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Were you also devastated when Trader Joe’s discontinued their tofu edamame nuggets? For us, they were reason enough to drive an hour out of our way to the nearest TJ’s. We’d stock up on four or five bags, and we’d have them on Meatless Monday with fried rice and sweet chili dipping sauce.

But now, we’re on our own. The good news, though, is that I can share this awesome recipe with you! Together, we can add some oomph to our meat-free protein options in the form of these amazing little nuggets. Under a crispy fried tempura crust awaits flavorful tofu studded with edamame, carrot, and onion.

And as intimidating as it may sound, these were ridiculously easy to make. Not only that, there are a few different ways you can plan ahead and make tons and tons of tofu edamame nuggets to keep in the freezer for a lazy dinner. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

Edamame Tofu Nuggets with edamame, dumplings, and Thai sweet chili sauce

Prepping the Tofu

The first thing you’ll want to do is dry your tofu out a little bit. This is pretty simple. It just takes some forethought because it needs to press for 30 minutes to an hour to get all the liquid out. All you have to do is wrap your tofu in a clean dish towel and sandwich it between two plates. Set a cast iron pan on top of the top plate to weigh it down.

After an hour, your towel should be completely soaked. At this point, you’ll cut your tofu into cubes and you’re ready to keep going. Toss them in the bowl of your food processor, and let’s move on!

Torn open tofu edamame nugget with shredded carrots inside

Seasoning for Tofu Edamame Nuggets

The seasoning and flavor for these bad boys are really simple. We’re going to use a healthy dose of garlic powder (it has a toastier flavor than fresh and no added liquid), soy sauce, and salt. Like I said: really simple.

If you’re a liquid aminos kind of person, instead of soy sauce, you can use that in the same amount. Maybe you want a little more heat in your nuggets. So, feel free to squirt in a little sriracha. Keep in mind if you add in any “spicy” things, you’ll want to wash your hands very well before touching your face. You could also use ground ginger or add in some black pepper.

For me, I wanted to stick to the flavor of TJ’s. That’s why I’ve kept the flavor palette kind of plain. I think they come out just right as written. However, I totally understand the urge to add a bunch of bold Asian flavor to your tofu edamame nuggets.

Plate of tofu edamame nuggets with edamame and dumplings

Making the Nugget Base

Now that you have the tofu and seasoning in your food processor, you’re going to crack in two eggs. This does the job of binding your nuggets together and helping them hold their shape. Pulse it all together until the tofu is in tiny crumbles, just before it might go smooth.

In order for your tofu edamame nuggets to have that “nugget” texture, you need to leave some grit to it. Otherwise, if you let it get pasty, it’s going to be super hard to mold and might feel weird in your mouth.

Once your tofu is ready, it’s time to add in the carrot, green onion, and of course the edamame. It’s really easy to prep these things, too. I bought a bag of frozen edamame and defrosted it in the microwave for about 2 minutes until the shells were soft. Then, I pinched the beans from their pod into a bowl until I had about half of a cup.

With the carrots, I washed and peeled a large one. Then, I shredded it on the large holes of a box grater until I had about a quarter of a cup. I shared what was left with my kid and our dog.

For the green onions, I chopped off the wrinkly part of the greens and the tassels. I left a good bit of white, though. Then, just slice the green onions finely all the way up. Aim for about a quarter of a cup.

Mix your veggies into your tofu, and you’re ready to form the nuggets.

Dipping a tofu edamame nugget in Thai chili sauce

Forming Tofu Edamame Nuggets

I used a cookie scoop to portion out my nuggets, and I highly recommend this as it ensures you’ll get equal size across the batch. Once you’ve scooped out the first one, set it in your palm and gently press it into a small round patty with smooth sides. It should feel kind of delicate. It will hold its shape but only just so.

Set it on a lined sheet pan and continue until you’ve scooped and formed all the tofu edamame nuggets.

Now, place your sheet pan in a freezer for at least 45 minutes to firm up. If you’re using a deep freezer, it will take closer to 45 minutes. Using your standard freezer, it may take up to 2 hours.

Freezing for the Future

It’s here that I want to make a note about freezing nuggets for the future. If you want to make a whole bunch of these and save them for later, here’s what you’ll do. Place your nuggets on a lined pan in the freezer overnight. They should freeze solid. The next day, you can transfer them to a large bag or an airtight container to store for up to 6 months.

Whenever you’re ready to make nuggets, you’ll move on to the tempura batter phase. Even if they are frozen solid when you batter them, they’ll fry beautifully and get warm all the way through in the oven.

Tofu edamame nuggets on a sheet with sweet chili sauce

It’s Tempura Batter Time!

The next step in the the process is making tempura batter and frying. The key to a good beer batter is that you want it loose and you want it cold. So, start heating your fry oil to 375ºF and then mix the batter. Have your nuggets ready to dip right next to your fry pan.

I also go ahead and get my corn starch out on a plate. Go ahead and give all the nuggets a little dredge and set them pan on your pan. It is probably going to moisten enough that it looks disappeared. Don’t worry about it. It’s still there and ready to hold that tempura batter in place.

At this prepping point, I also set a wire rack into a rimmed sheet pan and set it in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. This creates a warming zone to keep the nuggets hot and crispy while also draining away excess oil.

Now the main event! The batter is really simple. You’ll combine equal parts rice flour and dark beer. I used a Shiner Bock, but you can use whatever you want or have on hand.

Honestly, this would still work with a Coors Light or a PBR if that’s what you have. I know those aren’t dark, but if you don’t like that kind of beer, I don’t want you wasting money on it for a recipe.

Frying Your Tofu Edamame Nuggets

So, now we’re literally going to dip our nuggets in the batter with our fingers and immediately set them in the oil. The trick here is to drop the nugget in without frying your fingers. So, hold one edge of a frozen nugget, dip in the batter, and set it into the oil with kind of a gentle wrist flick away from you, dropping it in without splattering hot oil everywhere.

If you are immediately against using your fingers anywhere near hot oil, you can also try using chopsticks or small tongs. Choose a utensil that you have good control over. You don’t want to drop a nugget into the batter and have to fish it out, and you don’t want to break one.

Because the nuggets are mostly frozen, we want to minimize how many we fry at a time. Too many will drop your fry oil temperature and you’ll end up with oily nuggets. No good. So, get about 6 nuggets into the oil at a time.

After about 2 minutes, (using tongs) flip the first one to see if the bottom is light golden brown. It may take up to 3 minutes, but you can decide how much color you want on these. Flip and cook for an equal amount of time on the second side. I use tongs to flip. Once my nuggets are fully cooked on both sides, I move them to that warming rack in the oven.

Between batches, I recheck my oil temperature. It’s important to keep a consistent temperature because that’s how you make all your nuggets equal. If the oil gets too cold, your crust will soak up more of it. You’ll have gross oily nuggets. If your oil goes too hot, it might give you a burnt bitter flavor… also no good.

Once you’ve finished frying all the nuggets, leave them in the oven for ten minutes while you prepare the rest of the meal or clean up. This gives the last batch a minute to drain and catch up to the rest of their nugget friends.

Close up front image of tofu edamame nuggets with thai chili sauce

How to Serve Tofu Edamame Nuggets

These nuggets serve as a fun vegetarian protein (there are eggs, so they’re not vegan). You want to pair them with some other fun sides for a balanced meal. Start with sweet chili sauce for dipping. This is something we first found at Trader Joe’s (they were sampling the nuggets with the sauce, and I bought both. Don’t you miss the days of sampling things at the grocery store?).

However, you can also easily find sweet chili sauce at Aldi or your grocery store. If you feel like supporting a local business, check out your local Asian market. It’s probably cheaper there, and honestly, you can pick up the tofu and edamame there for cheaper than at a chain grocery store, too.

Additionally, I like kimchi cauliflower fried rice to add some veggies to my plate. You can find that recipe here.

And if you want to turn this into a real feast, why not serve up some egg rolls, steamed buns, dumplings, or other treats? There are so many amazing flavors at your local Asian market, so experiment and find what you like.

Personally, I love a nice scallion pancake and veggie potstickers.

plate of better than trader joe's tofu edamame nuggets on a white napkin

Saving or Freezing the Leftovers

If you have leftovers after you’ve fried them up, and you’re now wishing you’d left some in the freezer. Don’t fret. You can freeze the already-fried nuggets as well. Same thing as before: you’ll set them on a lined sheet pan to freeze them individually. Once they’re frozen solid, move them to a bag or air tight container. Keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To reheat, you can air fry at 350ºF for 6 minutes, or you can bake on a wire rack set in a sheet pan at 375ºF for 10 to 12 minutes. When they sizzle, you know they are ready to eat, so listen to the sound they make.

If you think you might eat the leftovers the next day, you can also put them in the fridge. The best result from the fridge is to air fry them as the crust will get a little soggy overnight. Again, air fry at 350ºF for about 6 minutes, and listen for a sizzling sound.

Tools You’ll Need for This Recipe

Here are the tools I recommend for making this recipe:

Food Processor (I have a food processor that goes with my blender)
Cast-Iron Skillet
2 Sheet Pans
Wire Rack
Tongs
Silicone Baking Mat
#40 Cookie Scoop

If you miss trader joe's tofu edamame nuggets, you'll love these.

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