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Sooner or later I had to jump into the air frying madness, fashionably late of course. At this point if you don't have an air fryer, you're the strange one, right? I can't keep up, usually.
Putting our focus once again on tofu! This amazing, protein packed, block of goodness is even perfect just plain and air fried!
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I have actually had an air fryer for a while but I've spent a majority of this time learning how it works and testing things (and not testing things, I'm not always working).
What are you doing? Get an air fryer!
Tofu is, admittedly, one that took me a while to get the hang of and perfect. Well guess what y'all? I did it!
I loooove pairing this amazing tofu recipe with my delicious stir fried green beans!
🍲Ingredients
📃Notes
Make sure to use medium firm/firm tofu. Do not use silken.
Salt is optional.
🔪Instructions
Cut your tofu into squares and place into your air fryer basket. You may oil the bottom with a spray oil if desired.
Cook the tofu in the air fryer for 5 minutes and check on it. It should be starting to brown at this point.
After about 15 minutes, you should have perfectly browned tofu pieces!
Cook's Tip
For perfectly crispy tofu, be sure to press and pat your tofu dry as much as possible.
🌡️Frying
Place the tofu in the air fryer and try not to crowd it! If you have a smaller air fryer, like I do, you may need to work in batches.
Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 13-15 minutes. Depending on your specific air fryer, times and temps may vary.
Try out more Tofu recipes!
📝Serving Suggestions
- Plain - Seriously, I love just plain ol tofu!
- Sauteed in a yummy sesame peanut sauce.
- Dip your tofu pieces in sweet chili sauce!
- An added protein to any salad.
- Stir fried with vegetables.
- Served atop a bed of rice with various veggies of your choice.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
The secret is making sure you have a dry block of tofu! Drain and press the tofu for 30 minutes and then pat dry with a clean towel afterwards. This will ensure super crispy tofu every time!
Nope! You can cut your tofu into desired sized pieces and place it directly into the air fryer. It will give a different result visually, but you'll still get crispy and cooked tofu assuming you drained and pressed well.
Well, I imagine it will just be mush in the air fryer but I have never tried to cook undrained tofu in an air fryer. I don't think I would recommend it.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 block firm tofu
- pinch of salt - optional
Instructions
- Drain your tofu. You do not need to press your tofu for this, but you are certainly welcome to. I like to pat the outside dry just a bit, but nothing more than that.1 block firm tofu
- On a cutting board, cut your tofu into little squares. You can do this however you wish.pinch of salt
- Once cut, place the tofu pieces into your air fryer basket. If you're worried about them sticking, you can spray a little bit of oil. Make sure none of them are touching. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to do two batches.1 block firm tofu,pinch of salt
- Air fry at 400 °F for 13-15 minutes, being sure to check at the half way mark to give the pieces a shake. Then continue cooking.
- Serve alone or with your favorite sides!
Notes
- Substitute for tofu - While I have not used pumpkin seed tofu (pumfu), I'm sure it would work just as well like this. Another option would be Chickpea Tofu. I have not tested those two options in the air fryer, though.
- Add ons - Absolutely play around with other seasonings. I recommend things such as: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted December 2, 2021 and has been updated on July 28, 2022.
Asher
Made sure to try this with your peanut sauce. You saved our dinner plans!
Bree
Wonderful!
Cassius
This helped me prepare my tofu just right!
Bree
Love to hear it, Cassius!!!
Nathan
Paired with the peanut sauce, fantastic.