RECIPES

Air-Fried Tofu Balls – The Foodie Takes Flight

Another air-fryer recipe: Air-Fried Tofu Balls!

These air-fried tofu balls are

made with tofu and a few other basic ingredients
super easy to put together since you can leave the rest to your air-fryer or oven to cook down
great as a finger food or snack with your dipping sauce of choice or as a hearty main paired with rice.

You can also turn this into Sweet Chili Tofu Balls (recipe here) that are great with rice!

Sweet Chili Tofu Balls version:

Air-Fried Tofu Balls in Sweet Chili Sauce Cross-Section

THE TOFU BALLS MIXTURE

extra firm tofu
carrot
spring onion or scallion
salt
soy sauce
black pepper
quick cook oatmeal (crushed) or panko/Japanese bread crumbs
all purpose flour or other flour of choice

Press the tofu to drain excess liquid. I like to wrap mine in a towel and place a heavy weighted surface on top (such as a chopping board).
Mash the tofu in a bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to mix it well until combined. To test if the mixture holds up well, get a scoop and roll it into a ball. It should hold up well and not break apart. If it breaks apart, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour if needed to absorb any excess moisture and help it hold together better.
Shape the mixture into small balls or other shape of your choice.

AIR FRY THE TOFU BALLS

Place the balls in your air-fryer. Brush or spray some oil on the balls.
Air-fry for 15-20 minutes at 180C/375F or until golden brown, flip halfway if needed.
Remove the meatballs from the air-frying and serve with your favourite dipping sauce or sauce of choice.

What if I don’t have an air-fryer?

You can bake, pan fry, or even deep fry these too!

For pan frying, it might be easier to shape these into small patties instead of balls especially if you’re not using much oil so you could get these nice and crisp on both sides.
For baking, 180C would be good and would most likely take longer than an air-fryer. So possibly around 35-40 minutes. I recommend to flip it halfway through baking.
For deep frying, be sure to heat your oil well before adding the balls so they get nice, golden brown, and crisp without absorbing the oil.

FOR A SAUCE/GLAZED VERSION: MAKE SWEET CHILI TOFU BALLS!

These tofu balls are great with any dipping sauce of your choice but I prefer these with a delicious sauce or glaze to coat the balls! You can check out my Sweet Chili Tofu Balls recipe here. These are so good with rice!