Main course

Crispy Air Fryer Tofu

Name: Crispy Air Fryer Tofu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 400g block firm or extra-firm tofu; 1.5 tbsp cornflour; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp soy sauce, to finish; 1 tsp sesame oil, to finish; 1 spring onion, sliced; 1 tsp sesame seeds

Press it, cornflour it, sauce it afterwards.

30 mins total
Serves 3
Medium
Asian

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By Lush Editorial Team · Updated Sep 19, 2026

Good Food,
Happier You!

Ingredients

Scale

400g block firm or extra-firm tofu
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp neutral oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce, to finish
1 tsp sesame oil, to finish
1 spring onion, sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds

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Quick Info

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Servings3

DifficultyMedium

Temperature400°F

We do not publish calorie or nutrition figures. Doing that properly needs lab analysis, and an estimate dressed up as data is worse than none.

Tips

Pressing is not optional. Water in the block is what stops tofu crisping.
Use firm or extra-firm. Silken and soft tofu break up in the basket.
Cornflour before oil, in that order. It forms the shell that goes crunchy.
Soy sauce goes on after cooking. Added before, it wets the surface and undoes the cornflour.

Step by Step Instructions

1 Press the Tofu 15 mins
Wrap the tofu block in kitchen paper, weigh it down and press for 15 minutes. Skipping this is the single most common reason air fryer tofu turns out soft.
2 Cube and Dry 3 mins
Cut into 2.5cm cubes and pat dry again.
3 Coat in Cornflour 2 mins
Toss the cubes in the cornflour and salt until lightly coated all over, then add the oil and toss gently.
4 Preheat 3 mins
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes.
5 Cook and Shake Twice 15 mins
Cook in one layer for 15 minutes, shaking the basket twice, until the edges are golden and firm.
6 Dress and Serve 1 min
Tip into a bowl and toss with the soy and sesame oil, then scatter over spring onion and sesame seeds.

Storing and reheating. Keeps 3 days refrigerated. It softens as it sits; refresh at 400°F for 4 minutes before serving.

Why this works

Pressing is not optional

Water in the block is what stops tofu crisping. Wrap it in kitchen paper, put something heavy on top, and leave it fifteen minutes. A press does it faster but a tin of beans works.

Cornflour is the whole trick

Toss the dried cubes in cornflour before the oil. It forms a thin shell that goes genuinely crunchy, which seasoning alone never does.

Use firm or extra-firm

Silken and soft tofu will not survive this. They have too much water and too little structure, and they break up in the basket.

Sauce afterwards

Soy added before cooking makes the surface wet again and undoes the cornflour. Cook plain, then toss the hot cubes through soy, sesame and spring onion.