Crispy Air Fryer Tofu (with Sweet Chili Sauce)

Tofu is such a versatile protein that even meat eaters like ourselves love to eat from time to time. Using the air fryer makes it easy to get perfectly crispy and delicious bites of tofu every time with way less mess and fat than using a deep fryer or pan frying.

Coated with a blend of garlic and onion powders, salt, and white pepper, each tofu cube is air-fried for an irresistible crispy texture. While the crispy coating is enough to make us crave this tofu, the sweet chili sauce takes it over the top. A mix of rice wine vinegar, Sambal Oelek, and soy sauce, thickened to a glazed perfection.

While we love these tofu bites simply coated in sauce, you can also make this air fryer tofu to go along with dishes like Pad See Ew or Yaki Udon for a quick and easy vegetarian meal.

How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

Crispy Tofu Ingredients

Crispy Tofu Process

1. Pat tofu cubes dry.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and white pepper.

3. Add tofu cubes and toss until evenly coated.
4. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray—line tofu pieces into the air fryer, leaving 1/2 inch space between each piece. Generously spray tofu pieces with cooking spray. Turn each piece and spray again with cooking spray. Air fry tofu at 400˚F for 5 minutes. Shake the basket, then continue air frying for an additional 5 minutes.

Sweet Chili Sauce Ingredients

Sweet Chili Sauce Process

5. While tofu is in the air fryer, make sauce. In a small pot, combine vinegar, water, and sugar.
6. Dissolve sugar over medium heat and simmer.

7. Stir in sambal, soy sauce, and the cornstarch slurry. Simmer for 1 minute until the sauce thickens (it will thicken more as it cools). Remove from heat and cool.

Assembly Process

8. Place air-fried tofu cubes into a large mixing bowl. Pour sauce over tofu cubes and toss together until fully coated.
9. Top with green onions and serve.

Why Press Tofu Before Air Frying?

Tofu is packed in water, and even firm or extra-firm tofu has excess moisture that needs to be removed. Using a tofu press, you can remove as much moisture as possible so your tofu can absorb more flavor, brown more easily when air frying, and have a much more enjoyable, firm texture. It also helps the tofu stay in one piece, minimizing the chance of it crumbling apart while cooking.

How to Press Tofu Without a Tofu Press

If you don’t have a tofu press, don’t worry! You can still make this tofu extra crispy and delicious. You only need a paper towel, a tea towel, and a few heavy books. Cookbooks and textbooks do the trick!

Just wrap the tofu in the paper towel and then in the tea towel. This helps absorb the extra moisture (and keep your books dry). Next, carefully stack a couple of heavy books on top of the tofu. Do this against a wall so the books have somewhere to lean for stability, which can help prevent them from falling over. Leave the books stacked on top of the tofu for 15-20 minutes or until most moisture has been removed.

Why Coat Air Fryer Tofu Cubes in Corn Starch?

Cornstarch helps absorb some moisture from the tofu’s surface so that it can brown and become extra crispy. You only need a light coating to get this delicious browning and crisping effect. If you don’t have or want to use cornstarch, you can get a similar effect by using arrowroot powder.

Make Ahead Instructions and Storing for Air Fryer Tofu and Sweet Chili Sauce

Make Ahead

While the tofus is best when it’s freshly made, you can prepare the sauce up to 2 days in advance to save yourself some time. Follow the instructions, let the sauce cool, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

Storing and Reheating Instructions

We recommend only coating the tofu you’ll eat immediately with the sauce. Any leftover tofu can be stored separately from the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

To reheat leftover tofu, add it back to the air fryer that’s been preheated to 400˚F, and air fry for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking halfway through. Remove it from the air fryer and toss in leftover sauce.

Variations

Swapping the sauce is the easiest way to switch up this crispy tofu. We love the sweet chili sauce, but here are a few others you can try!

• Buffalo sauce for a spicy kick that goes well with fresh romaine and blue cheese dressing
• Teriyaki sauce served with rice and broccoli
• Sweet and sour sauce
• Dipped in Chick-fil-A Sauce
• Sweet and tangy BBQ sauce

What to Serve with Air Fryer Tofu

Serve your crispy air-fried tofu with any of these sides for a delicious complete meal:

• Steamed rice
• Fried rice
• Roasted cauliflower or green beans
• Garlic noodles
• Gochujang noodles
• Shrimp toast
• Crab rangoon
• Red curry and coconut noodle shrimp

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