Buffalo Tofu Salad with Creamy Hemp Ranch

GFGluten FreeNFNut FreeOFOil FreeVVegan

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This Buffalo Tofu Salad with Creamy Hemp Ranch tastes indulgent, but is made with healthy ingredients! Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free, and Oil Free.

Whether or not you typically like salads, I’m pretty sure this salad is one that everyone can enjoy. Read: Crispy. Buffalo. Tofu.

crispy buffalo tofu in white bowl

Being a lifetime vegetarian, I never really saw the “appeal” of meat-based wings. However, I did like Hot Sauce. And I also was that girl who ate the celery off of the plate while everyone else dipped their wings into Ranch Dressing. Ha. 

So, I figured I might as well “bulk up” that celery and turn it into a Salad. With some Crispy Buffalo Tofu on top and a generous pour of homemade Ranch, this hardly tastes like health food. But it actually is!

Would you believe me if I told you this recipe is not only Vegan, but also Oil FreeGluten Free, AND Nut Free? Because it is 😉 The Crispy Tofu part was easy – you’ve probably already seen a similar method in other recipes on this blog. Then, I made a creamy Ranch dressing using Hemp Seeds instead of Nuts. They blend smoothly into the mixture without the need to strain, and 1 tbsp has 4 grams of protein!

buffalo tofu salad in white bowl with bottle of dressing

All in all, this is definitely a salad for people who don’t like salads. But it’s also a salad for people who do like their leafy greens. I mean, it’s delicious, people! Maybe we should just leave it at that…

A Few Final Thoughts:

  • This Salad would work well for Meal Prep, if you’re into that! I would suggest storing the Tofu and Dressing separately from the salad.
  • The Tofu has a “medium” spice to it — if you are sensitive to heat, I would reduce the Buffalo Sauce a bit.
  • Not feelin’ a salad? These Buffalo Tofu bites are still great on their own 😉 You could even use the Ranch as a dipping sauce!

If you’re looking for more Satisfying Salad recipes, you’ll also love this Kale Waldorf Salad and this Kale & Quinoa Salad with Maple Mustard Tempeh!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

side view of buffalo tofu salad with dressing and black pepper

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Buffalo Tofu Salad with Creamy Hemp Ranch

This Buffalo Tofu Salad with Creamy Hemp Ranch tastes indulgent, but is made with healthy ingredients! Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free, and Oil Free.

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 15 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Tofu:

  • 1 block Tofu, pressed
  • 3 tbsp Buffalo Hot Sauce, divided
  • 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 tbsp Cornstarch, Arrowroot Powder, or Tapioca Flour

For the Hemp Ranch: (makes ~1 cup)

  • ½ cup Hemp Hearts
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
  • Scant ½ tsp Salt (or to taste)
  • Black Pepper, to taste
  • Juice of ½ Lemon
  • ½ cup Filtered Water
  • ½ tbsp Fresh Dill, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

For the Salad:

  • 1 Large Head of Romaine Lettuce
  • 3 ribs of Celery, thinly sliced
  • 1 small Cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ cup Frozen Corn, thawed (or sub fresh)
  • 1 Carrot, grated
  • Buffalo Tofu, above
  • Hemp Ranch Dressing, above

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 450F. Cut the block of pressed Tofu into small bite-sized cubes, and place into a medium bowl.
  2. Next, sprinkle the Nutritional Yeast and Cornstarch over the Tofu, and mix well until all pieces are evenly coated. Drizzle 2 tbsp of Buffalo Sauce over the Tofu, and stir again.
  3. Place the Tofu onto a greased or lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
  4. While the Tofu is in the oven, prepare the Ranch Dressing. Add all of the ingredients except for the fresh herbs into a blender for 60 seconds. Add in the chopped Dill and Parsley, and pulse to combine. Set Aside.
  5. After 15 Minutes have passed, remove the Tofu from the oven, flip, and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
  6. During this time, prep your salad ingredients. I like to “char” my corn by adding it to a nonstick skillet and cooking over medium heat until the Corn become browned and fragrant. Use a spatula to stir the Corn occasionally, to ensure all sides cook evenly and that all of the extra liquid evaporates.
  7. Once the Buffalo Tofu has finished cooking, toss it with the remaining tbsp of Hot Sauce.
  8. Assemble your Salad and top with Tofu and Ranch Dressing. Store any dressing or Tofu leftovers in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

  • Most Buffalo Hot Sauce is vegan, but Buffalo Wing Sauce may contain butter. Just make sure to read the ingredients before you purchase!

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About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this recipe! I have found other buffalo tofu recipes that taste great but require a lot more prep – this is perfect for those last minute “buffalo” cravings and then some! 🙂 One question about the ranch – if I used dry herbs versus fresh ones would it still work or have you tried it and noticed a major/gross difference? Thanks again!

    1. Hi JM, dried herbs do not have as much flavor as fresh ones (some gets lost in the drying process), and you would need much less to get the same amount of flavor. I would recommend fresh, but dried could work in a pinch with some modifications

  2. This is hands-down the best vegan ranch dressing. I’ve made it multiple times and it is always awesome. The last batch, I subbed oat milk for the water to make it extra creamy. DELICIOUS. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

  3. I made this and it was wonderfully delicious , thank you for an awesome go to “ranch” dressing as well!

  4. This is now my favorite salad! I am not a fan of “sweet” dressings, so this hemp ranch is perfect. I did add a tad of maple syrup to give it a little sweetness. The Buffalo tofu is amazing — I don’t want to share this with my family. I want it all to myself! My only “suggestion” is to just roast the corn on a non-stick baking sheet for the last 15 minutes the tofu is baking — comes out perfectly roasted, and you won’t have to fuss over the stove. Thank you, Caitlin!

  5. I am absolutely obsessed with this recipe. It’s also really versatile–for example, I switched out the buffalo sauce with Trader Joe’s sriracha BBQ sauce and it is SO good. Also the hemp ranch goes with everything. Thanks Caitlin!!

  6. Hi Caitlin,

    Is there an air fryer option for the buffalo tofu? What would you recommend? This looks amazing!

    Thanks!

    1. Hey there! We haven’t tried an air fryer, my only concern would be the tofu pieces sticking together if they’re on top of each other. But it still may be worth a try if you’re up for it! If you try it let us know how it turns out!

  7. Hi Caitlin,

    I watched your video on this. You mentioned your mom’s way of preparing tofu by freezing it. Can you explain that method again? Thanks!

    1. Sure, Amber! I take the block out of the liquid, the place it in a freezer safe bag and freeze completely. Then, remove from the freezer, thaw & press excess liquid out, and cook as you normally do!

  8. This looks delicious Caitlin! I am going to make this for my school lunches this week but use kale instead of lettuce and bring tofu 2 days and tempeh the other 2 days! Can’t wait????????????❤️

  9. This looks delicious! Can I use dried parsley and dried dill instead? If so how much will you recommend?

    1. Hi Vanessa – you can definitely substitute dried herbs for fresh, the general rule of thumb is to use 1/3 of the fresh (ex: 1 tbsp fresh dill = 1 tsp dried dill)

  10. Caitlin!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it is divine! I may be eating it every day this week ????

  11. Hi Caitlyn,

    I may have missed it but what do we do with the final tablespoon of buffalo sauce? I didn’t see it in the instructions.

    Thank you!

  12. Is there such a thing as oil free buffalo sauce, or is that just not existent? Either way, I’m definitely going to try this recipe! Thanks <3

    1. Yes, Buffalo HOT sauce (what the recipe calls for) is Oil Free – make sure you don’t get wing sauce!

  13. OMG! this salad sounds incredible! I love anything with buffalo sauce, and that hemp ranch….wow this is spectacular!!! thanks for the recipe 🙂

  14. For some reason, I always thought buffalo sauce wasn’t vegan! I guess some aren’t, but maybe I just haven’t had enough buffalo sauce to figure that! But anyways, I do love buffalo-style foods, especially roasted cauliflower and tofu. This salad looks amazing! Can you omit the cornstarch in the tofu? Would the tofu just lose its crispiness and breading, or would it affect the cooking process in another way?

    1. Hi Cassie! Most buffalo hot sauce is vegan, but some buffalo wing sauce is not – there is a difference 🙂 You can use some of the listed substitutions for the cornstarch, or add an extra tbsp of nutritional yeast. You need some sort of powder to “bread” the tofu, so the buffalo sauce will stick to it.