Air Fryer Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce

Name: Air Fryer Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce
Prep time: PT-481723H13M46S
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 block extra firm tofu; 3 ½ tablespoons mirin; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; 1 small garlic clove, grated (optional); 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 green onion, finely chopped; 1 extra tablespoon soy sauce, to drizzle (optional)

My teriyaki air fryer tofu is crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. The secret is my 4 ingredient teriyaki sauce that I use as an umami, sweet marinade. I use this recipe to squash my regular cravings for teriyaki chicken. And it works. These cubes are perfection in a stir fry or salad – and even delightful on their own!

I crave teriyaki chicken all the time. It’s one of a handful of favorites that I started to miss almost immediately once I made the decision to cut back on meat. Along with my Japanese gyudon and Korean bulgogi, this teriyaki air fryer tofu honors the authentic flavors of something I truly love – just with a different protein at the helm.

My favorite bit of these tofu cubes is the crispy exterior coated with the umami sweetness of teriyaki sauce. The sugars in the 4 ingredient sauce caramelize in the air fryer in just about 10 minutes – so most of the cook time is passive wait time for my marinade to work its magic. Perfect after I’ve had a long day and just want to kick my feet up with a glass of wine and a bit of dinner. This tofu recipe tastes like my mom made teriyaki for me.

Ingredients
Variations
How To Make It
Expert Tips
How I Serve Teriyaki Air Fryer Tofu
Storage and Reheating
Frequently Asked Questions
More Air Fryer Recipes
Tableware

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.

Tofu: I only use extra-firm tofu when making this recipe. Silken and soft tofu are too delicate for this one.
Teriyaki Sauce: This is my marinade. It’s just a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and garlic. Feel free to play with the ratio of soy sauce and sugar to adjust the balance of umami and sweet. I love restaurant style teriyaki sauce.
Cornstarch: My secret ingredient. I dust the tofu cubes with cornstarch after I marinate them so they get a lovely crispy texture in the air fryer.
Soy Sauce: This is optional. But I drizzle a little soy sauce on top of the cooked tofu right before serving. It adds a final touch of umami and depth of flavor.
Green Onions: Also optional but lovely. Chopped scallions elevate the dish with a nice crunch and a sweet, sharp and refreshing taste.

Variations

Make it spicy: Add 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) to the marinade.

Add nuttiness: Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil to the marinade.

Add a floral element: Swap the sugar for honey in the marinade.

Make it gluten-free: Swap the soy sauce for liquid aminos or tamari.

How To Make It

Drain, wrap and slice the tofu. Drain the tofu block and wrap a paper towel around it. Place it on a flat surface and leave for 10 minutes. Then unwrap the tofu block and slice into cubes that are about 1 to 1.5 inches in size.
Marinade the tofu. Mix the mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic in a bowl and pour the mixture into a storage bag. Carefully add the tofu cubes and seal the bag. Spread the marinade evenly. Leave for 25 minutes.
Dust with cornstarch. Take the tofu cubes out of the bag and place them in a bowl. Sift the cornstarch over the tofu cubes to coat them evenly.
Air fry the tofu. Spray the air fryer basket with a little cooking spray and carefully add the tofu cubes to the basket. Air fry until the cubes are golden brown. Check the recipe card below for timing guidelines. I open the air fryer and lightly shake the basket every 2 minutes to prevent the cubes from sticking to the bottom.
Garnish, season and serve. Transfer the tofu to a plate and top with a little soy sauce and freshly chopped scallions. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Air fry at (or around) 400°F. That’s a high enough temperature that the tofu cubes will yield a crispy exterior – but not so high that they burn. Garlic and sugar both tend to burn quickly, so I always keep an eye on the cooking basket. When they’re golden brown, they’re ready.

Always drain and wrap the tofu before cooking. Tofu has a very high water content. That moisture stands in the way of the tofu cubes crisping up. And it can dilute the sauce. So after draining the water from the container the bean curd was shipped in, I simply wrap it in a paper towel and set it on a flat surface for 10-15 minutes or so. Then I unwrap and wait a minute. If water still pools around the base of the tofu block, I wrap it again.

I started adding tofu to my meals as a quick and easy way to up my protein intake. Bonus: I can easily turn a light dish into something more filling with a block of bean curd. A stash of tofu also comes in handy when I cook recipes that traditionally utilize tofu like Chinese mapo tofu and Korean kimchi jjigae. Tofu is a great vehicle for flavor. It becomes exactly what I need it to be for any given recipe.

How I Serve Teriyaki Air Fryer Tofu

Here are my favorites:

As a topping for salads – especially with firmer greens like romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or crunchy kale.
With a bowl of freshly steamed white or brown rice and some finely chopped spinach.
With stir fried noodles like chow mein and pancit bihon.
As an addition to stir fries. Add it in the very end when the stir fry is cooked (just before serving) so it stays crisp.
To a poke bowl or bibimbap.

Storage and Reheating

Fridge: Put the tofu in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating from the fridge:

For a crispy texture, spray the air fryer basket with a little cooking spray, and add the leftover tofu. Air fry at 370°F for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Keep an eye on the tofu by checking every 1 to 2 minutes, as it can overcook and burn quickly.
Or microwave on high for 1 minute. The texture won’t be crispy anymore though.

Freezer: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the tofu on top in a single layer, leaving a little space between the cubes. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until the tofu is hard/solid. Take the baking sheet out of the freezer and transfer the tofu cubes to an airtight storage bag. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating from the freezer: The tofu must be thawed before it can be reheated. I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to be reheated the next day. The steps for reheating are the same as the ones listed above. Keep in mind that the texture will be a little different, more firm, more chicken-like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my tofu cubes burn?

I’ve found that there’s a fine line between perfectly golden brown and carbon. That transition can happen in the span of a minute or two. So I make sure to open the cooking basket every couple of minutes to check on the progress of my tofu. While the air fryer does a fairly good job of circulating the heated air around the food evenly, I also shake the basket from time to time so the exposed surfaces of the tofu shift around.

Why did my marinade get so watery after I added the tofu cubes?

If the marinade became watery and diluted, the tofu probably wasn’t drained very well. Be sure to drain excess water and wrap in paper towels for a good 10 minutes before cutting and marinating. Some people use a tofu press to get rid of water. But I find that paper towels do the job perfectly well.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes! 100% vegan as written. Although strict vegans will want to use unrefined sugar instead of white sugar.

More Air Fryer Recipes

I use my air fryer all the time. It does some pretty spectacular stuff in terms of texture and caramelization. Here are a few of my favorites that I make at home all the time:

Tableware

The cat plate and tile pattern chopsticks I used in the images, are from Musubi Kiln.

Musubi Kiln is an online store specializing in high quality handmade Japanese tableware and dinnerware. Each product is made by Japanese craftsmen using traditional techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Get 10% off your purchase when using the code CAROLINE at checkout.

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!