Chicken fingers and honey mustard dipping sauce is a childhood classic. We were feeling nostalgic (and hungry)—and figured we'd recreate a vegetarian / vegan version of this snack. Something that would please kids and adults alike. While these crispy tofu sticks won't "trick" you into thinking you're eating chicken, they are crispy, delicious, and the perfect vehicles for scooping up honey mustard sauce.
In addition to being extremely yummy, these crispy tofu sticks have become the protein-rich snack that we keep coming back to. They're satisfying enough to hold you over in the afternoon, but not so much that they'll ruin dinnertime. That said, you could turn them into dinner if you want, by serving them with fresh veggies or a simple salad or soup.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The homemade honey mustard sauce is easy and takes just 5 minutes.
- The sauce does double duty: it coats the tofu (so the panko breadcrumbs stick) AND it doubles as the dipping sauce.
- A pre-bake in the air fryer means there's no need to press or dry the tofu.
- Panko breadcrumbs makes a crispy crust that uses very little oil.
- If you don't have an air fryer, this recipe includes an option to bake this in the oven .
- Tofu is high in protein, so this is a plant based snack that'll keep you satisfied.
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make these crispy tofu sticks:
- Honey Mustard Sauce: This recipe calls for homemade honey mustard sauce. It is NOT the same as store-bought honey mustard (it's better!). And, the good news is it takes less than 5 minutes to make! You can make the sauce while the tofu is drying out in the air fryer. If you're vegan, simply follow the Vegan Honey Mustard option in the recipe—all it takes is 2 easy swaps.
- Extra-Firm Tofu: For the best results use extra-firm tofu; but in a pinch, firm tofu works fine too. This recipe uses the air fryer to quickly dry out excess moisture from the tofu. It's a much faster and easier method than pressing or draining the tofu.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko does an excellent job of creating a crunchy crust. A panko crust is a great way to mimic the crisp exterior of fried foods—without all the oil.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
You'll be surprised how quickly these crispy tofu sticks come together, even with the homemade honey mustard sauce! Here's how to make this recipe:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Use panko breadcrumbs for a crispy crust, without deep frying! Here are some other recipes that also use a panko coating for crunch:
- Crispy Sweet Chili Tofu Bowls (an easy, flavor packed weeknight dinner)
- Air Fryer Broccoli Fries (the MOST delicious way to use up broccoli stems)
- Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu (super crispy tofu, you'll almost swear its fried!)
Oven variation
We prefer the air fryer method because it's faster and more consistent with browning the panko. That said, it is possible to bake these tofu sticks in the oven. Just budget double the time for baking the tofu. And, make sure to spray the tofu sticks a bit more generously with oil to help the panko get crispy, because the oven doesn't circulate air as quickly and forcefully as an air fryer.
See the notes in the recipe card for detailed instructions on how to bake these tofu sticks in an oven instead of the air fryer.
📖 Recipe
Crispy Tofu Sticks with Honey Mustard (Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 12 oz extra-firm tofu
- 6 tablespoons Best Honey Mustard Sauce (divided, see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (more for garnish)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free if needed)
- Oil spray (such as grapeseed or olive oil)
Instructions
- Cut tofu: Cut tofu into ¼-inch (0.5 cm) thick slices.
- Bake tofu in air fryer [see note 2 for oven]: Arrange tofu in an air fryer basket and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes (no need to preheat), until pale golden and dry on the outside.
- Prepare sauce: Make Honey Mustard Sauce. Transfer 3 tablespoons of sauce into a shallow bowl, along with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- Coat tofu: Put panko in a shallow dish. Working with one piece at a time, use a fork to dip tofu into sauce to coat all sides. Shake off excess sauce. Then, place tofu in panko and use your (clean) fingertips to coat all sides in panko (note 3). Arrange coated tofu in a single layer in the air fryer basket (see note 4).
- Bake tofu in air fryer [see note 2 for oven]: Spray tofu with oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Give the tofu another light coat of oil, and bake for 1 to 3 more minutes, or until deeply golden brown. Sprinkle the hot tofu with more salt, to taste. Serve hot with the remaining honey mustard sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Best Honey Mustard Sauce: This recipe uses our homemade Honey Mustard Sauce. It is not the same as store-bought honey mustard sauce, so we do not recommend substituting. You can make it in step 3 (the timing to do this is already accounted for in the recipe). If vegan, follow the easy vegan modification in that recipe.
- Alternate baking instructions (oven method): For best results use an air fryer. But, see below for the steps that require modifications to the time and method, if using an oven instead of an air fryer. As always, use the visual cues as your primary indicator (timing estimates vary based on oven). For all other steps, follow the recipe as written.
- Step 2: Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet in a preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for about 20 minutes or until the tofu is pale golden and dry on the outside.
- Step 5: Spray the panko coated tofu with oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the panko is golden brown. Flip the tofu, spray with more oil, and bake until deeply golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with more salt to taste and serve with honey mustard for dipping.
- Coating the tofu: If you are shaking off excess sauce using the fork method, there should be enough to coat all the slices. But if for some reason you run a bit short on sauce or panko to coat the tofu, just add a bit more to the respective bowls and continue. The Best Honey Mustard recipe yields more sauce than you need for this recipe, so no need to worry if this happens!
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket: Arrange the tofu so it isn't overlapping (this allows the air to circulate and crisp up the tofu). If doubling the recipe, or if you're using a small capacity air fryer, you'll likely need to bake the tofu in two batches.
Julia says
Easy recipe and very tasty with the honey mustard sauce. I served it with a rice veggie bowl with extra honey mustard sauce. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you for sharing.
bri says
Hi Julia! Glad to hear you enjoyed the tofu sticks! Great idea adding them to a rice bowl. Thanks so much for sharing!
Andrada says
This was a very enjoyable recipe to make. Super easy, fast prep time, and great flavour! I used the oven method as I don't have an air fryer, and it still turned out nice and crispy.
bri says
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your experience Andrada! We really appreciate it:)
Vince says
I'm really not a big tofu fan but decided to try this recipe. It's amazing. Easy prep, easy cook and great taste. I used the air-fryer method. Definitely make the Honey Mustard dip, it's worth it. Bravo!
bri says
We're so thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe Vince! And we're glad you had an air fryer so you could make it that way too:) Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! We really appreciate it! Have a great weekend