Crispy Vegan Pan-Fried Tofu Cheese Sticks Recipe
Today we are making a Crispy Vegan Pan-Fried Tofu Cheese Sticks Recipe! What are tofu sticks, you ask? You might be familiar with breaded tofu, like where tofu tries to mimic chicken nuggets. This recipe is not quite that … it’s tofu, pressed of excess moisture, cut up into sticks, seasoned with a mix of herbs and spices, tossed with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, then pan-fried in oil to crisp it right up. This is a great snack and the perfect appetizer/finger food for a big game day snack, when you need a filling snack after-school, want a yummy side dish with your lunch or dinner or need something along with that bowl of rice or noodles to pack for lunch when you go to work.
Tofu is full of protein, but so is nutritional yeast (ah, the great cheese-like flavor of nutritional yeast …). It’s double-packed with all your protein needs, plus a high-protein snack won’t cause sugar spikes or cravings for junk food throughout the day.
Nutritional yeast, by the way, is this cheesy yellow powder that’s full of B vitamins and made from deactivated yeast. The flavor can take some time to get used to, but when mixed with other ingredients you can’t really tell a major difference other than a cheesy taste in the recipe, like in Mac n’ Cheese.
Anyways, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get onto this easy recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Vegan Pan-Fried Tofu Cheese Sticks Recipe
High-Protein Snack: From the tofu itself to the nutritional yeast coating, this vegan recipe contains tons of protein, plus B-vitamins from the nooch and tons of flavor from the mix of seasonings. You don’t even have to turn the oven on for it, as it’s all pan-fried to make the tofu extra-crispy. Dip it in all your favorite dipping sauce for the perfect filling snack (like hot sauce, a vegan spicy buffalo sauce or marinara sauce)! Who says you can’t have delicious food on a plant-based diet?!
Easy to Make: When I’m hungry, I don’t want to spend to spend forever trying to gather ingredients and make a dish. At that point, I would rather just eat all the ingredients in sight than actually stand there making a recipe out of them! What’s nice about these crispy tofu sticks is that you just need to coat your tofu with the seasoning, then pan-fry in hot oil instead of deep frying (or try making them in the air fryer next time)! If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the water-pressing step, but if you have the extra time then to get the best results and make it even crispier, you’ll want to wait the extra hour. Aside from the tofu-pressing, the prep and cook time are 10-15 minutes (or less if you hurry) each.
Substitutions
Tofu: Use extra-firm tofu for this recipe. Other tofu varieties are not as firm (medium firm tofu is still not as good as extra firm), and they will crumble more when pressed down to remove the water. To get the firmest tofu sticks, extra-firm is the way to go!
Nutritional Yeast: This is also called nooch, and is a cheesy-tasting powder that’s actually deactivated yeast. It’s fully vegan, is a good source of B-vitamins and can be found in the vegan or gluten-free/natural pantry items section. Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to brand for this ingredient!
Oil: Substitute the extra-virgin olive oil with virgin or regular olive oil, or avocado oil instead.
Crispy Vegan Pan-Fried Tofu Cheese Sticks Recipe Notes
- Dip these cheesy tofu sticks in your favorite vegan dipping sauce – ketchup, vegan ranch, spicy mayo, garlic aioli or other!
- Make these more flavorful by adding Italian seasoning into the dry mixture before coating the tofu. I would start with one teaspoon and add more as desired.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
If you make this Crispy Vegan Pan-Fried Tofu Cheese Sticks Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Crispy Vegan Pan-Fried Tofu Cheese Sticks Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Towels or a Tofu Press for removing excess moisture from the tofu
- Medium Cast-Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 block extra-firm tofu
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¾ tsp pink salt
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil for sauteeing
Instructions
- Unwrap the extra firm tofu from its packaging. Wrap it in a kitchen towel or with a paper towel. Place some books over top of the tofu block, in order to press the water out. Make sure the books are not too heavy, or it will break the tofu. Leave it for at least a half hour.
- Cut the block of tofu into 42 even sticks. To get 42, cut the block into three long pieces, each with a third of the block's width. Then, cut each section into 14 pieces. This will make 42.
- In a medium mixing bowl, toss the 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil with the cut blocks of tofu.
- Mix the spices and yeast together in a small bowl, then toss the tofu in it.
- Warm up a large skillet and pour the 1 tbsp of oil in. Place the tofu sticks in a single layer in the pan. I used a small skillet and had to make it in three batches – in this case, split a third of the one tbsp of oil for each batch. You can use more if needed as well.
- Allow the tofu to crisp up on one side, then add another 1 tsp oil on each side for each batch, or 1 tbsp total oil, to let the other side crisp. This will be a total of the 2 tbsp of oil used for both sides of the tofu.
- Once each batch of tofu is done crisping up, remove from the skillet with a pair of tongs, placing the tofu on a serving plate with dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
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Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
