Tofu can be tricky to cook, but don’t let that stop you! Air Fryer Tofu is a delicious recipe and super simple method for getting a crunchy outside and a soft inside for all your 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!
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!
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.
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!
Simple Hack to Make that Air Fryer Tofu really Crunch
I have played a lot with the cooking options associated with this Air Fryer Tofu recipe and 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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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Ready for this easy peasy recipe?
Tofu can be tricky to cook, but don't let that stop you! Air Fryer Tofu is a delicious recipe and super simple method for getting a crunchy outside and a soft inside for all your tofu bites.
- 1 block of extra firm tofu pressed
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 1 T smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
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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)
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Every 4 minutes remove the 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!
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 :)*
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to snap a picture and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #VegetarianMamma! I love seeing our recipes being recreated!Hungry for more gluten-free main dish recipes? Be sure to check out our recipe index.
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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?
Yum! Our daughter is vegan, and always looking for new recipes to try. I’ll have to show her this one next.
Please do!
I’ve never had tofu but you make it looks so good. I’ll have to try your recipe because I’ve been wanting to try tofu.
Thanks this is an easy one to start with!
I am such a big fan of tofu and have heard of air fryers quite recently. I would love to give this a try!
I hope that you enjoy!
My family is not a big fan of tofu, but I am and I love it! I think your recipe is awesome and I agree that adding cornstarch will crisp up the tofu nicely. I’m saving your recipe and making this for me! Yum.
Yes the corn starch adds a nice layer of crisp! Thanks for saving the recipe!
woah, that tofu looks very special! it’s easy to do and very affordable!i like it!
Thanks so much!
Tofu is really what I love, and I’ve missed it for a long time! I would love to try this fantastic recipe.
Thanks Julie, I hope that you enjoy!
I have never tasted tofu. I didn’t realize you could cook it. The recipe sounds like a good starter for me.
Yes, this is a perfect starter recipe! 🙂
The beginners guide will come in handy for me! I have always wanted to try to make tofu, but I have always been a little intimidated. I will have to give it a try with the air fryer.
Thank you, I am glad it is helpful!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe … I’ve been thinking about buying an air fryer for making french fries and carrot fries that won’t have to be cooked in oil and so today was looking to see if it would be possible to cook tofu in it or not before I decided to buy the Air Fryer and now I see that yes … I can. Thank you again for the info and for the recipe. Can’t wait to buy the Air Fryer and to try your recipe. (Hugs)
Debi, you are so welcome. We LOVE ours and have had so much fun with it!
I stumbled across air fryers recently and decided to get one. It’s really a small convection oven but it works great. You can make really good French fries but also you can roast veggies like butternut squash –crispy and carmelized, deelish. I’m trying the tofu tonight. But we made our own tofu press with two clamps and two cutting boards. I tilted it into the sink so the water would drain. Works fine and you don’t need to buy one more gadget unless you want to.
I must have done something wrong. It came out very dry and powdery with not much flavor. I re-read the recipe and didn’t find my mistake. I followed it exactly.
Hi Diana, I am sorry that it didn’t work for you. 🙁 You have me stumped for sure. We make this probably once a week. I am trying to think of what might cause that and its really stumping me! 🙂 Here is what I came up with: Did you press or prepare your tofu? If you pressed it too long, that would dry the tofu out and the corn starch wouldn’t stick. But if it was powdery it could be because the tofu had too much liquid in it from not being pressed or not pressed enough? Each air fryer is different for sure. If it came out too dry for you, I would recommend checking the tofu every 2-3 minutes at the end and possibly shortening the cook time. Does your air fryer have a temp gauge or just a high/medium/low? Also, the tofu should have a dryer outside to make it crunchy but it should still be tender and have some moisture on the inside. I am thinking that it was cooked too long and possibly your air fryer gets hotter than mine. That would make sense on the drying out part. For the powdery part, I am not sure. I press mine for about 10 minutes which leaves just enough moisture in there for the seasonings to stick. You are welcome to try different seasonings and amounts of seasonings. For our family 1 T of paprika gives it enough flavor for us. But you are welcome to explore with other spices and even dipping sauces to bring it to your liking 🙂 I love dipping this particular one in BBQ sauce 🙂 Thanks for leaving a comment, I hope that your day is a beautiful one!
Oh–this makes me want to get an air fryer! I never really associated the two–tofu and air frying!
I see from your response to an earlier comment what I have been doing wrong when I air fry tofu… I’ve been pressing it too long! Thanks!
This is my second time trying this recipe. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I love fried tofu and would love some pointers. My tofu ends up with a chalky texture from the cornstarch and never really crisps up. Help!
HUM, let’s see if we can figure this out! I had another reader have a similar problem. Here is what I wrote to them: We make this probably once a week. I am trying to think of what might cause that and its really stumping me! ????
Here is what I came up with:
1. Did you press or prepare your tofu? If you pressed it too long, that would dry the tofu out and the corn starch wouldn’t stick. But if it was powdery it could be because the tofu had too much liquid in it from not being pressed or not pressed enough?
2. Each air fryer is different for sure. Does your air fryer have a temp gauge or just a high/medium/low? If your tofu does not crisp up, I would say that you probably need to increase the time slightly. I would test it for another 1-2 minutes but be sure to shake. This sounds like a difference in temps between our air fryers.
3. For the powdery part, I am not sure. I press mine for about 10 minutes which leaves just enough moisture in there for the seasonings to stick. You are welcome to try different seasonings and amounts of seasonings. For our family 1 T of paprika gives it enough flavor for us. Try lessening the corn starch to see if that helps the chalkiness.
Let me know what you are thinking about reading my thoughts and if you try it again!
This is the second thing I have cooked in my Air Fryer. it’s delicious and next time nutritional yeast. Thank y o u so much.
You are SO very welcome!! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!