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.
Nice simple recipe for my first time cooking tofu. I fried mine on the stove for a few minutes and added a marinade I had seen in another recipe. because I didn’t use 1 lb of tofu it was only slightly salty by itself, but it was amazing with fried rice and boiled egg. this has given me some confidence to try more tofu recipes. thanks
Just made it. It came out perfect and I can’t believe I’ve never tried something like this before. Alexa from Amazon actuallly sent me this recipe !
This was amazing what would you recommend on how to store this for tofu? Would you recommend freezing it?
Hi Yessenia,
I would recommend storing it in an airtight Tupperware container in the fridge and just reheating every time you want it. Freezing will alter the texture and it might get soggy since it’s already cooked.
This was super easy and the best tofu I’ve ever had
Finally! I have been looking for a recipe that yielded flavorful, crispy tofu forever, and this is perfect! I can’t believe how easy it was. Now I don’t have to spend a fortune buying it in restaurants.
This is REALLY good.
This looks so good – could you tell us the name of your air fryer? The link to your current one does not work and amazon says the previous one is unavailable.
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for letting me know! I use the Cosori Lite 4.0 QT Air Fryer now!
Delicious!
Very quick and easy! I would personally add more salt next time but this is going to be a staple in our household! Thank you!
I was never a fan of tofu, but in the summer of 2022 I tried a vegan bodybuilding program. (I havd never been vegan so was worth trying.) Loved the bb part and ate the tofu as part of the plan. But this is a game changer! I am in love. You would never know you’re eating tofu. I stood up my air crisper popping them like popcorn. Thank you thank you thank you, this is the best air crisp tofu recipe I’ve tried!
I was never a fan of tofu, but in the summer of 2022 I tried a vegan bodybuilding program. (I havd never been vegan so was worth trying.) Loved the bb part and ate the tofu as part of the plan. But this is a game changer! I am in love. You would never know you’re eating tofu. I stood up my air crisper popping them like popcorn. Thank you thank you thank you, this is the best air crisp tofu recipe I’ve tried! (Forgot to give you all 5 ⭐️