Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

These air fryer tofu nuggets are so crispy and delicious with a chicken-like texture on the inside. This really is the most delicious way to enjoy tofu! Made with simple ingredients, this recipe is so easy and is a great base recipe to add some extra plant-based protein to your favourite meals.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 140kcal

Author Sally

Equipment

air fryer

Ingredients

450 grams firm tofu frozen and thawed
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon corn flour
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

This recipe uses tofu that has been frozen and then thawed so before starting, make sure you’ve done this step. See notes for more details.
Gently press any excess moisture from your block of tofu using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and then gently tear the tofu into approximately 1 inch pieces.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the soy sauce, olive oil, corn flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper to combine. Add in the pieces of tofu and toss through the mixture until the tofu is completely covered. You want to make sure all the grooves of the tofu pieces have been coated.
Add the tofu pieces to the air fryer and cook at 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes. Shake the basket to ensure the tofu isn’t sticking to each other, and cook again for another 5-8 minutes or until crispy.
Enjoy immediately or place into a container for meal prep. Reheat the tofu pieces for 5 minutes in the air fryer when ready to use.

Notes

Freezing the tofu: The key to the texture of the tofu in this recipe is to use a block of frozen and thawed firm tofu. Simply place a block of firm tofu either in its packaging or in a container with its liquid and freeze for 8 hours. Allow the tofu to defrost either at room temperature, in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of warm water. The process of freezing and then defrosting, changes the structure of the tofu giving it a more chicken-like texture. You can skip this step and it will still be delicious but the texture of your tofu will be different.

Serving suggestion: I like to serve this tofu in a rice bowl with salad and a generous amount of spicy mayo which is just kewpie mayo mixed with sriracha usually at around a 2:1 ratio.

Nutrition