Crispy Air Fryer Tofu (How to Make Crispy Tofu)
Here’s How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Tofu cooked in just 10 minutes! This tofu is delicious, easy to make and great for meal prep!
Here’s a fact of life, air fryer tofu is one of the easiest and delicious quick meals on this blog. Not only will it help you achieve your crispy tofu dreams, but also well seasoned and meal prepped tofu. Did I mention it takes 10 minutes of cooking time?!
What’s an air fryer?
An air fryer is a small counter top high powered convection oven that through its cooking process, essentially cooks whatever you place in it as if it was being fried, except with air. Our air fryer is our MOST used device in our house and I would highly recommend everyone get one. (affiliate links) This is my current air fryer that I adore, and the air fryer I had before that I also love!
We make everything from fries (that are crispy, delicious and take 20 minutes), to burgers, bagels, toast, crispy roasted breadfruit and even plantain. And today – tofu!
Notes on the Ingredients
extra firm tofu – ensure you’re buying the right tofu! If it says “silken” anywhere on it. that’s not the kind we want to use here. Watch my tofu 101 IG series if you want more details, or my Tofu 101 Blog post! Always press your tofu when using it in this way.
Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground black pepper and sea salt – these are a few simple seasonings that give your tofu incredible flavour. I’ll share some other seasonings ideas below.
cornstarch – our secret weapon for crispy tofu! Cornstarch helps to draw out excess liquid and gives the tofu a crispy exterior.
light soy sauce or liquid aminos – I prefer light soy sauce (or even liquid aminos) since it’s not as salty. You can also use coconut aminos.
sesame oil or any oil – even though you don’t technically need oil for an air fryer, I find a little bit goes a LONG way with aiding crispiness, texture and flavour.
How to make Air Fryer Tofu (Step by Step Instructions)
Making air fryer tofu is so easy and results in the crispest tofu in such a short time.
In a medium size bowl place the pressed and cubed tofu. Add in liquid aminos and toss to coat.
Add in all of the other seasoning ingredients and toss to thoroughly combine.
Place in your air fryer in a single row, so that all the tofu has a little bit of space around each piece.
Set your air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 10 minutes, shaking the basket after 5 minutes, then continuing to cook.
Remove after tofu is cooked. Allow to cool for a few minutes then serve. Enjoy!
You can serve it alone or with a dip, or literally anything your heart desires.
Expert Tips and FAQ
- Make sure you’re not buying silken tofu! That will yield the wrong texture and will break apart if you try and press it. Check out my Tofu 101 post for more, or watch my tofu 101 IG series.
- If you have a smaller air fryer, you’re going to want to split this into two batches because you definitely don’t want your tofu to be crowded. Give them enough space. In my smaller air fryer, I need two batches.
- I’m sure all air fryers are different, so be sure to see if your tofu may need an extra 5 minutes. Mine was perfect after 10 minutes!
- How to press tofu: I cover this in detail in my How to Cook Tofu 101 post! The prep time includes the time to press the tofu
- You can even switch up the seasoning mix. Here are some ideas as to how:
- Italian seasoning with dried parsley, oregano and dried basil
- Bbq seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- The options are up to you!
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 lb block of extra firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes then cut into 1” cubes, (16 oz.)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce, or liquid aminos
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil or any oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl place the pressed and cubed tofu. Add in liquid aminos and toss to coat. Add in all of the other seasoning ingredients including the oil and toss to thoroughly combine.
- Place in your air fryer in a single row, so that all the tofu has a little bit of space around each piece. Set your air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 10 minutes, shaking the basket after 5 minutes, then continuing to cook.
- Remove after tofu is cooked. Allow to cool for a few minutes then serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you’re not buying silken tofu! That will yield the wrong texture and will break apart if you try and press it. Check out my Tofu 101 post for more.
- If you have a smaller air fryer, you’re going to want to split this into two batches because you definitely don’t want your tofu to be crowded. Give them enough space. In my smaller air fryer, I need two batches.
- I’m sure all air fryers are different, so be sure to see if your tofu may need an extra 5 minutes. Mine was perfect after 10 minutes!
- How to press tofu: I cover this in detail in my How to Cook Tofu 101 post! The prep time includes the time to press the tofu
- You can even switch up the seasoning mix. Here are some ideas as to how:
- Italian seasoning with dried parsley, oregano and dried basil
- Bbq seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- The options are up to you!
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.
I often use my air-fryer but I never had the brilliant idea to put my tofu in there ! I’ll’ try !
Trust us it’s amazing! Cant wait for you to try it! Thank you so much for reading!
I tried and it is indeed amazing. The texture is just a lot better ! Thanks. 🙂
Awesome I’m glad everything worked out!
Hi Jessica
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and vegan tips that you share. I am so excited to try to make this crispy tofu and I was wondering if you could also post the dry spice mixes you use for different flavours, like BBQ or Cajun etc. I would so appreciate this.
Thank you again
(From an Aussie who has no spice imagination)
Tracy
Hey Tracy! Thanks so much and you’re so welcome! This is the huge version of our bbq rub – you could like use a ¼ this and just save the rest in a mason jar for any use:
Magic Dust:
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 tablespoons cayenne powder (or less to taste)
This recipe is from our Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce: https://jessicainthekitchen.com/roasted-strawberry-barbecue-sauce/
We don’t have for Cajun and Italian and the rest – we usually just pop into the supermarket and buy a Cajun mix or otherwise. I love the brand Frontier Co-op but any should work! You could also make your life easier too haha and do the same for the bbq spice mix! I hope that helps!
Really good! I didn’t follow the instructions but the end result is good. I am going to use this recipe on mushrooms and on cubed eggplant. Sounds like a very versatile recipe for other vegan choices. Thank you..
Ok Thanks for reading!
Hi Jessica. I’m looking to try this today but don’t have liquid aminos. Could I sub with Tamari sauce? Thanks!
Hi Dyann yes you can sub with Tamari! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!
Thank you! This was my first attempt at Air Fryer tofu and your recipe was excellent! So easy and very yummy!
Loved this recipe! It was so quick & easy to put together and was so delicious 🙂 The tofu came out crunchy and flavourful. It’s also so versatile because you can put whichever spices you like and pair it with any dipping sauce you can think of.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Stephanie! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
Hi
Thanks for the recipe. You mentioned that you make plantains in your air fryer and I’d been searching for a recipe for this. Would you be able to share yours?
Hi Lo! Thank you so much for reading. We don’t have a recipe for this we basically eyeball it. But we will definitely have a recipe coming out soon!
This was such a simple, fast, fool-proof recipe and I loved it!! Perfect way to prep my tofu for the week!! Crispy, and flavourful!! Love love loved it!!
Many thanks! I just did the recipe and it came out great! It was actually my first time ever using an air fryer, and your instructions were so clear that I could follow them with success despite no experience. I also made up the “Magic Dust” spice mix that you put in the comments and used it for my tofu flavor. And I made a yogurt/olive oil/lemon juice/garlic/salt dipping sauce and it all went well together. Thanks for making these recipes and posting them – I am very appreciative!! I will be making more of your recipes – I love the mix of serious flavor with healthy foods. I will be back!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Rhubarb! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
So simple and so good! Thanks for the recipe – will definitely be making again and trying your suggestions for different flavors!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Kat! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
This was SO easy to make and my tofu ended up so crispy and so flavorful!! I used this method with your thai red curry recipe and it’s just too good, I’m obsessed. Will definitely be making this again 🙂