Hello, friends! Let’s get right into it – who in their right mind doesn’t like crispy fries? If you answered, “me,” this might not be the recipe for you. But, for the rest of you intrepid veg-ketoers, stick around. I’m a huge fan of crispy foods, including fries, and the other day I got the idea stuck in my head that I wanted to try and make fries out of tofu. This may have occurred after I accidentally overcooked some tofu and realized how crispy it can get in the air fryer… But anyway, looking around my fridge, I saw some homemade gochujang and realized that air fryer vegan keto Korean BBQ tofu fries were in my future.

This really didn’t take a lot of recipe testing, which is unfortunate, because I’d be happy eating them every day. I basically just borrowed the Korean BBQ-inspired marinade from the taco recipe in my cookbook, and used that with a block of tofu. I also got to employ my homemade gochujang, which I was pretty pumped about, since it’s so good, I just want to put it on EVERYTHING.

This recipe is super simple, and only requires a few ingredients. So, run to your fridge/pantry and grab the following (full measurements in recipe card below):

• tofu
• low-sodium tamari (you can use Korean soy sauce if you can tolerate gluten)
• sesame oil
• gochujang, chili paste or sriracha
• garlic powder
• ground ginger
• mayo for dipping
• scallions

The mayo and scallions are for a dipping sauce, by which I mean straight vegan mayo with scallions mixed in, and can be seen in action below. Look at that dip! this is mostly to show that the tofu actually holds up like a fry.

You may have noticed that this recipe is uncharacteristically soy-heavy for me. Usually, tofu can be problematic for me, but I’ve discovered that sprouted tofu is actually fine and I don’t seem to react to it. You could also use coconut aminos and hemp tofu to make this totally soy-free. For those food allergies and intolerances, you’ll be pleased to know that this recipe is already:

• egg-free
• dairy-free
• nut-free
• gluten-free
• coconut-free
• added sugar-free

Notes on Making Air Fryer Vegan Keto Korean BBQ-Inspired Tofu Fries (gluten-free, low-carb)

• If you don’t want to make your own sugar-free and gluten-free gochujang (though I highly recommend you do!), you could just use 1 tsp of chili paste or sriracha instead.
• You could make this with a soy-free tofu (like this hemp tofu), but you’ll have to be extra careful, as soy-free tofu tends to be far more delicate.
• For a little extra kick, toss some gochujang in the mayo as well!
• You could use whatever dipping sauce you want here, I just went with mayo because it’s what was in my fridge, and the richness of the vegan mayo (which was from the clearance bin at TJ Maxx, so I’m sure I’ll never find that one again…) works really nicely with the salty, spicy fries.
• You could bake these in the oven as well. They won’t be quite as crispy, but they’ll still taste good! I’d start at around 25 minutes at 350°F (180°C), and then checking every few minutes after until they’re totally crispy.
• While I strive to provide accurate nutritional information, different brands and varieties of products will have different nutritional values. So, your calculations may vary!

Vegan Keto Korean BBQ-Inspired Tofu Fries (gluten-free, low-carb)

Print Recipe

These crispy air-fried tofu fries are super high in protein, super low in carbs and so full of delicious Korean barbecue-inspired flavors!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine vegan keto

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 3 servings

Calories 309

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz package extra firm tofu, drained and pressed (400g)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari (60ml)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar-free gochujang
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 4 tbsp vegan mayo to serve
• scallions for garnish

Instructions

• Slice the tofu block into fry-sized pieces. Mine were about 1cm tall and wide, by 10cm long, which is just under half an inch wide and thick, and 4in long.
• Whisk together everything but the vegan mayo and the scallions. Spread out the tofu slices in a flat container and pour the marinade on top. It can be in two layers. Gently move the dish back and forth to cover everything. You could cover and shake the container, but the tofu pieces may fall apart! Let this mixture sit for around 10-15 minutes, so the tofu absorbs all of that flavorful goodness.
• Lay the tofu pieces in your air fryer (you may need to do more than one batch - I did!) and cook at 350°F (180°C) for 20-25 minutes, until crispy. Time will vary slightly based on how crispy you want them, how much moisture is still left in the tofu and how big the air fryer is.
• Mix together mayo and scallions and serve this mixture alongside the fries.

Notes

To calculate net carbs - subtract the grams of fiber and sugar alcohols (if applicable) from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.4g | Protein: 16.2g | Fat: 26.3g | Fiber: 1.7g