These Savory Tofu Crumbles are perfect for snacking! They also make a great topping for avocado toast, potatoes or other vegetable dishes. Though they are for savory dishes, they have a pop of sweet/tart from the dried cranberries. They are vegan, oil-free, and whole-food plant-based.
For some other tasty tofu crumbles recipes, try my:
- Taco Tofu
- Sausage Tofu Crumbles
- Bacon Bits
- Asian-Fusion Flavored Tofu Crumbles
- BBQ Flavored Tofu Crumbles
To make these Savory Tofu Crumbles you will need:
- extra firm tofu
- tahini paste
- vegetable broth
- low sodium soy sauce
- coconut palm sugar
- nutritional yeast
- various seasonings such as smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
- fun “trail mix” add-ins like sunflower seeds, pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), and dried cranberries.
- A cookie sheet some type of silicone mat (affiliate link) or parchment paper.
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Why Snacking Tofu Crumbles?
Great question! Because it’s kind of like trail mix – yet it’s tofu crumble topping. Perfect for snacking! When I was first eating vegan, I was visiting my parents who were a little skeptical of my new eating ethics. My mother wanted to be supportive though, and so she went grocery shopping and bought all the “vegan foods” that she thought would make me happy and that I could eat. Can you guess what one of the food items was? That’s right, tofu! I will tell you, before that day, I had never cooked with tofu.
Challenge Accepted!
I jumped on the internet and educated myself about tofu – including pressing, draining, seasoning, and baking.
First, I tried to make an Asian type of tofu chunk, but because the tofu got so smashed up when I was pressing and draining it, it mostly fell apart.
Not one to waste food, I just added a little bit of what I could find in my mother’s cupboard. I spied some salad toppers in the corner with seasoned nuts and seeds.
The result was tasty crunchy crumbles. A few more tries and tweaks, and I had my Snacking Tofu Crumbles! Savory, crunchy, a little sweet – and a lot delicious!
Tips, Tricks, and Directions for Making the Best Savory Snacking Tofu Crumbles:
The Tofu:
- Please read through all of the tips, tricks, and directions so that your tofu crumbles will turn out as amazing as mine.
- Start by draining and pressing a 16-ounce block of extra firm tofu. Extra-firm is what you should use for the best texture.
- When I first started cooking with tofu, I just pressed it between weighted dinner plates. In fact, I fought purchasing a tofu press for quite some time thinking that it was just as easy to use the weighted plate method. Getting a tofu press cuts down the press time by almost an hour and is so easy to use!
The other ingredients:
- While the tofu is pressing, you should preheat the oven and assemble the other ingredients – except for the dried cranberries. You’ll want to add these only after you’ve almost cooked your tofu or they will overcook and taste bitter.
- There are a few secret ingredients make this Trail Mix Tofu Crumble recipe unique and delicious.
- Tahini paste adds a rich and complex structure to the taste.
- Soy sauce and nutritional yeast also add a savory dimension to the flavor. If you don’t yet know about nutritional yeast, this is different from brewer’s yeast and baking yeast. It gives a “cheesy” flavor to many vegan dishes. While these Trail Mix Tofu Crumbles do not taste cheesy, the nutritional yeast is necessary for full flavor.
Putting it all together and baking:
- When the tofu is fully pressed (about 30 minutes) with a tofu press), carefully crumble by hand into a medium-sized mixing bowl along with the other ingredients.
- Stir together until the tofu is evenly coated.
- Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet that is covered with parchment paper or onto a silicone mat.
- Cook at 375° for a total of 35-45 minutes. You will want to pull it out and stir it around at 15 minutes and again at 30 minutes.
- It is at this point that you add the dried cranberries. Put back in the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes, checking every couple of minutes so that the tofu doesn’t dry out too much.
- After it’s cooled, put into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Honestly, ours never lasts quite that long!
Our favorite way to enjoy Trail Mix Tofu Crumbles in on Avocado Toast. 
If you liked these vegan tofu crumbles, you should try my Sausage Tofu Crumbles and my Tofu Taco Crumbles. All are plant-based, oil-free and delicious!
Things I found useful making Tofu Crumbles:
*Affiliate Links* I am an Amazon affiliate. This means that clicking on and purchasing through one of these links might earn Veggie Fun Kitchen compensation at no additional cost to you.
The Recipe for Tofu Crumbles
Thanks for reading through the directions. I hope your Trail Mix Tofu Crumbles turn out as tasty as mine do all the time! If you liked this recipe, leave a comment and five stars would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for being a part of Veggie Fun Kitchen. Cindy
Savory Tofu Crumbles for Snacking
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce block tofu extra firm
- 2 Tablespoons tahini paste
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable broth
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 1 Tablespoon coconut palm sugar
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 3 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds shelled - pepitas
- 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Press and drain extra firm tofu.
- While oven is heating and tofu is pressing, assemble all other ingredients -with the exception of the dried cranberries into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Once tofu is thoroughly pressed, crumble into small pieces by hand directly into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
- Toss until tofu is well coated.
- Spread onto a silicone mat or parchment covered baking sheet and put in the oven for a total of 30 -40 minutes, checking and stirring at intervals.
- Initially set the timer for 15 minutes. Take tofu out to turn and stir. Make sure you move the pieces on the sides into the middle and the middle out to the side. Put back in for another 15 minutes.
- At this point add the cranberries and continue to stir and turn. Put back in for 5-10 minutes, checking at stirring every 2 minutes to make sure tofu does not overcook and dry out.
- You'll know it's done when it's mostly brown. Note: This will not brown as darkly as say ground burger would. If it does, it means that you overcooked.
- Cool tofu and put into an airtight container. You can refrigerate for up to 5-7 days. If it dries out while being stored, revive with a little vegetable broth.
Excellent recipe for road trips. It’s on my list to try out. Thanks.
This is a great idea and I love that there isn’t a lot of sugar, it’s perfect for snacking on.
We tried this on avocado toast and it was amazing!! Thanks for the tip about pressing the tofu too!