Everything Bagel Tofu Tenders – Strips of crispy baked tofu coated with everything but the bagel seasoning! An easy, healthy and Vegan tofu appetizer recipe that’s gluten free too! Perfect with a Vegan ranch or cream cheese dip.
Jump to RecipeI made my own Everything Bagel seasoning months ago when all the hype started, and then just never got around to finishing it up. An actual bagel doesn’t really need that much.
So my plan was to make some appetizer recipe – those seem to do quite well here. Chicken tenders would be my go-to, but then I thought of switching it up.
Made everything bagel seasoned Tofu tenders instead – all for those unexpected and borderline unique recipes here!
Ingredients for Everything Bagel Tofu Tenders:
These tasty tofu tenders need just 5 simple ingredients, and are not only Vegan, but gluten free too and dairy free too!
- Tofu – I used the extra firm or super firm, but just firm will be good as well
- Almond milk for a non dairy tofu coating
- Tapioca Starch or even cornstarch for the batter. This might also be called tapioca flour.
- Almond flour for a gluten free breading, since there’s no breadcrumbs. This also makes the this a keto and low carb tofu recipe!
- Everything Bagel Seasoning! You can get the spice blend from Trader Joes, but I just used my homemade diy blend instead.
How to cook Vegan Tofu Tenders with Everything Bagel Seasoning
My favorite part about these everything but the bagel tofu tenders is that they’re super easy to bake in the oven, and can also be turned into tofu nuggets!
All you need to do here is:
- Press the tofu to drain all the water out – either use a tofu press or place it between paper towels with heavy pots, pans or books on top.
- Cut the tofu into half along the long edge into 2 large rectangles. Then cut each of those into tofu strips of about half an inch thick. You should get about 5 from each for a total of 10 strips.
- Prepare two shallow bowls for the coating: almond milk and tapioca starch in one, and almond flour and everything bagel seasoning blend in the other.
- Dredge a piece of tofu first in the milk and then in the breading; Be sure to coat each side well. Place the piece on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Repeat this with all the pieces. - Bake the breaded tofu tenders in the oven at 400°F for about 35 minutes, flipping after 25 minutes. The tofu should nicely golden brown.
Other options for Crispy Tofu Tenders:
If you prefer tofu nuggets, cut the tofu into smaller pieces – maybe cubes – and increase the amount of milk coating, and ebtb seasoning breading ingredients. You also want to reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes.
Alternatively, you an also make fried tofu tenders by cooking these strips in a tiny bit of oil on a nonstick pan.
Another option is to cook the tofu in an air fryer – this should take about 25 to 30 minutes. I haven’t tried it myself though.
Can you store Baked Tofu Tenders
These crispy breaded tofu strips are best had fresh, but you can keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. Use an airtight container.
To reheat baked tofu, bake them in the oven again at 350°F, or in a toaster oven. You can use an air fryer here too, or even just a skillet.
I would not recommend the microwave though since the tofu will just get soft.
More Vegan Tofu Recipes to try:
- Simple Tofu Scramble with Spinach
- Spicy Crispy Tofu Tacos with Cilantro Lemon Slaw & Sauce
- Sweet Chili Tofu Stir Fry
- Crispy Maple Glazed Tofu
Everything Bagel Tofu Tenders
Ingredients
- 14 oz Extra Firm Tofu, 397g
- 2 Tbsp Almond Milk
- ½ Tbsp Tapioca Starch or Corn Starch
- ¼ cup Almond Flour
- 2½ Tbsp Everything Bagel Seasoning, see notes for recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange tofu between 5-6 paper towels and press down with heavy pots/pans or books. Let drain for 15 min.
- Cut into half lengthwise (along narrow side), then cut each half into 5 strips about ½ inch thick each.
- In a shallow bowl, stir almond milk and tapioca or corn starch.
- In another bowl, mix almond flour and everything bagel seasoning.
- Dredge each piece of tofu in almond milk then place in breading bowl. Turn over each side until coated well. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart.
- Bake for 25 minutes, flip each piece, then bake another 10 minutes. Tofu should be golden-brown.
Notes
- Everything Bagel Seasoning recipe.
- In the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven at 350°F, or toaster oven.
- Servings: 10 strips | Serving size: 2
- Calories: 123kcal
- Fat: 7.3g | Saturated fat: 1.2g
- Carbohydrates: 4g | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 0.5g
- Protein: 9.5g
Easiest dinner recipe out there and probably the best one! Everything bagel flavor without the carbs!
Yes and yes to both those! Easy and low carb dinner recipes are my go-to; So happy you liked them too!