These air fryer tofu nuggets are crispy on the outside, moist, meaty, and flavor-filled on the inside. Skip deep frying and make this crispy tofu recipe using your air fryers in a matter of minutes.
If you have tried my frozen cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, okra, and Brussel sprouts in an air fryer, then you will enjoy these air fryer tofu nuggets as well.
Air fryer is ideal to cook appetizers like frozen French fries, mozzarella sticks, frozen spring rolls, frozen potstickers, etc.
Why should you try making tofu nuggets in air fryer
You will love these crispy air fryer tofu nuggets.
- Quickest. It is hands down the quickest method to cook tofu nuggets. The air fryer preheats much faster than the oven and cooks the food very efficiently and quickly.
- Easy and hands-off. Unlike deep frying, making tofu nuggets in an air fryer does not need your active participation. You can go with your household chores and let the air fryer do its job.
- Crispiest and most delicious Tofu nuggets. They taste absolutely delicious and way better than baked ones.
- No oil is required. It is an oil free tofu recipe. Make them healthy and move away from traditional fried tofu nuggets.
- Replace yogurt with vegan yogurt to make vegan tofu nuggets. You can also use vegan milk instead.
Jump to:
🥘Ingredients required for making air fryer tofu nuggets
Extra firm tofu
You have to use extra firm tofu. You just cannot substitute it with firm or silken tofu.
I have tested this recipe with Earth Grown, House Foods, and Goods &Gather Extra firm tofu. But in my opinion, most brands will work fine for this recipe.
Spices for marination
Garlic powder: You can substitute garlic powder with finely minced garlic.
Onion powder: Adjust the amount depending on your taste and preferences.
Soy sauce: Dark soy sauce work best though you can use light soy sauce also.
Hot sauce: You can use something very basic like Huy Fong, Cholula, Franks RedHot, or any fancy hot sauce that you like. Add buffalo sauce to make buffalo tofu nuggets in the air fryer. Anything will work. Just adjust the quantity as per your heat tolerance.
Chili powder: You can substitute it with freshly crushed black pepper.
Ingredients for the batter
Corn Starch: You can replace the corn starch with tapioca starch.
All-purpose flour: It gives body to the batter.
Yogurt: Yogurt helps to bring the flavors together. You can replace yogurt with an equal quantity of curd or buttermilk.
Spices and flavorings: You can add whatever spice and flavor you like. I have just added some salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. You could add a little bit of hot sauce if you want more heat.
🍶Equipment
Air fryer
I am using an 8 qt air fryer. You might be using a smaller or oven-sized air fryer. Find the details for using them in the procedure section.
🔪Instruction to make air fryer tofu nuggets
Step 1 Prepare tofu
Start by squeezing out the extra water from the tofu by pressing it between your hands. Then make an apparatus to squeeze out water from the tofu. I like to add books and some heavy stuff on the tofu to squeeze out as much water as possible. Check out the image for a better idea.
An optional step is to freeze the tofu. If you have the luxury of time, place the tofu in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for 8-9 hours.
Freezing just creates a texture in the tofu that makes it chewy and meaty in texture. The moisture in the tofu freezes and on thawing, all that water becomes loose and easy to squeeze out on pressing.
This exercise imparts a unique texture to tofu. You must do this exercise to experience this unique texture of extra firm tofu. Whenever you realize that you are going to make tofu nuggets just unwrap them, squeeze out water and throw it in the freezer. These will make the best vegan chicken nuggets ever.
Now cut the tofu into small cubes of the desired size and set aside.
Step 2 Make the marinade and soak the tofu cubes in marination
In a large bowl add all the dry spices, followed by soy sauce and a cup of water. You can use soy milk instead of water. I have made them using milk also, but it didn’t make any significant change. So, it is better to stick to water only.
Now gently place the tofu cubes in the marinade and let it marinate for about half an hour. Tofu will quickly such in the marination as we have squeezed out almost all the moisture from it. It will suck up this flavor-filled marinade in a matter of minutes.
Cover the bowl with a cling wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside.
Step 3 Make the batter
In a bowl combine cornstarch with flour and spices. Give a mix to combine everything nicely. Now add yogurt followed by water. Mix to make the batter (paste-like consistency).
Step 4 Coat the tofu nuggets in batter and crumbs
In a wide bowl, spread panko breadcrumbs. Now drop a piece of tofu in the batter. Use a fork to gently flip and coat it on all sides. Then drop it in the bowl of panko breadcrumbs. Coat nicely on all sides with the breadcrumbs. Place on an air fryer liner or the parchment paper
Step 5 Air fry tofu nuggets
Set the air fryer at 370o F and run it empty for 2 minutes. Now place the batter and crumb-coated tofu cubes in the air fryer. Air fry them at 370o F for 15 minutes. Do not forget to flip them halfway through the cooking time.
Do not overcrowd the tofu nuggets inside the air fryer basket. Leave enough space in between to allow air circulation. You can air fry the nuggets in two batches if required.
Remove onto a plate and serve along with a hot sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice.
Though you do not have to use cooking oil or oil spray for air frying the tofu nuggets. But if you want the crumbs to be super crispy and flaky, brush the nuggets with olive oil or give a generous spray of cooking oil. This makes super crispy tofu nuggets.
🍳How to serve tofu nugget
These air-fried tofu nuggets make an excellent teatime snack. They can be best served as a starter with a hot sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. I like to serve them with garlic cilantro sauce.
🫙 Storage Tips
Store the air-fried tofu nuggets in an air-tight container or a zip-locked bag and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
♨ Reheating leftover tofu nuggets
Are you wondering, how to reheat leftover tofu nuggets in an air fryer?
To reheat, air fry them at 350 0F for 4-5 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave them also.
💭Pro Tips
- Only use firm tofu for making the vegan chicken nugget recipe.
- If you are doing a big batch of tofu nuggets in an air fryer, do not overcrowd them in the air fryer basket. Overcrowding food in an air fryer is a recipe for disappointment. Place them in a single layer and leave space for air circulation.
- Do not forget to flip or rotate them halfway through the cooking time.
- You can skip oil if you want.
- Every air fryer is built differently there will be a differential of a few minutes as to when they are perfectly done. So, use the timeframe as a guide and check for yourself towards the end of the cooking cycle as to if the tofu nuggets are ready or not.
- You can substitute yogurt with curd or buttermilk.
- To make them gluten-free, use gluten free breadcrumbs and substitute flour with rice flour.
- To make this recipe fully plant based, replace yogurt with a vegan substitute.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, tofu does get crispy in the air fryer. You can air fry tofu as such, marinated, battered, or crumb coated in an air fryer. They get crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
It is not necessary to press the tofu before air frying but doing so makes your tofu recipes way better. Tofu is filled with loads and loads of water. Getting rid of tofu water ensures better absorption of the marinade.
🍽 Related Air Fryer recipes:
Related recipes
More air fryer frozen side dishes that might interest you are:
Side dish Suggestions:
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli Spiced to Perfection!
- Frozen Cauliflower in air fryer : A Quick Recipe
- Air fryer spaghetti squash: Low Carb, Quick and simple!
- How to fry frozen okra in air fryer? Breaded and plain cut okra
- Frozen Green Beans in Air Fryer
- How to make Frozen Brussel Sprouts in Air Fryer?
- Air Fryer Frozen Corn on the Cob
- Frozen Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
Some frozen snack options
- Air Fryer Plantain Chips- Kerala Style Banana Chips
- How to make best frozen mozzarella sticks in air fryer?
- How to cook frozen pizza bites (veggie pizza rolls) in air fryer
- Frozen potstickers in air fryer: The best way to make frozen dumplings
- Frozen spring rolls in air fryer: Quick, easy, and crispy!
- Pakoras in Air Fryer: Crispy and Healthy!
- How to Dehydrate Apples In Air Fryer
- Frozen Onion Rings in Air Fryer
I hope you will like this air fryer tofu nuggets recipe. Share it with friends if you find it helpful.
Till then,
Make it quick and delicious!
📝 Recipe Card
Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
Ingredients for marination
- 14 oz Extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce ( buffalo) (or as per taste)
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder (or black pepper)
- 1 cup water
Ingredients for batter
- 4 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper (freshly crushed)
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking spray/ olive oil
Instructions
Step 1 Prepare tofu by pressing nad freezing
- Start by squeezing out the extra water from the tofu by pressing it between your hands. Then make an apparatus to squeeze out water from the tofu. I like to add books and some heavy stuff ( like this marble mortar) on the tofu to squeeze out as much water as possible. (Check out the image in the post for a better idea.)
- Place the tofu in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for 8-9 hours. Freezing just creates a texture in the tofu that makes it chewy and meaty. The moisture in the tofu freezes and on thawing, all that water becomes loose and easy to squeeze out on pressing.
- This exercise imparts a unique texture to tofu. You must do this exercise to experience this unique texture of extra firm tofu. Whenever you realize that you are going to make tofu nuggets just squeeze out excess water and throw it in the freezer.
- Now cut the tofu into small cubes of the desired size and set aside.
Step 2 Make the marinade and soak the tofu cubes in marination
- In a large bowl add all the dry spices, followed by soy sauce and a cup of water.
- Now gently place the tofu cubes in the marinade and let it marinate for about half an hour. Tofu will quickly suck in the marination as we have squeezed out almost all the moisture from it. It will suck up this flavor-filled marinade in a matter of minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a cling wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside.
Step 3 Make the batter
- In a bowl combine cornstarch with flour and spices. Give a mix to combine everything nicely. Now add yogurt followed by water. Mix to make the batter (paste-like consistency).
Step 4 Coat the tofu nuggets in batter and crumbs
- In a wide bowl, spread panko breadcrumbs.
- Now drop a piece of tofu in the batter. Use a fork to gently flip and coat it on all sides.
- Then drop it in the bowl of panko breadcrumbs. Coat nicely on all sides with the breadcrumbs. Place on an air fryer liner or parchment paper.
Step 5 Air fry tofu nuggets
- Set the air fryer at 370o F and run it empty for 2 minutes. Now place the batter and crumb-coated tofu cubes in the air fryer.
- Air fry them at 370o F for 15 minutes. Do not forget to flip them halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove onto a plate and serve along with a hot sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
- If you are doing a big batch of tofu nuggets in an air fryer, do not overcrowd them in the air fryer basket. Overcrowding food in an air fryer is a recipe for disappointment. Place them in a single layer and leave space for air circulation.
- Do not forget to flip or rotate them halfway through the cooking time.
- You add oil if you want in form of oil spray or brush the nuggets with olive oil.
- Every air fryer is built differently there will be a differential of a few minutes as to when they are perfectly done. So, use the timeframe as a guide and check for yourself towards the end of the cooking cycle as to if the tofu nuggets are ready or not.
- You can substitute yogurt with curd or buttermilk.
- Substitute corn starch with tapioca starch.
- You can use soy milk instead of water. I have made them using milk also, but it didn’t make any significant change. So, it is better to stick to water only.
📋 Nutrition Facts
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