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Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

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By: MadelinePosted: 01/27/2021Updated: 02/05/2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Use this Crispy Air Fryer Tofu to make perfect, crispy, seasoned tofu in an air fryer. Serve this crispy tofu with a savory peanut sauce.

Three quarter view of air fryer tofu on a plate with quinoa, cucumbers, and a peanut sauce

Can you make tofu in an air fryer?

My favorite way to make perfectly crispy tofu is to cook it in my air fryer. I toss cubed extra firm tofu in arrow root starch and simple spices. Then, I crisp it up in my air fryer.

In less than 20 minutes a block of extra firm tofu can go from boring and bland to crispy and flavorful. Air fried tofu is the perfect way to get deep fried crisp without the extra oil of deep frying.

Even people who swear they hate tofu will love this recipe. They will be reaching for seconds especially when you serve it with that creamy peanut sauce.

Three quarter view of air fryer fryer tofu cubes in a bowl with a spoon

kitchen tools

  • Air fryer
  • Mixing bowls
  • Measuring spoons and measuring cups
  • Tofu press or items to weigh down tofu

Serving suggestions

There are many ways to serve this air fried tofu. In this air fryer tofu recipe I share a delicious savory peanut sauce that you can drizzle over the cooked tofu.

I like to serve the crispy tofu with brown rice or quinoa, fresh veggies and lots of that creamy peanut sauce. The peanut sauce is also perfect with roasted veggies and the crispy tofu cubes

You could also serve this crispy tofu on a salad with a homemade ranch dressing. Or use them in place of chicken for this buffalo bites recipe.

overhead view of ingredients for air fryer tofu recipe

ingredients

You will be amazed at how easy it is to make this delicious crispy tofu in an air fryer.

  • Extra firm tofu
  • Arrowroot starch or cornstarch
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Peanut butter
  • Lime juice
  • Sesame oil
  • Rice vinegar
  • Sriracha
  • Coconut aminos or soy sauce

Firm tofu vs. extra firm tofu

The difference between firm tofu and extra firm is the amount of water in the final product. The more firm the tofu is, the lower the water content.

Extra firm tofu is best for this crispy air fryer tofu recipe. The lower water content allows it to crisp up faster.

Ingredient Substitutions

This recipe is pretty straightforward, but there are some changes you can make! To make this recipe completely gluten free, be sure to use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce and arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.

You can swap the dried seasonings listed here for any seasoning blend you like. Feel free to use something like a curry powder, Greek seasoning blend or Italian seasoning blend depending on the flavor profile you are looking for.

Step by step instructions for tofu in the air fryer

How to make Air Fryer Tofu

Step 1: Press tofu, cube and season

To begin, drain package of extra firm tofu and press tofu for 20 minutes. You can do this in a tofu press or wrap tofu in a clean towel and place under a heavy weight like books or a large pan.

Once it is pressed, cut the tofu into 1″ cubes.  Then, combine arrowroot starch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Toss cubed tofu in this mixture until each cube is evenly coated.

Step 2: Air fry tofu

Then, place seasoned tofu in an air fryer basket in a single layer. Spray tofu on all sides with a spray oil. Preheat air fryer to 400F.

Next, place tofu in air fryer and cook at 400F for 8 minutes. Remove tray from air fryer and toss shaking the basket until the tofu has rotated. Return tofu to air fryer and cook for an additional 7 minutes. 

Step 3: Prepare peanut sauce and serve

While the tofu cooks, prepare the peanut sauce. Whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, water and coconut aminos.

Finally, serve crispy air fried tofu with quinoa or brown rice, fresh veggies, peanut sauce and green onions.

side view of a plate of crispy tofu with a peanut sauce

Storage and reheating

Once cooled, transfer cooked crispy tofu to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Store the peanut sauce separate from cooked tofu to keep the tofu crispy. Reheat the tofu in the air fryer, oven or toaster oven.

Check out these other crispy air fryer recipes

  • Air Fryer Pickles
  • Popcorn Chicken in Air Fryer
  • Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
  • Air Fryer French Fries

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Pinterest image for crispy air fryer tofu recipe
Recipe

Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

★★★★★ 4.9 from 10 reviews

Crispy tofu made in the air fryer

Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 40 minutes
Print Pin it Rate recipe Save recipe
Servings: 2 servings 1x

Ingredients

Air Fryer Tofu

  • 1 block of extra firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot starch (can sub cornstarch)
  • 1 tso salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • Spray oil – I use avocado

Peanut Sauce

  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos

Instructions

  1. Drain package of extra firm tofu and press tofu for 20 minutes. You can do this in a tofu press or wrap tofu in a clean towel and place under a heavy weight like books or a large pan. When tofu is pressed cut into 1″ cubes. 
  2. Combine arrowroot starch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Toss cubed tofu in this mixture until each cube is evenly coated.
  3. Place seasoned tofu in an air fryer basket. Spray tofu on all sides with a spray oil. Preheat air fryer to 400F.
  4. Place tofu in air fryer and cook at 400F for 8 minutes. Remove tray from air fryer and toss. Return tofu to air fryer and cook for an additional 7 minutes. 
  5. While the tofu cooks prepare the peanut sauce by whisking together peanut butter, lime juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, water and coconut aminos
  6. Serve crispy air fryer tofu with quinoa or brown rice, fresh veggies, peanut sauce and green onions
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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About Madeline

Hi, I'm Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let's get cooking!

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. RT says

    Posted on 2/20 at 12:20 pm

    Hi! Is there anyway I can sub cassava flour for arrowroot starch? Super excited to try this but I don’t have arrowroot unfortunately. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 2/20 at 12:22 pm

      Hi! Should work ☺️

      Reply
  2. Jessica says

    Posted on 4/11 at 5:53 pm

    Loved this so easy and simple. Great flavor. Don’t be intimidated by making tofu. Simple to work with takes on the flavor of the sauce. Also cheap weeknight meal.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 4/12 at 1:50 pm

      Thank you!! Yes definitely a cost effective option!!

      Reply
  3. Jojo says

    Posted on 4/11 at 6:37 pm

    I love this tofu recipe!!! It’s awesome! Love making it for a quick meal or even to toss on my salad!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 4/12 at 12:39 pm

      Wonderful!! Thank you!!

      Reply
  4. Anna says

    Posted on 4/27 at 3:44 pm

    Hi Madeline, this was really good except a little too salty. Was 1 tsp salt the correct amount?
    Seriously loved it either way. Thank you

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 4/27 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Anna! That is the correct amount BUT there are a few things that could have made the taste too salty for your palate! first thing is that everyones palate is different, second is the type of salt, if you are using standard table salt that is likely giving it a stronger salt flavor than the kosher salt that I use, third is if you made the sauce and made it with salted PB or soy sauce it will be saltier than mine. Good news is that if you are using table salt for recipes, you can go ahead and half the salt in all my recipes! I use Diamond Kosher salt for cooking and that has a less strong saltiness than table salt (weird I know!)

      Reply
  5. Bailey says

    Posted on 5/10 at 4:39 pm

    Super easy recipe, and was a great way to switch up how I usually made tofu – and was fast and easy. Threw the tofu on a bowl of veggies and was a great addition. The only thing was I ran out of peanut butter, and used sesame nut butter (all I had)…. and I’m wishing I had the PB – was a good dip but would of much preferred PB. Will make sure I have PB next time I make this. Def made more sauce then I used, and will enjoy having a peanut butter dipping sauce in the fridge to use.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 5/11 at 8:19 am

      amazing!! glad you were able to make the swap. Definitely try with PB when you have a chance 🙂

      Reply
  6. Renee Apollo says

    Posted on 6/17 at 10:47 pm

    Love this crispy tofu. Recipe is easy to follow.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 6/23 at 9:34 am

      so glad to hear that! thank you!

      Reply
  7. F.L. says

    Posted on 6/26 at 6:13 pm

    This is literally the only way I make tofu now— so good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 7/1 at 9:34 am

      yay! thank you!

      Reply
  8. Gaby says

    Posted on 9/28 at 6:17 pm

    Perfectly crispy!! Didn’t get the chance to make the sauce so I will definitely have to try that next time!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 9/29 at 3:53 pm

      We love crispy tofu! Thanks Gaby!

      Reply
  9. Rinny says

    Posted on 11/28 at 9:13 pm

    Turned out great! I halved the salt (used sea salt but it seemed like the sauce would provide enough). And tinkered with the sauce. Used hoisin sauce instead instead of aminos to provide umami, and samba oelek instead of sriracha. Delicious with brown rice and an Asian slaw.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 11/29 at 6:28 pm

      Sounds great! Thanks!

      Reply
  10. Lydia Bussiere says

    Posted on 12/3 at 12:16 pm

    This was the best tofu ever. My partner says I’m not allowed to make tofu any other way anymore. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 12/3 at 2:46 pm

      ahh wonderful!! so glad to hear that!

      Reply
  11. Marie says

    Posted on 2/20 at 5:10 pm

    Really delicious! I always come to Mad About Food for air fryer recipes before anyone else!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Tomoko says

    Posted on 5/23 at 9:35 pm

    Made this for dinner tonight and will definitely be making it again. Tofu turned out perfectly crispy, and the peanut sauce complements it well. I have to watch my sodium intake so I used 1/4 tsp salt and didn’t feel like I missed out on flavor at all.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Barbara Golder says

    Posted on 1/17 at 11:15 am

    I have not made this yet, but was wondering if you could maybe explain how to use the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer for it? Mine is an air fryer/toaster oven. Thanks so much.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 1/17 at 2:33 pm

      Hi Barbara! It should be set to the air fryer setting and set to the temperature listed in the instructions. Most air fryers should behave the same when set to the proper temperature. I hope this helps!

      Reply

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