Buffalo Tofu Sliders with Veggie Ranch Slaw (vegan)

If you’ve been around for a while you know that I love all things spicy buffalo. I don’t eat chicken, but I’ll turn just about anything into a vegan-friendly buffalo wing and today we’re going with tofu. These buffalo tofu sliders are tasty, super easy to make, crowd-pleasing and perfect for everyday eating, entertaining and game days.

I often make my own buffalo sauce by combinuing hot sauce, coconut oil, garlic powder and salt, but for this recipe I’m using a store-bought buffalo sauce from Primal Kitchen. It’s really delicious and I love the creamy texture. I made my own vegan ranch dressing from cashews, water, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & dried herbs, but just like with the buffalo sauce, use whatever ranch dressing you like.

For the veggie ranch slaw I had the genius idea to shred carrots & celery and toss with ranch dressing (you know, all the classic buffalo accoutrements). I like shredded and tossed salads like this slaw for sandwiches of all kinds because it all holds together and you get a little bit of everything in each bite. It’s one of my signature moves.

For the tofu, I roasted slabs of extra-firm pressed tofu just like I do for my Saucy BBQ Tofu. I let them go for about 25 minutes in the oven before brushing with sauce and continuing to roast. I add an extra layer of buffalo sauce right when they come out of the oven for the last time because they gotta be saucy (am I right!?). Now just build the sliders and get the party started (even if that party is watching tv on a weeknight).

Buffalo Tofu Sliders with Veggie Ranch Slaw
Makes: 6 sliders

Ingredients

1 block extra-firm tofu
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
1/3+ cup buffalo sauce (I’m using Primal Kitchen)
2 medium-large carrots, peeled & shredded
2 medium-large celery stalks, shredded
1 cup ranch dressing (like this pantry-friendly ranch)
6 slider-side rolls

To Make

Press tofu for about 20 minutes. I do this by wrapping the tofu block in a dish cloth and sandwiching it between two plates. I then place something heavy on top, like an empty tea kettle.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). When tofu is finished pressing, lay flat on a cutting board and cut into 3 rectangular blocks. Slice each block into 4 thin slabs (12 total pieces).

Lay out tofu slabs on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer with some space in between each slab. Brush both sides of each slab with olive oil and season with salt.

Roast tofu for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip. Push tofu slabs together and brush the top side with 1/3 of the buffalo sauce. Separate slabs and return to oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove tofu from oven, flip slabs again and brush the second side with another 1/3 of the sauce. Return to oven for another 10-ish minutes (or until desired texture is reached). Remove from oven and brush with remaining sauce.

To make the slaw, combine the shredded carrots & celery with 1/2 cup of the ranch dressing. Add more dressing if needed. The slaw gets better if it’s able to sit in the fridge for a bit so this is an easy make-ahead step.

To build the sliders, spread some of the remaining ranch onto the bottom half of the rolls. Top each roll with 2 slabs tofu, a pile of slaw and the top half of the slider roll.