Vegan Pepperoni Tofu Crumbles Recipe

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These vegan pepperoni tofu crumbles taste like the real thing! They are made with extra-firm tofu, seasonings, and herbs. Sprinkle on top of veggie dishes, potatoes, salads, soups, and of course use it to top pizza!

Here is my crazy vegan confession of the day: I don’t like tofu. There, I said it! For me, it’s a texture thing. The “creamy” soft middle and the flavored uniform bite-size squares make my mouth and tummy shiver – in a bad way.

BUT what I do love are my highly flavorful tofu crumbles! They are smallish with varied shapes and sizes, a little chewy, highly seasoned, and go just about anywhere you need a savory pop of flavor! Use tofu crumbles on baked potatoes or other veggies, pizza, salad, or sprinkled on soup.

For other amazingly flavored tofu crumbles from Veggie Fun Kitchen, try my:

• Savory Tofu Crumbles with Seeds and Cranberries
• Sausage Tofu Crumbles (This is the one I’m almost famous for!! haha)
• Bacon Bits
• BBQ Flavored Tofu Crumbles
• Asian Inspired Korean BBQ Tofu Crumbles
• Taco Tofu Crumbles

Why you will love this vegan pepperoni recipe

• Bottom line: The tofu crumbles taste like pepperoni and belong on your vegan pepperoni pizza!

• high in protein
• tofu crumbles have a great texture – a little chewy and not mushy
• seasoned just right
• versatile – can go on pizza, veggies, salads, or pasta

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Ingredients needed to make vegan pepperoni tofu crumbles

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. They really do all contribute to the depth of flavor in this flavorful tofu crumbles recipe.

• tofu – extra firm
•  ketchup
• tahini paste
• low sodium soy sauce
•  nutritional yeast
• coconut sugar – can sub in brown sugar
• smoked paprika
•  garlic powder and onion powder
• Italian seasonings
• fennel seeds
•  apple cider vinegar
• ground mustard powder
• red pepper flakes 
• salt and pepper
• cocoa powder (unsweetened)

How to make vegan pepperoni with tofu

Step 1: Press the tofu

Over the years I’ve learned to use a tofu press to press my tofu. I actually went for a couple of years without buying a tofu press thinking that I could do just fine without one. I have no idea why I was so stubborn! The liquide from tofu presses better and more efficiently when using an actual tofu press. And they aren’t really that expensive either!

Using an actual tofu press is so much easier and more efficient than stacking between plates, and heavy books and such. BUT veggie eater – you do you!

A special note about the tofu

This recipe was developed using a 16-ounce block of extra firm tofu. I know that some brands come in 14-ounce blocks. I tested this recipe using the smaller size and was disappointed. The flavor was way too intense to the point of being…not tasty. And I do take pride in the fact that when I publish a recipe on Veggie Fun Kitchen you can count on flavor and YES tasty!

If you only have a 14-ounce block, I would actually recommend buying two and slicing off a two-ounce piece and adding it to the 14-ounce block. You can always freeze the rest to use at a later date.

Step 2: Mix the other ingredients

While your tofu is pressing you can heat the oven, prepare the pan, and mix up the flavorful saucy pepperoni flavored ingredients.

I prepare my pan by lining it with parchment paper. You can also line with foil or use a silicone mat.

Step 3: Crumble the tofu and mix it up

I pat my pressed and drained tofu dry with a paper towel before crumbling it into small pieces.

Probably the most challenging part of this recipe is hand crumbling the tofu, but hand crumbling the tofu produces the best results!

You might be tempted to just cut the pressed tofu into small pieces. This vegan tofu recipe really does work best if the little tofu pieces are different shapes and similar but different sizes. I hate to say it looks more “realistic” this way. But perhaps that’s it…

After you crumble the tofu into the sacey wet ingredients then mix mix mix. You will want to scrape the bottom of the bowl as you mix so that you get all of those tasty seasonings covering the little tofu pieces.

Step 3: Bake the tofu

Spread the seasoned wet tofu mixture onto a prepared baking sheet. I like to cover my baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Try to spread the mixture out into a single layer the best that you can. The unbaked seasoned tofu will be pale and (frankly) unappealing looking at this point. It will darken as it bakes.

Set the timer for 20 minutes. When the times goes off then pull the tray out of the oven and with a spatual carefully turn and stir. The objective is for the tofu to cook evenly. The tofu on the edges will have begun to cook more than the stuff in the middle. Likewise, the bottom side of the tofu crumbles will not have cooked as well as the top side. So turn and stir, bringing the outside layer into the center, the center to the outter part. Flip it over as you stir, bringing the bottom to the top and visa-versa.

Put the pan back into the oven for another 20 minutes. Pull it out and do again.

You can put baked tofu back in the oven for 5 minute increments until the tofu is as toasty brown as you’d like. Watch that it doesn’t burn though – especially the part on the outter edges.

Serving suggestions

Now you’ve got a beautiful bowl of vegan pepperoni tofu that is crying for a pizza!

You can also top a salad, spinkle in soup, add to baked potatoes or other veggie dishes, or just eat with a spoon! I won’t tell, I promise:)

These pepperoni tofu crumbles can keep in the fridge if tightly covered for about a week – but I dare you to try to keep it that long!

The printable recipe card for vegan pepperoni tofu crumbles