Nashville Hot Tofu
Servings:4 servings
With a kick of cayenne, this spicy, Nashville-inspired hot tofu is seasoned and coated with crispy panko, then baked (or air fried) until golden. Enjoy as an appetizer or on salads, tacos, or sandwiches.
Ingredients
Nashville hot seasoning:
- 4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Other ingredients:
- 16 ounces super-firm tofu - or extra-firm, pressed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour - regular or gluten-free
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning blend - this is a blend of dried herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce - I used Crystal
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard - any variety you like
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs - regular or gluten-free
- 1 ½ tablespoons oil
- dill pickle slices, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the Nashville hot seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven (or air fryer) to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Locate 3 regular-size soup bowls. In one, combine the flour, nutritional yeast, poultry seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 Tablespoon of the hot seasoning. In the 2nd bowl, combine the milk, hot sauce, mustard, and sweetener. In the 3rd bowl, mix together the panko, oil, 1 Tablespoon of the hot seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Note: you'll have some hot seasoning leftover. Use it to season other dishes, add it to a sauce for the tofu, or store for next time.
- Tear the tofu into large nuggets or cut into cubes or rectangles. Coat tofu in flour mixture and shake off excess. Next, dip in the milk mixture, and let the excess run off. Repeat those two steps, then place in the bowl of panko. Lightly press the crumbs into the tofu so it's fully coated. Place tofu on the prepared baking sheet (or a plate/cutting board if cooking in the air fryer). Repeat with the remaining pieces of tofu.
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. Or air fry for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crispy. Serve hot with dill pickles on the side. See Notes for tips.
Notes
Variations -
- gluten-free - use GF all-purpose flour and GF panko (just be sure to check the ingredients for egg).
- oil-Free - if you strictly avoid oil in your diet, it's fine to omit the oil from the panko breading. After baking, the breading will be lighter in color, but it's still delicious!
- tempeh - cut tempeh into steaks or strips and steam for 15 minutes. Then use in place of the tofu.
- Seitan - or use seitan nuggets instead of tofu. Since there's salt in the Nashville hot seasoning, I recommend reducing the amount of salt added to the seitan dough.
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 0mg
