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A close up of air fryer tofu on a blue plate.

Perfect crispy tofu

This tofu is crispy on the outside with a little give on the inside. It's a perfect protein for soups, stir fries, and curries.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Oven cook time 30 minutes
Course basics, vegetarian
Servings 1 block of tofu

Equipment

  • Air fryer or oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 block firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more to coat air fryer basket
  • ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Additional seasonings as desired*

Instructions
 

  • Press the tofu. Drain the liquid from the tofu container, then dab the tofu dry. Wrap the block in a thick layer of paper towels or a thick dish towel. Top the tofu with something heavy, so that it puts even pressure on the whole block. I've used a cast iron pan, a pot with some cans in it, a heavy knife block. Get creative with it. Let the tofu press for at least 30 minutes.
  • Start by cutting the tofu block through the middle the long way, so that an upper and lower deck exist. Then cut both decks into a 4 x 4 of cubes. See picture.
    cubed uncooked tofu
  • In a small bowl toss the tofu cubes gently with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you so choose.

To cook the tofu in the air fryer

  • Pre-heat the air fryer to 400°F. Lightly coat the air fryer basket with oil; just a thin coat will do. Lay the tofu out in a single layer. If your air fryer is too small to do that without crowding, cook the tofu in batches. Cook the tofu for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes, until desired outer crunch level is reached.

To cook the tofu in the oven

  • Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Lay tofu out in a single layer onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake the tofu for 30-35 minutes, tossing it every 10 minutes until desired texture is reached.

Storage

  • Store the tofu in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer the cubes to an air tight container for 2-3 months, for best quality.

Notes

*This is the air fryer that I use. It's part air fryer, part instant pot. 
**Your seasoning can either match a specific dish you are making or be more universal. Aside from salt and pepper, try garlic or onion powder, cayenne, paprika, chili powder, or cumin.  
Keyword air fried tofu, air fryer, air fryer tofu, crispy tofu, make ahead salmon, oven baked tofu, perfect tofu, tofu
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