How do you cook tofu in an air fryer? Tofu can be tricky to cook, but don't let that stop you!
Air Fryer Tofu is a delicious recipe and a simple method for getting a crunchy outside and a soft light inside for all your airfryer tofu bites.
Air Fryer Tofu Bites
If you've been following me and reading some of my other air fryer recipes, then you know that I truly love using the Air Fryer. If there was ever a doubt of skepticism from me about if I would love the appliance or not, it's 100% gone now.
The Air Fryer is a GREAT way to cook many things and tofu is one of them! You can serve these air fryer tofu bites with some air fryer broccoli or air fryer corn.
In our house, we eat tofu quite often. Being vegetarian, it's a great way to supplement in something a bit different and healthy for us and our taste buds.
We've cooked it so many different ways that it's hard to even truly remember them all now. The one thing that I know for certain? If my family likes tofu, we're going to keep finding super delicious recipes to make that let tofu be the star of the show!
That is pretty much how we developed our airfryer tofu recipe! Who would have thought that one of our favorite ways to cook tofu, would be to air fry tofu!
This air fryer tofu recipe is just awesome, simply awesome. The tofu comes out crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside!
It is simply perfect to enjoy "as is" dipped into your favorite sauce or eat on top of a salad.
Not only is this recipe a quick and easy meal that the entire family loves, it truly is a great source of much-needed protein as well. Finding a food that even the kids love can be a bit tricky at times, but when it comes to tofu, they love it too!
If you are new to the tofu world, then take some time to do a bit of research and get educated. You can check out our article on Understanding Tofu – A Beginners Guide or our Benefits of Tofu article.
Both have great information that will give you a little more info about the amazing benefits of tofu, (whether it's airfried tofu or not!)
Truth be told, I’ve been playing with the Air Fryer quite a bit lately. It's so hard not too!
While I was thinking of new things to cook in it, I found that it can cook up tofu in a SNAP! Like, super duper easy. No issues at all.
Don't forget to Press that Tofu!
One little tip that I want to share with you is that before I do anything with this tofu recipe, I always press the tofu. I do this with my EZ Tofu Press.
If you're unfamiliar with the pressing of the tofu, it's basically a way to help remove the water and moisture that can be found in it. It's nothing new, and a lot of people do this as well.
In other recipes pertaining to tofu, I’ve talked about the press many times before also. If you find that you like tofu and want to start cooking with it more frequently, pressing is something that you should most definitely educate yourself on!
You can score an EZ Tofu Press on Amazon! It usually ships super duper quick!
How to make Tofu in an Air Fryer (aka extra crunchy tofu)
I have played a lot with the cooking options associated with this Air Fryer Tofu recipe. I've made a crispy tofu version with cornmeal before. I've tried a crispy orange tofu version, even.
But I have found that when I add in a secret ingredient, it makes the tofu even more crispy than I ever thought possible! Any guesses about what the secret ingredient is? Drumroll, please...
While many of you may have guessed that it's gluten-free flour, it's actually not. The secret ingredient to really give the tofu a crunch is corn starch!
Who knew that corn starch was such a lifesaver in the gluten-free world to help in adding that much-needed crunch to certain foods! I love to use corn starch with my power air fryer!
It truly does make a lot of difference. And that crunch....outta this world!
Not only does it taste amazing, but it helps to create a delicious crispy outer coating! And while I love the crunch on its own, for this recipe I mixed some cornstarch and some smoked paprika together for a truly winning combo.
How to make Air Fry Tofu
After I get the seasonings all mixed together, I add a bit of salt and pepper and gently toss with my hands to coat. Seriously, the prep work is minimal when it comes to this recipe!
You know me, right? I love cooking when it's easy! This air fryer tofu is seriously the best.
I am not joking when I tell you this airfryer tofu is super easy! SUPER easy!
After those few simple steps, all that is left is to toss those tofu chunks into the Air Fryer basket! This is the best part because you know that in just a few moments you are going to have crispy and delicious bites of tofu just waiting for you to eat.
Think about the last time that you had a recipe that was truly this simple. If you are looking for a recipe that is so simple, anyone can do then this is the one for you!
Still wondering about the exact air fryer tofu steps? Let me break it down for you step by step.
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Press your tofu to help remove extra liquid.
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After pressing the tofu, cut into squares or little bite sized pieces.
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Mix the cornstarch and smoked paprika together then sprinkle over tofu.
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Season with salt and pepper.
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Put into Air Fryer basket.
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Set temperature for 370 Degrees F. Turn on the Air Fryer for 12 minutes. (You may need to add a few minutes if you like crisper tofu) Your air fryer tofu is almost ready!
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Every 4 minutes remove the air fryer basket and "shake" to stir up the tofu. Every air fryer is different, be sure to monitor how it is cooking.
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Enjoy your air fryer tofu!
Please keep in mind that not all air fryers are 100% the same. If you find that during the cooking of this recipe that it isn't quite as crisp as you would like, then give it a bit more time in the air fryer.
The beautiful part about cooking tofu is that you can play around with it a bit to make certain that it's cooked exactly how you would like!
If you want it extra crispy, make it extra crispy! There is no true right or wrong way to make fried tofu and if you love vegan air fryer recipes, this tofu recipe should be right up your alley!
Pro Tip: To help crisp up your tofu and eliminate the powdery coating to your airfried tofu, you can give the tofu bites a quick spritz of oil. This helps the coating to crisp up! Then you will have crispy airfried tofu that will keep you coming back for more!
Tofu in the Air Fryer - Spice it up!
Also have a bit of fun with the seasonings for your tofu. If you like it spicy, make it spicy. I know that I can appreciate a hint of heat so if I'm making this tofu in the air fryer for myself, I'll give it quite a kick that I know I'll enjoy!
A little cayenne pepper never hurt anyone, right?
But seriously, adding spices to the fried tofu give it such a unique flavor each and every time. It's 100% possible that you can make your fried tofu taste different each and every time.
pin this air fryer tofu for later:
Air Fryer Tofu Tips - IMPORTANT - READ THIS
Based upon reader comment it seems that Air Fryers out there are varying widely and that is affecting this recipe.
*If your tofu is not crisping, consider adding time to your cook time. Just add in small amounts and remember to shake*
*If you are getting a chalky feeling to your tofu, be sure you are pressing the tofu for at least 10 minutes before hand in a tofu press. Then you can also lessen the amount of corn starch :)*
*You can also SPRAY a small amount of oil onto the tofu when you are shaking it mid way through. This will HELP your tofu to crisp up and get rid of any extra corn starch!*
Air Fryer TOFU Tips
- Be sure to press your tofu before adding your cornstarch and paprika.
- Be sure to coat your tofu on all sides so it cooks evenly.
- Be sure that you are using a firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe.
- Be sure to "shake" your air fryer basket during the cooking so that your tofu turns and cooks on all sides.
What to serve with Air Fryer Tofu:
- Vegetarian Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Thai Kale Salad
- Cucumber Pea Salad
Vegetarian Air Fryer Resources – We have a vegetarian air fryer newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. We also have a specific vegetarian air fryer recipes group on facebook. You can find that Veg Air Fryer FB Group here.
If you are looking for vegetarian recipes beyond air fryer ones, we have a Vegetarian Newsletter as well as a Vegetarian Recipes facebook group. This newsletter and FB group offers up recipes that on the stove, in the oven, on the grill, in the instant pot and more!
Other Resources:
- Air Fryer Calculator (convert oven recipes to air fryer)
- Common Air Fryer Mistakes
- Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet
- Can You Put Foil in the Air Fryer
- How to Clean Your Air Fryer
- Tips for Your Air Fryer
- Cosori Air Fryer Reviews
More Air Fryer Goodies:
- Meat + Veg Newsletter
- Air Fryer Recipes – Facebook Group (large + fast paced – meat/veg)
- Air Fryer Recipes for Seniors – Facebook Group
- Gluten Free Air Fryer Recipes – Facebook Group
- Air Fryer Eats – Facebook Group (slower paced)
If you are new to air frying and you have some oven recipes that you would like to convert to air fryer recipes, we can help! Our sister site Air Fryer Eats, just launched an Air Fryer Calculator.
To use the air fryer convertor, simply enter your oven temp and time into the calculator and it will give you an estimated time and temp (in F or C) to start with when you use your air fryer!
Air Fryer Tofu - with a touch of smoked paprika
Ingredients
- 1 block of extra firm tofu pressed
- 2-3 T cornstarch
- 1 T smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Press your tofu to help remove extra liquid.
- After pressing the tofu, cut into squares or little bite sized pieces.
- Mix the cornstarch and smoked paprika together then sprinkle over tofu.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Put into Air Fryer basket.
- Set temperature for 370 Degrees F. Turn on the Air Fryer for 12 minutes. (You may need to add a few minutes if you like crisper tofu) Your air fryer tofu is almost ready!
- Every 4 minutes remove the air fryer basket and "shake" to stir up the tofu. Every air fryer is different, be sure to monitor how it is cooking.
- Enjoy your air fryer tofu!
Notes
Air Fryer TOFU Tips
- Be sure to press your tofu before adding your cornstarch and paprika.
- Be sure to coat your tofu on all sides so it cooks evenly.
- Be sure that you are using a firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe.
- Be sure to "shake" your air fryer basket during the cooking so that your tofu turns and cooks on all sides.
Nutrition
All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Hungry for more gluten-free main dish recipes? Be sure to check out our recipe index.
You can also visit our Amazon store to see our favorite gluten-free products and kitchen equipment! This post contains an amazon affiliate link.
Let's talk! Leave me a comment telling me if you've ever used an Air Fryer. What do you think you'd cook first?
We recently updated the photos in this post. The day we originally took these it was quite dark outside (ugh rain clouds!) So we gave them a fresh look! But here is a sneak peak at the old ones!
I love how easy this is! I made it tonight and loved it. I added garlic powder as well
Hello! Thanks for coming back and letting us know! That helps other readers too!
This was so delicious. I've made it three times now!
Yay Trudy, that is great to hear!
This recipe was SUPER good!!
Thank you Joan!