These crispy, crunchy Pistachio Nuggets are a meal prep staple in my kitchen! They’re high in protein and they can be baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer!
Serve with oven-baked potato wedges and a simple green salad for a tasty weeknight dinner that everyone will love.
If you prefer prepping ingredients, rather than full meals when meal prepping for the week, this is a great recipe to add to the rotation. These high-protein tofu nuggets can be made at the start of the week and added to grain bowls like my Rice + Lentil Nourish Bowls, or tossed in salads my Roasted Broccolini Salad with Lemon and Apricots.
Sometimes I use these plant-based nuggets instead of vegan chicken when making recipes like these Crispy Chicken Pita Pockets or when preparing veggie burritos.
Super versatile and great to have on hand throughout the week!
Pistachio Tofu Nuggets Recipe
The full recipe card can be found below, but here’s an overview to give you an idea:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then mix the finely chopped pistachios, breadcrumbs, and spices in a bowl.
Step 2: Next, mix cornstarch and plant-milk together in another bowl and set aside.
The cornstarch helps make the tofu extra crispy when it bakes in the oven, similar to the way a chicken’s egg would in a non-vegan nugget recipe.
Step 3: Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture. Then dip the tofu into the milk mixture and allow the excess to drip off. Next, dip the nuggets in the breadcrumb mixture and toss to coat evenly. Shake off the excess and place on a lined cookie sheet.
Step 3: Spray the tofu nuggets lightly with coconut oil or olive oil cooking spray and bake for 20-25 or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy! (I included some recipes for vegan-friendly sauces below)
My oven tay with non-toxic baking mat linked here.
Take this recipe to the next level:
- Add freshly grated lemon zest and vegan parmesan cheese to breadcrumb mixture
- Add salt-free Cajun or Shawarma seasoning to the breadcrumb mixture
- Mix your flavor hot sauce into the milk and cornstarch mixture
- Mix a spoonful of vegan pesto into the milk mixture, and serve with more pesto on the side for dipping
Sauce Recipes to go with the Homemade Pistachio Tofu Nuggets
Watch Me Make This Recipe Step-by-Step:
CRISPY Pistachio Tofu Nuggets
Ingredients
- 32 oz super-firm tofu 2 blocks, sometimes called "High-Protein Tofu"
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 cup pistachios
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt I use Morton's
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 2 cups soy milk unsweetened
- coconut oil or olive oil spray
Instructions
Prep
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Then finely chop the pistachios. I do this by placing the nuts in a mini food processor like this one so that I can get them nice and small. Tip: the finer the pistachio pieces, the more evenly they'll coat the tofu.
- Cut the tofu in half lengthwise. Then cut each half into three equal sticks lengthwise. Cut each stick into four equal pieces to create bite-sized cubes (video above for reference) Repeat with the second block of tofu, and then pat dry with a clean towel to remove any excess moisture from the nuggets. This will help the breading stick better.
Assemble
- In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, chopped pistachios, and spices. Mix well and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tbsp of the soy milk until it's dissolved. Then whisk in the remaining soy milk.
- Line a cookie sheet with a non-stick liner and then begin assembling the nuggets by dipping each piece of tofu into the milk mixture to coat. Shake off any excess and then dip into the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess and place the tofu onto the cookie sheet.
- Repeat this process with the remaining tofu, and then spritz the top of the tofu nuggets with coconut oil spray.
Bake
- Bake for 20-25 or until well browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a pinch of salt if desired. Air fryer instructions in the notes below.
Serve
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Hey! I’m Nicole and I make practical vegan recipes for REAL life. I cook with simple, easy to find ingredients and I’m passionate about creating delicious plant-based meals that everyone will love!
I hope you enjoy my recipes and videos :) Happy Cooking!
Find me on: Instagram
can these be frozen?
Author
Yes! Freeze individually on a plate or tray for one hour and then place in an airtight bag for up to 6 months ❤️
Love how creative this is and the flavors were great! Very tasty with BBQ sauce/ketchup just like you’d eat regular ‘chicken’ nuggets. Wanted to call out that the breading stuck a lot better for the first several nuggets vs later on because it got damp from the milk-dipped nuggets as time went on. Next time, I think I’d gradually pour in more and more breading into the shallow bowl to avoid dampening it all, if that makes sense.
Author
Thanks Sydney, I’m so happy you liked this recipe! And that’s a great tip. You’re right, the breading needs to be as dry as possible in order to stick. I’ll make sure and add a note in the instructions 🙂 Thanks for making my recipe and taking the time to comment!