Salt and pepper is a Cantonese restaurant style, where fried pieces get tossed hot in a dry salt and pepper mix instead of a wet sauce. This is the tofu version of that method, and the air fryer stands in for the deep fry so I use only a spray of oil. If you like the same treatment on a thicker slab, I also make a salt and pepper tofu steak.
I started making this when I wanted crispy tofu on a weeknight without heating a pot of frying oil. A block of tofu usually sits in my fridge for stir fries, so turning it into a crunchy snack is an easy call when my son asks for something he can pick up with his fingers. He skips the pepper salt and eats his plain, which the recipe makes simple since the seasoning goes on at the very end.
I marinate the cubes in a little garlic and ginger powder, coat them in cornstarch, and air fry with a good spray of oil until they turn light golden. Then I toss them hot with the white pepper salt so the crisp surface grabs the seasoning. I recommend you to try this the next time you want fried tofu texture without the fryer, my recipe below takes you from a cold block to a crunchy plate in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients I use to make this Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Tofu recipe at home:
Tofu: I use firm tofu cut into small squares so each cube crisps on the outside while staying tender inside. I pat it dry with paper towels first, but I skip the heavy pressing since the marinade and cornstarch handle the surface.
Marinade: I season the cubes with garlic powder, ginger powder, and salt, then stir in peanut oil and Shaoxing wine.
Spice mix: I stir together white pepper powder, five spice powder, brown sugar, and salt for the finishing toss. This is the salt and pepper part of the dish, and I keep half of it aside to serve on the side for dipping.
Coating and finishing: I coat the marinated tofu in cornstarch and mist it with oil spray, which is what gives the bites their crunch in the air fryer. For serving I add lemon wedges and a little mayonnaise, both optional.
How to Make
1. Marinate the tofu: Combine the garlic powder, ginger powder, and salt in a big bowl and stir to mix. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels, add it to the bowl, and fold it with a spatula. Pour in the peanut oil and Shaoxing wine, stir once more, and let it sit while you prep the rest.
2. Mix the spice: Combine the white pepper powder, five spice powder, brown sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir until blended. Set it aside for the finishing toss.
3. Coat the tofu: When you are ready to cook, add the cornstarch to the tofu 1 tablespoon at a time, folding after each addition until every cube wears a thick coating. The coating does not need to look even, and a tray or wide bowl keeps the cubes more intact than shaking them in a bag.
4. Preheat and load the basket: Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Spray the basket with oil, then place the tofu in a single layer without overlapping.
5. First air fry: Spray a generous amount of oil over the tofu so no cornstarch looks dry, then cook until light golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. The oil is what turns the surface crispy instead of chalky, so do not skip it.
6. Flip and finish: Flip each piece with tongs, spray again with oil, and air fry until golden and crispy.
7. Season and serve: While the tofu is still hot, sprinkle about half the spice mix over it and toss with a spatula. Taste and add more if you want, then serve with the remaining spice mix on the side.
My Cooking Tips
Coat right before cooking: I add the cornstarch only when the air fryer is preheating. If the coated tofu sits too long, the cornstarch drinks up the marinade and turns pasty instead of crisping.
Mist until nothing looks powdery: The dry spots I see before cooking are the dry spots I taste after. I spray oil over the whole basket until the white cornstarch turns translucent, both before the first fry and again after the flip.
Cook in a single layer: Crowding the basket steams the cubes instead of crisping them. If my block makes too much for one round, I run two batches rather than stacking.
Season off the heat, not in the marinade: The salt and pepper mix goes on hot tofu at the very end, never into the marinade. Tossed on last, the crisp shell grabs the seasoning and the pieces stay crunchy.
Keep half the spice for dipping: I toss the tofu with only half the mix and put the rest in a small dish. That way each person adjusts the salt and pepper to taste without oversalting the whole batch.
How to Serve
Fresh out of the basket, I serve these on a plate with lemon wedges and a small dish of mayonnaise. My husband and I usually eat the first few while they are hottest, dunking them in the pepper salt on the side. Because they stay crunchy even after they cool, they hold up as a party snack that does not need to be eaten the second it comes out.
When I want them to be part of a meal instead of a snack, I pile them onto a rice bowl or a salad for a dose of crispy protein, or set them out as a starter before a larger dinner. For an appetizer table I put them next to Chinese scallion pancakes for something chewy alongside the crunch, then follow with a main like black pepper chicken and a vegetable such as Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce. If you want to stay in tofu territory, my general Tso tofu makes a saucy counterpart to these dry crisp bites.
Frequently Ask Questions
Why is my tofu not getting crispy?
The two usual reasons are too little oil and a crowded basket. If any cornstarch still looks dry and white going in, it turns chalky instead of crisp, so I mist until the surface looks translucent. I also keep the cubes in one layer, since overlapping pieces trap steam and go soft.
Can I use a different type of tofu?
I stick with firm tofu because it holds its shape through the coating and the flip without falling apart. Silken or soft tofu has too much water and will break in the basket. If your block sits on the softer side, pat it a little drier before coating.
Do I need the marinade if the seasoning goes on at the end?
The marinade and the finishing spice do two different jobs, so I keep both. The garlic, ginger, and Shaoxing wine season the tofu from the surface in while it rests, and the salt and pepper mix adds the punch of flavor on the outside at the end. Skipping the marinade leaves the inside plain.
How long do leftovers keep in the fridge and freezer?
These are best the day I make them, but leftovers hold in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To bring back the crunch, I reheat them in the air fryer at 375 degrees for a few minutes rather than the microwave, which turns them soft. I do not freeze them, since the coating loses its crisp and the tofu turns spongy after thawing.
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Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Tofu
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 block (16 ounces / 450g) firm tofu , cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) squares
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
Spice Mix
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
Cooking
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Oil spray
- Lemon wedges for garnish (Optional)
- Mayonnaise for garnish (Optional)
Instructions
Cooking
- To marinate the tofu: Combine the garlic powder, ginger powder, and salt in a big bowl. Stir to mix well. Gently pat the tofu dry with kitchen paper towels (no need to press the tofu). Then add it to the spice bowl and gently mix with a spatula. Pour in the peanut oil and Shaoxing wine. Stir again to mix well. Marinate while preparing other ingredients.
- For the spice mix: Combine the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
- To cook the tofu: When you’re ready to cook, add the cornstarch to the bowl of tofu, 1 tablespoon at a time, and gently mix until the tofu is evenly coated with a thick coating.
- Heat air fryer to 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with oil. Place the tofu in the air fryer basket without overlapping. Once the tofu is in the air fryer basket, spray a generous amount of oil to cover the tofu so the cornstarch doesn’t look dry. Cook until the tofu turns light golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the tofu using a pair of tongs. Spray with a generous amount of oil again. Continue to cook until turning golden brown throughout and some edges have browned, another 8 to 10 minutes. Once done, transfer tofu to a big bowl.
- While the tofu is still hot, sprinkle about half of the spice mix onto it and gently toss it with a spatula. Adjust the taste by adding more spice mix if needed.
- Serve hot or at room temperature as an appetizer with the remaining spice mix on the side for dipping. If preferred, serve with lemon wedges and mayonnaise.
Notes
- To make the dish gluten-free: Use dry sherry or chicken stock to replace Shaoxing wine.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.
Austin
I made this for dinner!
Truly delicious!