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If you are a vegan that misses the taste of chicken nuggets then you will love these homemade vegan chicken nuggets. They are made with wholesome ingredients, and they taste great!
Chicken nuggets were one of my favorite foods growing up. I used to have a phobia of using utensils at restaurants, so I would only order chicken nuggets or ribs every time my family would go out to eat. I became a vegetarian when I was 13 years old, so I had to get over my phobia at that point.
The world of fake meats has improved drastically in recent years. When I first became a vegetarian, the majority of fake meat products were disgusting. Now there are actually a lot of really delicious fake meat products out there.
One of my favorite fake meat products to eat is chicken nuggets. The only problem is that most of the ingredients that go into fake meat products are horrible. Luckily for you and me, this recipe for homemade vegan chicken nuggets tastes delicious and is much better for you than any brand of vegan chicken nuggets that you can find at the grocery store. They are also completely oil-free!
I’m not going to lie to you, these homemade vegan chicken nuggets do take a while to make. This recipe makes a lot of chicken nuggets though, so you can make it once, and then store them in the freezer for months.
Since living in Thailand, I have become a HUGE fan of spicy food. If a food isn’t spicy, I probably don’t want it. These homemade vegan chicken nuggets have a little bit of a spicy kick to them, but nothing that is too overwhelming. If you love spicy food as much as I do, I highly recommend buying this dipping sauce. It goes great with these plant-based chicken nuggets!
Shop Some Items Needed for These Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Homemade Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 lb regular or medium tofu do not use silken, firm, or extra firm
- 2 cups water divided
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast divided
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 5 tsp garlic powder divided
- 4 tsp poultry seasoning divided
- 3 tsp sea salt divided
- 2.5 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 6 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 tbsp sriracha or another type of hot sauce
- 2 cups bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp chili powder divided
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Put the tofu, 1 cup of water, 5 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 4 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp poultry seasoning, and 2 tsp sea salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add the vital wheat gluten to the food processor and continue to mix until a ball forms in the center.
- You can either roll out the ball into a few different logs and slice each log into one-inch slices or you can keep it is ball form and make one-inch nuggets as you go.
- Next, create a three-dip coating station. Each station will have a separate bowl.
- Bowl 1: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Bowl 2: 6 tbsp flax seeds, 1 cup of water, and sriracha or another type of hot sauce.
- Bowl 3: bread crumbs, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp chili powder, cayenne, and paprika.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Dip each nugget in the flour, then the flaxseed mixture, and finally the bread crumbs. The flaxseed mixture will get thicker the longer it takes you to make the vegan chicken nuggets. You may need to add a little more water to get it to a liquid consistency again near the end.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the nuggets are golden brown.
- The vegan chicken nuggets can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.
