With a crispy outside, soft and chewy inside, this Air Fried Asian Tofu will go great in salads, tofu bowls, or even just eat plain as a snack. This recipe only requires around 10 minutes of active cooking time while the rest is just marinading and air frying the tofu. This tofu is our go-to protein sources that we add to our Vegan Sushi Bowl for easy weeknight meals.
With just a block of tofu, a few simple ingredients, and air fryer you can make this quick and easy Asian inspired tofu. Our air-fried Asian tofu is free of most allergens: dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and is easily adapted to be gluten-free as well. Learn how to air fry tofu to get our crispy, quick, soft, and chewy tofu down below.
Is air fried tofu healthy?
Air fried tofu is one of the healthiest ways to get great textured tofu with little to no oil. Air fried tofu allows us to get a great-tasting and textured tofu, without all the extra calories from oil or batter that you might get when ordering from a restaurant, deep-frying, or sautéing in a pan.
How to air fry tofu without oil:
While we wouldn’t recommend for texture related reasons to completely remove the oil, it is technically possible to air fry tofu without oil. We recommend using a spray oil instead of just completely cutting the oil especially to prevent sticking, but if you go the route of using no oil at all, just monitor if the tofu is sticking anywhere and toss accordingly. If you remove the oil cook the tofu closer to the 12-14 minute range.
Can you air fry tofu without cornstarch?
Yes! This recipe automatically doesn’t require cornstarch. I’ve cooked it both ways, but I personally don’t care for the effects of the cornstarch enough to use it, especially when I’m often using this tofu for a sushi-style tofu bowl.
What ingredients do you need for an Asian-style air fried tofu?
While there are many ways you can incorporate different Asian flavors, we were looking to really incorporate that great sesame oil flavor, ginger, and saltiness from the soy sauce.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Ginger Paste
- Miso Paste (make sure it doesn’t contain fish or any non-vegan ingredients.)
- Sesame Oil
- Neutral Oil
- Soy Sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free option.)
- Ground Ginger
- Trader Joes mushroom seasoning (you can substitute this for regular salt instead.)
- Liquid Smoke (We find liquid smoke adds a level of flavor to the tofu that makes it meatier. You can leave this out if you’d like.)
How to make this gluten-free?
You can substitute the Soy Sauce for Tamari or any other gluten-free soy sauce substitutions you might have in your pantry.
If you are making this gluten-free you will also want to check your miso soup as most, but not all contain grains. Stay away from ones that contain barley (mugi ortsubu in Japanese), wheat (tsubu), or rye (hadakamugi). Ones that are gluten-free would contain Rice (kome or genmai), buckwheat (sobamugi), and millet (kibi). *information sourced from The Kitchn.*
If you make this recipe we’d love to hear from you down below in the comment sections. You can also tag us on one of our social media or use our hashtag #vegantheway. You can also stay up to date with our new recipes and post by subscribing to our email notifications.
Thank you for checking out our Air Fried Asian-Style Tofu and make sure to check out our other vegan recipes like our Chickpea Protein Cookies, or this tangy and sweet Vegan Lemon Curd.
Air Fried Asian Tofu
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Cutting Board
- Cast iron or something heavy
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp miso paste (make sure it doesn't contain fish or any non-vegan ingredients.)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free option.)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp Trader Joes Mushroom Seasoning (you can substitute this for regular salt instead.)
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (We find liquid smoke adds a level of flavor to the tofu that makes it meatier. You can leave this out if you'd like.)
Instructions
- First, you need to prepare the tofu by slicing it into two equally thick pieces.
- Next, press out the excess liquid out of the tofu either by using a tofu press or placing the 2 slices of tofu in between two cutting boards and paper towels with something heavy on top. Use can use a pot, cast iron, books, or whatever you can find that’s heavy and stable to sit on the cutting boards.
- Let the tofu sit like this for 20 minutes, changing the paper towels out if needed.
- Once the tofu has been pressed, cut the tofu pieces into bite-sized pieces around ½ inch thick.
- In a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container mix together all the ingredients except the tofu. You will want to make sure that the ginger and miso paste is properly dissolved/mixed in with the wet ingredients.
- Next, add the tofu to the marinaded. Tossing it around until all the pieces are evenly coated.
- Let the tofu marinate for at least 30 minutes, or you can prepare this in the morning and let it sit all day.
- After you have marinated the tofu preheat the air fryer to 375° F.
- When your air fryer is preheated add the tofu and cook it for at least 12 minutes, but you can go up to 18 minutes if you want it more crispy. Make sure to toss your tofu halfway through to ensure it all gets evenly cooked.
- Let the tofu cool for 2-3 minutes before serving in your favorite dish, or even just eating alone as a snack.