FAQ
Believe it or not, air fryers can make more than crispy French fries, chicken bites and potato chips. This trendy countertop appliance is also perfect for cooking up a complete vegetarian meal that tastes like you’re dining at a plant-based café! If you’re craving the sweet and savory flavors of tikka masala in an easy-to-prepare vegetarian dish, our Air Fryer Tofu Tikka Masala recipe checks off all the boxes. Plus, it even fits into your weight loss plan!
To make this vegetarian twist on a classic meal, you’ll need an air fryer and a blender. You’ll cook up most of the components using the air fryer, then create a delicious, creamy sauce in your blender.
Get started by preheating your air fryer to 350 degrees. Place the tomatoes and the onion into the air fryer and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once they are soft, remove the tomatoes and onion from the air fryer and swap in the tofu and red bell pepper. Spray them with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle on some smoke paprika. Cook the tofu and bell pepper for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
Next, grab your blender to whip up the tikka masala sauce for your tofu. Place the cooked tomatoes and onions into the blender along with grated ginger, minced garlic, light butter, light coconut milk and spices. The spice blend we use for this dish includes garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, turmeric and more smoked paprika. Blend the sauce until it’s smooth.
Now it’s time to eat! Combine the sauce with the cooked tofu, red bell peppers and green peas in a bowl. Garnish your meal with chopped cilantro before serving.
This Air Fryer Tofu Tikka Masala recipe makes four perfectly portioned servings. Each serving contains 179 calories. If you’re losing weight on Nutrisystem and using our free NuMi app, you can log this vegetarian meal as one PowerFuel, two Extras and one Vegetable serving.
Pro Tip: If you’d like to add a SmartCarb to this plant-based air fryer recipe, just make sure to log it in your NuMi journal. We think the tikka masala flavors pair great with brown rice or whole wheat pita bread. Watching your carbs? You can serve the tofu tikka masala over a bed of steamed cauliflower rice.
Looking for another tasty air fryer tofu recipe? Try whipping up our Air Fryer Orange Tofu, which features a sweet and savory combination of orange juice, fresh ginger, minced garlic, low sodium soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Get the full Air Fryer Orange Tofu recipe here! >
Even if you don’t have an air fryer, we have plenty of vegetarian recipes for weight loss that you can enjoy while you drop pounds and get healthy. Check out some of our other favorites below:
- Grilled Cabbage Steaks >
- Turnip Veggie Patty >
- One-Pan Vegetarian Mexican Quinoa >
- Slow Cooker Moroccan Lentil Soup >
- Zoodle Mac and Cheese with Roasted Veggies >
- Vegetarian Meatballs With Zucchini Noodles >
- Asian Cashew and Farro Salad >
- Jamaican Jerk Jackfruit Bowl >
- Baked Vegetarian Chickpea Meatballs >
- Edamame Hummus >
*Please note that all air fryers cook differently. Before trying any recipe, always refer to the manufacturer safety instructions provided with your specific air fryer.
Servings: 4
Calories per Serving: 179
On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel, 2 Extras and 1 Vegetable
Ingredients:
- 14 oz. tofu (1 package), diced
- 2 tomatoes, halved
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp. ginger, grated
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp. light butter
- 2/3 cup light coconut milk (canned)
- 2 tsp. garam masala
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (plus more for tofu)
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/8 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 cup green peas
- Cilantro, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F.
- Place tomatoes and onion in air fryer and spray with nonstick spray. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until soft.
- Remove tomatoes and onion and add tofu and red bell pepper. Spray with nonstick spray and season with paprika. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly browned.
- Place tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, butter, coconut milk, and spices in blender. Blend until smooth.
- Combine sauce, tofu, green peas, and red bell peppers in a bowl. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.
- Pairs well with brown rice or whole wheat naan bread.
- *Please note that all air fryers cook differently. Before trying any recipe, always refer to the manufacturer safety instructions provided with your specific air fryer.
