These crispy tofu tacos are easy to make and healthy! No frying just baked to perfection. Topped with shredded cabbage, avocado, and a vegan lime crema!
Ever since I learned that you can make quinoa crispies at home, I've been dreaming of new ways to use them. So far, I haven't been that creative. Usually, I just toss them in my granola, or throw them in a smoothie bowl, add them into Dark Chocolate Energy Balls or use them to give my Vegan Almond Butter Cups a nice little crunch.
But as I was finishing up my most recent batch, I realized these quinoa crispies reminded me of something…
PANKO BREAD CRUMBS!
So I put them to the test and created these crispy tofu tacos that use quinoa crispies as the crunchy outside coating.
Tofu tacos on their own are delicious, but crispy tofu tacos? Whole other level. It's almost like the tofu has been deep-fried, but it's actually just baked in the oven until crispy.
To make the outer coating, you need to first make a batch of quinoa. Here's a quick video to show you how to make quinoa crispies:
Once you have your quinoa crispies, you can prepare the tofu.
We're going to start by giving the tofu a bit of seasoning — just a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika is perfect. Then set up your dredging station.
I used chickpea flour because that's what I grabbed first, but you can really use any flour you'd like. Just coat your tofu in the flour, dip it in some almond milk, roll it your quinoa crispies and done. Definitely line your baking pan with parchment so they don't stick!
You'll want to turn the tofu halfway through to ensure it cooks and browns evenly. In total, mine took about 30 minutes, but the end result was perfectly crispy squares of tofu.
What I really loved about this version of crispy tofu was that unlike plain baked tofu where the whole cube puffs up, the center of these remained fairly tender while the outside was crunchy and crisp. It made for the perfect taco filling.
For toppings on my taco, I went pretty simple – just shredded red cabbage, sliced avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro.
They definitely needed a sauce though. The first bite was a bit dry and hard to chew. So to give them a touch of creaminess and moisture, I whipped up this simple vegan lime crema made with a base of soaked cashews.
It's just cashews, water, lime juice, and spices, and you can blend it up in less than a minute with a high powered blender. It's light, fluffy, not too powerful so that it takes over the flavor of the tacos completely, but it balances it out just right.
And it provides that nice contrast in texture: crispy and smooth. Just a drizzle was all these tacos needed and they ended up being my favorite meal we had all week!
And since there's only two of us (and this recipe serves six), I saved my leftover tofu in the fridge and tossed it into my collard wraps for the next two days for lunch. It was SO yummy!
So no it's time to get your taco on. Whip up a batch of these crispy tofu tacos (and maybe even some Watermelon Lime Spritzers!?), invite your girlfriends over and just chill. It's a simple weeknight dinner that will make you look like a million bucks!
Your turn…
What has been your favorite way to use quinoa crispies? I'm planning to create a few new flavor options, but also want to hear how you've been enjoying them! Let me know in the comments below 🙂 And if you end up try these tacos, share a pic on social using #simplyquinoa or tag @simplyquinoa so I can find it and give it some love!
xo Alyssa
More Delicious Tofu Recipes To Try!
- Meal Prep Chipotle Tofu Quinoa Bowls
- Barbecue Grilled Pineapple & Tofu Kebabs
- Buffalo Tofu Mason Jar Salads
- 5-Minute Kimchi Tofu Scramble
- Pesto Quinoa Salad Bowls with Grilled Tofu
Crispy Tofu Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3/4 cup chickpea flour or flour of choice
- 2 cups almond milk or milk of choice
- 2 1/2 cups quinoa crispies from about 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro optional
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 batch vegan lime crema
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Cut the tofu into 1" cubes and season with paprika, salt and pepper.
- Arrange the chickpea flour, almond milk and quinoa crispies in a line into three separate bowls. Take 5 - 6 cubes of tofu and toss it in the chickpea flour. Dip one in the almond milk, then gently roll them in the quinoa crispies, pressing down firmly so they stick. Place tofu on baking sheet and repeat until all tofu has been used.
- Bake for 30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooking.
- Serve on top 3 - 4 cubes of tofu onto the corn tortillas and top with some shredded cabbage, avocado and the lime crema. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Filed Under:
Vegan Lime Crema
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked for 6 hours*
- 1/4 cup water
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Nutrition
Filed Under:
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Instead of using cashews could you just use vegan Mayo and add the other stuff to it for the lime Crema?
Sure 🙂 You could also use some avocado the flavor might be a little different but it should work.
This sounds delicious! What spices do you use for the Lime Cema? What are the ratios? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! All of the spice quantities are at the bottom of the post 🙂 When you click on the page, you will see a button that says “Jump to Recipe” under the title. That will take you there!
We didn’t find this recipe very exciting–there wasn’t much to the tofu. We appreciated the addition of the crisp texture, but it was bland. Perhaps if the tofu crispies were specifically prepared with chipotles in adobo, or broth + spices, then maybe it would have been a little bit more flavorful. In retrospect, there were a few ways I could’ve added more flavor myself, but now we know for next time!
Thank you so much for your honest feedback! Definitely noted! I hope you make them again and spice them up 🙂
Tried it last week and it was very good, love the crispies! Did take me longer than expected but I’m not that great in the kitchen. Definitely will try again.
Glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe took forever and was not that good. The quinoa crispy part took so so long to make. Very disappointing since it took so long and ended up with little to no flavor. And the sauce was a flop.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
Can the tofu be made ahead and re-heated? If so, would you use microwave or oven?
I haven’t tried, but I think it would work! I’d say probably in the oven would be best 🙂
I can’t get the crispies to stick to the tofu. They mostly fall right off. Any suggestions?
Hmm have you done the wash and dip? I’ve never had an issue before!
Hi Alyssa,
I’m new to cooking and a vegetarian of 7 years who has been struggling to find a tofu taco dish that I love.
I tried your recipe with a friend this week and was absolutely floored at how delicious these tacos came out. Thank you for introducing this to me – I now have a new favorite dish to add to my list!
PS – I am resending this as it looks like my first post accidentally rated this as 4 stars when it’s clearly way above 5 – so please ignore the last post!
I just happened upon your site today. I am anxious to try some of our recipes.
But…our ads cover the page and make recipes hard to read. When I try to close them, the ad will open. This is a bummer..
Thanks for the feedback! I’ll let my ad network know so they can fix it 🙂
Well I hit the print button and get a clear picture and save it to my iPad.
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Hey Alyssa, do you press your tofu to drain the water out for this recipe? Thanks!
Definitely drain the liquid out, but you don’t necessarily have to press it 🙂
Hi Alyssa! I was wondering if the vegan crema can be frozen to have it on hand when it is needed. Thankssss, amazing recipe by the way.
Hi there! I actually haven’t tried freezing cashew cream before, so I’m not sure. I don’t see why it wouldn’t!
Sorry, but its way to much advertising on your side. Makes it hard to read the recipe which is wonderful for sure.
Appreciate the feedback!
Well I hit the print button and get a clear picture and save it to my iPad.
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