This has really been my summer of Air Fryer experimentation. I know I’m late to the party but I’m making up for lost time, and I was especially thrilled with this Air Fryer Tofu. Perfectly golden and crispy, and glazed with a delectably sweet and spicy sauce, this is a winner! And so easy to make too, so let’s get into it.

Making Air Fryer Tofu

I use firm tofu for this and I first remove excess moisture by pressing it in paper towels. I’m generally not a lover of extra firm tofu since it’s missing the pillowiness (is that even a word) and creamy flavor that I crave. But in this instance, firm tofu works better because there’s less moisture to interfere with the frying process. Plus it’s more sturdy and less likely to break apart when you flip over the pieces during the air-frying process.

Then I make a simple marinade with pantry staples that do double duty as a dipping sauce.

Then pour over the tofu, making sure the tofu pieces are coated with the sauce, and let them marinade an hour or two, or even overnight.

When I’m ready to cook the tofu, I reserve the marinade and then add some cornstarch to the tofu to help it really crisp up.

When the tofu is done, it will be golden brown and crispy. Since air fryers, like ovens, can vary in power, you will need to keep an eye on your tofu. If you see that the tofu is getting too dark, lower the heat.

While it’s in the air fryer, I quickly turn the reserved marinade into a syrupy dipping sauce. Cook the sauce for a couple of minutes until it is hot and bubbling. It’s pretty thick already so you will not need to reduce it.

I like to garnish with sesame seeds and some scallions.

This Air Fryer Tofu makes an excellent starter, or a fun protein packed snack. Make a double batch and use leftovers for grain bowls or a quick veggie stir fry. If you haven’t yet gotten into Air Frying, I give oven instructions in the notes. Make it this week and let me know what you think! And don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen; we love seeing your creations!

Air Fryer Tofu

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus marinating time)
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: small plates
• Cuisine: Korean

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 block firm tofu (about 14 ounces)

Sauce:

• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 3 Tablespoons ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons mirin
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• Oil spray

Garnish:

• Scallions, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I used a mix of white and black)

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Instructions

1. Drain and wrap the tofu in a couple layers of paper towels. Gently press to eliminate excess water.
2. Remove the paper towel and cut the tofu into bite size cubes, about 1 to 1 ½ inch squares.
3. In a bowl, mix the sugar, ketchup, mirin, soy sauce, gochujang, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. 
4. Gently transfer the tofu cubes to a storage bag (or container) and add the sauce.
5. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air, and gently move the marinade and tofu around, until all the cubes are coated evenly. 
6. Marinate for an hour or two (or overnight). 
7. Take the tofu out of the bag and gently place the cubes on a plate. Do not discard the marinade. 
8. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the tofu generously, flip the tofu, and sprinkle again to coat the other side. 
9. Spray the air fryer with a cooking spray and add the tofu cubes to the air fryer, leaving a little space between each piece. Spray the tofu with the oil spray.
10. Set the air fryer to 400ºF and air fry for 9 to 11 minutes.
11. Open the air fryer and gently flip the tofu a few times every 3 minutes or so, so they don’t stick to the bottom and also brown evenly. The tofu is ready when it’s golden brown.
12. While the tofu is frying, pour the marinade into a small saucepan.
13. Heat the sauce over medium high heat for a couple of minutes until hot and syrupy.
14. Pour into a small sauce dish.
15. Transfer the tofu to a plate and top with chopped scallions and sesame seeds. Serve Air Fryer Tofu immediately with the sauce on the side.

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Notes

*You can also bake this tofu in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400. Put down a piece of parchment paper (which is less sticky than aluminum foil.) Spray your parchment paper with oil. Lay your prepared tofu on the paper and spray again with oil. Bake the tofu for 15-20 minutes, flipping the tofu halfway through.

Keywords: tofu, vegan, air fryer, korean, gochujang, snacks, crispy

One of our most popular menu items is our Green Curry Shrimp. And it’s easy to see why. It’s rich, creamy, spicy, and full of colorful veggies. I am a firm believer though that vegetarians deserve to get in on the fun too, and that’s how this Green Curry Tofu was born. I kept everything people love about the original, and swapped in crispy tofu for the shrimp. And for this version, I also use a commercial green curry paste which makes this a totally doable weeknight meal. Quick, easy, and delicious. Let’s do this!

Prepping the Green Curry Tofu Veggies

I start by getting the sweet potatoes ready. These soft sweet nuggets are a perfect contrast to the spicy curry sauce.

Then I boil them for 6-8 minutes until tender. You want them tender but not fall apart mush.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, I get the veggies and tofu ready. I like the contrast of shapes when cutting my veggies so I’m using a couple of different styles. It’s totally not necessary but you should try to keep them roughly the same size.

It’s important to get a nice golden crust on the tofu. It adds a lot of texture and flavor to the dish. Use a non-stick skillet because tofu has a lot of moisture and that moisture loves to grab onto the surface of the skillet. If you use a regular stainless skillet, you will hate yourself as you struggle to keep the crust from adhering to the pan. It’s not impossible, but you will need to heat the pan for a long time and use a lot more oil. Do yourself a favor a use a non-stick skillet or a well seasoned cast iron pan.

Cooking Green Curry Tofu

Now that the veggies are prepped and the tofu has been fried, it comes together really quickly.

The secret to the lusciousness of restaurant curries is coconut cream. Now’s not the time to fall into the low fat trap. At least use full fat coconut milk rather than the watery light versions. Coconut fat is good for you and it is essential to create a rich and creamy curry. If you’re ultra concerned, eat a little less and save some for your next meal!

Because this is a vegetarian (and vegan) dish, we’re not using the traditional fish sauce. However, it’s important to give the dish that deep, salty, earthy flavor that fish sauce imparts. Today we’re mimicking that flavor with soy sauce and miso. Used in combination, you get a similar umami goodness. You can also experiment with coconut aminos and a little salt with good results.

One the veggies are added, lower the heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the eggplant has softened, stirring the pan occasionally.

I like to garnish this with fresh herbs and serve with rice to scoop up all the luscious sauce. A fresh squeeze of lime is nice too!

Can’t get enough curry? Try:

• Coconut Curry Noodles
• Red Beef Curry
• Curry Sweet Potato Soup

I hope you love this easy, weeknight Green Curry Tofu. Please take a moment to rate and comment on the recipe, and you can show off your food pics by tagging us @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Green Curry Tofu

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Thai

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Ingredients

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• 4 Tablespoons Oil
• 1 Block Firm Tofu
• ½ large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves large garlic
• 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
• 1–2 thai bird chilies (optional for those who really like extra spicy foods)
• 3 ounces baby spinach 
• 1 Chinese eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1 handful cilantro or basil

Sauce:

• 2 oz green curry paste (I used ½ 4 oz maesri brand can)
• 10 fl oz coconut cream
• ½ Tablespoon Miso 
• ½ Tablespoon Soy sauce or Coconut Aminos
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper to Taste 

For serving:

• Hot rice
• Limes Wedges

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Instructions

1. Peel and trim the sweet potatoes.
2. Dice the sweet potatoes into 1” pieces.
3. Place the sweet potatoes into a small pot and cover with 3 cups of water.
4. Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
5. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
6. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, open the tofu package and then cut the tofu into small 1 ½“ pieces.
7. Set the tofu on a plate lined with a couple pieces of paper towel. Cover the tofu with some more paper towels (you can also use a clean kitchen towel) and gently press down on it to remove excess water. 
8. Heat a large 12” non-stick frying pan over medium heat for several minutes and then add 3 Tablespoons of the oil.
9. Place the tofu in one layer and let it cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes until the bottom is crisp and browned.
10. Using a spatula, flip the pieces of tofu over and cook the other side for another 3-5 minutes until also crispy and browned. Take the tofu out of the pan and set aside.
11. Return the unwashed pan to the stove. Turn the heat to medium high.
12. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil and the onions. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
13. Add the ginger, garlic, and curry paste. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. 
14. Add the eggplant, sweet potatoes, coconut milk, miso paste, and soy sauce to the pan.
15. Bring the pan to a simmer, stirring to melt the miso into the sauce. Then, lower heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the eggplant has softened, stirring the pan occasionally. 
16. Add the tofu, stir and cover. Lower heat to a medium low and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the tofu is hot. 
17. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little salt and ground pepper as needed.
18. Add the spinach and stir to wilt. Garnish with some cilantro or basil sprigs.
19. Serve the Green Curry Tofu immediately with hot rice and lime wedges.

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Keywords: green curry, tofu, thai, spicy, coconut, sweet potato, vegan