March 12, 2025, 2:42 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

More protein, less fat — and in record time! These three air fryer recipes from FITBOOK nutrition expert Sophie Brünke are perfect for strength athletes: whether crispy butter beans, spicy popcorn tofu, or hearty tuna sticks — these snacks provide high-quality protein and valuable nutrients.

Crispy Butter Beans

The average person in Germany eats just 2.5 kilograms of pulses per year.¹ The German Nutrition Society recommends 125 grams per week — to meet the recommendation, consumption would have to increase 20-fold.² After all, lentils, peas, and beans are not only full of digestive fiber but are also rich in protein! An easy way to increase your legume consumption in the form of a protein-rich snack is with crispy butter beans — also known as giant white beans — from the air fryer.

Ingredients for One Portion

• 1 can of butter beans (drained weight: 8.5 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• spices: paprika powder, oregano, garlic, chili
• 1 pinch of salt

If you don’t like white beans or don’t have any at home, you can also use chickpeas.

Preparation

1. First, drain the tin of beans, rinse, and leave to drain.
2. Next, add the tomato puree and stir until each bean is coated with it.
3. Now mix the spices with the cornflour and salt. Of course, you can also use your favorite spices and let your creativity run wild.
4. Then sprinkle your spice mixture over the beans.
5. Place the beans in the air fryer at 356 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Shake the basket once in between.

Nutritional Values

• Energy: 270 calories
• Fat: 3 grams
• Carbohydrates: 37 grams
• Protein: 15 grams

Protein-Rich Air Fryer Popcorn Tofu

You may have heard of other “popcorn” snacks. In this case, the word “popcorn” doesn’t mean that it is cooked with popped corn kernels but that the end product comes in lots of small, crunchy pieces. Perfect for snacking — just like popcorn. The tofu variant provides plenty of micronutrients and, compared to high-fat meat, is cholesterol-free and has a better fatty acid composition.

In this case, the recipe is for two portions so that you can use up the whole block of tofu straight away, but the end result remains snack-sized. Crispy tofu cubes are also suitable as a main meal. Popcorn tofu goes particularly well with rice and steamed vegetables.

Ingredients for Two Portions

• 1 block of tofu (7 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• garlic powder
• 30 grams of cornflakes (unsweetened, coarsely crushed)
• 20 grams of flaked almonds
• 2 tablespoons flour (e.g., spelt or chickpea flour)
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable drink

You can also choose to use only cornflakes or only flaked almonds for the breading (50 grams in total). Opting for cornflakes lowers the amount of fat in the snack, but the popcorn pieces provide a little more carbohydrates. The flaked almonds, on the other hand, provide healthy fats and fewer carbohydrates.

Preparation

1. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the tofu between two plates and then pat dry with kitchen paper.
2. Cut the tofu into small bite-sized cubes or tear into irregular “popcorn pieces”.
3. For the marinade, mix the soy sauce, agave syrup, Sriracha, and garlic powder in a bowl.
4. Leave the tofu to marinate for ten minutes.
5. In the meantime, mix the flour with the vegetable drink in a separate bowl for the breading.
6. In a second bowl, roughly crush the cornflakes and flaked almonds.
7. First, dip the marinated tofu pieces in the flour mixture.
8. Then, turn in the cornflakes and almond breading and press down firmly.
9. Air-fry at 356 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until crispy, shaking occasionally.

Nutritional Values Per Portion

• Energy: 328 calories
• Fat: 14 grams
• Carbohydrates: 29 grams
• Protein: 20 grams

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Tuna Sticks

Tuna sticks are another protein-rich snack from the air fryer. You can use them to cover one of your two portions of fish per week. With its valuable omega-3 fatty acids, regular fish consumption protects against cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Tuna is also one of the few foods with a significant vitamin D content (3.6 micrograms per 100 grams). In combination with the yeast flakes, valuable B vitamins, iron, and folic acid are also added. Calcium and magnesium are hidden in the sesame coating of the sticks — which is important for bones and muscle function.

Ingredients for One Portion

• 1 can of tuna (drained weight 5 ounces)
• 2 eggs
• 1 small red onion
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons flour (e.g., spelt or chickpea flour)
• 1 tablespoon of yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

Preparation

1. Drain the tuna well and mash with a fork in a bowl.
2. Finely dice the onion and add to the tuna.
3. Then, add the eggs, soy sauce, flour, and yeast flakes.
4. Mix everything well until you have a malleable mixture. If it is too moist, you can add a little more flour.
5. Leave the mixture to rest for ten minutes so that the flour absorbs the liquid and the consistency becomes more stable.
6. You can then form small sticks from the tuna mixture.
7. Carefully roll the sticks in the sesame seeds and press down lightly so that the sesame seeds stick.
8. Fry in the air fryer at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes until crispy.

Nutritional Values

• Energy: 540 calories
• Fat: 21 grams
• Carbohydrates: 31 grams
• Protein: 57 grams