This crispy air fryer tofu is a great recipe to serve as an appetizer at a party or just to make on a weeknight at home, and can also be made vegan and gluten-free!
Carefully remove the tofu from the packaging and cut evenly into 12 cubes. See blog post for tips on how to remove excess water, to help get a crispy crust.
Mix together the flour, salt and pepper then dip each cube in the mixture. Be sure to cover each side.
Brush, drizzle or dip the beaten eggs over each cube.
Place the tofu in the air fryer basket, in a single layer, spacing them evenly apart. You may need to make multiple batches, depending on the size of your basket.
Cook at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
Serve with your choice of dipping sauce and garnish with green onion if desired.
Notes
For crispy tofu: It's an extra step but if you have time and want to, gently press the tofu between paper towels to remove excess water. A great way to do this is to line two plates with paper towels, and place the tofu on one of them.Top the tofu with the other paper-towel covered plate, (paper towel side down) and find something (like a can of vegetables) that can sit on top to gently press down on the tofu. The paper towels should "sandwich" the tofu and soak up the water.Leftovers: Breaded tofu is best enjoyed immediately after cooking it. But if you do have leftovers you can store it covered in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.The breading will likely become soft, so I recommend reheating it in the air fryer again to bring back some of the crispy breading.Gluten-Free: You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free flour. However, I find that an all-purpose, gluten-free mixture works best because they contain a blend of flours. For Vegan Air Fried Tofu:There are two ways to make vegan tofu in the air fryer.
One way is to roll the tofu cubes in panko crumbs and skip the egg drizzle! The panko crumbs will still turn brown and crunchy. NOTE: If you try to use flour without the eggs, you will wind up with white dusted tofu cubes. So skip the eggs and swap the flour for panko instead.
The second way to make vegan tofu in the air fryer is to completely omit the eggs and breading. You can flavor the tofu cubes by marinating them in your favorite sauces or tossing them in seasonings and spices. Still cook them at 350 degrees for 12 minutes!