Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

Air fryer tofu or tofu nuggets are perfect appetizers. These are an excellent substitute for chicken nuggets in the vegan diet. This gives a chicken-like texture when cooked perfectly. Even an omnivore will love these nuggets.

Now enjoy these crispy air fryer tofu nuggets without oil. You can also bake these nuggets. But it isn't easy to heat the whole kitchen in summer. An air fryer plays a magical role in baking them perfectly crispy. And that too in less time.

Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

If you're looking for a tasty and healthy alternative to chicken nuggets, air fryer tofu nuggets are perfect. Made with just a few simple ingredients, they're ready in less than 30 minutes.

Tofu is a plant-based protein low in calories and fat but high in protein and fiber. When cooked in an air fryer, it's perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You will love these simple yet delicious nuggets.

This is also a high-protein vegan food. It is easy to make yet delicious. These are perfect vegan appetizers for any parties you are hosting. Again, these are plant-based and oil-free nuggets.

Again, these are great vegan snacks for kids as well. They are very kid-friendly. Adjust the spice (heat) to fit the taste of the kids. My kiddo loves these tofu nuggets.

Serving Ideas

These air fryer tofu nuggets are crispy in texture and versatile to serve in many ways.

Though this is great as an appetizer, I love adding them to the tacos. So when I make these tofu nuggets, I also prepare other dishes for my tacos. Or stuff them in a sub and serve them as a full meal. Add them to your dinner as sides.

This goes well with any sauces and dips. To make this spicy, coat them with any hot sauce, vegan buffalo sauce, honey sriracha sauce, chipotle southwest sauce, bang bang sauce, etc. Or serve them with classic tomato ketchup—my go-to dip for any appetizer.

How to make air fryer tofu nuggets?

This is a simple recipe for cooking tofu in the air fryer. Press the tofu to get the best-textured nuggets. Dice the tofu into bite-sized pieces or cubes. Marinate the tofu cubes with seasonings or use breading to coat them. Then, arrange the tofu in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry for the mentioned time and temperature.

You can make air-fried tofu in two ways. I coat it with bread crumbs for nuggets, either panko or normal brown bread crumbs. The second method is to put the tofu in a marinade for flavor And then air fry for said time.

Ingredients:-

Tofu - extra firm or super firm tofu

Broth or marinade of choice

Batter - Flour, corn starch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, plant-based milk

For coating - bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, paprika, salt, pepper

Instruction to make tofu nuggets

The secret formula for a more chicken-like texture is freeze-and-thaw. This gives more chewy chicken-like nuggets. However, if you want a regular tofu nugget, you do not need to freeze it.

Preparation:- Soak in the marinade

Thaw it for a few hours, remove it from the packet, and press the tofu using two plates or a tofu press. This will remove the excess water and create more space for marinade flavors. Now, cut this into two slices. Then, marinate in broth for at least 30 minutes.

If you don't have broth, make your marinade by mixing soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast (optional), and water.

Then, take out the tofu slice and cut it into pieces or break it into bite-sized pieces. Shake off for excess liquid. Keep them on a plate.

Preheat the air fryer-

Preheat the air fryer to 400 F (200 C) for 3 minutes.

Coat the tofu

Add flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt in a bowl. Add plant-based milk to make a smooth batter of coating consistency. Sidewise on a plate, add bread crumbs and nutritional yeast, paprika, salt, and pepper as per taste.

Now, dip the pieces (tofu cubes) in the flour batter. Remove them from the batter and roll them in bread crumbs to coat them nicely. Repeat for all the pieces, and keep them on a dry plate.

Air fry the breaded tofu

Remove the air fryer basket and spray it with oil to grease it. However, you can skip this. They won't be sticky at all. Place the breaded tofu in the basket and in the air fryer. Start the air fryer at 400F for 15 minutes. Spray a little oil or brush them lightly.

(Or skip it totally for oil-free nuggets. Olive oil brings a nice flavor and crispiness, making the air-fried tofu nuggets golden brown. But this is optional; you can make your oil-free tofu nuggets. )

Now flip or shake the tofu cubes midway, around 8 minutes. If you need more crispiness, increase the time by 3 - 4 minutes more, checking every 2 minutes afterward. Crispy golden brown air-fried tofu nuggets are ready to serve.

Air fryer tofu nuggets without breadcrumbs

To make crispy air fryer tofu nuggets that are not breaded, follow the above steps. Skip the step of coating the tofu. Rest all instructions are the same.

You can customize your marinade mixture to the flavor you need in your tofu. Tofu usually tastes bland and absorbs the flavors of spices only from the marinade. So, the taste and flavor depend on the marinade mixture. Check out my other crispy tofu recipes here.

Air fry at 400F for 10 minutes, flipping the midways. Spray oil on top or skip as a diet preference. Crispy air fryer tofu is ready in just 10 minutes. Serve them hot with dips or as required.

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