This is hands down my new favorite recipe heading into the new 2026 options around here. If you haven’t tried ripping your tofu into ragged bites and air-frying them, you really should. Even if you aren’t sure about tofu, these crunchy little buggers taste so much like a chicken nugget I almost got them past my nugget loving child without him realizing it. Now, I never recommend ‘sneaking’ food into your kids’ meals, but consider this market research. As soon as I told him, he was shocked to learn it was tofu, not chicken. Then, anything covered in a hot honey sauce is an immediate win, in my opinion. The main star of this bowl is the tofu nuggets, but feel free to add whatever other veggies and starches you want to complete it.
Press your tofu lightly with a towel to remove some water. But you don’t have to spend much time here, as the air fryer will dry the liquid out for us. Then, rip into nugget-sized chunks and place into a bowl. Coat with oil and corn starch. Arrange in a single layer on your tray and air-fry for 15 – 20 minutes, and you’ve got tofu nugs! (Picture below is pre-cooking. They will be golden brown when they are done.)
Next, you’ll mix up the delicious hot honey sauce. This is packed full of flavor but super easy to make. It is just hot honey, avocado oil, salt, and a ton of spices. I recommend using about two-thirds of the sauce on the tofu and saving the rest to drizzle over the bowl.
Now it’s time to build these bowls! Tofu is a great, high-quality plant-based protein, but we need to be mindful of portion size to ensure we meet our protein needs. One block of tofu is two servings max. (1/2 of this recipe has 25 grams of protein) You may need to even eat the whole block for yourself, depending on your goals or nutrition needs. This is also an excellent opportunity to mention doubling the tofu recipe. Make sure that you include some carbs (like rice and sweet potatoes) and veggies (like lettuce, roasted broccoli, cucumbers, and jalapenos).
Just look at how great these bowls come together. This is a good-looking meal! And, goes even better in your stomach. Enjoy!
Nashville Hot Honey Tofu Bowls
Ingredients
- 14 oz tofu firm
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cups rice cooked
- 2 cups broccoli cooked
- 1 cup cucumbers sliced
- 1 cup sweet potatoes roasted
- 1 cup lettuce chopped or shredded
Sauce
- 3 tbsp hot honey
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Press tofu to remove some water. I recommend wrapping in a towel and placing a can on top for 5-10 minutes.
- Rip or cut tofu into chunks. I recommend 1 - 1 ½ inch chunks—place in a medium bowl.
- Toss the tofu chunks with oil and cornstarch. Coat evenly.
- Airfry at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all sauce ingredients.
- Once tofu is done cooking, place in a bowl and toss with ¾ of the sauce.
- Assemble your bowls with rice, broccoli, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and lettuce - or whatever grains and veggies you want. Top with tofu. Drizzle with the remaining sauce.