To make tofu crispy and delicious there really is no better way than to air fry it.
Air-frying tofu for just 12 minutes is enough to make it crispy on the outside while keeping it soft and chewy on the inside. This not only makes for a delicious interplay of textures when you snack on the tofu, it also helps the air-fried tofu soak up flavor from other ingredients when you toss it into curries, stews and more.
Making air fried tofu couldn't be simpler or easier, and anyone can do it. All you need to do is season the tofu lightly with a few ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. Place it in a single layer in an air fryer basket, and let it cook for around 12 minutes. Open, and voila! You will never look the same way at tofu again. 🙂
Why should you air-fry?
If you aren't familiar yet with an air fryer, this is a contraption designed to emulate frying with oil without actually using much oil. In other words, it is a healthier way to get foods that taste almost as if they were fried in lots of oil, but aren't.
The way it works is by blowing hot air, using an inbuilt fan, around the food you are air frying. The food items should preferably be placed in a single layer in the perforated air fryer basket, with a little distance between the pieces, so all sides get cooked, or air-fried, evenly.
Air-fried food usually tastes like, and has the texture of, something halfway between oven-roasted foods and deep-fried foods. It makes tofu far crispier in far less time than an oven would, in about the time it would take to preheat your oven. That is pretty darn good.
I often get asked about the model of my air fryer: it is a Crux 2.6 quart touchscreen, which, I think has since been discontinued (although Crux has newer models). I picked it up at a sale at Macy's a couple of Christmases ago for around $35, which was a pretty good deal.
I have shared with you recipes for air fried foods since I bought my air fryer, including this tofu recipe, which I've updated here with more process photos. I've also tweaked the recipe since I last shared it with you to make it even tastier.
Jay adores baked tofu, and I make this tofu at least once a week. We snack on it, toss it into stews, salads, curries and wraps...in other words, we can't get enough of it.
If you have an air fryer, what are you waiting for? I'm sure you have a block of tofu sitting in your refrigerator, and you can't put it to a more tasty use. Be sure to come back and let me know how it turned out for you.
Tips and steps for making the best air fryer tofu
- Use the firmest tofu you can find. Both super form tofu and extra firm tofu are fine here, but don't use anything softer, like soft tofu or silken tofu. If you use extra firm tofu be sure to squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can.
- Cut the tofu block into four slabs lengthwise, then cut each block into 12 cubes. If you make the tofu pieces bigger or smaller, adjust air frying time up or down.
- Toss the tofu cubes with the marinade ingredients. You don't need to wait for the tofu to soak in the marinade, but if you have the time it doesn't hurt to do so. Around 30 minutes is perfect.
- Place the tofu cubes in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You don't need to preheat the air fryer. Place the tofu cubes in the air fryer basket and set the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the time to 12 minutes.
- Don't crowd the air fryer basket--for the best results, make sure the tofu cubes fit in a single layer and there is enough room between the tofu cubes for the air to rush through. For a 16-oz block of tofu you might need to air-fry in two batches, unless your air fryer has a larger capacity than mine does.
- It's a good idea to toss the tofu cubes about, around halfway through the air frying process. This will help the tofu "fry" evenly. Do this by pulling out the basket, which automatically pauses the air fryer, tossing the cubes by shaking it vigorously, and then insert the basket back in the air fryer.
- If you want your tofu crispier, you can increase the cooking time to up to 15 minutes. Around 18 minutes will yield chewy tofu, which is nice as a meat replacement in stews and curries.
Ingredients
- Super firm or high protein tofu (or extra firm)
- Cayenne or paprika
- Turmeric
- Garlic powder
- Lemon juice
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
Other seasoning ideas for air fried tofu
- Ground black pepper, tamari or soy sauce and apple cider vinegar.
- Salt, ground black pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder and liquid aminos.
- For an Indian-style marinade, add ginger powder and replace the paprika with cayenne in the recipe below.
- You can add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the tofu marinade for crispier tofu, but I don't really care much for the flavor and the tofu has a better texture without it, especially if you use it in other recipes.
Recipes to use this air fryer tofu:
Snack on this air-fried tofu by itself, it's healthy and delicious.
You can add it to salads, sandwiches and wraps. It would be particularly great as a meat replacement in vegan stews.
You can also use it in any recipe that calls for tofu, including Indian dishes like Vegan Palak Paneer with Tofu, Vegan Paneer Butter Masala, Vegetable Biryani and Vegan Butter "Chicken" with Tofu.
Air Fryer Tofu
Ingredients
- 16 oz super firm tofu (or extra firm tofu. Squeeze out the water from the extra firm tofu)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika (or cayenne, which will add more heat than paprika)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 tsp grated garlic)
- ½ tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut the tofu lengthwise into four slabs, then cut each slab into 12 cubes.
- Place the tofu and all marinade ingredients in a bowl, toss to mix. You can air-fry the tofu rightaway or, if you have the time, let it stand for 30 minutes.
- Place the tofu in a single layer in the air fryer basket, with a bit of space between each cube, and insert it in the air fryer. You might need to do this in two batches..
- Air-fry the tofu for 12 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Halfway through air frying remove the basket and toss the tofu cubes around. This is not absolutely necessary but it helps ensure the tofu cooks evenly.
- Serve the air-fried tofu as a snack with a creamy mayo or other dipping sauce, or toss it into stews, curries, wraps, salads and more.
are you sure about correctness of nutritional info?
I use an online calculator so I can’t guarantee it’s all accurate and all nutrition data should be treated as an estimate. You can also just do your own calculations based on the ingredients.
May I ask what the dipping sauce with the air fried tofu is in the picture?
Thank you,
Dianne
It’s vegan Mayo mixed with some seasonings like garlic powder and nutritional yeast!
Thank you.
Hello,
I forgot to let it marinate for the 30 minutes, but it was still good. I recommend remembering that part so the flavors go all the way through the tofu. Thanks for posting a soy sauce free recipe.
Awesome, so happy you made it!
Amazing! Tofu solved! It was hard not to just eat the whole block. Thank you!
So awesome to hear! Happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Best tofu cubes I've ever made! I have a small air fryer with two trays and was able to do the whole block of tofu in one go. It came out a little crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Color me impressed.
Janet, that’s so awesome to hear! That sounds exactly as they are supposed to be. So happy you made them.
Do I really have to use oil (I'm wfpb no oil)? And if I wanted to bake this in the oven, how would I go about doing that? Thanks!
You can leave out the oil, just use more lemon juice if the spices don’t stick to the tofu! To bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake around 50 minutes or until crispy outside. Flip the cubes over halfway through baking.
Thank goodness for you Recipe I had tofu from a Asian restaurant and I was craving that kind of texture so I found your this recipe and I tried it so happy with the results thanks you are a life saver!
So happy to hear!
OMG! These are sooo good! I can't stop eating them straight out of the air fryer! I have been struggling to get my protein intake since turning vegetarian, but these cubes are going to change that, they are addictive! Just one question, how much salt do you recommend using?
Hi Laura, about 3/4ths of a teaspoon, which is possibly a lot for some and not enough for others.? I use less if making just for myself — my son has a very salty tooth!
I tried the Indian style tofu. Although the texture was good, the flavor was overwhelmingly lemony. Maybe the 2 TABLESPOONS should be 2 TEASPOONS?
Hi, you can definitely reduce the lemon quantity--I find that 2 tbsp is just right for that quantity of tofu as the lemon flavor tends to dissipate during cooking.
I laughed out loud when I read your story about purchasing an air fryer. I bought mine on November 9, really good pre Black Friday sale at Walmart and was planning to open it today until I read your story. In November I also had no counter space, but then my largest kitchen cupboards starting falling off the wall. We moved everything in and below them into the family room so the cupboards could be removed and the backing repaired. Before everything comes back into the kitchen, I'm ready to" fry" some tofu, but if I have to use oil and do it two batches, why not just do it in the oven all at once? I have never tasted anything made in an air fryer. Is it really worth it?
? thanks for sharing your story! I really love using the air fryer vs the oven because there’s no preheating involved and it’s quicker. I also think the tofu “fries” up more evenly than it would in the oven. Totally worth it, in my opinion.
Yes I would like to know also what brand and style of air fryer do you like and recommend? This recipe looks delicious and I want to try it!
I have a Crux air fryer--I am pretty sure the model's discontinued but here's an affiliate link where you can see it.
Hello Vaishali,
Tried your air fryer tofu recipe and it came out great!
I own both a drawer style and a 3 tray air fryer. I tried your recipe in both and the cooking was definitely more even in the tray style air fryer!
Hi Erik, that's great feedback. Thanks for sharing, and so happy you tried it!
What kind of air fryer do you have and do you recommend that one or have you learned of better ones?
Thanks!
Hi Shannon, I haven't tried any other air fryers besides the one I have. It works really well, and I think it's a pretty basic one. It's been discontinued, I think, but here's an affiliate link where you can see it.
a bit confused. in the blog for the Indian style you state you use the spices and lemon juice as well...but in the recipe box no lemon juice for the the spicy style? Are you supposed to use the 2 TBLS of lemon juice for this as well? Thanks i find everything I have made so far from your blog has been delicious! And I'm new at this!
Hi John, yes, and added! Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
My family loves crispy tofu and pan frying it until crispy is quite a task. I am definitely try this out very very soon. I love TJ's super firm tofu. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Pavani, I love the TJ super firm tofu-- what a blessing it has been, no more squeezing and weighting tofu. 🙂
Hi Vaishali,
Thanks for another great recipe! A relative gave us an air fryer as a gift and she showed us how to use it once, with good results. But then she left and so it was stored in a closet. I wasn't thrilled with the small portions it makes, especially if you're trying to cook for a large group of friends and relatives. I'm bringing it out now to test this tofu recipe. I use a herb style tofu made by a local company that's already seasoned with Italian herbs and onion/garlic powder, so I think it'll work great.
Regards,
Radhovan
Hi Radhovan, I don't think I am ever going back to pan frying or baking tofu again. 🙂 I hope you try!