or cookie sheet and then books or something else heavy to help drain the water.)
Slice drained tofu into ¼-inch slices down the horizontal side (you’ll get about 12), then slice again lengthwise to make about 24 sticks.
In a small bowl, mix flour with garlic and onion powder. One at a time, coat each tofu stick on all sides. You’ll have plenty of flour leftover to discard. (*In total, you use about only 1½ tablespoons, but it’s much easier to coat the pieces using a bowl filled with the flour-garlic combo.)
Preheat oven to 400˚.
Liberally coat a large skillet with oil spray and heat over a medium-high flame. Carefully add tofu sticks (do not overlap) and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until they’re crispy and golden brown (but not burned). Reapply oil spray between flips and as needed.
While the tofu cooks, microwave the hot sauce and vegan butter spread so it’s well combined.
When tofu is done, add the hot sauce mixture to the skillet and gently stir the tofu so that all of the pieces are well coated.
Transfer the skillet with tofu into the oven and bake for 5 minutes on each side. You can leave in for a few additional minutes if you’d like them crispier and drier.
Sprinkle with optional cayenne pepper. This will make your wings significantly hotter, so use sparingly and be sure your guests can handle super-HOT. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Note: Some brands of hot sauce are very high in sodium. If you’re concerned about blood pressure, look for a lower-sodium brand. The numbers below are based on a generic hot sauce.
Nutrition analysis courtesy of Genesis® R&D