Honey Garlic Air Fryer Tofu
This air fryer tofu is ultra crispy, easy to make and coated in a sticky honey garlic and ginger sauce. It’s perfect with rice & veggies and makes for a simple vegetarian dinner!
I have officially entered that stage of owning an air fryer where I am thoroughly obsessed and make absolutely everything and anything in it. Salmon, veggies, chicken, everything! There’s not much an air fryer can’t do!
Tofu is the BEST thing to make in an air fryer because you don’t have to deal with an oily sticky mess on your stove or oven and it gets SO crispy.
We’ll be finishing off this air fryer tofu with a sticky honey garlic and ginger sauce that is absolutely delicious. Serve it alongside my fried rice for a flavor-packed dinner!
This recipe is also super quick and easy to make, only requiring about 15 minutes of cook time! You can serve it alongside some fresh jasmine rice and steamed broccoli or just enjoy it as is! Try my peanut tofu wraps or peanut butter noodles next!
How to make air fryer tofu
Remove the tofu from the package and drain off the excess water. Wrap in a towel to remove the liquid. If you want ultra crispy tofu, press it for about 20 minutes with a heavy object.
I skip this step most of the time with no issues 🙂
Cut into 1 inch cubes and toss with the soy sauce. In a small dish, whisk together the corn starch, paprika and garlic powder. Add to the tofu and toss to combine. Toss in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
Spray your air fryer basket and add in the tofu. Set the air fryer to 375 Fahrenheit and set the timer to 20 minutes. Remove the basket and shake every 5 minutes to ensure nothing sticks and everything cooks evenly.
At the 15 minute mark, check the tofu. It will be pretty crispy at this point, so stop it now if it is done enough for you, but I usually leave it in for the full 20 minutes.
While the tofu is cooking, add the minced garlic and sesame oil to a small pot. Saute until lightly golden brown.
Add in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk really well. let simmer over low heat until thick. If after 5 or so minutes it isn’t thickening, whisk in an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
When both the tofu and sauce are done, let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer the tofu to a large bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy with rice & veggies or just as is. Also great with my Thai quinoa salad!
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Key ingredients
TOFU. I highly recommend extra firm tofu for this recipe, but if you only have firm tofu, that will work too.
BREADCRUMBS. We”ll first coat the tofu in soy sauce, then toss with some spices and cornstarch to absorb excess moisture, then toss in breadcrumbs to give the tofu a really crunchy exterior. I used gluten free breadcrumbs, but regular work too.
SAUCE. This simple honey garlic soy sauce is perfectly sweet, salty and spicy. If you are gluten free like me, be sure to use tamari and not soy sauce. Either way, I suggest low sodium!
Oven instructions
If you don’t own an air fryer, you can absolutely make this recipe in a regular oven.
To do so, follow all of the same instructions, but instead of air frying it, bake at 400 degrees Fahreneheit for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Then, let it cool for 5 minutes and toss with the sauce.
Does it keep?
Unfortunately, baked or air fried tofu of any kind doesn’t keep very well. The crispiness tends to go away after a few hours so it is best served fresh.
However, if you have leftover, it will store in the fridge for up to 2 days, it just won’t stay crispy. You can reheat it in the air fryer or oven to get back some crispiness!
Do I have to press tofu?
You can, but to be honest, I usually don’t! I’m impatient when it comes to cooking but I will admit, pressing tofu for even just 15 minutes will help make it crispier. This is also true for my Kung Pao Tofu!
You can just use a heavy object like a cast iron pan and place it on top of the tofu if you have the patience. But don’t worry, the tofu will be plenty crisp if you skip this step!
Try these next!
Lastly, if you try this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out! Be sure to follow me on instagram and subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes.
Air Fryer Tofu
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 14 ounce block extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon low sodiu, tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- ¼ cup gluten free breadcrumbs can use regular if not GF
Honey Sauce
- 5-6 tbsp honey (can sub maple syrup) see notes
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon sriracha or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2-3 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ tspteaspoon red pepper flakes optional for more spice
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from the package and drain off the excess water. Wrap in a towel to remove the liquid.
- If you want ultra crispy tofu, press it for about 20 minutes with a heavy object. I skip this step most of the time with no issues 🙂
- Cut into 1 inch cubes and toss with the soy sauce. In a small dish, whisk together the corn starch, paprika and garlic powder. Add to the tofu and toss to combine.
- Toss in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
- Spray your air fryer basket (OR use a parchment liner to make clean up easy! these have holes in them to keep the cooking process the same) and add in the tofu in a single layer.
- Set the air fryer to 375 Fahrenheit and set the timer for 15 minutes. Remove the basket and shake every 5 minutes to ensure nothing sticks and everything cooks evenly. At the 15 minute mark, check the tofu.
- It will be quite crispy at this point, so stop it now if it is done enough for you, but I sometimes give it a few extra minutes if I want it ultra crispy.
- While the tofu is cooking, add the minced garlic and sesame oil to a small pot. Saute until lightly golden brown.
- Add in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk really well. let simmer over low heat until thick. If after 5 or so minutes it isn’t thickening, whisk in an extra teaspoon of cornstarch.
- When both the tofu and sauce are done, let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer the tofu to a large bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy with rice & veggies or just as is.
Notes
Comments
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I tried to make this . My first time making tofu . Is there a way to make it so it doesn’t taste like cornstarch or that the cornstarch isn’t showing through the sauce
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Given there is only one tablespoon of cornstarch, it shouldn’t taste like it at all. It will also completely crisp up in the oven so there won’t be any visible cornstarch after it bakes!
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Just made this and added some air fried green beans. Amazing! Thank you!
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Delicious!
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I don’t have breadcrumbs, but want to try this recipe. Any substitute suggestions? I have almond flour, nutritional yeast, and crunchy rice cereal that might be options
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I would use almond flour!
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Made this for the first time for guests and it was delicious. I doubled the recipe and was glad I did as everyone had seconds. Served it with a couscous/chickpea salad. Because I doubled it, I did the oven version and it turned out well. The sauce is so flavorful. This will be a go to in our home. Our guests left asking for the recipe.
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Amazing, so happy it was a hit!
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Absolutely delicious, this tofu recipe has become one of my easy go tos. I half the honey and up the spice to create a different flavor.
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Sounds perfect, thanks Christina!
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Great recipe! I planning to make tonight for dinner
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I agree with Danielle! I wish I had made a double batch! This Crispy Air Fryer Tofu is easy to make and so delicious! Instructions were easy to follow and I look forward to trying more of your recipes. I wish I could give it 10 stars! 🙂
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Thank you, Sandra! Can’t wait to see what else you make.
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This was SOOO good! It was my first time cooking tofu and I wish I would have doubled the batch!
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So happy to hear that! Will just have to make it again 🙂
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I’m not a huge tofu fan but this was delicious. My whole family loved it. Great recipe.
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Thank you, Shiree!
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So good. First air fryer tofu meal. Love it – thank you
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So glad your first try was a success. Thanks Paul!
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This is such a delicious, easy and nutritional way to have that fried tofu crunch without the oil. Even omitting the bread crumbs like I did results in a tasty tofu with crispy edges which get coated perfectly in the sticky honey sauce. It’s great served over rice or with any veg you happen to have in the fridge.
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My first time cooking tofu! I used extra firm. It had very little liquid and pressing it didn’t yield any more liquid. I followed directions exactly. Deliciious! Love, love, love the sauce!
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Thank you, Katie! Glad your first experience was a success 🙂
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I made this yesterday and it was delicious. I had no breadcrumbs so subbed cornmeal.
But I wonder at the 2-3 tsp cornstarch. You say if not thick enough whisk in another tablespoon. Which would at least double the initial quantity. Is that correct?
Thanks-
Thanks for pointing that out, it should say teaspoon!
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This was SO delicious! Probably my favorite tofu recipe I’ve ever made, and I loved how simple it was!
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I made this without an air fryer in the oven. Very yummy and easy! I put the tofu in large ziplock and shook it to help distribute everything and I also subbed maple syrup. Added to homemade pad Thai and it was perfect. Planning to make again with rice and veggies.
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Love the ziplock bag technique! Sounds delicious with the pad Thai!
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