I’ve been having so much fun playing around with my air fryer. I made these chicken thighs (omg so juicy and amazing) and have been working on some other appetizers but I really wanted to make a vegetarian main dish.
Since tofu has always been a a weeknight favorite for us, I really wanted to make a recipe that was hands down the best tofu ever. Not only that, but I wanted to take it up a notch and make it even better than takeout.
So this tofu is crispity crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and has the most mouthwatering sauce, I can’t even deal. Plus it’s the easiest to prep! Shake the tofu ingredients, fry them up. Do some whisking when you’re frying. Basically done.
If you’re looking for the most comprehensive hub of all things tofu, check out this How to Cook Tofu post by my friend Brita!
More Yummy Air Fryer Recipes to Try:
How to Cook Tofu in the Air Fryer:
- Cut the tofu in slices.
- Lay the tofu in the center of a clean thin dishtowel and gently press to remove excess moisture.
- Cut the sliced into 8 squares.
- Place the squares in a large bowl or a large ziploc bag.
- Add the arrowroot flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt.
- Toss or close and shake the bag until the tofu is completely coated.
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with avocado oil spray and place the cubes in a single layer.
- Spray the tops of the tofu with avocado spray.
- Set the air fryer at 350F for 10 minutes.
- After the 10 minutes, use a spatula to toss the tofu.
- Arrange the tofu back in a single layer across the basket and cook for another 15 minutes at 350F.
- When the tofu is done frying, toss with the marinade sauce.
- Plate the tofu, drizzle with any sauce remaining in the bowl.
- Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and chopped scallion.
Recipe for Gingery Soy Tofu Marinade:
- Whisk together the tamari (soy sauce also works), coconut sugar (brown sugar works), agave nectar (honey or maple syrup are also great options), avocado oil, grated ginger, garlic powder, ground pepper and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
- When tofu is done frying, toss in this sauce.
Wondering what to eat this with? Try it on some simple white rice or turmeric cauliflower rice! You can also throw it on top of a salad like this chopped Thai kale salad. I love popping these tofu cubes as is, but they’d also be delicious on top of some noodles or sweet potato noodles!!
Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets with Ginger Soy Marinade
This air fryer recipe for tofu nuggets is perfectly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and has the MOST mouthwatering ginger soy marinade
Ingredients
Tofu:
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- avocado oil spray
Gingery Soy Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1–2 cloves garlic)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 scallion, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Cut the tofu in slices. Lay the tofu in the center of a clean thin dishtowel and gentle press to remove excess moisture. Cut the rectangles into 8 squares.
- Place the squares in a large bowl or a large ziploc bag. Add the arrowroot flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt. Toss or close and shake the bag until the tofu is completely coated.
- Spray the basket of the air fryer and place the cubes in a single layer. Spray the tops of the tofu with avocado spray. Set the air fryer at 350F for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, use a spatula to toss the tofu. Arrange back in a single layer across the basket and cook for another 15 minutes at 350F.
- While the tofu is frying, whisk together the tamari, coconut sugar, agave nectar, avocado oil, grated ginger, garlic powder, ground pepper and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
- When the tofu is done frying. place in the bowl with the sauce and toss.
- Plate the tofu, drizzle with any sauce remaining in the bowl. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and chopped scallion.
Enjoy!! xo
This was a fast, fun, and delicious recipe. It was very easy to substitute for the ingredients I did not have on hand. Thank you for posting!
Yay! I’m so happy you loved it!! xo
SO good! Will definitely be making this again!
Yay! I’m so happy you loved them!! xo
This was very very salty. I followed the recipe, only substituting brown sugar for coconut sugar, corn starch for arrowroot flour, and olive oil for avocado oil. I cut the tofu in slices the other way, so they dried out more than I would have liked, but the SALT!! Re-think this, please!
Hey! I think the saltiness may have come from the soy-sauce you used. Try a low-sodium soy sauce next time and I think you’ll like it better! Let me know how it goes! xo
I’ve made this tofu recipe 5 times and it always turns out amazing!
Yay!! I love that so much! It’s one of my faves! xo
I made this today for lunch and it was so delicious. Even my 2 year old gobbled it up!
Yay!! It’s one of my faves! I’m so happy you guys loved it!! xo