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This post was originally published in September 2015 and has been refreshed with instructions for Air-Fryer, new pictures, and video instructions.
This Crispy Tofu is an excellent Quick Back To School Recipe
Getting back into a routine, that first week back to school can be rough. Schools are about to start and sometimes it can be hard to come up with endless ideas for school lunches or even after school snack. When I was growing up, I never used to get the same lunch every day. My Mom used to make fresh and pack some different every day and that is what I try to do for my kids too! Instead of opening a pre-packed frozen snack or giving them junk food, I prefer to make something healthy at home. All thanks to all the gadgets we now have available Airfryer + Instant pot, LIFE is so much EASIER and BETTER. Don’t you agree?
This air fryer tofu recipe is just awesome, simply awesome. The tofu comes out crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside! The most amazing vegan buffalo bites are air-fried or baked to crispy perfection. They’re so good that you might finish a few servings in one sitting! The entire family loves it truly and it is a great source of much-needed protein as well.
Air Fryer Buffalo Tofu Bites
If you’ve been following me and reading some of my other air fryer recipes, then you know that we love using the Air Fryer. The Air Fryer is a GREAT way to cook many things and tofu is one of them! You can serve these air fryer tofu bites with some Steamed broccoli or air fryer corn. This is a recipe that requires just a couple of ingredients to give you tasty tofu. It has a crispy spiced coating and is a perfect meatless option for game-day snacking. My friends and family go crazy for this tofu recipe.
How to make Air Fryer Tofu extra crunchy
Most of the recipes you will read will ask for cornstarch, but I have found that when I add in a secret ingredient, it makes the tofu even more crispy than I ever thought possible! Any guesses about what the secret ingredient is? Drumroll, please…??? Rice Flour. coat the tofu with rice flour (and your favorite seasonings) results in a delectable, extra-crispy exterior. And actually, rice flour makes a whole load of other veggies turns out super crunchy too.
What is a CrispLid you ask?
One thing I love about using my Crisplid/Air Fryer is that it uses little to no oil, I usually spray them when placed in the air fryer, to get that golden brown glow that you get when deep-frying. It is Mealthy’s newest and most innovative product converts any electric pressure cooker into an air fryer. Broil, crisp, and air fry directly in the steel pot of your electric pressure cooker. Compatible with both 6 and 8-quart electric pressure cookers.We have tested it with many recipes and love the results. If you don’t have a crisp lid already you can get it here. If you do have a Crisp Lid, let’s get started.
Why do you press tofu? How do you quickly drain tofu?
If using extra-firm tofu, you’ll want to press some extra water out of the tofu for best texture. Wrap in an absorbent lint-free towel or paper towels and place a weight over it ( I use a heavy pan). Let that sit for 30 minutes then cut into desired shape and size and move on to coating the tofu.
Quick Tips to make great tofu bites that hold together, here are a few things to note:
Make sure you use firm tofu. Extra-firm tofu works even better. Squeeze the water out of the tofu and dry it thoroughly, so your nuggets/bites won’t turn out soggy. Cut the tofu into even chunks, so they will come out crunchy and be cooked thoroughly.
Perfect for kids school lunch-box
I started thinking about some ideas for school lunches and some tasty ideas the kids are sure to love. Besides these delicious vegan buffalo bites, you can complete the lunch box with our Air fryer Apple chips, Air fryer Plantain chips, or the always reliable Vermicelli Upma. No more boring sandwiches! This delicious recipe is far from boring and so tasty and easy to prepare. You will not have to worry about getting your kids to eat what is in their lunch box. They are going to love these fun and tasty lunches.
What sauce goes well with these Crispy Tofu Bites?
You can serve plain tofu bites with the following sauces
Classic ranch Ketchup Honey mustard BBQ sauce Thai sweet chili sauce
Are these Crispy Tofu Bites freeze friendly?
The solution is simple.. try these rockin’ air- fryer tofu bites. These bites, made with tofu, Panko breadcrumbs, chickpea flour, and few seasonings are totally zesty and delicious! The best part is after they are all made up, you only need about 15 minutes in the air- fryer before this snack is ready to go! They freeze well too. You will love these crispy tofu nuggets because they are so tasty & easy to make!! If you like Air Fryer recipes, you should also try Appe Pan Recipes / Aebleskiver recipes.
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER TOFU
Press tofu for about 30 minutes. ( Drain tofu, wrap in paper towels or clean tea towel, and place heavy items on top to press. I use a heavy chopping board with some weights on to). Prepare the coating. Combine the chickpea flour, garlic powder, and salt. Add in little water and make a thick batter. The coating should be the consistency of pancake batter. Cut the tofu into sticks or into nugget sized pieces. Coat the tofu with rice flour then in the chickpea flour batter.
Coat it with the panko breadcrumbs. Arrange the coated Tofu in a single layer in the fryer basket, working in batches as needed. Spray oil on the tofu.
Place CrispLid trivet in the inner steel pot of pressure cooker and put fryer basket on the trivet. Set CrispLid on top of inner steel pot and plugin. Set to 400°F (200°C) and cook for a total of 15 minutes. Turn them after 7 minutes until browned and crispy. Repeat with remaining tofu.
Put the Air - fryer tofu in a large mixing bowl and toss with the buffalo sauce to coat. Serve immediately with celery and ranch sauce. Leftover buffalo tofu bites can be re-crisped.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @ on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Air Fryer Crispy Tofu Buffalo Bites
Pan-fry versionPan-fried one batch.spray some cooking oil to a pan then add in the tofu into the pan. Cook on all sides until golden brown. For gluten-free tofu bites, use gluten-free and vegan panko style bread crumbs. Air Fryer Tofu TipsBe sure to press your tofu before coating it with rice flour.Be sure to coat your tofu on all sides so it cooks evenly.Be sure that you are using a firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe.Be sure to “shake” your air fryer basket or turn the tofu in your crispy lid during the cooking so that your tofu turns and cooks on all sides.
Rice Flour (2 lb, 907 g) by DEEP Besan / Chickpea Flour / Gram Flour
