Growing up, fried chicken was always the star of our Sunday dinners. That crispy coating and juicy inside made it impossible to resist. But when I started eating more plant-based meals, I thought those days were behind me. Turns out, I was completely wrong.
Vegan fried chicken has become one of my go-to comfort foods. The crunch is just as satisfying, and honestly, it’s way easier to make than I expected. No worrying about raw chicken or getting the internal temperature just right. Plus, my kids actually prefer this version now, which surprised all of us.
The secret is all in the coating and the protein you choose. I’ve tried everything from cauliflower to store-bought plant chicken, and each one brings something different to the table. Tonight, you get to skip the guilt and dive right into that crispy goodness.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Fried Chicken
- Plant-based comfort food – You get all the crispy, satisfying crunch of traditional fried chicken without any animal products, making it perfect for vegans and anyone looking to eat more plant-based meals.
- Flexible ingredients – You can use homemade vegan chicken, store-bought alternatives, or even oyster mushrooms, so you can work with whatever you have available or prefer.
- Crispy, flavorful coating – The combination of gram flour, cornstarch, and spices creates that perfect golden, crunchy exterior that rivals any traditional fried chicken recipe.
- Ready in under an hour – From start to finish, you can have this satisfying meal on the table in 35-60 minutes, making it doable for weeknight dinners or weekend treats.
What Kind of Vegan Chicken Should I Use?
You’ve got a few solid options for this recipe, and they’ll all give you great results. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own vegan chicken from scratch using seitan or a tofu-based recipe, which gives you complete control over the flavor and texture. Store-bought vegan chicken is totally fine too – brands like Gardein, Beyond, or Lightlife work well and save you time. If you can’t find vegan chicken or want to try something different, oyster mushrooms are an excellent substitute since they naturally have a meaty, shredded texture that mimics chicken really well. Just make sure whatever option you choose is cut into bite-sized pieces before you start the breading process.
Options for Substitutions
This vegan fried chicken recipe is pretty adaptable, so here are some swaps you can make:
- Vegan chicken: If you can’t find store-bought vegan chicken, oyster mushrooms work great as mentioned, but you can also try cauliflower florets, tofu chunks, or even seitan. Just make sure whatever you use can hold up to frying.
- Gram flour: Don’t have chickpea flour? You can substitute with regular all-purpose flour, though the batter won’t be quite as crispy. Use the same amount and it’ll still work fine.
- Plant milk: Any unsweetened plant milk works here – oat, soy, almond, or even regular dairy milk if you’re not strictly vegan. Just keep it plain and unflavored.
- Old Bay seasoning: If you don’t have Old Bay, mix together paprika, celery salt, garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne. You could also use any all-purpose seasoning blend you have on hand.
- Corn flour: Regular flour can replace the cornstarch, but you’ll lose some of that extra crispiness. If you want to keep it crispy, try potato starch instead.
- Sriracha: Any hot sauce works here, or you can skip it entirely if you prefer less heat. A few dashes of cayenne pepper mixed into the flour works too.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Frying
The biggest mistake when making vegan fried chicken is not getting your oil hot enough – aim for 350°F to 375°F, because cooler oil will make your coating soggy and greasy instead of crispy.
Don’t skip letting your vegan chicken pieces sit in the buttermilk mixture (plant milk with vinegar) for at least 15 minutes, as this step helps the coating stick better and creates that authentic tangy flavor.
Overcrowding the pan is another common error that drops the oil temperature and prevents proper browning, so fry in small batches and give each piece plenty of space to cook evenly.
For extra crispy results, double-dip your pieces by going back into the wet mixture and then the seasoned flour again before frying, and always let the finished pieces drain on a wire rack rather than paper towels to keep the bottom from getting soggy.
What to Serve With Vegan Fried Chicken?
This crispy vegan fried chicken is perfect with all the classic sides you’d expect – think creamy mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and buttery corn on the cob for that full comfort food experience. I love serving it with some fluffy biscuits and gravy, or if you want something a bit lighter, a fresh garden salad with ranch dressing works great too. For a fun twist, try making it into a sandwich with pickles, lettuce, and your favorite vegan mayo on a soft brioche bun. Mac and cheese (the vegan kind, of course!) is another crowd-pleaser that pairs really well with the spicy, crunchy coating.
Storage Instructions
Keep Fresh: Store your leftover vegan fried chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. I like to place a paper towel in the bottom to absorb any extra moisture and keep that crispy coating from getting too soggy. It’s great cold in salads or wraps too!
Freeze: You can freeze the cooked pieces for up to 2 months in freezer bags or containers. Just make sure they’re completely cooled first, and try to lay them flat so they don’t stick together. I sometimes make a double batch just to have some ready in the freezer for busy weeknights.
Crisp Up: To bring back that crispy texture, pop the pieces in a 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes, or use an air fryer at 375°F for 5-6 minutes. The microwave will work in a pinch, but you’ll lose some of that nice crunch we worked so hard to get!
| Preparation Time | 15-30 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 20-30 minutes |
| Total Time | 35-60 minutes |
| Level of Difficulty | Medium |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 1400-1700
- Protein: 35-45 g
- Fat: 25-40 g
- Carbohydrates: 250-280 g
Ingredients
For the vegan chicken:
- 1 batch vegan chicken (or store-bought, or use oyster mushrooms)
- Vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for frying
For the wet coating:
- 4 tbsp chickpea flour (also called gram or besan flour)
- 3/4 cup plant milk (plain, unsweetened)
- 1 tsp cider or white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (like sriracha)
For the spiced flour dredge:
- 10.5 oz all-purpose flour (plain white flour)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Step 1: Prepare the Vegan Chicken or Mushrooms
- 1 batch vegan chicken (or store-bought, or use oyster mushrooms)
Using your fingers, pull apart the batch of vegan chicken into strips, wings, or tenders and place them in a bowl.
If using oyster mushrooms instead, pull them into wing-sized pieces or leave in chunky clusters.
Set aside for breading.
Step 2: Make the Dipping Mixture and Spiced Flour
- 4 tbsp chickpea flour (also called gram or besan flour)
- 3/4 cup plant milk (plain, unsweetened)
- 1 tsp cider or white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (like sriracha)
- 10.5 oz all-purpose flour (plain white flour)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
In one medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, plant milk, cider or white vinegar, and hot sauce.
Whisk well to create a smooth batter—this is your ‘egg’ mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, fine sea salt, Old Bay seasoning, and ground black pepper to create the spiced flour coating.
Step 3: Coat the Vegan Chicken
- vegan chicken pieces from Step 1
- egg mixture from Step 2
- spiced flour mixture from Step 2
Assign one hand for wet ingredients and one for dry.
Dip each piece of vegan chicken (from Step 1) into the spiced flour mixture, tossing to coat.
Then dip it into the ‘egg’ batter, ensuring it’s thoroughly coated.
Finally, return the vegan chicken to the spiced flour mixture for a second coating, making sure every piece is well covered.
This double coating ensures a super crispy result!
I find it helpful to keep one hand dry and one hand wet for less mess.
Step 4: Fry the Vegan Chicken
- vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for frying
- coated vegan chicken from Step 3
Heat vegetable or sunflower oil in a medium, high-sided frying pan or a deep fat fryer to 170 °C (340 °F).
Working in batches, carefully add the coated vegan chicken (from Step 3) to the hot oil.
Fry each piece for 2-4 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the pieces, draining them on kitchen towels to remove excess oil.
Repeat with all remaining pieces.
For extra crispiness, I like to let the fried pieces rest for a minute or two before serving.
Step 5: Serve Hot
Serve the vegan fried chicken while it’s hot and crispy.
Enjoy as is, or with your favorite dipping sauce or sides!
Classic Vegan Fried Chicken
Ingredients
For the vegan chicken:
- 1 batch vegan chicken (or store-bought, or use oyster mushrooms)
- vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for frying
For the wet coating:
- 4 tbsp chickpea flour (also called gram or besan flour)
- 3/4 cup plant milk (plain, unsweetened)
- 1 tsp cider or white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (like sriracha)
For the spiced flour dredge:
- 10.5 oz all-purpose flour (plain white flour)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Using your fingers, pull apart the batch of vegan chicken into strips, wings, or tenders and place them in a bowl. If using oyster mushrooms instead, pull them into wing-sized pieces or leave in chunky clusters. Set aside for breading.
- In one medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, plant milk, cider or white vinegar, and hot sauce. Whisk well to create a smooth batter—this is your 'egg' mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, fine sea salt, Old Bay seasoning, and ground black pepper to create the spiced flour coating.
- Assign one hand for wet ingredients and one for dry. Dip each piece of vegan chicken (from Step 1) into the spiced flour mixture, tossing to coat. Then dip it into the 'egg' batter, ensuring it's thoroughly coated. Finally, return the vegan chicken to the spiced flour mixture for a second coating, making sure every piece is well covered. This double coating ensures a super crispy result! I find it helpful to keep one hand dry and one hand wet for less mess.
- Heat vegetable or sunflower oil in a medium, high-sided frying pan or a deep fat fryer to 170 °C (340 °F). Working in batches, carefully add the coated vegan chicken (from Step 3) to the hot oil. Fry each piece for 2-4 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the pieces, draining them on kitchen towels to remove excess oil. Repeat with all remaining pieces. For extra crispiness, I like to let the fried pieces rest for a minute or two before serving.
- Serve the vegan fried chicken while it's hot and crispy. Enjoy as is, or with your favorite dipping sauce or sides!
