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. AMAZING. The ginger marinade is phenomenal (don’t skimp on the ginger – it’s the best part!). The crispiness is spot on. Made this with your Chopped Thai Salad (also amazing!). Had leftover salad and no leftover tofu… So we went to buy tofu to have it again the next night.
The tofu is my fave!!! I’m so happy you loved it!! xo
I’ve made this 3 times already and it’s a hit with my family! The tofu is so crispy and the marinade is very flavorful. I’ve made it exactly as written and once with a cornstarch sub which I won’t do again because it tasted powdery. If I had to change one thing it would be the size of my air fryer because it doesn’t all fit and tends to stick together, but other than that I will keep making this.
haha YESSS I’m so happy you enjoyed!! xo
This recipe is delicious!!!! The sauce is excellent and can be used for various other things I’m sure if it! Highly recommended!
Yay! I’m so happy you love it!! Thank you so much for the review! xo
I am so glad I tried this recipe. It is delicious it is simple. And doesn’t take long at all. How do you keep from eating the whole batch yourself? Thanks for the recipe. Look forward to more.
Carole
Yay! I’m so happy you loved it! It’s one of my faves!! xo
I made it with less ingredients because I didn’t have them at hand but it still turned out delicious. You can’t go wrong with garlic and ginger together. Yum! I didn’t have cornstarch or arrowroot powder so I just coated my tofu with the rest of the seasonings and airfryed in batches because mine is small, so I reduced the time to 18-20 minutes total instead of 25. They still came out very nice. As for the sauce I made it with fresh garlic and ginger and only one tablespoon I had left of maple syrup and half a teaspoon of cane sugar and olive oil plus the rest of ingredients. Turned out great. I worry about the sodium but I guess once in a while it’s not bad and of course don’t have it all by yourself like I do lol
Yay!! I’m so happy you enjoyed!! xo