Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

You won’t believe how ultra crispy these air fryer tofu bites are! All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this crispy air fryer tofu. These healthy crispy tofu bites are so flavorful and are perfect for munching on their own or as a topping in your dinner bowls or salads. Perfect for meal prepping as well.

Tofu is a quick and easy protein option that’ll help you get dinner on the table fast. Other than pressing out the moisture on your extra firm tofu, it’s such an easy protein to prep. No need to panic last minute about thawing something from the freezer for dinner!

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s so easy to get crispy tofu in the air fryer! You simply pop the cubes into the basket and let the air fryer take care of the rest.
• This crispy air fryer tofu is perfect for enjoying on its own, adding it to salads, over some rice, into stir fries, and more!
• I love the texture of this healthy air fried tofu. It’s super crispy on the outside thanks to the crust created and the air fryer and soft on the inside. It’s also great with sauces if you want to add a saucy component to the tofu.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• seasoning — the tofu cubes are tossed with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• cornstarch — along with the seasoning, the cornstarch helps create a crispy crust on the tofu.
• nutritional yeast — also known as nooch, nutritional yeast adds a delicious umami flavor to the recipe and helps create the crust on each piece of tofu. If you don’t have nutritional yeast, you can also use the same amount of shredded parmesan!
• extra firm tofu — make sure you use extra-firm tofu. Even firm tofu wouldn’t be a great swap as extra firm tofu has less water than firm tofu. Extra firm tofu also holds its shape much better and is excellent for slicing, cubing, baking, frying, etc. Make sure the tofu has been pressed beforehand. I highly recommend not skipping this step as it will help excess moisture to be released. This way, the tofu can get crispier and stay crispy! The linked post will show you how to press your tofu without using a tofu press. I’m using Fontaine Sante Tofu, which is 400 grams per pack.
• oil — I use olive oil, but feel free to use another neutral oil of your choice such as avocado oil.
• oil spray — for the air fryer.

How to Make Air Fryer Crispy Tofu

• Add the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cornstarch, and nutritional yeast to a bowl. Mix well to combine.

• Add the pressed and diced tofu to a bowl, drizzle and coat well with olive oil. Add the seasoning mix to the tofu and toss well until evenly coated.

• Spray the air fryer basket with oil spray and transfer the coated tofu cubes to the basket, making sure they are evenly spaced and in a single layer.
• Air fry the tofu for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the basket at the halfway point. Let cool and serve.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Make sure you do not overcrowd the tofu in the air fryer basket. You want airflow to be able to curricula so it gets nice and crispy.
• You can swap the seasoning blend with what you have on hand. You can use cajun seasoning, ranch seasoning, sriracha lime seasoning, cumin, dried herbs, and more.
• Do not use less than 1 tablespoon of oil as it helps the tofu crisp up.
• It’s up to you how large you’d like to cut your tofu. You can cut them into smaller cubes or even strips.
• For each crispier bite, you can hand-tear the tofu block. By hand tearing the tofu, you get more scraggily surface area, so they’ll be a bit more crunchy. I usually slice my tofu for convenience.
• Try my other air fryer tofu cubes recipe if you want to try marinating your tofu with some soy sauce!

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: store the cooked crispy tofu in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Be sure to let the tofu cool before storing it in the fridge, as it can get soggy if you place the container lid on too early.
• Reheat: I reheat mine in the air fryer to ensure the tofu stays crispy as it reheats.

More Tofu Recipes to Try

• Maple Soy Tofu Meal Prep
• Orange Tofu
• Sesame Tofu
• Teriyaki Tofu
• Silken Tofu Recipe with Soy Sesame Sauce
• Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)

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