Spicy Buffalo Tofu Tacos (Vegan & High Protein)

5 from 1 vote

These spicy vegan buffalo tofu tacos are easy to make, crispy, super delicious & flavorful. Each serving includes 29 grams of plant-based protein.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 1

Author: Kim-Julie Hansen

Servings: servings

Ingredients

For the Crispy Tofu

▢ 18 ounces (500 g) Extra firm tofu or medium firm (but not silken!), frozen & thawed, see notes
▢ ½ cup (62.5 g) All purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend
▢ ½ cup (120 ml) Unsweetened soy milk or any other unsweetened plant milk
▢ 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon Sea salt or more, to taste
▢ ½ teaspoon Ground white pepper or ground black pepper
▢ ¾ cup (50 g) Panko breadcrumbs or a gluten-free alternative

For the Jalapeño Slaw

▢ ¼ head Red cabbage large
▢ 1 Jalapeño or to taste
▢ 2 Limes the juice
▢ ½ teaspoon Sea salt or to taste
▢ 1 pinch Pepper or to taste

For the Spicy Buffalo Sauce

▢ 3 tablespoons Vegan Butter or dairy-free buttery spread
▢ 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
▢ 5 tablespoons Hot sauce or more, to taste (or less, for a milder version)
▢ 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce or tamari sauce for a gluten-free version
▢ 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
▢ 3 tablespoons Water
▢ 1 ½ tablespoons Cornstarch or tapioca starch

To Serve

▢ 1 cup (225 g) Vegan Greek Yogurt unsweetened
▢ 1 pinch Sea salt or to taste
▢ 1 pinch Pepper or to taste
▢ 1 bunch Fresh cilantro
▢ 12 Corn tortillas small
▢ 1 (1 large) Avocado ripe, seed and peel removed
▢ 2 Limes
▢ 1 pinch Red chili flakes or to taste, optional
▢ 1 pinch Freshly cracked black pepper or to taste, optional

Equipment

Tofu Press

Mixing Bowls

Whisk & Kitchen Tongs

Bamboo Cutting Boards

Knives

Instructions

Freeze and Thaw the Tofu

Important: do this at least a day before making this recipe for the best result!
Freeze the entire tofu package for at least 4 hours, then thaw it at room temperature for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat the Oven and Press the Tofu

Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC using your oven's convention setting (or fan function) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. If you don't have that setting, preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC using the regular setting.
Next, press your thawed tofu using a tofu press or by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and pressing it between two plates or cutting boards topped with a heavy weight (like a pile of books.) Make the slaw while the tofu is being pressed (this should only take about 5 minutes.)

Make the Jalapeño Slaw

Thinly slice or shred the cabbage and dice the jalapeño. Add both to a bowl with the lime juice, salt, and pepper. Using a spatula, mix well until everything is coated with the lemon juice. Set aside (either in the fridge or at room temperature.)

Make the Crispy Tofu

To a mixing bowl, add the flour, soy milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and mix using a whisk. To another mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
Tear your thawed tofu into smaller pieces (you'll need about 2 pieces per taco, which corresponds to 24 pieces per 18oz/500g block of tofu.)
Add all the tofu pieces to the mixing bowl with the batter and, using a spatula, gently mix until each piece is coated. Then, using kitchen tongs, dip each tofu piece in the breadcrumbs, making sure they're fully coated.
Place the tofu pieces on the lined baking tray, then bake in the oven on the middle rack for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Make the Buffalo Sauce

While the tofu is baking, make your buffalo sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients, except the vegan butter, in a bowl using a a whisk or a fork. This will prevent the cornstarch from clumping.
Heat the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once fully melted, add the mix with the other ingredients and whisk until well incorporated.
Wait until the sauce has thickened (about 2-3 minutes), then mix again and remove it from the heat. It should be gooey, so if it's too liquid, wait a little longer. Set aside.

Prepare Your Toppings

Cube your avocado, mix the vegan Greek yogurt with a little chopped cilantro, salt, and pepper (to taste) or leave as is, cut the limes into wedges, then heat your tortillas (either in the microwave or in a skillet).

Coat the Tofu, Serve and Enjoy!

Once the crispy tofu is ready, add the pieces to the saucepan with the buffalo sauce and, using a spatula, gently mix until each piece is well coated. If your saucepan is very small, you might need to do this in two batches.
Either prepare each taco by layering it with slaw, tofu, a dollop of vegan Greek yogurt, avocado, cilantro, a lime wedge, and freshly cracked pepper and/or red chili flakes (if using) or simply place all ingredients on a dining table so everyone can build their own tacos (which is more fun!). Squeeze the lime wedges on the tacos and enjoy!

Notes

For additional information on freezing and thawing tofu, as well as more detailed instructions and step by step photos, be sure to read the blog post above.
The nutrition information might vary based on the exact brands you're using for each ingredient (the values indicated were calculated using Nasoya's extra firm organic tofu and Kite Hill's Greek Style Yogurt, for instance.)

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!