Vegan Hot Wings recipeThese are my most popular post for the Super Bowl! People love these! You can’t have a game day party without hot wings. And you don’t have to give up hot wings if you’re trying to eat healthy. This vegan version of hot wings creates spicy, meaty snack bites. Serve them with my vegan ranch dressing and crunchy celery sticks to cool the heat. Husband tested and approved!

If possible, start the tofu two days prior to serving. Press it for one day and marinate it for one day for the richest, spiciest flavor. If you have vegans or vegetarians coming over for the Super Bowl, give this a try and let me know how it goes!

Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets

Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets

Vegan Ranch Dressing

I had to share this photo from reader Shelia M, who said, “Thank you again! Everything was perfect – from the hot wings to the ranch dressing. Steve and I are stuffed and happy.”Vegan hot wings | Reader photo | Recipe RenovatorHere’s the original hot sauce used in Buffalo:

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Vegan Hot Wings

Vegan hot wings & ranch dressing for your Super Bowl party

Tasty, meaty, spicy vegan hot wings (made from tofu) served with homemade dairy-free ranch dressing.
4.43 from 7 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

Vegan hot wings

  • 16 ounces tofu super-firm or extra-firm, pressed
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce Frank's, Tapatio, Tabasco (use low-sodium hot sauce for low-sodium diet)
  • 1 tbsp grapeseed oil canola, safflower
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour chickpea flour, almond meal
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp smoked salt (omit for low-sodium diet)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Ranch dressing

  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil olive, canola, sunflower, safflower
  • 1/4-1/2 cup soy milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt (omit for low-sodium diet)
  • 1 tsp dill weed (dried) OR 1 tbsp fresh
  • 1 tsp parsley (dried) OR t tbsp fresh
  • 1/2 tsp chives (dried)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

Vegan hot wings

  • Press the tofu overnight using weights or a TofuXpress. If using weights, wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place between two cutting boards. Put a heavy frying pan or pile of cookbooks on top.
  • Cut the tofu into 12 pieces, using the short side as your length, and making the pieces as even as possible. If you want the shapes to be more organic and less stick-like, use a vegetable peeler to shave off the corners of the long edges, and the corners of the top and bottom of each piece. (Reserve the tofu scraps for a stir fry.)
  • Prick the pieces all over with a fork to help the tofu absorb the marinade.
  • Whisk the hot sauce, oil, and liquid smoke together. Set 2/3 of it aside in the refrigerator until serving. Brush the tofu with the remaining marinade, covering each side evenly, and then pour the rest over it. Cover and marinate, overnight if possible, in the refrigerator.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F/160C/gas mark 4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Mix the remaining ingredients together in a shallow bowl, stirring with a fork. Roll each piece of tofu in the breading, making sure it sticks to each side evenly. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray, and flip over, making sure all the breading is thoroughly coated with spray.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then flip all the pieces over. Bake another 20 minutes, until the sticks are crispy. Gently toss the hot "wings" in the remaining sauce (you'll need to whisk it together again). Place each piece on a skewer.

Ranch dressing

  • Put the soy milk and the vinegar in the blender and let stand 5-10 minutes to curdle.
  • Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more soy milk as needed if you want a pourable dressing. As written, it makes a pretty firm dip (sour cream consistency).

Notes

Per wing and 1/12 ranch dip:
  • 134 calories
  • 12 g fat
  • 1 g saturated fat
  • 2 g monounsaturated fat
  • 8 g polyunsaturated fat
  • 0 g trans fat
  • 0 g cholesterol
  • 348 mg sodium (70 mg sodium with salt omitted in both)
  • 117 mg potassium
  • 3 g carbohydrate
  • 1 g fiber
  • 1 g sugars
  • 4 g protein
  • 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus
Buy the firmest tofu you can get. I use Trader Joe's super-firm high-protein (organic, non-GMO) tofu. Minimum pressing time is one hour; minimum marinating time is four hours.
Traditional buffalo wings (from Buffalo, New York) use Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce, but you can use TABASCO, Tapatio, or any other thin hot pepper sauce. I used Tapatio. Since this provides the heat in this dish, choose your sauce wisely. Overseas readers, you are looking for a thin salsa or sauce made from cayenne peppers, vinegar, and spices.
If you want a thick dip, use the smaller amount of soy milk. If you want more of a pourable dressing, use the larger amount of soy milk in the dressing recipe.
Thanks to Jessica from Clean, Green, Simple blog for inspiring me to try her vegan ranch dressing.
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