Vegan Crispy Cajun Fried Tofu Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
This Vegan Crispy Cajun Fried Tofu Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing is the ultimate salad! It’s topped with a vegan version of Honey Mustard Dressing and SO crave-worthy!
I know, this title is a mouthful. Vegan Crispy Cajun Fried Tofu Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing. Let me explain. Back in college, before turning vegetarian then vegan, my favourite salad in the whole world was the Crispy Cajun-Fried Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing from TGI Fridays.
Okay, maybe not in the whole world, but definitely my part of the world and the salad that was most available to me. It was made up of lots of lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, eggs, Monterey-Jack cheese and fried chicken strips on top. Now, while I’ve made a whole barrage of beautiful and interesting salads on JITK over the years, I’ve never recreated this one. Good grief, one day last month the craving for it hit me like a brick.
So recreate I did.
I’ve made this three times in the last two weeks. I honestly can’t stop devouring that entire salad over and over. Vegan Crispy Cajun Fried Tofu Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing. WOW. I used tofu to replace the chicken, and of course, you could use seitan if you wanted something muchhh closer in texture. But all I really wanted was some really well-pressed tofu. The less water, the more of a chew it gets, like chicken. Breaded in flour, vegan buttermilk, and then panko breadcrumbs, it pan fries in a bit of oil to crisp up. Then comes the salad. I used grape tomatoes instead of the huge tomatoes I used to get, I didn’t even try to replace the eggs, I shredded red cabbage and carrots. Honestly, the first time I made this I didn’t use the red cabbage or carrots. It makes a DIFFERENCE. Trust me.
I know what you’re probably thinking at this point. “Honey mustard dressing?!” Okay, I’ll admit, there’s no honey. However I wanted to keep this recipe super consistent to the original and it’s made with honey mustard dressing, and this vegan version tastes just like honey mustard dressing. I mean seriously – Gavin and I are starting to wonder if they ever did use actual honey in the original? Because it’s an exact match taste for taste. Anyway, this creamy dressing is made up on vegan mayonnaise, maple syrup and mustard. It makes the perfect creamy topping for this salad.
Happiness. That’s what I felt eating this. Knowing I was having loads of greens, but also some indulgence with the crisp cajun fried tofu topping. There’s something about hitting a nostalgic feeling right on the head that brings the ultimate kind of happiness.
I hope my story inspires you to try this salad friends! P.S. weirdly enough, the leftover are even better that the original! I reheated the tofu strips in my toaster oven the next day (I made extra) and they tasted even more like the original salad. So, if you’re making extra of this, you certainly can!
Eat up and enjoy, friends!
Vegan Crispy Cajun Fried Tofu Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- ¾ tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon mustard
Vegan Fried Chicken Tofu
- ¼ cup soy milk or almond milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar
- ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs, gluten free if necessary* + 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- ¼ cup flour, gluten free if necessary**
- ¼ block of extra firm tofu, pressed
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or peanut oil or safflower oil, or other oil, not olive oil
Salad
- 3 cups lettuce, washed and rinsed, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
- ½ carrot, shredded
- ¼ cup shredded red cabbage
- ¼ shredded vegan cheese
Instructions
Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing
- Mix all the ingredients together, stirring well. Taste and adjust to your taste. Place in the fridge until you need it.
Vegan Fried Chicken Tofu
- Cut the tofu in 1 inch by 3 inch strips. Some more water will come out, so wrap gently in paper towel to soak up the extra water while you prep the dredging stations.
- Place the flour in a plate/bowl, then the vegan buttermilk (the milk with vinegar) in a bowl, and the panko breadcrumbs in another plate/bowl. Line them up next to each other for a dredging station. Mix 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning into the flour, and the other tablespoon into the breadcrumbs along with the sea salt and black pepper.
- Dip one piece of tofu into the flour, then the buttermilk, shaking off the excess and then roll into the panko breadcrumbs, ensuring to press these in. Be gentle – you don’t want to break the tofu!
- Heat up the oil in a pan until at high heat. Place a strip of tofu in and fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to absorb any oil.
Salad
- Toss all the salad ingredients together. Top with the vegan fried chicken tofu, and drizzle the vegan honey mustard dressing on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Looks delish. What type of tofu did you use? Thanks!
Hi Elie,
Thank you!! Extra firm tofu! I hope you enjoy!!
Awesome! Thanks for adding that info. I’m a beginner. 🙂 I can’t wait to try this out.
Can you air fry instead of pan fry?
Yes you can Carlie thank you so much for reading!
Loved this recipe!!! It makes for such a good and tasty lunch. I’m very happy I saw this on your Instagram. I always struggle with lunch ideas and this one is definitely going into my lunch rotation. Thanks!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed it Katie. Thanks for the review!
What creole seasoning do you use? The one’s I have tried have all been too salty!
Thank you.!
Hi Nancy! We find them salty too so we just made our own minus the salt. I hope this helps.
Loved it! My daughter has a sensitivity to cabbage and carrots, so I just went with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and red bell pepper.maybe next time I can mix in broccoli slaw. Everything else was the same, except I did use oatmilk. The dressing is so yummy, and the crisp tofu really made the dish! I made extra tofu and am still going to run out, so probably will just add roasted pistachios for more crunch tomorrow!
Thank you so much! We’re so happy that you and your little one enjoyed it.
A fabulous recipe….I make this weekly with different flavours…..tonight I added a BBQ flavour to the breadcrumbs…..also…if you have any vegan mayo..Just add a little maple syrup and any sauce you have in the fridge…sooooo good..thank you so much x
Thank you so much Linda! We’re delighted that you like it.
Made it today and the whole family loved it! ❤️❤️❤️
So simple, quick and tasty! We’ll definitely have this more often 😊
Awesome! We’re so happy Jenny. Thank you for such a great review!
Not only does it look scrumptious, it actually tastes even better than it looks.
This seriously is AMAZING! I’m a newer Vegan and this is the most delicious salad I think I’ve ever eaten! I’m not a huge fan of Tofu (or maybe I just don’t really know how to cook it properly), but I tried it by scrambling the tofu with the Cajun spice and it was super tasty! Also added rice for a rice bowl…, mmm mmm definitely worth trying this recipe 🙂 Thx for sharing!!
Hi Val,
Sooo happy to hear this! This is one of my hidden favourites on the site!