The best vegan karaage! This Japanese fried chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside while still juicy and flavourful on the inside– just like the real thing.
If you’ve ever had fried chicken before, you know that theres texture in the actual meat portion. Tender in some and a little ‘firmer’ on the edges. To mimic the same effect, I’m using a combination of tofu AND TVP. When battering, it’ll stick the two together and makes for a texturized fried chicken!
PrintThe Best Vegan Karaage Chicken
Description
The best vegan karaage! This Japanese fried chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside while still juicy and flavourful on the inside– just like the real thing.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lbs cotton / traditional tofu (450g)*
- 1 oz soy chunks (30g)
- 1 garlic clove, minced (1 tsp // 4g)
- slice of minced ginger (2 teaspoon // 6g)
- 2-3 tablespoon soy sauce, to taste (30-45ml)
- 2-3 tablespoon sake, to taste (30-45ml)
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar (23g)
- 6-8 tablespoon potato starch (60-80g)
Instructions
Tofu Preparation
- Day 1: Drain the tofu and then dry with a kitchen cloth. Gently press to remove any excess water. Cover and store in the freezer.
- Day 2: Remove the tofu from the freezer and place into the fridge to let it thaw completely. Then press the tofu, removing as much liquid as you can without breaking it apart. Place into container and freeze again.
- Day 3: Remove the tofu from the freezer. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Flip and microwave for another 1-2 minutes or until thawed. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid. Now it's ready to be used!
For the karaage:
- Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake and sugar together. This is the marinade.
- Tear off chunks of tofu and place into the marinade. Add soy curls and toss with the marinade. Let it marinate for 10 minutes. a
- Add potato starch to the container and then shake it up. Let it sit for a few minutes– the potato starch should start firming up while sticking the soy chunks to the pieces of tofu. Before frying, add another thin coat of potato starch.
- Over medium heat, fry the karaage or until crispy golden brown (2-3 minutes). Place on a wire rack to allow excess oil to drip off. Fry in small batches until complete.
- Serve with vegan Japanese mayonnaise and lemon juice, and enjoy!
Notes
- *Cotton / traditional tofu has the texture between soft fresh tofu and medium firm tofu. This kind of tofu yields the best meat-y texture while still keeping it juicy– however, if you can not find traditional tofu soft fresh or medium firm (or really, any firmness of tofu) can be used.
- Leftovers can be stores in the fridge for up to 3 days.
BJ says
1/26/2021. Tried this recipe tonight and loved it. Very tasty and crunchy. The texture was unbelievable. My husband and I really enjoyed it. I definitely will be making this more often!! Mahalo Nui Loa!!!
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
So happy to hear it was a hit, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Natalie says
Following this recipe was super easy! The hardest part was waiting for the tofu to freeze. I was so surprised by the texture and the flavor was spot on ! The outside and edges are crispy, the insides have a nice chewy bite. Our brains are amazing at connecting scents, so the grated ginger really brought out a "chicken" flavor!
This is one of my favorite savory treats, and I can see myself making it again! I sprinkled some white pepper powder, furikake, and umami (mostly mushroom) powder right before digging in!
★★★★★
Jessica Phillips says
I have never tried Karaage chicken before but this vegan version was amazing! I took a shortcut and only pressed the tofu for one day, so next time I try this I want to follow the full steps because I am sure the texture will be even better then. So good!!
★★★★★
Chris McDonald says
Absolutely loved this recipe! The texture of the tofu was so light and fluffy because of the freezing process. The marinade was the perfect combination of savory and sweet too. Personally, I would recommend eating this recipe the same day you make it for maximum crunchiness. I reheated mine the next day and it wasn't as crunchy, but still tasty! (Perhaps it's because I used corn starch instead of potato starch?) Regardless, I would definitely make this recipe again 🙂
★★★★★
S says
Made this recipe today and it was so good. The tofu was so flavourful and crunchy. So happy that I’m still able to enjoy Japanese food as a vegan. Thanks Lisa!
★★★★★
Chantal says
So this recipe blew my mind and was amazing. So so easy & tastes so good!
★★★★★
Nina says
This recipe bears its name really well : this truly is the best vegan karaage I ever had. And it's SO easy to make ! It is so tasty, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, and even my bf who is a meat eater though it was amazing!
★★★★★
Alice says
Delicious recipe, it took me a while to try because I'm not very patient but it was really not so much work for the tofu and the result was so good !!
In Tokyo I was going to a Izakaya where they had a great vegan karaage but could never find the same here in France, now I'm glad to say I can cook something similar.
I served it with fresh lemon slices and a spicy vegan mayonnaise, needless to say it did not last long.
I will definitely do it again.
Thank you for another great recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Mai says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Growing up in a Japanese household, karaage was my favorite thing to eat. Thought I would never be able to eat it after going vegan, but Lisa changed my mind! It’s just like I remember it 💕
Also, what brand of soy curls do you use? I just made it with tofu and it was delicious, but definitely wanna try it with soy curls next time.
★★★★★
Olivia says
It was so easy and fun to make! I had all the ingredients at home so I decided to give it a try in my studybreak. The crunch is surreal and the texture is so tasty, Thank you for this recipe Lisa 🥰
★★★★
rose says
i made this today for my partner and i and we both agree that this is the best vegan chicken karaage we’ve had! the recipe is so easy to follow (i watched the tik tok version) and the flavor is amazing. the crunchy/crispy exterior is so so good! i was on facetime with my mom when i was making it and she even said it looked really yummy! thank you so much for creating this amazing recipe!! <3
★★★★★
Stephanie says
So easy to make and so delicious! I didn't have potato starch so I crushed up some potato flakes and added some corn starch. think I didn't squeeze my tofu enough but it was still really good. Thank you!
★★★★★
Cass M says
I’m so glad I found this recipe! It was delicious and made me really popular in my household. Will definitely become a staple around here. For sure the double freezing steps make it seem way more involved than it is, but it was super easy and I definitely recommend it to any ex-Karaage lover who still gets those cravings from time to time. Really hit the spot! Thank you, Lisa! I’m obsessed with ALL your recipes.
★★★★★
Erin Tamblyn says
I was SO afraid of cooking tofu but as a 6 month old vegan, I knew I had to start so that I could get enough protein to support my weight training. This was my first tofu attempt and holy smokes, I’m SO glad I stumbled across this recipe. I didn’t have soy curls, I don’t even know where to get them, so I just used tofu and it was so good. Not only did it satisfy my “meat” craving but the crunch was super satisfying. One of the best parts is that you get the crunch without needing gluten so my whole family can enjoy it! This will definitely be on rotation in my kitchen and I’m excited to experiment with different marinades and also maybe air frying!
★★★★★
Amalija says
I’m so grateful for this recipe! I loved chicken karaage and now I can enjoy it again after eight years of being vegan. I tried it out with both silken and firm tofu. The mix of textures was nice. It’s very important to get as much liquid out as possible before marinating! I mixed the potato starch with black pepper, powdered ginger and garlic for extra flavor. So good with some veganaise, Japanese chili pepper and lemon.
★★★★★
Nikki says
A new favourite! The only difficult part is planning three days ahead. BUT, it is worth the wait. If you want to make it part of your staple meals, you could keep twice frozen tofu in the freezer. Everything else is super easy. So far I have made it without the soy chunks, but I will try with them someday.
★★★★★
Mitch says
I've been looking for a really good plant-based karaage recipe forever, and this is the one!! Very clever use of the frozen tofu method, and it really gets all the flavor and texture of karaage in each bite. I made a big batch to have some leftover lunch for my partner and I the next day (and a whole lot of snacking here and there lolol), and a big plus was they never got soggy, and the texture and flavor somehow get better each day?!
I made sure to save all the little chunks of tofu that fell off while coating (fried after all the bigger chunks since they don't take as long to cook), so that I could use them for the Karaage Yakimeshi later in the week, which turned out great as well (more in depth review on that recipe)! I also like mine with a bit of spice, so I tossed mine with some togarashi once it had a chance to rest and drip off the excess oil. Definitely going to make this again and again! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kerri says
So yummy & crispy! I skipped the soy chunks but it was really good with just the tofu!
★★★★★
Margot says
Wow ! Try these as it sounded so good but prepared to whatever it could finally taste (as trying new stuff comes with good but also not so good suprises) and … it's absolutely delicious ! We gonna have these so often. They're the easiest and so crispy and indulging !
★★★★★
Michelle says
This recipe is amazing! So crunchy and flavourful. These are one of the recipes that seriously mimic the real dish, but cruelty free.
★★★★★
Champagne says
Hi there! I love your recipes. Thank you so much! Can you tell me which cooking sakes to use? I’m new to Japanese cooking. Xox
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi! I use Gekkikan mostly for cooking 🙂
Michelle says
Thank you :*
★★★★★
Abigail says
This recipe is perfect, the crunch is spectacular and I will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Salem says
Hey Lisa! I've made this recipe by frying it in oil and it came out great. I was wondering if you've tried to make this in the air fryer? And if so what times/temps did you cook it at?
I would like to make this recipes for some friends that have oil sensitivities. Thanks!
★★★★★
Alex F says
This recipe is awesome!! The crispness is perfect !! Make sure you follow the tofu prep instructions to get the best chicken like tofu texture 🙂
★★★★★
ADS says
Lovely recipe! Swapped the Sake with some Vodka and Potato Starch with Rice Flour as that was all I had on hand. The crispiest shell and super delicious and spongey and flavorful Tofu. Cannot wait to make it again, following the recipe as is.
★★★★★
Laura says
this was so delicious! i made this for my birthday, and while it definitely requires some planning ahead, it's well worth the effort. i used firm tofu because it was what i had, and the texture still turned out wonderful. so tasty!!!
★★★★★
Marc says
We make this recipe all the time now, so you can usually find tofu in our freezer in preparation for it. Love the ginger, so I usually add in a bit more to highlight it. We weren’t sure what temp to fry it at, but 350 F worked well, and we let it get back to temp before the next batch. It tastes best when you finish with a little salt right out of the oil. There’s a high likelihood that we finish eating one batch before the next one is done frying. 🙂 Love this recipe, thanks so much!
★★★★★
Mari says
Even my partner who regularly eats fresh, real kaarage (in Japan, mind you) was raving about the texture and flavor of these. I've tried a couple other recipes I've found in Japanese before but nothing comes close to this one. Next time, I'll try adding the potato starch in gradually for a more even coating as I ended up with some white bits leftover after frying. This is purely cosmetic though - the taste is out of this world!
★★★★★
reney says
i have this recipe memorized because i make it THAT MUCH, has revolutionized and made eating less meat so easy! i can make sooo much out of a single block of tofu....so the hard part is just not eating all of it instantly lol. thank you lisa for this recipe! its a household staple!!!
★★★★★
Wendy says
this karaage is addicting... I made it for lunch with a friend and we just demolished the whole plate between us. It's super crunchy & textured!
★★★★★
Griffith says
Wonderful! A great and easy recipe that provides plenty of protein for a balanced meal. I did not have potato starch, so I used harina de maíz instead. It was not as dark as the picture, but still delicious. Nice to have a new vegan protein source I can add to my diet!
★★★★★
opheliasvegankitchen says
The BEST vg karrage recipe! I even tried this without frozen n thawed tofu and it was still insanely delicious!! Tastes amazing with Lisa’s vegan kewpie mayonnaise recipe too 😋
★★★★★
Nora says
I was surprised that the marinade tasted so much afterwards, but it really did and it was super tasty! Great texture too ♡
★★★★★
Asuka the Shiba says
Absolutely delicious recipe!
For starters, I am the kind of person who is DELIGHTED to eat tofu straight from the box. However, I always love to try to fun and exciting new ways to dress up tofu… they just, usually don’t live up to the expectation… but this one DOES!
The first time I made this recipe, I neglected to drain my tofu inbetween each move to and from the freezer. While still delicious, I recommend you be diligent and do drain it each and every time you move it! It really does make such a huge difference!
I’ve never had “true” chicken kaarage, but this is so dang delicious! Plus, no crazy expensive ingredients!
★★★★★
Nicole says
I love your recipes but I am allergic to Soy/Tofu. I have a challenge for you. Can you make this fried chicken without Soy/Tofu?
Lisa Kitahara says
You can use oyster mushrooms 🙂
Megan says
I used this marinade to make soy meat karaage and it tasted so delicious! My non-vegan family also loved it, I’ll definitely make it again with this recipe! Thank you!! 🧡
★★★★★
Candy says
Wow! My daughter who doesn’t like tofu went for seconds and thirds. This is a great recipe- and although it requires some prep work, it’s just mostly waiting for it to freeze and thaw. This is a keeper!
★★★★★
Abi says
One of my favourite tofu recipes! So easy and full of flavour. I air-fried mine and it came out great 🙂
★★★★★