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The air fryer has made all things crispity, crunchity easy to re-create in home kitchens everywhere. This tofu recipe is a perfect example! To get crispy tofu, you'd typically need to heat up a bunch of oil, worrying about overcooking, or a messy cleanup. But an air fryer makes getting perfect golden brown tofu a cinch. The basic steps of this recipe go like this: Marinate the tofu, dredge in cornstarch, air fry, and toss in sauce. The marinade and sauce are entirely up to you, but I happen to love this particular soy marinade and the spicy sauce (it might remind you of bang bang shrimp). But you could just as easily toss the tofu in Thai peanut sauce, BBQ sauce, or a sauce of equal parts ketchup and gochujang. The options are endless!
First, we need to prep the tofu. Drain the tofu well and pat it with paper towels to absorb excess water. Remember that water is antipathetic to crisp crusts, and a crisp crust is what we’re after.
Now let’s make the marinade. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder in a large bowl to combine.
Toss the tofu in the marinade. But be gentle! You want the cubes to remain intact. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour to give tofu time to soak up the marinade.
Meanwhile, make the cornstarch dredge. Whisk the cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the tofu and toss gently to coat.
Okay, we’re ready to air fry! Lift the tofu out of the dredge, shaking off the excess, and arrange, evenly spaced, in your air fryer basket. No one likes to be crowded, and that includes tofu; so work in batches if needed. For even browning, it’s important to leave some room between the cubes so hot air can flow freely around them. Spray the tofu with cooking spray and fry at 400° until crisp and golden, turning with tongs halfway through. This should take 15 to 20 minutes total.
While the tofu is frying, make the sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, chile sauce, garlic, and sriracha in a large bowl. Taste and add more sriracha if you want a little extra kick.
Add the fried tofu to the sauce and toss to coat. And with that your air-fried tofu is done!
I like to serve fried tofu over rice with some slice scallions and sesame seeds sprinkled over the top to, you know, make it fashion.
Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.
Fried foods are, ipso facto, best the day they’re made, but this fried tofu should hold up better than most. If you have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They’ll lose their crunch but maintain their flavor.
(14-oz.) block firm tofu, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
reduced-sodium soy sauce
toasted sesame oil
garlic powder
hot or smoked paprika
onion powder
cornstarch
kosher salt, plus more
freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
cloves garlic, grated
mayonnaise
Thai sweet chili sauce
sriracha
Steamed white rice, sliced scallions, and sesame seeds, for serving
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