Air Fryer Crispy Garlic Tofu (20 Minutes!)
Back with another 20 Minute Air Fryer recipe – Crispy Garlic Tofu. My Crispy Garlic Tofu is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and requires ZERO deep-frying.
You can make air fryer crispy garlic tofu at home with a few secret tips. Also sharing my addicting and delicious spicy garlic sauce that tastes amazing with anything! If you want more 20-minute recipes, I am currently doing a 20-minute recipe series where I share easy recipes for 23 days!
The secret to making air fryer crispy garlic tofu is SALT WATER. Soak the tofu in salt water for at least 5 minutes, which will help the tofu air-fry extra crispy!
This trick also works well when you are pan-frying or deep-frying the tofu. If you have extra time, soak the tofu for ever longer, up to overnight! The longer you soak it, the crisper the tofu will become.
The star of this Crispy Garlic Tofu recipe is the savory homemade garlic sauce drizzled on top.
All you need is vegetarian oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and freshly grated garlic. This sauce goes well with EVERYTHING, but especially on top of this crispy fried tofu!
The sauce is the copycat garlic sauce you find at night market but 100x better. If you have any leftover sauce, drizzle it on top of the steamed vegetables, and you will thank me later!
I am using an Air Fryer today to make my Crispy Garlic Tofu since it saves time and is mess-free.
I’m going to be honest; I was a little skeptical about the hype when I first heard about air fryers and didn’t realize how EASY it was to make delicious meals with them.
As I incorporate air fryers more and more into my cooking arsenal, I realize how useful they are! I did a blog post breaking down and comparing the top 4 selling air fryers on Amazon based on pricing, size, function, and even a crispy chicken wings test! So if you are interested in buying an air fryer, check out the blog post!
If you want more AIR FRYER recipes, here are some of my go-to recipes that you will LOVE!
- Air Fryer Miso Glazed Salmon
- Creamy Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
- Honey Glazed Pork Belly
- Taiwanese Street Corn
Ingredients
- 1 Pack of Medium-firm Tofu
- 2 tbsp of Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1-2 Green Onion (chopped)
- 1 Red Chili (chopped)
- 0.5 tbsp of Sesame Seeds
- 1 tbsp of Sugar
- 1-2 tbsp of Cilantro (chopped)
- 4 tbsp of HOT oil
- In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 cups of water. Cut tofu into bite-size pieces and soak tofu in water for at least 5 – 10 minutes.
- Heat up 4 tablespoons of oil and prepare the sauce by mixing garlic, chopped green onion, chopped red chili, and sesame seeds in a bowl.
- Once the oil is hot, pour the oil over the ingredients, and add in soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
- Line the air fryer with the tofu and air fryer at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Make sure to brush on or spray oil on top of the tofu, which will help crisp up the tofu.
- Depending on your air fryer, you may need to increase the cooking time to 20-23 minutes.
- Drizzle the sauce over the tofu and garnish with cilantro.
Crispy Garlic Tofu
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 1 pack Medium-firm Tofu
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1-2 Green Onion chopped
- 1 Red Chili chopped
- 0.5 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1-2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 4 tbsp HOT oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 cups of water. Cut tofu into bite-size pieces and soak tofu in water for at least 5 – 10 minutes.
- Heat up 4 tablespoons of oil and prepare the sauce by mixing garlic, chopped green onion, chopped red chili, and sesame seeds in a bowl.
- Once the oil is hot, pour the oil over the ingredients, and add in soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
- Line the air fryer with the tofu and air fryer at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Make sure to brush on or spray oil on top of the tofu, which will help crisp up the tofu.
- Depending on your air fryer, you may need to increase the cooking time to 20-23 minutes.
- Drizzle the sauce over the tofu and garnish with cilantro.
The sauce tastes amazing!!! Will be using for all sorts of proteins in the future.
Tried this and I’m never naming tofu any other way. AMAZING! ! – Thank you for this tasteful recipe
My tofu didn’t turn out as crispy as Tiffy’s looked. Perhaps I should have dried the tofu with more paper towels when I removed from the salt bath. The sauce is PHENOMENAL!! I can see myself drizzling this on all kinds veggies, meats and carbs like rice and noodles!!
I will definitely be adding this recipe to my tofu arsenal. Thank you
This crispy Garlic Tofu will be my next air fryer night treat, can’t wait to try your home made Garlic sauce. I read some comments on it and it does sound like a very tasty & versatile addition to any number of dishes. Thank you!
P.S. I gave you 5 stars 🌟 cause just reading the recipe made my mouth water, lol
Very easy recipe, the sauce is amazing. Will try on veggies next time.
This was so quick and easy to make, I forgot to get a chili so I ended up subbing it with red pepper flakes and it was so good! Will definitely make again.
I’m not one to comment but this was amazing! The salt trick was amazing and I did get incredibly crispy tofu. The sauce is just incredible. Thanks so much!
yum yum yum
This worked really well! I drained and dried my tofu for several minutes before putting into the air fryer. I cooked for 21 minutes and the tofu was super crispy (but not rock hard); 18-19 minutes would’ve been perfect crisp to tender ratio. The sauce was excellent! Thanks for a great recipe!
Sauce was amazing but I tried this in the oven and did not work. 20min for ONE SIDE and tofu was not even a little bit brown. (I’ve baked dessert in the same oven and does not have a problem, so I do not have a malfunctioning oven)
Hi Joyce! This recipe uses an Air Fryer, which doesn’t cook food the same way as an oven. To adapt this recipe for the oven, you’ll have to increase both the temperature and the cook time. I’d also suggest you use a wire rack and flip it a few times during cooking.
The tofu taste absolutely amazing.
Thanks for this recipe!
Can you use extra firm tofu in this recipe?
Hi Gina, Yes you can!
Tiffy
Can u use regular oyster sauce instead of vegetarian oyster sauce?
Hi Jacqueline! Yes, you can absolutely use regular oyster sauce for this recipe!
Tiffy
Didn’t know I had to pat dry the tofu first so it came out not as crispy as I’d like, but the sauce OMG carried it ALL the way to the heavens. I’m addicted to this sauce!!!! Thanks Tiff xo
Wow this recipe is incredible, and the top way I want to eat tofu now! The sauce went perfectly with it. Thank you for sharing!