Crispy Air Fryer Tofu with Sweet Chilli Sauce

Salt and pepper dusted tofu bites cooked in an air fryer until nice and crispy, and then tossed in a delicious, garlicky, sweet chilli sauce. On the table in less than 30 minutes from start to finish using simple ingredients, making it the perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner option!

Jump to Recipe

Let’s make tofu great again. I feel like tofu has a bit of a bad reputation for being bland and boring. This recipe takes the humble tofu and gives it a bit more of a kick.

You first toss the tofu in soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper and garlic powder and cook it in the air fryer until nice and golden. This gives the tofu a nice, crispy texture on the outside, while still keeping it soft on the inside.

The crispy tofu is then tossed in a pan with a sticky, sweet sauce made from garlic, sweet chilli sauce, honey, sugar and soy sauce, and topped with sesame seeds and fresh herbs and best served on top of piping hot jasmine rice. It looks and tastes like a naughty take away meal, but can be made simply and quickly in your home for a fraction of the cost as ordering in.

Recipe Hints

• No air fryer? I use my air fryer here to make the tofu as it’s easier and requires less oil to get the same crispy effect as pan frying. If you don’t have an air fryer though, you can use a pan. Follow the same steps to prepare the tofu, and then just fry in batches in oil in a frying pan, turning the cubes over to get them golden on all sides. (If you are in the market for an air fryer though – this is the one I have and it has served us well for the past 8 months!).
• Type of tofu – I use firm tofu in this recipe. It’s the only type of tofu that will work for this as it needs to keep it’s shape. Steer clear of any silken/soft tofu for this!
• Drying the tofu – Firm tofu will usually have a little liquid in the packet when you open it. You want to drain this and firmly pat down with paper towel to dry the tofu and squeeze out any excess liquid. This help the tofu to absorb other flavours and also improves the crispiness when cooking in the air fryer. (Some people have a tofu press to do this – but I don’t eat tofu often enough to warrant needing one. And this recipe works just fine with paper towel!).
• White pepper – I use this to season the tofu instead of black pepper, as it gives it a similar flavour as the salt and pepper tofu/chicken/calamari. If you don’t have it, you can still use ground black pepper!
• Not a fan of sweet chilli sauce? The crispy tofu holds it own well, even without the sweet chilli sauce. You can serve with some rice/noodles and vegetables and it will still be delicious!

Enjoy!

Laura x