For a delicious appetiser that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, look no further than Agedashi Tofu! This simple air fryer version of the traditional Japanese deep fried tofu recipe is paired with a tsuyu sauce of dashi, mirin and soy sauce.
Why We Love This
Air fried agedashi tofu is a healthier version of the traditional deep fried tofu dish. Using an air fryer means you only need a fraction of the cooking oil, but the tofu is still just as crispy and delicious, with no mess or splatter of cooking in hot oil!
This is such a light side dish, it’s perfect for serving up as an appetiser before a bigger Japanese dish like okonomiyaki or spicy miso ramen!
Love tofu? See more amazing tofu recipes and marinade ideas here.
Related: Hiyayakko Cold Tofu for Summer / Simple Tofu Hot Pot (Yudofu)
What is Agedashi Tofu?
Agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐 in Japanese) refers to a dish of fried tofu served in a light tsuyu sauce made from dashi stock broth seasoned with soy sauce and mirin. It’s usually enjoyed as an entree or side dish at Japanese restaurants alongside a small portion of rice, Japanese salad, stir fried burdock and/or pickled vegetables (takuan).
Where the traditional agedashi tofu recipe is usually deep fried, today we’ll be using an air fryer so that we can use less cooking oil and avoid waste.
What You’ll Need
- Tofu – Medium firm tofu is a great choice as it will hold its shape well during frying. You can also use silken tofu.
- Cornstarch – We use cornstarch as it’s more readily available in our area, but you can also use potato starch.
- Dashi – Make your own dashi stock using kombu and/or bonito flakes, or use powdered dashi stock for convenience.
- Mirin – A sweet rice wine for cooking. If you can’t find it at your supermarket, you can omit or add in a 1/2 tsp of sugar instead. You can sometimes find this in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online.
- Soy Sauce – Use regular or light soy sauce – avoid dark soy sauce as this will make the tsuyu sauce too salty.
- Cooking Oil Spray – This helps to brown the outer coating on the tofu and crisp it up. Use a high quality cooking oil spray such as extra virgin olive oil for the best flavour. If you don’t have a spray, just use regular oil and lightly brush it over the tofu and air fryer cooking basket with a basting brush.
- Garnish – Traditional options include thinly sliced green onion and dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi). You can also top with a small dab (½ to 1 tsp) of freshly grated ginger, onion or daikon radish to taste.
How to make Agedashi Tofu:
- To make the agedashi tsuyu, pour the dashi stock into a medium saucepan along with the mirin and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then turn off heat and set aside.
- Drain the tofu and wrap in a piece of paper towel to absorb any excess water.
- Slice into segments, and gently wipe each piece with paper towel to dry.
- Coat each piece of tofu in cornstarch and tap off any excess. Spray or brush air fryer basket with oil, then preheat for 2 minutes at 200˚C / 390˚F.
- Place tofu pieces into the air fryer, making sure there’s plenty of space around each piece for the hot air to circulate, then spray or brush each piece with oil. Air fry for 6 minutes, then spray or brush once again with oil. Air fry for a further 6 minutes then flip over each tofu piece. Cook for a further 2 minutes until lightly browned and crispy!
- Transfer tofu onto serving plates. Gently ladle tsuyu into the dish (for the best presentation, don’t pour it straight over the tofu), then top with spring onion, katsuobushi, shichimi, daikon and/or your other chosen garnishes.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Extra Crispy Coating – Always wipe away any moisture from the surface of the tofu pieces using a piece of paper towel or cloth to avoid it becoming soggy. Don’t forget to lift the lid half way through and reapply more oil if required for an extra crispy finish!
FAQs
Is agedashi tofu vegan?
You can make this recipe vegan as long as you use kombu dashi (made with just kombu, no bonito flakes), or shiitake dashi.
I want to deep fry the tofu instead. Which oil should I use?
Vegetable oils with a high smoke point such as canola or rice bran oil are best, as they will cook the tofu quickly without burning or filling your kitchen with smoke.
What can I do with leftover stock?
Use it to make zosui rice soup! It’s also a great way to use up leftover sushi rice.
Variations
- Make it Spicy – Add a drop or two of rayu chilli oil or a tiny smear of yuzu kosho.
- Make Yudofu Instead – Simmer fresh tofu (without the cornstarch coating) in the dashi broth instead. This is known as yudofu – hot simmered tofu.
Flavourful Japanese appetisers to pair with your tofu:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Servings: 2 serves
Calories: 235kcal
Cost: $5
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g medium firm tofu drained, moisture wiped off, sliced into 6 cubes
- 2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour sub potato starch
- ¾ cup dashi stock or 3/4 tsp dashi powder in ¾ cup warm water
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- vegetable oil or cooking spray
Optional garnishes:
- 1 spring onion / green onion finely sliced
- 1 tbsp bonito flakes / katsuobushi
- shichimi togarashi to taste
- 2 cm daikon radish finely grated
Instructions
For the Tsuyu Sauce:
- To make the agedashi tsuyu, pour the dashi stock into a medium saucepan along with the mirin and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then turn off heat and set aside.¾ cup dashi stock, ¼ cup mirin, ¼ cup soy sauce
For the Agedashi Tofu:
- Drain the tofu and wrap in a piece of paper towel to absorb any excess water.300 g medium firm tofu
- Slice into 6 even cubes, and gently wipe each piece with paper towel to dry.
- Coat each piece of tofu in cornstarch and tap off any excess. Spray or brush air fryer basket with oil, then preheat for 2 minutes at 200˚C / 390˚F.2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- Place tofu pieces into the air fryer, making sure there’s plenty of space around each piece for the hot air to circulate, then spray or brush each piece with oil. Air fry for 6 minutes, then spray or brush once again with oil. Air fry for a further 6 minutes then flip over each tofu piece. Cook for a further 2 minutes until lightly browned and crispy!vegetable oil
- Transfer tofu onto serving plates. Gently ladle tsuyu into the dish (for the best presentation, don’t pour it straight over the tofu), then top with spring onion, katsuobushi, shichimi, daikon and/or your other chosen garnishes.1 spring onion / green onion, 1 tbsp bonito flakes / katsuobushi, shichimi togarashi, 2 cm daikon radish
Video
Recipe Notes
- Extra Crispy Coating – Always wipe away any moisture from the surface of the tofu pieces using a piece of paper towel or cloth to avoid it becoming soggy. Don’t forget to lift the lid half way through and reapply more oil if required for an extra crispy finish!
- Make it Spicy – Add a drop or two of rayu chilli oil or a tiny smear of yuzu kosho.
- Make Yudofu Instead – Simmer fresh tofu (without the cornstarch coating) in the dashi broth instead. This is known as yudofu – hot simmered tofu.
- Tofu – You can also use silken tofu.
- Dashi – Make your own dashi stock using kombu and/or bonito flakes, or use powdered dashi stock for convenience.
- Mirin – A sweet rice wine for cooking. Sub with 1/2 tsp of sugar.
- Soy Sauce – Use regular or light soy sauce – avoid dark soy sauce as this will make the tsuyu sauce too salty.
- Cooking Oil Spray – This helps to brown the outer coating on the tofu and crisp it up. Use a high quality cooking oil spray such as extra virgin olive oil for the best flavour. If you don’t have a spray, just use regular oil and lightly brush it over the tofu and air fryer cooking basket with a basting brush.
- Garnish – Traditional options include thinly sliced green onion and dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi). You can also top with a small dab (½ to 1 tsp) of freshly grated ginger, onion or daikon radish to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Easy 20 Minute Agedashi Tofu (Air Fryer Recipe)
Serving Size
300 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
235
% Daily Value*
Fat
7
g
11
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
1
mg
0
%
Sodium
2145
mg
93
%
Potassium
162
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
25
g
8
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
19
g
38
%
Vitamin A
63
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
226
mg
23
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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2 Comments
dina tate
06/07/2022 at 10:53 amthe tofu just doesnt crisp up in the air fryer. i’ve done this numerous times. the dashi is great, but the air fryer doesnt cut it with silken tofu unfortunately. works ok with medium/firm.
Wandercooks
06/07/2022 at 11:56 amGood to know re: silken tofu. The higher moisture content may affect the crispiness if using silken tofu. In that case, you could try using a little extra cornstarch / potato starch and turn up the air fryer a little higher (maybe 220C / 430F) to try and burn off that moisture. Otherwise, stick with the medium firm. 🙂