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 got ahead of myself and didn’t read the directions right, didn’t coat the tofu in the liquid then coat in the dry, I just combined everything in a bowel and THEN read the directions 🤦🏽♀️ I saved it by adding egg whites to turn it into a wet batter and it turned out beautifully 😍 five stars because I can’t follow directions and that’s not the posters fault 😂 thank you for sharing!
Happy New Year Jessica! Was looking for an air fryer tofu recipe and found yours here! An incredibly tasty dish and will be adding this to my menu planning and routine meals from now on. I ate it with brown jasmine rice and braised collard greens and tomatoes. Simple
to make and incredibly delicious!
This was amazing, I added in Cumin instead of Paprika for a more curried flavour. Texture was perfect.
Thank you for sharing.
This was amazing, I added in Cumin instead of Paprika for a more curried flavour. Texture was perfect.
Thank you for sharing.
Commented again because I forgot to rate it.
So I always try to make “crispy” tofu and this recipe seems decent but the inside of the tofu is still soft…is that what I’m supposed to be experiencing? It’s the lightest bit of crispiness on the outside but the inside is still tofu rubbery…normal?
Hi Clayton you might be using the wrong kind of tofu! Don’t use silken tofu that sounds like what you may be using. Ask someone at the store for firm tofu that is not silken I hope that helps!
I am new to cooking tofu. This was delicious!!
The structure of the tofu turned out amazing this way!
Best tofu recipe I have ever tried! THANK YOU!
My first time air frying tofu ! Turned out great 😊 how long will the leftovers last in the fridge? Is it good cold the day after/do you recommend rehearing? I’m new to the plant-based world and a bit ignorant. Thanks in advance!
I found some OLD tofu in the back of my fridge and abhor throwing away food. So I found the simplest recipe I could–that way, if I ended up tossing it would hurt my brain less. This was AMAZING! And so easy. I used chili instead of paprika, and I’m going to try cumin as someone below mentioned next!