Add some satisfying crunch to your next vegan dinner with this crispy tofu in the air fryer! The well-circulated high heat creates shattering edges on this flavorful tofu. This recipe takes 30 minutes total to throw together, and is great for adding texture to grain bowls and salads. For a reliable oven cooking method, check out my crispy baked tofu.
Iโve talked about this recipe a handful of times in my Saturday posts, and after many requests, Iโm finally sharing it here. This easy air fryer tofu helps me to address the โsoft food fatigueโ that can come up with vegan cooking. Itโs crunchy, super flavorful, and easy to make. You also donโt have to do any chopping.
I do prefer this air fried tofu over pan fried tofu. Itโs just easier and doesnโt make as much of a mess. You also donโt have to hover over the pan. I resisted getting an air fryer for so long, but I use it pretty much every day now with recipes like this teriyaki tofu.
There is a little extra step to undertake before popping in the air fryer! I learned from Hannah Cheโs The Vegan Chinese Kitchen that using seasoned hot/boiling water is an effective way to get the excess moisture out of tofu. Iโve been pressing tofu for years, but I find this method to be less fussy and the results are excellent.
After the hot water soak, itโs important to completely blot the pieces of tofu dry so that they donโt stick to the air fryer. Combining the soak, thorough drying, and a good dusting of arrowroot powder will yield crispy results!
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Crispy-Crunchy Tofu in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 block (12 oz/350 grams) firm or extra firm tofu
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon Tamari
- ground black pepper, to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- spray oil
Equipment
Notes
- You can definitely use cornstarch instead of arrowroot here.
- Mix up the spices depending on what youโre serving or what you prefer! I love doing a mix of zaโatar, sumac, and garlic powder or a mix of chipotle chili powder, cumin, and onion powder.
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and tear it into 2-inch (ish) pieces. Place the tofu pieces in a medium bowl.
- In a small saucepan bring the water and salt to a boil. Pour it over the tofu and leave it for 5 minutes.
- Drain the tofu and thoroughly blot it dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Dry the bowl it was soaking in as well.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375ยฐF.
- In the medium bowl, toss the tofu pieces with the avocado oil, Tamari, and pepper. Once coated, sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and arrowroot starch and resume tossing until you can't see any white, powdery bits anymore.
- Give the air fryer basket a quick spray with the spray oil. Then, transfer the coated pieces of tofu to your air fryer basket, shaking the basket/arranging the pieces so that each piece has a bit of space. Set the timer for 15 minutes and pop the basket in.
- Give the tofu in the air fryer basket a little shake every 5 minutes to evenly brown and crisp up the pieces. The tofu is done when it's evenly deep golden brown and super crispy on all sides.
Iโm really happy to have found this recipe. Iโve tried many disappointing โcrunchyโ tofu nugget recipes and finally found myself, and my daughter, really liking these! The crunch and flavor were so good!
Super delicious! I had to use pink himalayan salt because thatโs what I had available โ I used 1 tsp and did not find it to be too salty in the finished tofu. I did not have arrowroot starch so used cornstarch instead. I airfried for 20 minutes instead of 15 minutes and shook the tofu at 5 minute intervals โ I think each airfryer will be slightly different in terms of how much time may be needed to reach crispiness. I used extra firm tofu โ thatโs what I had on hand โ and tore into pieces as per the recipe โ this gave some nice little frayed edges for extra crispiness and is a method I had never thought to try before. Thank you for an awesome recipe Laura!
I really liked this recipe! It was very simple to make and I kept all the spices the same. I cooked it a few minutes extra for more crispiness.
I knew the recipe would be very salty for my taste just by reading the ingredients, so I omitted the salt bath (pressed instead) and adjusted the measurement to 1 teaspoon of salt instead of 1 Tablespoon. Added 1 teaspoon of herb poultry seasoning and increased the garlic to 1 teaspoon. Turned out delicious and the texture was perfect. Thanks!
So many ads popping up I canโt get to read the recipeโฆ.ugh. Had to print it to try it
I made this recipe exactly as written and I absolutely loved it! Iโm glad I made a double batch because this wonโt last long in our house. It will be going on the regular rotation for sure. I have the Ninja Crispi and it worked perfectly. Thanks Laura!
She a lil salty but bussin
Perfect recipe! I event made it for Easter as an appetizer. My only tweak is I used double the corn starch as it suited my crispiness preferences but this is great for both tofu lovers and others who were skeptical
I make air fried tofu often but my picky 7 year old never partakes. The first time I made this he ate almost half of the recipe and when I told him I was making it today he said โyay!!โ
Fantastic flavor and texture!
I have been freezing tofu instead of pressing. It expels the water makes it more dense. And because I am generally the only person in my house that eats tofu I bring home a pack I cut to serving size and freeze immediately. The only time I press is if I need to cook it the day I buy it. This looks great and I look forward to cooking it.
Loved the texture and the taste except it was CRAZY salty. I would either skip the saltwater bath (I have a tofu press that gets it pretty dry)or decrease the salt to a teaspoon or two. Otherwise itโs awesome.
Hi Laura! Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
Iโm wondering if you ever use โsuper firmโ tofu. If so, do you think that using it instead of extra firm would eliminate the need for the saltwater bath to pull the extra moisture out?
Thank you so much for your insights.
I donโt really use super firm tofu because it is so dense and doesnโt receive flavor via salt water baths or marinades very well. Having said that, if you are strictly avoiding excessive salt, I think it would function fine in this recipe in the way youโve described. I would probably tear into smaller pieces so that the outer coating has a greater impact on the flavor overall. It will probably be a bit more bland!
-L
Iโm pretty amazed how great this is! Iโm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to โCrispyโ as my attempts are nowhere near crisp. But in the airfryer they are almost crunchy with a soft middle. I found some chickpea tofu made by Franklin Farms and it is SO good. The inside texture is a bit less like drained yogurt and the taste is great! I just found several recipes for chickpea yogurt. It couldnโt be simpler. Just mix chickpea flour with water and a little almond flour and pour into a pan and it will set up. So thank you for this inspiration that will really extend our menu.
can I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot? thankyou
Yes, itโs a simple one-for-one substitution! :)
-L
Wow! That was delicious! It took me about 20 min longer to get crispy though. But I donโt have a legit air fryer, just the combo toaster/oven with air fry option.
This was delicious will definitely do his again
I made this because I wanted to try the salt water tofu bath method and it seemed to work really well! I changed the spices and used some Korean chicken flavoring mix that I had and they tasted like the best chikโn nuggets ever made! Iโll definitely be using the salt bath on my tofu dishes from now on! Thanks for the recipe!
I love this recipe! Itโs simple, quick, and so yummy. One of my meal prepping go-tos. Thanks, Laura!
These are so good. Wanted something to go with a vegan bento box and these were the perfect addition. Replaced tamari with maggi and paprika with Trader Joeโs umami spice blend. Would probably cut out the 2 tablespoons of salt in the beginning if I made it this way again, but thatโs hardly the recipes fault. I imagine that if made just as written they would be perfect.
I felt compelled to review. My son, heโs 2.5โฆHe eats basically nothing that isnโt completely processed. But theseโฆthese beautiful, crispy, perfect tofu nuggetsโฆHe scarfs them! Such a simple recipe, youโve done it! I am very appreciative!
This was delicious! My only question is whether the tofu is absorbing a lot of salt, hence making it less healthy than it would be otherwise. What would happen if you did this with half of the salt (or even less?
Hi Jen,
Iโve made it with half the amount of salt and itโs still great! The salt water is used as a quick way to get excessive moisture out of the tofu, so most of the salt goes down the drain once you rinse.
-L
I have a convection air fryer combination. Can this be made in the metal basket that come it?
Hi Kathleen!
It should work. Just use a spatula to flip the pieces around and stir them up; rather than the basket shaking described in the recipe.
-L
Excited to try it. Need to get an air fryer.
I never usually comment on recipes, but I had to comment on this one because it was so good and so easy! This is definitely going into the regular rotation. Thank you!
This is my favorite way to make tofu now! Super easy and crunchy the flavor is delicious. Can this be frozen?
Hi there! I have tried freezing the air fried tofu after it was cooked and then reheating it from both a frozen state and a thawed state and I didnโt love the texture. It was almost crunchy and soggy at the same time? Wish I could find a way to make it work!
-L
This technique is a revelation!! Iโm obsessed with this recipe now and have made it a few times with different spices. Itโs so nice to not have to put on the oven or fry in a pan. The texture is amazing โ chewy and crispy. Such a nice change from other tofu recipes! Thanks you :D
How interesting to tear the tofu apart like this โ I love how it looks and the surface texture! We eat a lot of tofu and I will definitely be trying your recipe.
I have been looking at the photo of those brown crispy bits for awhile now, not believing what I was seeing. For some reason, i just didnโt believe that this recipe would work. Plus, I have a Breville Air Fryer Pro (glorified toaster oven), so I was extra skeptical that it would work for me. But OMG. Delicious crispy tofu! And so beautifully browned. I did cook mine a few minutes longer than the suggested 15 minutes. Wow! Thanks always, Laura!
This tofu recipe is fantastic! I have made it numerous times already. I reduced the salt by one tablespoon (for the hot water boil), and that seems to be perfect for us, As always, so grateful for your culinary expertise and creativity.
The shake at every 5 minutes worked really well for meโฆ.
This was a huge hit for us! Loved the flavor of the tofu and the consistency was perfect. We will definitely be repeating this recipe again, trying the various spice combinations. Perfect tofu topping for bowls or just for snacking.
Thank you for the delicious recipe!!
In all of my almost 18 years of eating veg*an, this is the BEST tofu and BEST veg*an snack Iโve ever had!! You gotta know what youโre doing with tofu and for me itโs hit or miss. I wonder how my facon will do in the air fryer! I didnโt have corn starch (im still wondering why) so I used the flour that I use when i make seitan. Iโm probably going to run to the store tomorrow and get a couple more blocks of tofu after church haha This was beyond easy to make!!
Being a big fan of Laura and her cookbook, and having just bought the air fryer โ I knew I had to try this right away, and itโs perfect. Even my husband loved it, and we are excited to explore all the flavour variations.
Thank you~ absolutely loved this recipe & know it will be on repeat on our house. The flavour variations are endless. This is a healthier version of crispy tofu, and a much better texture. The perfect crispy tofu~ thanks!
I LOVE your crispy tofu!! I was using Hannah Cheโs method after reading her cookbook too, versus the fight I have to go through with my tofu press. Iโm so happy to see the collision of my two faves! Thank you for the reminder on how easy it can be to make a plant based protein topping for my bowls :)
I blotted with a kitchen towel and kind of pressed some water out but my tofu was really really salty when it was done. Almost inedible. Any other tips?
Hi Stephanie,
Iโm so sorry that this was a flop for you. I tend to enjoy food on the saltier side, so this may account for the overall flavour. You may want to rinse the tofu after the soak next time OR cut the salt down in the soak down to 1 tablespoon and also omit the Tamari. Thank you for your feedback!
-L
Laura it looks wonderful and I think youโve tipped the scale in terms of me getting an air fryer. Do you have one youโd recommend or guidance in what I should be looking for? Thanks so much.
I just love your blog! You donโt have to be vegan to love your recipes. They are just great food.
Hi Kate!
Thank you so much. I have both the Instant Pot Vortex and the Our Place Wonder Oven with air fry function. I like both but I do find the air fryer is more powerful with the Instant Pot version. I got mine a few years ago when there were less options in terms of coatings and functionality. If I was buying a new one today, Iโd be looking at one of the options with a ceramic coating (rather than teflon).
-L
Thanks for this Laura! I have successfully resisted the air fryer so far, but I do see the temptation, for sure. Forgive this, I know you arenโt hawking equipment here, but are you willing to say what model you have and what you think of it? I think Iโm especially averse to a lot of plastic partsโฆanyway, thanks as always for your site, itโs a wonderful resource.
Hi Sherry,
I have an Instant Pot vortex, which does contain plastic parts. I also have the Our Place Wonder Oven, which features an air fryer function. The Wonder Oven features an all stainless steel interior and only one plastic component that I can think of (a tiny water reservoir at the top of the unit). The air fryer function of the Wonder Oven is not as powerful as the Instant Potโs, but it does get the job done! If plastic and non-stick surfaces are not ideal for you, I think the Wonder Oven is a good choice. There are more and more options without plastic/teflon making their way to the market these days!
-L