I Asked 6 Chefs the Best Way To Cook Tofu—They All Said the Same Thing
It guarantees crispy, golden-brown tofu every time.
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I’ve been a tofu lover for my entire adult life. While it wasn’t commonly on the menu in my household growing up, I started reaching for it as soon as I got to college as a tasty and affordable protein option. I was drawn to tofu so strongly, in fact, that I mostly ate it raw those first few years.
And while I still snack on tofu straight out of the package, I’ve since learned how to cook this soy product in a variety of delicious ways. That said, there’s no such thing as having too many scrumptious tofu recipes in your back pocket so I’ve asked six chefs for their favorite way to enjoy this versatile ingredient and they all said the same thing.
The Chefs I Asked
Wei Guo: Founder of Chinese food blog Red House Spice
Sonia Wong: Food Network Canada recipe developer and content creator behind saltnpepperhere
Jeanine Donofrio: Founder of Love & Lemons
Erin Clarke: Founder of Well Plated and author of two cookbooks, Well Plated Cookbook and Well Plated Every Day
Kat Marris: Senior Recipe developer at Green Chef
Joanne Gallagher: Co-founder of Inspired Taste
The Best Way To Cook Tofu, According To Chefs
Despite the wide variety of culinary backgrounds among these chefs, they all agree that one of the best ways to cook tofu is in an air fryer. “My favorite way to cook it results in crisp outsides and firm, creamy insides, the air fryer gives you a yummy, deep-fried texture, but with significantly less oil,” Clarke explains.
If you’ve ever tried to get tofu crispy without an air fryer, then you know that while it’s entirely possible, it takes some serious skill and patience. The air fryer removes the guesswork from the equation as a delicious way to crisp tofu to perfection. “I prefer this method to pan-frying because it’s hands-off and the cleanup is easier—no oil splatters here,” says Donofrio.
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“Crispy tofu is one of my favorite ways to prepare tofu, the texture is addicting,” Marris adds. “Slightly crispy outside with a satisfying soft yet chewy inside, it's the perfect pairing for any dish.”
These chefs offered some helpful tips to make sure your first go at air-fried tofu is nothing short of a home run, too. “It's best to tear the tofu into pieces so that more surface area gets exposed to the hot air, resulting in maximum crunch,” says Gallagher. Many of the chefs also cited the importance of pressing your tofu before cooking to remove any excess water and tossing it in cornstarch for an even more impressive crunch.
Once your tofu is perfectly air fried, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy it. Guo offers air frying as an alternative method to pan frying in her recipe for Salt and Pepper Tofu, a classic Chinese dish full of aromatic flavor.
Meanwhile, Clarke “loves to dip tofu cubes in peanut sauce, add them to stir fries, or use them as a protein source for salads.” Marris savors hers with a sprinkle of tamari, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast, and Donofrio uses her crispy tofu “in stir fries, bowls, and more.”
One of Wong’s favorite tofu dishes is the Buddhist Chef’s Spicy Peanut Tofu. “I often make this recipe from his cookbook. The sauce is super easy. My daughter has been making it since she was seven or eight years old.” And while this recipe traditionally utilizes tofu straight from the package, you can easily sub in air-fried tofu.
The crunchy plant-based protein pairs perfectly with nearly any flavor combination you can think of. Ultimately, the culinary opportunities for air-fried tofu are really only limited by your imagination.
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