Air Fryer Tofu
Extra-firm tofu turns crisp in the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) in 12–15 minutes if you press it first, cube it, and coat it with soy sauce, cornstarch, and a tablespoon of oil. Shake halfway. A 14 oz block serves three over rice or in a bowl. Soft or silken tofu will fall apart. This page is the tofu method. Cauliflower and the other meat-free recipes sit on the vegetarian hub.
Ingredients
- 1 block (14 oz / 400 g) extra-firm tofu, pressed 10–15 minutes
- 1 tbsp (16 g) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (14 g) oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Estimated nutrition
Per serving, estimated: 160 kcal, 14 g protein, 5 g carbs,10 g fat, 1 g fiber, 310 mg sodium.
Estimated per serving from typical USDA FoodData Central values for the amounts listed, then rounded. Not a laboratory analysis. The full 400 g block, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tbsp oil, split across 3 servings. No added salt beyond the soy sauce. Garlic powder is omitted. Pressing removes water, not a meaningful amount of the calories counted here.
Instructions
- Press the block between two plates, with a weight on top, for 10–15 minutes. Pour off the water. Cube into pieces about ¾ inch. Very large cubes stay custardy in the middle, which some people want and some do not. Decide before you season.
- Toss the cubes with soy sauce so they are damp, not swimming. Then toss with cornstarch, oil, and garlic powder. The cornstarch should look like a thin dusty coat. Clumps of wet starch stay gummy.
- Preheat to 400°F (200°C). Air fry in one layer 12–15 minutes, shaking at 7 minutes. They are done when the edges are golden and the faces feel dry, not when they are dark brown. Dark brown tofu is often bitter.
- Sauce them after cooking if you want a glaze. A glaze in the basket from minute one steams off the crust. Toss hot cubes in a spoon of sauce in a bowl, off the heat.
Basket size and model notes
A 5–6 qt basket fits a 14 oz block in one layer if the cubes are not heaped. Heap them and the ones in the middle taste boiled. A small basket means two batches of about 12 minutes.
Some baskets have large holes. Very small cubes fall through or stick in the mesh. Stay at ¾ inch or line the basket with a perforated parchment sheet weighed down by the tofu. A solid liner blocks the fan and undoes the crisp.
If your machine runs hot, check at 11 minutes. Cornstarch goes from gold to spotted-black in a short window, especially garlic powder, which browns early.
Tips
- Extra-firm is the style that survives a shake. Firm can work if you press it longer and turn it gently. Soft, silken, and “tofu puff” from a different recipe are the wrong block.
- Cornstarch beats flour here. Flour needs more oil to brown and tastes raw at this short time.
- Freeze the block, thaw it, and press it if you want a chewier, more open texture. The cook time stays in the same 12–15 minute range because the pieces are still small.
Substitutions
- Soy sauce. Tamari or coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are less salty. Taste before you add any extra salt. A teaspoon of miso thinned with water also works as the damp step.
- Cornstarch. Potato starch, same amount. Arrowroot browns less. Skip the starch only if you are willing to accept a drier, less crusted cube.
- Garlic powder. A pinch of black pepper and smoked paprika. Add fresh garlic after cooking. Minced garlic in the basket burns in 15 minutes at 400°F.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate in a container that is not airtight-steamy, up to 4 days. The crust softens. Plain cubes keep better than sauced ones. Freeze cooked tofu up to a month if you plan to re-crisp it. The texture becomes chewier, which is often an improvement.
Reheat at 375°F (190°C) for 4–5 minutes in one layer until the faces are dry again. Sauced leftovers reheat worse. Add a fresh spoon of sauce after. Microwave only if you are putting the tofu into a soup where crispness does not matter.
Questions
How long do you air fry tofu?
12–15 minutes at 400°F (200°C) for ¾-inch cubes of pressed extra-firm tofu coated in soy sauce and cornstarch. Shake halfway. Sauce after, not before.
Do you have to press tofu for the air fryer?
Yes for a crisp cube. Unpressed tofu sheds water in the basket and steams. Ten minutes under a plate is enough. Overnight pressing is unnecessary.
Why is my air fryer tofu soggy?
It was not pressed, the basket was piled full, or the sauce went on at the start. One layer of pressed, starched tofu is the whole trick. The vegetarian hub has cauliflower if you want a second meat-free side that uses the same temperature.
More in this collection
- Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes — Meat-free recipes already on the site: tofu, cauliflower, omelette, and both styles of fries.
- Healthy Air Fryer Recipes — The lighter recipes: salmon, white fish, chicken breast, pork chops, tofu, cauliflower, and the omelette.
- Air fryer cooking times chart for foods that do not have a full recipe yet.
