Air-fried tofu tastes great with a sweet and savory berry glaze. This Blueberry Glazed Tofu is a great appetizer, snack, or as part of a meal.
I am going to be the first to admit that this tofu dish does not look pretty, but the taste is amazing! Increase the amount of chili garlic sauce to dial up the heat.
You Will Love this Blueberry Glazed Tofu
We love this recipe so much that we double when we make it. You will love it because it is:
vegan
whole food plant based
oil-free
easy to make
adjustable with your favorite berries and spice level
How to Make Berry Coated Tofu
This recipe goes together quickly the following way:
press the tofu and cube
toss in soy sauce & arrowroot powder
air fry
make the glaze in a skillet
stir in tofu
For this recipe you need the following ingredients:
This recipe starts with pressing tofu. Use a tofu press or press by hand.
Then cut the tofu into small uniform cubes using the following method:
Slice the tofu block in half horizontally.
Slice both down the middle vertically.
Slice each half 3-4 times parallel and perpendicular to the middle cut.
Coat the Tofu
In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder. You can substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce if you want yours gluten-free. Corn starch can be used instead of arrowroot powder.
Add the tofu cubes into the bowl and toss until well coated.
Air fry at 375-395° F for 15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. I find that air fryers vary, so find the sweet spot with yours. Our new Ninja Air Fryer has to be set at a higher temperature to cook properly.
Make the Berry Glaze
While the tofu is cooking, add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon fresh minced or powdered ginger, ½ – 1 teaspoon of chili garlic paste, 1 teaspoon of five spice blend to a non-stick skillet.
Stir over medium heat until the liquid starts to thicken. Turn down the heat to a simmer and stir for 3-5 minutes until the berries start to break up.
Smash the berries with the back of your spatula. The first time I made this I left it on the heat too long and the glaze dried up a bit.
Remove from the heat and toss in the tofu. Stir until coated.
Serve by itself, over rice, or as a side dish. We love it so much that we eat it right out of the pan.
I have only made this with blueberries, but it would be equally as good made with frozen mixed berries.
Increase the amount of chili garlic paste if you like spicy. I have gone up to a full teaspoon and it was not too much for our sensitive tongues.
Arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave a little space around each one. If the cubes are too crowded in the basket, they won't crisp up as they cook.
On its own, tofu is bland. Letting it sit in a marinade for as little as 15 minutes makes all the difference in the world. Cornstarch. I tested this air fryer tofu both with and without cornstarch.
After the hot water soak, it's still important to completely blot the pieces of tofu dry so that they don't stick to the air fryer. Combining the soak, thorough blot drying, and a good dusting of arrowroot powder will get you nicely crispy results! It only takes about 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
If your crispy tofu isn't getting crispy, it could be because there is too much moisture in the tofu. Another issue could be the oil isn't hot enough to fry the tofu. Or you forgot to add the corn flour. These three reasons can cause your tofu to be soggy or not crisp up as much as you'd like.
Coating your tofu with a mixture of cornstarch and salt will give it a crunchy coating with great flavor. You can also use potato starch, regular flour, or even gluten-free flour instead of cornstarch, but the cornstarch crisps up the best. You can bake, pan-fry, or deep fry your tofu.
Type of oil to use for frying tofu: Canola is great and so are vegetable/soybean oil and refined peanut oil. In general, choose a neutral-flavored oil that has a high smoking point. That is, don't deep-fry with sesame oil.
Once the tofu is marinated, I use a cornstarch coating with some cumin powder in it. Not only does it create a super crispy result, but the seasoning further brings out the flavor of the tofu.
Here's the thing: even though tofu might be labeled firm or extra-firm, it contains a lot of water. This excess water can cause the tofu to crumble when you cook it, and it will also have a hard time crisping up. But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture.
What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.
The great news about air fryers is that you can use foil along with parchment paper to cook your food in an air fryer. Just remember that if it's safe and effective to use in a conventional oven, it will work just fine in an air fryer.
To cook extra firm tofu, start by draining and pressing the tofu to remove excess water.Then, you can cut it into desired shapes, such as cubes or slices, and cook it using methods like pan-frying, baking, or grilling until it turns golden brown and develops a crispy exterior.
Tofu seasoning rub: Rub the pressed tofu with lots of spices like garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast or a spicy taco seasoning, KFC seasoning, Buffalo spice, etc. Tofu marinade: Soak the tofu cubes in your favorite chicken/meat marinade to infuse extra flavor.
The effect of eating tofu with weight loss has been proven on many studies. Specifically, people who follow the tofu diet from 2 months to 1 year will lose an average of 4.5 kg. Therefore, this food has been and is appearing popular in many people's weight loss, diet, and vegetarian menus.
Tofu that has gone bad also tends to be slimy and have a sour or rotten odor – fresh tofu has no odor. If you find any of these signs of spoilage, toss the tofu. Bottom Line: Even though tofu is a plant-based food, it can still spoil and should be handled with care.
Dry the outside of the food properly before you add oil. Do not use too much oil, as this will make the food less crispy and more fattening. Meat or poultry can be lightly brushed with oil or marinated to get the crispiest results.
While we wish it were possible to fry without any oil, air fryers do need a little oil to make your food crispy (but you'll use a lot less than a traditional fryer).
Don't overcrowd your insert, or else the air fried veggies will turn out mushy. Go light on the oil. Too much, and the vegetables will become oversaturated and not crisp up. Slice everything in small pieces and thin strips or rounds to make sure they cook evenly in the air fryer.
To ensure your chips are crispy, be sure to completely dry your potatoes before you start cooking. Also, make sure you rinse them long enough for crispy air fryer potato chips. Using too much oil could also make your potato chips less crispy.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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