Soy-Glazed Crispy Air-Fried Tofu

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings as a side dish

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Marvellina

If you’re looking for a crispy tofu recipe that actually stays crispy, this is the one. Air-fried to golden perfection and tossed in a sticky soy glaze—honestly, I could eat the whole thing myself. It’s easy, versatile, and surprisingly addictive.

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Ingredients

For the Tofu and Dry Coating

400 g extra-firm tofu
40 g potato starch
30 g rice flour
20 g all-purpose flour
10 g cornstarch
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Oil spray for misting

For the Soy Glaze

1 Tbsp neutral oil avocado, canola, etc.
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Sesame seeds optional, for garnish

Garnish:

1 stalk Green onion finely chopped

Instructions

Press the Tofu

Wrap tofu blocks in a clean towel or absorbent paper towels. Place a heavy object on top (like a cast iron skillet).
Let sit for at least 20–30 minutes to remove excess moisture. You will be surprised by how much moisture is soaked up by the towel

Make the Dry Coating

In a bowl, whisk together potato starch, rice flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. The dry coating is enough for 2 blocks (800 grams/28 oz) of tofu. So I prepare the dry coating and put them in a container and use it whenever I need it. In this case, if you are following the recipe, you will pour out about half of the mix and keep the rest in the container until you need it again next time

Coat and Air Fry the Tofu

Cut pressed tofu into bite-sized cubes or rectangles.
Preheat air fryer to 400 F (200 C).
Working in two batches, toss half the tofu in the dry mix right before air frying. It's important not to toss them in the dry coating and let them sit around for too long
Shake off excess coating and place in the air fryer basket. My air-fryer is a 7-quart capacity and able to fit all tofu in there. If yours is a smaller capacity, make sure to coat only half of the tofu in the dry coating, the other half can wait until the air fryer is available again
Mist lightly with oil spray and cook at 400 F for 5 minutes
This is how it looks like for the first 5 minutes. Shake the basket, mist with oil again, and continue cooking.
Repeat this process for a total of approximately 30 minutes. Mist with some oil each time when you shake the basked to make sure all sides are coated with some oil. Air fry until crispy and golden. Check at 20-minute mark. If it's still not crispy after 20 minutes, simply cook a bit longer.
Repeat with the second batch (coating the tofu with dry mix) if you can't cook all at one go

Make the Soy Glaze

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

Toss Tofu with Sauce

Add crispy tofu to the skillet with the glaze.
Gently toss to coat and stir for another 2 more minutes until sticky and glossy.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm. Sprinkle with some chopped green onion for visual

Notes

The recipe for the dry coating is from Lennard's

Nutrition