The easiest, crispy tofu you can make in the air fryer or oven. Add these tofu bites to salads, soups, pasta, or eat them just as snacks! They are savory, flavorful and high-protein. The best part is that you’ll only need 4 ingredients to make this recipe.
Crispy Tofu Air Fried (Or oven-baked)
This crispy air fryer tofu will convert the tofu haters into tofu lovers or at least, tofu “likers” haha. I think I’ve made this recipe for almost everyone I know and I can say with confidence that even the people that thought they hated tofu ended up loving it. Even the kiddos will love it if you introduce them as nuggets, or as I like to call them, “nuggies”.
If you make them and love them, make sure to leave a review and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
Extra firm tofu: I like to use high protein tofu for this recipe. High protein tofu is the best texture for this recipe and it’s also easier to prep as it does not need to be pressed.
Soy Sauce or Tamari (low sodium): This adds a great umami flavor. You can also use coconut aminos or liquid aminos.
Nutritional Yeast: AKA “nooch”. The star of the show! Nooch is flavorful, nutty, cheesy, and incredibly addicting. I recommend buying it at Trader joe’s if you have one nearby as it is the most affordable.
Garlic powder: What can I say, you gotta have garlic for added flavor. I don’t recommend using fresh garlic for this recipe. Garlic granules or garlic powder.
Tips for the Best Crispy Tofu Air Fryer
- Marinade tofu in a sauce for 30 minutes to an hour so it can soak up the flavor. 5-10 minutes also works! You will still get some good flavor. In this recipe we soak the tofu in liquid aminos which gives is a delicious umami flavor! Substitutes for liquid aminos: Low sodium tamari or soy sauce.
- Drizzle or dip in sauces! My favorite sauce to add to this crispy tofu recipe is teriyaki. I also love adding sweet chili sauce, sriracha, barbecue and sometimes even ketchup. You can also check out my super popular peanut sauce and savory/sweet tofu sauce. Use sauces as a drizzle or dip after serving.
- Freeze packaged tofu and fully defrost before cooking. This texture is unreal and pretty similar to chicken. Make sure to press your tofu after defrosting or buy high protein tofu. Trader Joe’s has a great high protein tofu for $2.50. You can press your tofu after it has defrosted fully to make sure you get all excess liquid out.
- Air fried tofu is the best tofu! Air fry at 390 F for 16-22 minutes (depending on how crispy you like it). Flip/mix every 7-8 minutes to cook evenly. Don’t have an air-fryer? I highly recommend you get one! Click here to buy the one I use almost daily! You can also bake in the oven at 400 for 22-25 minutes also flipping every 7-8 minutes for best results.
- PRO TIP: If you’re baking it use a silicone mat! This will help you achieve an ultimate level of crisp that you can normally only get using an air fryer. I have linked the one I have.