This hearty and flavor-packed buffalo Soy Curls sandwich recipe is made in the air fryer in minutes.
Drizzle the sandwich with vegan blue cheese dressing. Then serve with salad, fries, or chips.
Spicy buffalo sauce and cooling dressing are a perfect match. They balance each other beautifully – with tanginess and heat.
Most folks associate buffalo sauce with chicken, but that flavorful sauce can jazz up plant-based dishes too – like this buffalo Soy Curls sandwich with vegan blue cheese dressing.
Buffalo Soy Curls have a wonderful chew that you can really sink your teeth into.
For this Soy Curls recipe, I use the air fryer. The air fryer gets the Soy Curls beautifully crispy around the edges. And it cooks in just a few minutes' time.
The sandwich is finished with vegan blue cheese dressing, which straddles the line between ranch & blue cheese. The seasonings are more reminiscent of ranch. But crumbled tofu gives it extra texture like blue cheese.
The combination of spicy hot and refreshing cool will have you savoring every last bite.
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“Just made this, followed everything exactly… My son and my husband came in from work and devoured them amid sounds of delight and delicious comments.
I was surprised how good the 'Bleu Cheese dressing' is. I have made other recipes and they have been just so-so, but this is REALLY good! Thank you!!!” – Marna
What are Soy Curls?
Soy Curls aren’t as widely known as some plant-based products, but they should be added to your rotation.
They’re a dried product made with just one ingredient - whole soybeans. The soybeans are fully cooked, texturized into strands, dehydrated, and packaged.
Soy Curls have a mild taste and chewy texture that’s similar to chicken. They’re a blank canvas that can take on the flavors of whatever sauces you add to them.
They’re so convenient to have around, packed with protein, and tasty too.
I got hooked on them while visiting Oregon, where the brand started. And even after I got back home from Portland, they became a staple in my kitchen.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Tofu: Crumbled tofu takes the place of cheese in the vegan blue cheese dressing. For easiest use, I recommend super firm tofu in vacuum packaging, because it doesn’t have to be pressed before using.
Vegan mayo: Vegenaise is my go-to, but any eggless mayo will work here. Keep in mind mayonnaise thickness varies by brand. If your dressing is too thin, stir in another dollop of mayo.
Non-dairy milk: Choose unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk. (Vanilla isn’t going to work here.) Pick soy, cashew, oat, almond milk, or whatever non-dairy milk you like.
Apple cider vinegar: This adds tang. It can be replaced with rice vinegar or white vinegar.
Lemon juice: This also adds acid and brightness to the dressing.
Seasonings: Dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder (or granulated garlic), and salt.
Bouillon: Better Than Bouillon no chicken base is my go-to. But you can use any bouillon you like, or replace the Soy Curls rehydrating liquid with vegetable broth.
Soy Curls: Look for Soy Curls in health food stores like Natural Grocers, or buy them online.
Hot sauce: In my book, it's not buffalo sauce unless you use Frank's Red Hot Sauce. The flavor is just right.
(By the way, Frank's Buffalo Sauce is also vegan if you want to skip a step by not adding non-dairy butter. I have never used it, but I know lots of people like it.)
Pantry staples: Non-dairy butter and burger buns. Be sure to read the ingredient label on the buns to make sure they’re vegan.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. Start by making vegan blue cheese dressing.
In a bowl, combine the following:
- Crumbled tofu
- Vegan mayo
- Non-dairy milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Garlic powder
- Salt
2. Now it’s time to move on to the buffalo Soy Curls. Dissolve bouillon in warm water (or use warm broth instead). Add the Soy Curls, and rehydrate them for about 10 minutes.
3. Once they are plump, drain them in a fine mesh sieve. Use your hands to squeeze out the liquid until they're dry to the touch.
4. Move them to the air fryer basket. Air fry at 400 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes, until crispy.
Remember: Every air fryer runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own air fryer. Adjust as needed.
5. Melt vegan butter in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, and stir in Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Toss the buffalo sauce with the freshly cooked Soy Curls.
6. Toast a couple of buns in a dry skillet, and then top the sandwiches with Buffalo Soy Curls and vegan blue cheese dressing.
Make it your own
You can make this sandwich your own by varying the ingredients:
- Instead of Frank’s RedHot Sauce, use your favorite hot sauce.
- Replace homemade vegan blue cheese dressing with store-bought, or use vegan ranch dressing instead.
- Add more toppings to the sandwich like romaine lettuce, pickles, and/or onions.
- Instead of toasting the buns in a skillet, use the air fryer. It only takes a couple of minutes to brown them.
- Instead of a bun, put these ingredients in a tortilla wrap, rice bowl, or even on nachos or a pizza.
- If you don’t like spicy heat, make a BBQ Soy Curls sandwich instead, and top with vegan coleslaw instead of dressing.
Can’t find Soy Curls in your area?
Use homemade chicken seitan or store-bought vegan chicken like Tofurky plant-based chick’n. (With seitan or vegan chicken, you can skip the step of rehydrating them.)
Or if you’d prefer, make a buffalo chickpea sandwich instead.
READER FEEDBACK
“Just popping in to let you know that this recipe is on my permanent roster. I make them almost every week!” – Dina K
Serving suggestions
This flavorful sandwich can be enjoyed on its own or served with any of these tasty side dishes:
Storage instructions
Store leftover buffalo Soy Curls and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. They will keep for about 4 days.
Buffalo Soy Curls also freeze well. Put them in a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. Then thaw in the fridge when ready to use.
I don’t recommend freezing the dressing. Tofu changes its texture in the freezer, and it will make the dressing watery. Mayo also doesn’t freeze well, because it breaks the emulsion.
You can use any leftover blue cheese dressing on vegan chef salad, buffalo hummus, buffalo corn on the cob, or buffalo chickpea sandwiches.
Reheat the Soy Curls in the microwave or air fryer. Refresh with more hot sauce or buffalo sauce.
FAQ
Soy Curls are a delicious vegan meat substitute produced by Butler Foods. They’re made with just one ingredient – whole, non-GMO soybeans. They’re a dehydrated product that simply has to be rehydrated to use.
Soy Curls can be found at health food markets like Natural Grocers or on Amazon.
Soy Curls have a mild, neutral flavor. That’s why they’re so good at picking up the tastes of whatever they’re cooked in.
Have you ever passed a soybean plant and smelled them cooking? That’s what Soy Curls taste like on their own. (If you’ve never had that experience, you must not live in a state that produces tons of soybeans!)
Once opened, store Soy Curls in the refrigerator or freezer to extend their shelf life. Because of the natural oils in soybeans and the fact that Soy Curls don’t include any preservatives, they can go rancid over time.
When many people make Soy Curls, they simply hydrate the Soy Curls and use them as-is. That can make for a texture that’s just soft and not much else.
For the optimum experience, I recommend squeezing out all of the liquid that you can from the hydrated Soy Curls, and then cooking them until crispy around the edges. The air fryer is the best for this, but an oiled skillet works too!
Soy Curls and TVP (textured vegetable protein) are both made from soybeans and dried. However, Soy Curls use the whole soybean, while TVP uses a defatted version.
More Soy Curls recipes
Keep the Soy Curls love going with these delicious recipes:
- Meatless chili
- Vegan BBQ sandwich
- Vegan pulled pork
- Vegan fried chicken and biscuits (from Vegan Yack Attack)
- Vegan shawarma (from Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen)
- Vegan chicken tacos (from Glue & Glitter)
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Buffalo Soy Curls sandwich with vegan blue cheese dressing
Ingredients
For vegan blue cheese dressing
- ¼ cup crumbled tofu about 2.5 ounces super firm tofu*
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
- 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk I use cashew milk
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of salt
For Buffalo Soy Curls sandwiches
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base*
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup Soy Curls
- 1 Tablespoon non-dairy butter melted
- 3 Tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 2 hamburger buns sliced
Instructions
To make vegan blue cheese dressing
- In a bowl, combine the crumbled tofu, vegan mayonnaise, non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and pinch of salt. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
- Move dressing to refrigerator until ready to use.
To make Buffalo Soy Curls sandwiches
- Stir Better Than Bouillon into bowl of warm water until it has fully dissolved. Put Soy Curls into bowl and combine to evenly cover. Let them sit for 10 minutes to fully re-hydrate. Stir occasionally, so that all of the Curls rehydrate evenly.
- Once ten minutes have passed, pour the Soy Curls through a fine mesh sieve. Give them a good squeeze with your hands to try and get as much liquid out as possible.
- Put the Soy Curls into the air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to shake the basket, until they are dry and little crispy around some of the edges.
- While the Curls are air frying, put the hamburger buns slice side down in a dry skillet over a medium heat, allow them to get toasted and nutty brown. Remove from heat once they've reached their desired color.
- Combine the melted non-dairy butter and Frank's red hot sauce in a bowl. When the Soy Curls have finished cooking, move them to the bowl, and stir to evenly coat them in the hot sauce mixture.
- Spoon the buffalo Soy Curls onto two toasted bun halves, top with a couple spoonfuls of vegan blue cheese dressing, and finish the sandwiches with each remaining bun half.
Notes
Nutrition
Content and photos updated April 21, 2024. Originally posted August 13, 2018.
Dina K
Just popping in to let you know that this recipe is on my permanent roster. I make them almost every week! I use some homemade poultry seasoning in hot water for the soaking, and serve these in hot dog rolls or on salad with a good, creamy dressing to temper the heat. YUMMO!!!! Thank you! Going to try your pulled pork recipe next — I just came back to your site to find more nomsy recipes and that one jumped out at me! Thank you so much!
Cadry Nelson
That is so nice to hear, Dina! I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe. Thank you for letting me know!
Rebekah
I found this recipe about a year ago and am just now coming to tell you how much we love it and thank you. We make this easily once a week however, we use a tortilla instead of the bun and eat it as a wrap. We also add carrots, celery and romaine to make it more of a meal. So, so good. Thank you!
Rebekah
Oh… and sometimes we make it as a pizza. Holy cow it is good!
Cadry Nelson
I’m so happy to hear how much you love the recipe! That makes my day. All of your variations sound delicious. Thanks, Rebekah!
Marna
Just made this, followed everything exactly (except used a different buffalo sauce, “Wing Time”, that’s not as salty as Franks, actually quite good). My son and my husband came in from work and devoured them amid sounds of delight and delicious comments. I was surprised how good the ‘Bleu Cheese dressing’ is. I have made other recipes and they have been just so-so, but this is REALLY good! Thank you!!!
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear that the sandwiches & dressing were enjoyed by you and your family, Marna. Thank you!
Laura VZ
This recipe is easy and delicious! As soon as I finished my first one I immediately wanted to make more. Thanks, Cadry!
Cadry
That’s so nice to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed your sandwich, Laura. 🙂
Shell
Yum! This looks like an awesome sandwich. I love that you were able to eat it straight out of the cooler, too.
Cadry
Thanks, Shell! Obviously, it’s better hot out of the air fryer, but it’s not too shabby as an on the go option out of the cooler.
Randi
Hey so when are you visiting London and cooking for me instead of going to all our restaurants? 😛 This looks better than everything I’ve tried lately in the Great Burger Influx of 2018.
Cadry
Hey, I’m at the airport anyway waiting on a delayed flight home. Might as well take the opportunity to visit you instead!
Bianca Phillips
YESSSSSS! I’ve made air fryer Soy Curls once (using a JL recipe), and they were so good. And I don’t know how I haven’t done it again. Must try this! (also, to the above MSG comment, your response was perfect).
Cadry
I hope you enjoy them, Bianca! I think this sandwich would totally be your speed. (And thanks! I know we’re on the same page where food policing is concerned. Plus, the fears around MSG have proven to be unfounded.)
Lucy
This (and the other recipes) look amazing! Soy Curls haven’t landed in my part of Ontario yet but I’m adding them to my holiday grocery list for when I cross the border in a couple weeks (and you can’t imagine how excited I am to visit a Trader Joe’s!) 😆😆
Beverlee
Bring an extra empty suitcase – you’ll love Trader Joe’s!
Cadry
Thank you, Lucy! I’m so excited for you to visit Trader Joe’s. It’s a lot of fun. Soy Curls can be a little tricky to find, but I get them at Natural Grocers. They’re more prevalent in the western part of the country, especially around Portland.
Dianne
I had a buffalo soy curl sandwich in Portland at Vida Vegan Con five years ago and I still think about it fondly! I can’t wait to make this. I love that you make the soy curls in the air fryer.
Cadry
Ah, you know it’s a good sandwich when you’re still thinking about it five years later. I so wish that Vida Vegan Con would re-appear, but it seems to be a memory for good. I hope you enjoy the sandwich, Dianne, and that it gives you a little taste of the Pacific Northwest!
Becky Striepe
Oh my goodness! I’m just over here adding Frank’s Red Hot to my shopping list!
Cadry
Good thinking!
Sarah
Sure thing , if you don’t mind eating MSG.
Cadry
This is a vegan blog, not an MSG-free blog. I don’t have any particular qualms where MSG is concerned. MSG isn’t listed in any of the ingredients, and so I assume you must be referring to the maltodextrin and yeast extract in the Better Than Bouillon. Since you seem to be concerned about it, take a moment and notice that listed in the Buffalo Soy Curls recipe are alternatives to Better Than Bouillon such as broth or water.
Maddox
ThumbsUP!