Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu

Never have boring tofu again with this Crispy Breaded Air Fryer Tofu. Inspired by a Gordon Ramsay chicken recipe, I tried marinating tofu in pickle brine, and the results were amazing. It adds a gently tangy, salty-sweet flavor that completely transforms the tofu. Then, instead of basic breadcrumbs, I coated it in crushed sour cream-onion pretzels (yes, pretzels!) for an ultra-crispy crust. Air fried to golden perfection, this tofu is crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of personality.

 

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• Why You’ll Love This
• The Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Equipment Used
• How to Make this
• How To Store
• FAQ
• Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

Why You’ll Love This 

TL;DR

• Flavor Sponge: Tofu’s neutral taste makes it the perfect canvas for bold marinades and seasonings.
• Pickle Power: Inspired by a culinary pro, pickle brine infuses tofu with a surprising salty-sweet tang.
• Crunch Factor: Elevate your tofu with a crispy coating of crushed, flavorful pretzels (or your favorite salty snack!).
• Air Fried: Achieve golden, crispy perfection in just 15 minutes with this quick and healthy cooking method.
• Kid-Friendly Favorite: Transform tofu into irresistible “nuggets” – a plant-based win for little ones.
• Nutrient-Packed & Light: Enjoy a complete protein that’s kind to your heart and waistline.

Let’s talk tofu, shall we?

I don’t need to convince the vegans among you that tofu is a fabulous way to get your protein. But those of you that are still hesitant, not convinced or have tried it and found it boring: I’m here to change that!

Tofu takes on any flavor you like

Stemming from China and being made from soy milk in a similar process to making cheese, tofu, on its own, is fairly neutral. Which is probably the reason for the “boring” reputation. Just as we wouldn’t dream of eating unseasoned chicken, tofu truly shines when its neutral canvas is infused with flavorful additions.

In this case I’m using that to my advantage by mimicking an idea I saw Gordon Ramsey using with chicken, tenderizing it (tofu doesn’t need that) and infusing it with flavors via pickle brine. Turns out that works marvellously with tofu!

While it is tender enough as is, the brine gets all the lovely pickle flavor into the tofu, making it really enjoyable to eat. Not vinegary mind you. Just this gently salty-sweet with hints of tang you’d get when using it with meat.

Of course you could use any other flavor combo you like. Say adding soy sauce (more of a classic Asian vibe) or even go the Italian direction with some garlic and herbs.

Make it breaded and crunchy

Still thinking of that super crunchy and tender chicken recipe, I wanted breading around my tofu. And while I tried the typical cornstarch method, it never quite… delivered the satisfying crunch I was looking for.

Cornflakes do, as I showed in my Vegetarian Caesar salad recipe, but what if the breading itself could be flavorful?
And what goes fantastic with the pickle theme? Pretzels! In my case the ones with sour cream-onion flavor! Turns out, crushed in the food processor *, they make a fabulously crispy breading!

By the way, all sorts of salty snacks would work well too. Try chips!
Of course you could simply use panko breadcrumbs. But why would you?

Air Fried for extra crunch and lower fat

Now, you can fry or bake this and certainly pan fried tastes great, but I much prefer the air fryer * method for easy, lower fat, hands off baking. The pretzel crumb crust gets lovely, golden and crispy with just a few sprays of oil, tender and soft on the inside. Plus the whole thing is ready baked within 15 minutes. Talking about easy weekday meals!

Fabulous for kids

If you cut the pieces a little smaller, you can even sell them to the kids as similar to chicken nuggets. They taste and feel so close to it, making it a surprisingly easy plant-based swap.

Tofu is good for you

One reason vegans love tofu so much is, that it serves as a source of complete protein and many other nutrients. There is some evidence that it may be heart healthy, help manage blood sugar, support bone health and even alleviate peri-menopause symptoms.

With its remarkably low fat and calorie content (around 73 calories per 100g compared to chicken’s 165), I found tofu to be a fantastic aid during weight loss. It kept me feeling just as full and satisfied as chicken.

How to Serve this?

You can use breaded tofu in all the ways you would, say, breaded chicken or schnitzel.
I served it with my Cottage Cheese Fried Pickle Dip, staying with the pickle theme, and it was so moreish, I couldn’t stop snacking!
There was the savory pretzel crunch topped with creamy ranch-dressing reminiscent and gherkin-studded dip, followed by the pillowy soft tofu, which I can honestly say I prefer to meat at this point.

Of course you could dip this into BBQ sauce or marinara sauce (kids will love it!), and how about a more sophisticated Black Garlic Aioli?

Or stuff it into a burger instead of breaded chicken. Drizzle the dip over it, maybe some fresh lettuce and tomato and you’ll have a quick and delicious lunch!

Maybe make it with mushroom sauce instead of steak? I made a lovely vegan mushroom sauce that I had with cauliflower steaks, but it would go equally well with breaded tofu, giving you a Sunday worthy dinner.

The Ingredients

Brining

• Tofu – Use extra firm here. If you are worried about GMO due to the soy milk used, look for Organic tofu brands. Here in Ireland most of them are.
• Pickle Juice – Yup, the liquid from your pickle jar. Which is btw endlessly useful! Use any brand you enjoy. I personally prefer the sweeter ones with honey, but you might like it spicy. Either works.
• Fresh dill – This one is optional. It will support the classic dill pickle flavor and I think it just looks so fresh and inviting!

Tip

Did you know that the texture of tofu gets actually “meatier” when you freeze it first?
Yep, baffled me too! So now I always have a block of tofu in my freezer!

It also gets spongier, soaking up and releasing water easier, which is perfect for frying it!

Breading

• Pretzels – You can use any crunchy pretzel or snack you like. I happen to love sour cream and onion flavor.
• Flour – Essential for helping the breading adhere beautifully to the tofu.
• Spices – I added garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper, a little lemon zest that I had left out overnight to dry slightly and dried dill. You can vary this mix wildly! (I forgot them in the picture, hence the text where they should be. Imagine them for me please, will ya?)
• Almond milk – Any sort of milk you have will work. Or egg for that matter, if you don’t mind going non-vegan.

There, that’s it! A short list for a change, isn’t it?

substitutions

• If you don’t happen to have a jar of pickles around you can either make your own quick pickles, following my recipe or use these ingredients to make about the amount of “simulated” pickle brine you will need:
  
  • 4 tbsp vinegar
  • 5 tbsp water
  • ⅛ tsp sugar or honey
  • Scant ⅓ tsp kosher salt

It won’t have all the aromatics classic pickle brine has but will get the job done.

• To make this gluten free use GF pretzels (or any GF snack) and GF flour. Cornflour works too.
• Panko bread crumbs work too of course.
• To make it vegan, use plant milk (I used almond milk) and a vegan pretzel snack
• Spice substitutions: You could add paprika/smoked paprika for a more KFC chicken-like flavor, add chili for spice, any herbs you might like or go the Asian way by using Chinese 5 spice, which would be delicious!

Equipment Used

chopping board

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knife

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tofu press

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Measuring Cups

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food processor

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air fryer

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*

How to Make this

The day before (ideally)

Or just a few hours before if you are in a hurry.

Press the tofu to get as much water out as possible, which will help to get the flavors of the pickle brine into it.
I used a tofu press * for it, but paper towels with a board and something heavy on top work too. Just don’t be like me and ruin a Dutch oven * by it sliding off the board…put it somewhere secure. An hour will be enough. Though overnight is great too.

Brine your tofu

Slice your block of tofu into 4-5 roughly to 1/3 -1/2 inch slabs. Put them into a freezer bag. Mix the pickle juice with a bit more salt, then pour it into the bag. Close the bag and push out the air.
Leave in the fridge for min 1h or overnight. Tofu is pretty forgiving. I even left mine once for 2 days and it was grand.

Dry and bread

Process or smash your pretzels until you have a mix of fine and some coarser crumbs.

When you are ready to fry your tofu, transfer it from the freezer bag onto some clean paper towels and dry it. You don’t need to apply much pressure at this point. Just so the slices are not dripping wet.

Mix the spices into the flour and set up a breading station with 1 plate of flour, 1 with the almond milk and pretzel crumbs.

Now, using one hand for the dry coating and one hand for the wet, to avoid the dreaded “bread fingers” push your tofu first firmly into the flour mix, shake off excess. Then into the milk followed by the pretzel crumbs, pushing them in really firmly.

Air Fry

Spray the tofu and your air fryer * basket with a bit of cooking oil and bake at 375°F/190°C for about 15 minutes, turning it once after 7 minutes, until both sides are nice, golden brown and crispy.

Alternatively bake in the oven at 375°F/190°C for about 40min, turning after 20.

Or fry in some oil until golden and crispy in a non-stick pan.
I’m reasonably sure you could even deep fry this, but I haven’t tried it, so I won’t make any promises.

Serve

Serve with a creamy dip, or sauce or maybe on top of a stir fry!

Watch The Video

How To Store

The crispy breaded tofu keeps best in a lidded container * lines with a paper towel, so the bottom doesn’t get soggy. You can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days and just re-heat in the air fryer or pan. It crisps up beautifully.

FAQ

Other recipes you might enjoy

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.

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