Air Fryer Vegan Tofu Sisig
A classic Filipino dish re-imagined with crispy tofu!
This delicious vegan tofu sisig is so easy to make and only takes 30 minutes!
If you enjoy vegan tofu recipes, give the following recipes a try.
- high protein spicy tofu and potato breakfast tacos
- classic Thai takeout tofu pad krapow
- comforting bowl of Korean tofu soondubu
How to make vegan tofu sisig in an air fryer
Sisig is a traditional Filipino dish made with crispy pork, onions, garlic, chili peppers, and calamansi juice. My recipe is a very non-traditional but convenient and vegan take on this classic dish since calamansis are difficult to find! In order to get the same crispy texture of the pork I decide to make crispy tofu using the air fryer. You still get a sizzling tofu dish sisig but with less oil.
Key ingredients & substitutions for crispy tofu sisig
- firm tofu – I recommend firm tofu but you can also try this out with extra firm tofu or any plant-based meats
- lemon juice – technically lemon juice is a substitution for calamansi juice already! if you have access to calamansi you should definitely use it. You can also use lime juice.
- Calamansi is a hybrid citrus fruit between a mandarin and a kumquat. If you have access to both you can mix equal parts to obtain a similar juice
- vegan mayonnaise – there is a lot of debate on if sisig should have mayonnaise or not. My vote is to add if you’re looking for something a bit creamy!
Vegan Tofu Sisig
Pin this RecipeCrispy tofu cooked in the air fryer and tossed in a sweet and tangy vegan sisig sauce
Ingredients
Crispy Air Fryer Tofu
- 2 blocks firm tofu
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Vegan Filipino Sisig Sauce
- 2 small shallots
- 6 thai chili peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 small lemon, juiced or 3-4 calamansis
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- vegan mayonnaise optional
Instructions
- Air fry the tofu. Press out the water of the firm tofu blocks and pat dry. I like to press these out for 2-4 hours. Cut the tofu blocks into 1 inch cubes. Place the tofu cubes in a mixing bowl and coat the tofu cubes with the corn starch. Air fry the tofu cubes at 400℉ for 20 minutes, flipping half way. Move on to step 2 while the tofu is cooking.Note: The tofu cubes will likely be too much to fry all at once so work in batches. You can also spray a little bit of non-stick spray to help the tofu crisp up.
- Prep the sauce ingredients. Dice the shallot and garlic. Slice the thai chilis into 1 inch pieces. Roughly dice the bell pepper (larger than the shallot and garlic)
- Make the tofu sisig. In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot add the shallots and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes until the shallots become a bit translucent. Turn down the heat if the garlic starts to burn. Add in the chopped bell pepper and thai chilis. Continue cooking and stir frying all of the aromatics so all the flavors are cooked together and not burning. Cook for another 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and toss in the crispy tofu, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Stir and cook for another minute until everything is coated evenly. Serve with rice.
