Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets

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

Enjoy these tofu nuggets without oil. You can also bake these nuggets. But it's difficult to heat up the whole kitchen in summers. And air fryer plays a magical role in baking them perfectly crispy. And that too in lesser time.

Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets?

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

They are made from tofu, a plant-based protein that is low in calories and fat but high in protein and fiber.

And since they're cooked in an air fryer, they're perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You will love these simple yet delicious nuggets.

This is a high-protein vegan food too. These are easy to make yet delicious in taste. 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. These are very much kids friendly. Adjust spices (heat) as per the taste of kids. My kiddo loves these tofu nuggets.

Though this is great as an appetizer as it is, I love to add them to the tacos. So when I make these tofu nuggets, I do other preparations for my tacos too. Or stuff them in sub and serve as a full meal. Add them to your dinner as sides. Completely versatile.

This goes well with any sauces and dips. To make this spicy, coat them with any hot sauce, buffalo sauce bang bang sauce, etc. Or serve them with classic tomato ketchup. My go-to dip for any appetizers.

How to make air fryer tofu nuggets?

You can make air fryer tofu in 2 ways. I do coat with bread crumbs for nuggets, either panko or normal brown bread crumbs. 2nd method is just to put the tofu in 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

For a more chicken-like texture, the secret formula is freeze and thaw. This gives more chewy chicken-like nuggets. If you want a regular nugget, then no need to freeze it.

Preparation:- Soak in the marinade

Once you thaw it for a few hours, takeout from the packet and press the tofu using 2 plates or a tofu press. This will remove the excess water and will add more space for marinade flavors. Now cut this into 2 slices. Then marinate in broth for at least 30 minutes.

If you don't have broth, make your own 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 at 400 F 0r 200 C for 3 minutes.

Coat the tofu

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

Now take the pieces and dip them in the flour batter. Then roll it on bread crumbs to coat nicely. Repeat for all pieces. And keep them all on a dry plate.

Air fry the breaded tofu

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

(Or skip it totally. Oil brings a little browning effect. But totally optional and you can make your oil-free tofu nuggets. )

Now flip or shake in the midway at around 8 minutes mark. If you need some more crispy, increase 3 - 5 minutes more checking every 2 minutes after that. Crispy golden brown tofu nuggets are ready to serve.

Air fryer tofu nuggets without breadcrumbs

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

You can choose your own marinade mixture and customize it as per what flavor you need in your tofu.

Tofu is normally bland in taste and absorbs flavors of spices from the marinade only. 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.

Crispy tofu is ready in just 10 minutes.

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