No cornstarch needed to make this deliciously crispy tofu recipe! This vegan air fried tofu tastes like it’s straight from the deep fryer (while being way lower in fat).
It’s the conundrum every tofu-eater has had at some point…”HOW do I get my tofu crispy??” Because anyone who knows what the magic of crispy tofu is like will also understand the turmoil of never getting your tofu just right.
Well no more, friends! I’ve unlocked the secret to ridiculously crispy tofu…air frying!
What the heck is air frying? Great question: it’s essentially cooking food really hot with air, so that the outside of your food becomes crispy (like it was fried) (but with way less fat). We’ve air fried French fries and fried “chicken” and avocados and now…we air fry tofu.
(Curious about which air fryer is right for you? We rounded up the best air fryers here.)
How to Make Crispy Tofu Video
Crispy Tofu Ingredients
There are two main components to this crispy tofu: the tofu (duh), and the marinade.
- Tofu: Use extra-firm tofu, which has more water squeezed out of it than the soft or silken varieties. Less water = more crisp!
- Soy sauce: Soy (or tamari for gluten-free) adds a rich and salty flavor that levels up your tofu.
- Oil: We’ll use a blend of sesame/olive oil to add flavor and enhance the crispiness. I wouldn’t recomend cutting out the oil completely, but you could use sprayable oil if you’re looking to reduce fat.
- Garlic: I use this for quick and simple flavor in the marinade. Feel free to go crazy with it and at your own blend of spices or herbs!
- A tofu press: You’ll want to press water out of your tofu before cooking it. I love this tofu press (though you could also use a heavy pan).
How to Make Air Fried Crispy Tofu
Okay, I sort of lied before. There are actually two secrets to making crispy tofu without cornstarch or bread crumbs.
Secret 1 – Press the tofu: Pressing your tofu before cooking with it removes moisture (which would otherwise make for soggy, not-at-all-crispy tofu). I recently got this tofu press and absolutely love it, but you can also press your tofu by setting a heavy pan (like a cast iron) on top of your tofu and letting the moisture drain out.
Secret 2 – Air frying: My newest cooking obsession and ultimate way to cook anything that needs to be crispy, air frying! I use this air fryer which has held up well with the many (many) kitchen experiments I’ve thrown in it.
Serve this crispy tofu with
- On Vegetarian Caesar Salad
- Mixed into Kimchi Fried Rice
- Sprinkled over Shakshuka
- Or by themselves with Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz block extra-firm tofu 453 g
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce 30 mL
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil* 15 mL
- 1 Tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- Press: Press tofu for at least 15 minutes, using either a or by setting a heavy pan on top of it, letting the moisture drain. When finished, cut tofu into bite-sized blocks and transfer to a bowl.
- Flavor: Combine all remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over tofu and toss to coat. Let tofu marinate for an additional 15 minutes.
- AirFry: Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 C). Add tofu blocks to your air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to promote even cooking.
Tips & Tricks
- *You can sub the sesame oil for olive oil if needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. To reheat, pop them back in the air fryer or a pan for a few minutes.
- Which air fryer is right for you? We rounded up the best air fryers here.
Nutrition Information
Which air fryer is best?
Not sure which air fryer is best? Here are a few of our favorites (complete list of best air fryers here).
More Air Fryer Recipes
Here are a few more air fryer recipes you'll love (find all of our vegetarian air fryer recipes here).
Buttermilk Fried Mushrooms
With air fried oyster mushrooms and a crunchy coating, this tastes just like fried chicken!
Air Fryer Pizza
Perfectly crispy, easy to make, personal pan pizzas that are about to revolutionize pizza night.
How to Cook Air Fryer Potatoes
How to make baked potatoes, homemade French fries, and potato chips in your air fryer, using both white potatoes and sweet potatoes.
How to Air Fry Any Vegetable
How to air fry virtually any vegetable into perfectly cooked, healthy deliciousness.
bonnie says
First time making tofu so I thank you for the starter-level directions with this recipe. Came out perfect! I added a bit of crushed red pepper as well. Now to look for a few more recipes to test 🙂
NOël says
Is there any way to make this in an oven since l don’t own a air fryer.
It looks like it would be delicious. Thank you
Sarah says
While the air fryer is really the secret here to getting it ultra crispy, you could do the oven. I would go with about 400F for 30 minutes.
Annette says
Super good, I did use the sesame oil but left out the olive oil. And added a small spoon of garlic/ginger paste instead of just garlic. It was super delicious.
Gillian Kew says
I followed the instructions religiously, with the exception of mixing half dark and half light soy sauce (in Hong Kong, we always use two types; one for saltiness and the other for depth. It is very difficult to buy what westerners think of as soy sauce). I cooked them for only 10 mins at the temperature specified and they were burnt and tough.
susanne p jensen says
Crispy tofu the way I love it, but without the oil splatters on my apron, my stove, the counter.
One tip: these guys really shrink up, so I put more in my air fryer than the photo shows (they were even a bit crowded, though not stacked) I didn’t feel like doing three batches. This time, laziness did not result in disaster.
Krista says
Prepared exactly as described, was not crisp at all
Anthony Meola says
Sarah once again you’ve helped me out. I’ve made this 3 or 4 times and it’s my go to prep for tofu. Moist but crispy and not greasy in only 15 minutes. I prep this way and stir into stir fry last minute or like tonight, I serve with a peanut sauce instead of cooking it with the sauce. This sauce from spruce eats is the best I’ve ever had.
TRACY JORDAN says
Prepared just as instructed. Not at all crispy and tastes awful. I feel like it needs a sweetness of some sort added, but regardless of the flavor it was definitely NOT crispy!
DJ says
Love this recipe and I’ve been using it for several weeks. However, I have high blood pressure and all this sodium isn’t good for me. Do you have any less salty alternatives to this? Thank you!
Sarah says
You can use a low sodium soy sauce! 😀
Jess says
So crispy and yummy
Brian says
I followed your recipe to the letter and it most definitely is not like fried with cornstarch.
Débo says
Really tasty and easy, thank you for the recipe <3
Karen E Brokken says
I got FlavorWave Turbo air fryer I don’t know how to use. Search for user’s manual video only let me choose how to cook animal flesh. Made my skin crawl. Are there any videos how to use the FlavorWave Turbo air fryer using only vegan food?
Sarah says
I’m not sure about that particular model, but most air fryers work similar to each other, so you could probably make any of these vegetarian recipes in it!
Jen says
I just used olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Delish!
Alex says
I’m new to the world of tofu and have been experimenting with different ways to prepare it. I marinaded my tofu in soy and rice vinegar and followed your directions on cook time and WOW! These turned out amazing. Thank you so much. So far my favorite (and easiest) method to cook tofu.
Kristin says
Sorry but this was really bad. Like really, really bad. I wanted it to be good so desperately but it simply was not. The tofu is not crispy, it’s just really dry but also rubbery at the same time. And now I have to clean out my air fryer so it doesn’t smell like soy sauce for eternity. It’s so bad I’m laughing while I chew the rubbery tofu squares. If you’re reading this, please save yourself the tragedy and just coat your tofu with flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger and pan fry it.
Nan says
I fixed this for dinner tonight. I used less than half the oil, (only 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil) and it turned out awesome. My air fryer took 18 minutes. My picky granddaughter ate all 6 pieces of hers and asked if anyone didn’t want theirs. Thank you!
Ash Nigam says
You can microwave your tofu pieces for ~3 minutes. This will remove most of the excess water, and then air fry. You will not need to use a tofu press in this process. You have to use firm or extra firm tofu.