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 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 love this recipe! I make it and serve it with homemade Korean fried chicken sauce for dipping! My very picky 15 year old son loves it. Win win! Thank you
Yum.
This air fryer tofu is easy and delicious! Thank you! I was looking for something a little quicker than my usual air fryer tofu and stumbled upon your blog, which I cannot believe I didn’t discover sooner! I halved the paprika because my daughter is very sensitive to anything peppery or spicy in any way. I had the thought that mixing some nutritional yeast in with the dry spices would probably be tasty, too.
I am really looking forward to trying more of your recipes, especially the jerk tofu and rice and peas!
I love it best fried tofu recipe !
Thanks so much K
This was a success! I just recently got an air fryer so I am still making friends with it, but one of the main reasons was for making recipes like this. Even the anti-tofu husband thought it was great! Thanks!
The tofu turned out perfectly crispy and we used ketchup as dipping sauce! We loved it, and also found the recipe easy-to-follow!
Easy to make and the flavor and texture is amazing. This will be my go to for prepping for many recipes.
This is the one! Perfect texture, finally! I didn’t have cornstarch so I subbed in brewer’s yeast, which seemed to do the trick. I can’t wait to make this again, like, tomorrow, ha. Thank you!
I’m late to the gushing-over-this-recipe party, but I was searching for a meal-prepable air fryer tofu recipe, this came up, and honestly, I had low expectations. So many recipes I find online have good reviews, but from people who haven’t actually _made_ the recipe in question. “Oh, this sounds/looks delicious,” they exclaim, without going to any further effort. The recipe turns out soggy, or pasty, or burnt, or raw, or bland, or like a salt lick. THIS recipe, though, is perfect! Crisp, light, and just the right amount of flavor while also ripe for customization. It even stayed kind of crispy-ish after being refrigerated and microwaved! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is one of the most frequently made recipes in our household. It is so delicious I could just eat it plain like popcorn. Thank you <3
Awesome Andrew! We’re so happy to read this.