This Air Fryer Tofu recipe makes for tasty jagged seasoned chunks that—no joke—taste like chicken nuggets! The texture and flavor combination is absolutely addictive!
I know we just did a whole roundup on the individual and irreplaceable virtues of tofu…but for much of my life before age 18 and arguably much of my life after 18, chicken nuggets can’t be beat! And this recipe turns tofu into little umami nuggs of goodness!
We were testing this recipe when friends happened to be over, and there was a lot of eye popping before most of the pan disappeared!
Nutritional Yeast For Flavor
Nutritional yeast is the secret to most delicious vegan and plant-based cooking. I’ve used it before in my Vegan Queso, and it adds a dairy free, but cheez-like flavor that is nothing short of a miracle.
When you combine it with soy sauce?! And smoked paprika?! Garlic powder??!!! WHITE pepper?!!! Well. No wonder it made our family friends’ eyes pop when they tasted it!
The basic idea for this recipe is one we got from Lindsay over at Pinch of Yum, who may be the internet queen of fast and easy family-friendly air-fryer recipes. Out of curiosity I tried it, using my own favorite seasonings of the moment (honestly, white pepper has dethroned black pepper in my book, and I know it’s controversial, but I sleep like a baby at night).
(In case anyone wonders, we use a Cosori air fryer, but Lindsay recommends the ceramic Ninja Air Fryer!)
The nutritional yeast + tofu combo reminds us of Chinese fermented tofu, also sometimes translated as “bean cheese” It’s no wonder why ingredients like fermented white and red tofu are so addictive, whether you’re enjoying it with porridge or stir fried with water spinach!
Ideas for Serving Air Fryer Tofu
This delicious air fryer tofu is great for anyone looking for a back pocket, swiss-army-knife recipe that can serve multiple purposes.
Here are just some of the ideas we thought of:
- Served over any salad you like
- As an appetizer / finger food
- Over rice with a side of veggies
- As a high protein savory snack when protein bars just won’t do it
- As an after school snack that just might evoke the same excitement we had popping some chicken nuggets or fish sticks into the ol’ toaster oven back in the day
- Instead of a bowl of chips while watching your favorite sports match, have a bowl of these high protein Air Fryer Tofu chunks instead! More satisfying and filling, and just as salty and delicious!
Can I Make Air Fryer Tofu Ahead?
You can make it ahead. Just know that it will lose its crunch like any fried food sitting in the refrigerator. To reheat, you can just recrisp it for a few minutes in the air fryer.
Note that when the air fryer tofu is piping hot, it will still be a bit soft. It’s best when it’s had a chance to cool down just a little bit.
Do I have to press my tofu?
We prefer using extra firm tofu for this recipe. This helps reduce excess moisture as an initial step. We call for squeezing the water out with your hands and using a dish cloth to absorb more. That’s the fastest route to making this recipe.
You can opt to press the tofu in advance if you have extra time. We just put the tofu on a plate, put another plate on top of it, and then put a frying pan on top of that as a weight. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator). When you’re ready to cook the tofu, pour off the water that gathers in the plate and proceed with the recipe!
Air Fryer Tofu Recipe Instructions
Remove the block of tofu from the package. Over the sink or a bowl, gently squeeze it between your palms a few times until no more water drips out of it.
Next, gently press it between a folded clean kitchen towel to reduce the remaining moisture.
If desired, you can press the tofu on a plate with another plate on top, held down with a heavy pan (or in our case, a bowl with two sweet potatoes). This will get even more water out of it.
You can leave it like this for as little as 30 minutes up to overnight (in the refrigerator), and it will help nicely in yielding crispier results.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, oil, white pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. It should resemble a wet paste.
TIP: Be sure to pre-mix the seasoning mixture!
If you simply add the ingredients on top of the tofu and then mix, it won’t take on the same paste-like texture.
Into the same bowl, use your hands to break up the tofu into 1½-inch chunks. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can start larger knowing that as you toss the tofu, a few pieces will get broken up.
Use a rubber spatula to gently toss the tofu pieces and coat them in the seasoning paste.
Air fry at 400°F/200°C for 12-14 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket once midway through to flip the pieces around, until golden and crisp at the edges!
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Recipe
Air Fryer Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu (anywhere from 14-16 oz. is fine, as tofu blocks vary)
- 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil (such as canola, vegetable, avocado, or olive oil)
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Remove the block of tofu from the package. Over the sink or a bowl, gently squeeze it between your palms a few times until no more water drips out of it. Next, gently press it between a folded clean kitchen towel to reduce the remaining moisture.
- If desired, you can press the tofu on a plate with another plate on top, held down with a frying pan. This will get even more water out of it. You can leave it like this for as little as 30 minutes up to overnight (in the refrigerator), and it will help nicely in yielding crispier results.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, oil, white pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. It should resemble a wet paste.
- Into the same bowl, use your hands to break up the tofu into 1½-inch chunks. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can start larger knowing that as you toss the tofu, a few pieces will get broken up.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently toss the tofu pieces and coat them in the seasoning paste.
- Air fry at 400°F/200°C for 12-14 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket once midway through to flip the pieces around, until golden and crisp at the edges!
