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Crispy and easy, this air fryer tofu recipe is a speedy weeknight dinner. Packed with flavor, this tofu in the air fryer is the most delicious vegan or vegetarian recipe you can make in under 25 minutes.
For many people, tofu is a non-starter. I get it. Everyone has different tastes, and some just haven’t tried tofu in the right way. Yet.
Because this is the recipe that has converted many tofu haters.
Don’t let the “air fryer” part of the recipe title scare you away. You can totally make it old school – in a skillet or in the oven. You’ll get a similar crunch, but it will take more work and definitely more oil.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can fry the tofu without the cornstarch but it does help give that extra crisp and crunchy coating we all love.
- Toss the finished crispy air fryer tofu with your favorite sauce. I love the (plant-based) peanut sauce from this peanut butter chicken.
- Season the tofu cubes to your preference. Use it as the base for your favorite sauces or flavorings.
Super Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra firm tofu {drained and pressed}
- 1 tbsp cornstarch {or potato starch or arrowroot powder}
- 1 tsp olive oil {optional}
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- sesame seeds {optional}
Instructions
- Cut pressed tofu slices into cubes and put into a medium bowl.1 lb extra firm tofu
- Sprinkle cornstarch over the top and gently toss to coat.1 tbsp cornstarch
- Toss to coat the tofu with soy sauce, sesame oil, and (optional) olive oil.1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp olive oil
- Lightly brush the air fryer basket with olive oil and then add the tofu.
- Cook at 390˚F, checking and shaking the basket every 9 minutes.
- The tofu will be done when it has reached your desired level of crispiness (~18-23 minutes).
- Toss finished tofu with your favorite sauce and top with optional sesame seeds.sesame seeds
Notes
- You can fry the tofu without the cornstarch but it does help give that extra crisp and crunchy coating we all love.
- Corn allergy? Try arrowroot powder or potato starch.
Skillet Instructions:
- Heat a large skillet and add a high-heat oil like coconut.
- Add half of the tofu to the skillet, and turn to coat, allowing it to crisp up.
- Transfer crisped tofu to a plate lined with a few paper towels. Then repeat with the rest of the tofu.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe has found a way into our regular rotation for Tofu Tuesday. We just vary the sauce, noodles vs rice, and veggies to keep things interesting! Sarah makes the prep easy and easily customizable.
I’m so glad you three have found it to be a go-to meal!
THIS is my go-to TOFU recipe & we love it every time. Thank you Sarah for making tofu delicious for my vegetarian family-chef’s kiss! We love this recipe and make it at least once a week.
Aww, love to hear that! What is your favorite sauce to use?
Looks nothing like the picture. The picture looks like it has some sort of sauce but this is super dry and crispy when it comes out. I struggled to find something to dip it in.
Hi Katie, it IS tossed with a sauce. You’ll see a note in the “pro tips/recipe notes”: Toss finished tofu with your favorite sauce. Try the (vegan) sauce from our Instant Pot Orange Chicken drizzled over the tofu. It’s SOOO good. Or use this Gluten-Free Teriyaki Sauce for a great flavor.
Hope that helps. This fried tofu is a blank slate to “sauce” as you will. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, their bottled curry sauces are delicious and fast!
So easy and delicious! As a vegetarian who is currently living at home for college (thanks pandemic) finding easy, balanced meals is hard! Loved this recipe and will definitely be making it again!
The pandemic sure has been so fun for life changes, huh? 🙁
So glad this recipe helped make a tough situation a little tastier. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
I’m new to tofu world and wondering… if I like this method of cooking tofu, would I be able to air fry it with different marinades in the same way?
Libbi, as long as the marinade isn’t too “soupy”, it should be fine.
Our preference tends to be to use this as a base recipe and then add sauces after it has cooked.
This recipe is the BEST! My 7th grade son dislikes almost all food that isn’t a carb (aka noodles and pizza) and he LOVES this recipe and literally made it twice yesterday. When even a 7th grader can make it and he devours all his protein, Mama is a happy camper! Plus, he got to tell his science teacher he made tofu, which she had never had before (sending her this recipe too :).
Yay, I’m sooooo glad you both like it so much!
Not sure if you have Trader Joe’s near you, but they have a “high protein” tofu that is the only one we buy now. You don’t have to press it and it has 5g more of protein that extra firm.
Super crispy tofu!! I must admit to being a little skeptical about the whole tofu thing in general but I really enjoyed it! Will be made again – thank you!
Yay, congrats on taking your first steps in tofu enjoyment! 🙂
This looks great! Do you think I can freeze the air fried tofu or do I have to store it in the fridge and eat it within a few days? 🙂
I have not tried to freeze it so I’m not sure. If you do try it, please let me know and I’ll update the post with your experience.
So I haven’t tried it yet so don’t quote me- but I recently learned that if you freeze tofu and let it defrost all the water will come out of it so you don’t need to press it! I currently have tofu in the freezer so curious to see if this is true and save some time!
Huh! If you try it, let me know how it works.
I just tried a new kind of tofu from Trader Joe’s that barely had ANY water in it. It was extra firm and high-protein. Tasted totally normal but was much faster to press.
Yum! Thanks so much! I really love tofu prepared this way. Your orange sauce goes nicely with this. Thanks for upping my cooking game!
You got it Emily! Once you go crispy, it’s hard to go back. 🙂
So I half made this. I realized (sadly) that I didn’t have all the ingredients for the orange sauce, so I fried the tofu in my air fryer and made peanut sauce for it. It was delicious and toddler approved! The tofu was perfectly fried. The towel/cast iron tip was pure gold.
Mmmmm, I think the peanut sauce might make it even better!! So glad you all liked it.
This looks absolutely delicious.. have to try it!
If you love your tofu crispy, this is the best way to do it!
i’m not going to lie… I had doubts. I mean… tofu. but it was shockingly good!
Now I am going to search for air fryer to find out what they are. I think we would like this tofu recipe.
There is a link to one in the post. It takes you to Amazon where you can read reviews, etc. Basically, it is an oil-less crisper that you can use to “fry” things. It works a bit like a convection oven to makes things super crispy using just air.