This Air Fryer Tofu Is Bonkers Amazing.
This crispy, craggly 15-minute tofu is honestly blowing my mind.
There’s only so much you can do with tofu to get it to knock your socks off, but OH MY! the texture! Like, I can’t even believe you can get this kind of delightful crisp and ruggedy crunch with such low effort and energy.
Why I love this:
- You get a crispity, crackly golden exterior that looks and tastes like it’s breaded and fried
- There’s lots of savory saltiness without any one distinct flavor, making it extremely versatile for use in tons of recipes
- It is an absolutely elite canvas for sauces – they cling to every nook, cranny, and crevice of that golden exterior
AND! If you buy the vacuum-packed tofu, there is no pressing. I repeat: NO PRESSING!
You’re just ripping apart a block of tofu, tossing it in a quick little batter of sorts, and air frying for less than 15 minutes. Holy. Smokes.
This air fryer tofu is already affectionately known in my life as AFT, like the vegetarian cousin to the air fryer chicken (AFC): both extremely easy, versatile, and an absolute go-to that I make multiple times each week.
- Toss it in a curry – yes.
- Sauce it up and add it to a rice bowl – yes.
- Throw into a noodle stir-fry – absolutely.
- Dip it in your favorite sauce like a chicken nugget – big yes. My girls love this.
My favorite sauce for this at the moment is the gochujang sauce from the air fryer chicken post – yep, still on that train. I’ll include it again in the notes of the recipe. I just toss the crispified tofu with a bit of the sauce and it melts right in and it is divine. Have fun!
Welcome To My House! Let’s Make This Air Fryer Tofu.
1
Whisk up your sauce.
Cornstarch, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and oil. Add a pinch of spice mix. Voila! It’s your batter.
2
Rip Your Tofu and Toss It In.
I like to rip the tofu apart because it gets those fun craggly edges that hold onto all the batter. So just… rip, toss it in, and give it a gentle stir to coat.
3
Air Fry for 10-15 Minutes.
I typically do 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Then give it a shake, and finish for another 5 minutes to get it extra nice and golden.
Ridiculously Good Air Fryer Tofu
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
The crispiest air fryer tofu – in 15 minutes! Extremely easy, incredibly versatile, and an absolute weeknight go-to.
Ingredients
Scale
Air Fryer Tofu:
- 1 block extra firm tofu (look for one that is vacuum-packed so you don’t have to press it! see note 1)
The Batter:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see note 2)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 2–3 teaspoons all-purpose spice blend (see note 3)
For Serving:
- your favorite sauce for serving (see note 4)
Instructions
- Mix The Batter: In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk the nutritional yeast, cornstarch, soy sauce, oil, and spices into a batter. It should be fairly loose and runny.
- Coat The Tofu: Tear the tofu into chunks and place them directly into the batter bowl. Using a wide spatula, gently toss the tofu in tbe batter until it’s entirely coated.
- Air Fry: Air fry at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes (see Note 5). Stop and give it a shake. And now air fry at 400 again for another 5 minutes until you reach your desired level of golden crispiness!
- Sauce and Serve: To serve, toss the tofu your favorite sauce for a recipe (curries! stir fries! rice bowls!) or just pop these guys into some dipping sauce like a little nugget. Incredible.
Notes
Note 1 on Tofu: The vacuum sealed extra firm tofu is amazing because it’s not only firm but drier than the kind that comes sitting in water. If you can’t find the vacuum sealed tofu packages, that’s fine – look for extra firm tofu and then press the tofu for a bit to remove excess moisture. To do this, I cut the block of tofu into a few slices, lay them flat with paper towels on top and bottom, and set a heavy pan on top for a few minutes. I find that this tofu also crumbles more easily – so when you’re tossing the tofu in the batter, use a wide spatula and just make a few gentle turns in the bowl to avoid crumbling the tofu entirely (but don’t worry, some breaking is normal and will form delicious crumbles – promise).
Note 2 on Nutritional Yeast: I love nutritional yeast in this for the savory, salty flavor and unique texture it gives to the tofu! I got that idea from Liz at Zardy Plants. But it will still work without nutritional yeast. To make this without nutritional yeast, you can just omit it and increase the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons, or replace the nutritional yeast with breadcrumbs.
Note 3 on Spices: I use and love this rotisserie chicken seasoning for both the air fryer chicken and now this air fryer tofu. If you don’t have a spice blend that you like, use 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. And if you are using a spice blend that doesn’t have salt, you may want to add an extra pinch of salt to the tofu batter.
Note 4 on Sauces: I have been hung up on this gochujang sauce for a minute. It’s so good to toss with the crispy tofu. Mix the following: 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tablespooons gochujang sauce (not paste), 1 clove grated garlic, a shot of soy sauce, a dash of rice vinegar, and salt and pepp. I cover the tofu in sauce and toss it together after the tofu is done let it sort of melt in so it creates almost a glaze-like consistency on the outside of the tofu. It’s SO good on a rice bowl. Other sauces I like: this store-bought mango chutney, this honey mustard, or this peanut sauce.
Note 5 on Air Fryer Temp: I have both a Cosori 4 quart air fryer as well as a Ninja 5 quart air fryer (affiliate links). My Cosori does this tofu perfectly at 400 degrees with the timing above, while the Ninja does it perfectly at 390 degrees. If you stop and shake the tofu after 8 minutes and you feel like it’s a tad too dark golden at 400, just reduce the temp slightly for the last 5 to find your perfect temp. I would shoot for anything in the 375-400 range. Air fryer temps and performance will vary slightly!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: tofu recipe, air fryer tofu, crispy tofu, quick and easy tofu, vegetarian recipe
Frequently Asked Questions About Air Fryer Tofu
Yes! You can either replace it with an additional tablespoon of cornstarch, or an equal value of breadcrumbs. If you use a bit of extra cornstarch, your batter might be a bit thicker, more like a paste. That’s fine, just coat the tofu as best as you can and it’ll still air fry up with lots of nice texture for you.
Yes! It should work the same.
Yes! As with any “fried” food, it will lose a bit of its crispiness and the texture changes a bit, especially if it has already been tossed or served in a sauce. That said, I have never not liked it when re-toasted in the air fryer or re-heated. 🙂
Yes! Baking the tofu at 425 for 15-20 minutes should achieve a similar effect.
I’ve got a recipe for that! Here’s some Ridiculously Good Air Fryer Chicken (similar recipe, but with chicken).
