These air-fried vegan nuggets made with a mix of extra firm tofu and coated with an irresistibly sweet and spicy gochujang-based sauce is the ultimate finger food!
These nuggets are also great with your choice of dip or glaze and can be enjoyed with salads, in wraps, and more.
THESE NUGGETS WITH A SPICY GOCHUJANG GLAZE ARE:
- Gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Perfect as finger food
- Great for sharing
- Finger-licking good!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
FOR THE VEGAN NUGGETS
The full detailed & printable recipe is in the card below!
- extra firm tofu pressed
- potato (I used 1 small yukon gold potato)
- salt
- soy sauce
- smoked paprika
- baking powder
- cup plant milk, I used light coconut milk
- almond flour , all-purpose flour, or oat flour (see recipe notes below)
- Neutral oil for cooking
WHAT FLOUR CAN I USE?
- You can use any flour of your choice – whole wheat, all-purpose, spelt, oat, almond, etc.
- For the oat flour, you can also use processed oatmeal or quick cook oats.
- I like using almond flour or oat flour because it adds a distinct gritty texture that I don’t get with regular all-purpose. I also get extra fattiness from almond flour. Almond and oat flour are more nutritious too!
- If the mixture is too wet and easily fall apart, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour and mix well into the tofu to absorb excess liquid. Test out the mixture again to be sure if it holds up. If not, you can always add more flour.
FOR THE GOCHUJANG GLAZE
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp gochujang or Korean chili paste
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or regular white vinegar
HOW TO MAKE THE VEGAN NUGGETS
- Press the block of tofu. I like to do so by wrapping mine in a towel and placing a few heavy chopping boards on top.
- Wash your potato well. I no longer peeled mine.
- Finely grate the potato. I wrap the grated potato in a cheese cloth or thin kitchen towel. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Note that the potato will naturally turn light brown when exposed to the air.
- In a large bowl, mash the tofu with your hands. Add in the grated potato, salt, paprika, baking powder, milk, and flour. I like to use almond flour because of the extra oils and fattiness I get from it.But you’re free to use any flour of choice (see notes for more tips).
- Mix well until combined.
- Test the mixture: Get some of the mixture and shape with your hands. It shouldn’t crumble and fall apart. This is a good test to see if the mixture holds up well.
- If the mixture is too wet and easily falls apart, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour and mix well into the tofu to absorb excess liquid. Test out the mixture again to be sure if it holds up. If not, you can always add more flour.
- Shape into small nuggets or other shape of your choice.
CAN I PREPARE THE NUGGETS IN ADVANCE? YES!
REFRIGERATING
- You can refrigerate the mixture overnight. Do note that the potatoes can release extra moisture as it sits. If the mixture becomes more wet, you can add more flour before shaping into small nuggets.
FREEZING
- You can prepare the mixture beforehand and shape this into nuggets.
- You can place the nuggets in a freezer safe tray. Be sure these are spaced apart. Cover the tray and freeze the nuggets. Once hard, you can transfer these into a freezer safe bag.
- To cook, DO NOT THAW. Air-fry or bake these from frozen.
AIR-FRYING/BAKING THE NUGGETS
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper and a drizzle or spray of oil before placing the nuggets. Spray/brush with more oil over the top of the nuggets before air-frying or baking.
- Air-fry at 200C/395F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through. Baking will take longer, around 40-45 minutes or until golden brown throughout.
- Do note that cooking frozen nuggets will take slightly longer than cooking refrigerated/freshly made nuggets.
PREPARE THE GOCHUJANG GLAZE/SAUCE
- Heat a small sauce pan over medium. Melt the vegan butter. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Leave to simmer over medium heat.
- Once it boils, lower the heat and mix until it thickens. Taste the sauce/glaze and feel free to adjust this to your taste.
SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR NUGGETS
- You can use this as a dip or pour this over the nuggets and coat each piece.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired
MORE VEGAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Air-Fried Tofu Balls
- Chili Garlic Butter Potatoes
- Pan-Fried Tofu Cakes
- Korean Braised Potatoes
- Spicy “Pork” Stir-Fry
- Miso Sesame Eggplant
Vegan Nuggets with Spicy Gochujang Sauce
These air-fried vegan nuggets made with a mix of extra firm tofu and coated with an irresistibly sweet and spicy gochujang-based sauce is the ultimate finger food! These nuggets are also great with your choice of dip or glaze and can be enjoyed with salads, in wraps, and more.
Ingredients
Nuggets
- 17.5 oz extra firm tofu pressed
- 7 oz potato (I used 1 small yukon gold potato)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp baking powder (optional)
- 1/4 cup plant milk I used light coconut milk
- 1 cup almond flour , all-purpose flour, or oat flour (see notes), 135 g
- Neutral oil for cooking
Spicy Gochujang Glaze
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp gochujang or Korean chili paste
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or regular white vinegar
To Finish
Instructions
Nuggets
- Press the block of tofu. I like to do so by wrapping mine in a towel and placing a few heavy chopping boards on top.
- Wash your potato well. I no longer peeled mine.
- Finely grate the potato. I wrap the grated potato in a cheese cloth or thin kitchen towel. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the potatoes.
- Note that the potato will naturally turn light brown when exposed to the air.
- In a large bowl, mash the tofu with your hands. Add in the grated potato, salt, paprika, baking powder, milk, and flour. I like to use almond flour because of the extra oils and fattiness I get from it.But you're free to use any flour of choice (see notes for more tips).
- Mix well until combined.
- Test the mixture: Get some of the mixture and shape with your hands. It shouldn't crumble and fall apart. This is a good test to see if the mixture holds up well.
- If the mixture is too wet and easily falls apart, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour and mix well into the tofu to absorb excess liquid. Test out the mixture again to be sure if it holds up. If not, you can always add more flour.
- Shape into small nuggets or other shape of your choice.
Air-Frying/Baking
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper and a drizzle or spray of oil before placing the nuggets. Spray/brush with more oil over the top of the nuggets before air-frying or baking.
- Air-fry at 200C/395F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through. Baking will take longer, around 40-45 minutes or until golden brown throughout.
Gochujang Glaze/Sauce
- Heat a small sauce pan over medium. Melt the vegan butter. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Leave to simmer over medium heat.
- Once it boils, lower the heat and mix until it thickens. Taste the sauce/glaze and feel free to adjust this to your taste.
Serve and Enjoy!
- You can use this as a dip or pour this over the nuggets and coat each piece.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired
Prepare Ahead Tips
REFRIGERATING
- You can refrigerate the mixture overnight. Do note that the potatoes can release extra moisture as it sits. If the mixture becomes more wet, you can add more flour before shaping into small nuggets.
FREEZING
- You can prepare the mixture beforehand and shape this into nuggets.
- You can place the nuggets in a freezer safe tray. Be sure these are spaced apart. Cover the tray and freeze the nuggets. Once hard, you can transfer these into a freezer safe bag.
- To cook, DO NOT THAW. Air-fry or bake these from frozen.
- Do note that cooking frozen nuggets will take slightly longer than cooking refrigerated/freshly made nuggets.
WATCH Video
Notes
FLOUR
- You can use any flour of your choice – whole wheat, all-purpose, spelt, oat, almond, etc.
- For the oat flour, you can also use processed oatmeal or quick cook oats.
- I like using almond flour or oat flour because it adds a distinct gritty texture that I don’t get with regular all-purpose. I also get extra fattiness from almond flour. Almond and oat flour are more nutritious too!
- If the mixture is too wet and easily fall apart, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour and mix well into the tofu to absorb excess liquid. Test out the mixture again to be sure if it holds up. If not, you can always add more flour.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1nugget with glaze | Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
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This Post Has 10 Comments
Beautifully done and made it just now thank you it’s delicious!!
Thanks so much Arhlene, glad you liked it! ◡̈
Very easy to make, I also used almond flour when preparing these nuggets yesterday. The sauce recipe was spot on and all my Asian (but not as yet plant based like myself) family really like them. Will definitely make up.again. Thanks for the recipe. Love your ideas n recipes so keep up the great work.
Thanks so much and really hope you enjoyed these!! ◡̈
These totally surprised us in the best way! They are truly more than the sum of their parts. I think they’re one of the best vegan nuggets I’ve ever made, and that includes store-bought chick’n nuggets from many top brands.
I used half peanut flour and half sesame flour. I also added 1/2 c of breadcrumbs, because I had some to use up, and some garlic powder. I didn’t have any spray oil so I baked them (425F for 35 min, flipping halfway) without any added oil and they still got perfectly browned and sooo crispy!
Hi Elissa, so happy you enjoyed these! And great use of leftover breadcrumbs too. Thanks so much for leaving a review, highly appreciated ◡̈
These were really really good and easy to make. I used normal all purpose flour and it was fine, although I am going to get some almond flour and make another batch. I air fried half and deep fried half both methods work well. I doubled the sauce too as I like sauce! I also made your garlic rice to go with these, so yummy. Thanks
Ahh pairing these with garlic rice is genius! And so so happy you liked it ◡̈ regular all purpose flour works great too but the almond does add a bit more texture. And thanks Pauline!!
I added a normal type of potato and unfortunately I can feel and smell a starch which is bad (next time I would leave a potato to sink) but besides that it has perfect structure after baking and tastes good
Thanks Wiktoria! ◡̈