For the best air fryer crispy tofu, all you need is sweet potato starch, parchment paper, and a little patience.
Crispy, crunchy air fryer tofu ready for any sauce you can imagine.
I’ve been trying to perfect my air fryer crispy tofu for weeks. The crunchiness wasn’t the problem, but my method left much to be desired. I had to scrape up so much stuck-on tofu from my air fryer that I thought I would scream.
My method for crispy pan-fried tofu has always been using sweet potato starch. I love it, and I think it creates perfectly crispy little bubbles that are so deliciously crunchy. I wanted to replicate that in the air fryer. The problem? Sweet potato starch can be very gluey, so finding the right balance of oil, heat, and time took a while.
I’m really happy with how these turned out, FINALLY! The crunchiness is unmatched, and it holds up perfectly to sauce. It’s very similar to the texture of pan-fried or deep-fried crispy tofu with no splatters and less oil.
How to make air fryer crispy tofu
You only need a few ingredients, parchment paper, and your trusty air fryer.
What you need
- Tofu: Use extra-firm tofu and press it for 30 minutes before starting.
- Seasonings: I keep it simple with just salt and white pepper. If you do not like white pepper, use black pepper instead. You can also add your favorite all-purpose seasoning or try it with Old Bay or Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
- Sweet potato starch: If you don’t have sweet potato starch, use cornstarch instead.
How to make it
- Step 1: Press the tofu. You want to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Step 2: Season the tofu and coat it with sweet potato starch. Toss gently to combine. Try not to break up the tofu too much, but it’s okay if a few edges crumble off; the scraggly edges actually get even crispier in the air fryer, so it’s okay if the cubes break a little around the corners.
- Step 3: Air fry the tofu. Preheat the air fryer to 450ºF. As a note, my air fryer reaches 480ºF. Many conventional air fryers have a max temperature of 400ºF. If you can preheat yours to 450ºF, that is ideal. Otherwise, a temperature of 400ºF will yield similar results. Place a piece of parchment paper in the air fryer and carefully spray it with oil. You want it to be nicely coated but not excessively so. Just enough for a thin layer of oil.
- Step 4: Spray the tofu with oil and arrange it in an even layer in the air fryer. Air fry for 24 to 27 minutes. It seems like a long time, but it’s worth it, I promise! Check the tofu after 12 to 15 minutes and adjust the timing as needed. The tofu is done when it releases easily from the parchment and the edges are very crisp and brown. In the middle photo above, that was the tofu at 24 minutes. The next photo is at 27 minutes. I preferred the 27-minute time, though I could have removed them at 24 minutes; I wanted them to be extra-extra crispy!
From there, remove the tofu from the air fryer. You may need to peel a few pieces from the parchment, but they will still be very crispy! You can toss the crunchy tofu with your favorite sauce or eat these beauties like popcorn!
Air Fryer Crispy Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra-firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ⅓ cup sweet potato starch
- Avocado oil spray
Instructions
Press the tofu:
- Wrap the tofu in paper towels and place it between two plates. Place a heavy book or flying pan on the top plate and press the tofu for 30 minutes.
- Remove the paper towels. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and transfer to a large bowl.
Preheat the air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 450ºF. See Note 1.
Season the tofu:
- Season the tofu with salt and white pepper. Add the sweet potato starch and toss gently with a spatula to coat the tofu. Try not to break up the tofu too much, but it’s okay if the corners crumble. Set aside.
Air fry the tofu:
- Spray a piece of parchment paper evenly with thin layer of avocado oil and place it in the air fryer basket. Spray the tofu with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Transfer the tofu to the parchment paper in an even layer. Air fry for 20 to 25 minutes. After 20 minutes, see if the tofu will easily release from the parchment paper. If not, continue air frying for 5 to 7 minutes more. The tofu should release easily from the parchment paper.
- Carefully remove the tofu from the air fryer. Some pieces may need to be peeled off, but they will still be extra crunchy!
To serve:
- Serve the crispy tofu in your favorite sauce, or enjoy it as a crunchy snack!
I’ve had 3 air fryer and none heated above 400. Why then do I keep seeing recipes calling for air fryer heated to 450?
That’s really helpful to know. My air fryer goes up to 480º, and I didn’t realize other air fryers are capped out at 400ºF. I’ll re-test this recipe at 400ºF to ensure it will still work and make sure my air fryer recipes in the future are aligned to that more common temp limit. Thanks for letting me know!