11 Tempeh Recipes for Delicious Plant-Based Meals
Whether you’re new to cooking with tempeh, you grew up eating it as part of your regular rotation, or you got here because you’ve had one too many pan-fried or baked slabs of the stuff soaked in coconut aminos, you’re going to find something enticing to eat in the recipes below.
For the newbies, tempeh (“tempe” in Indonesian) is a plant-based protein—so high-protein, in fact, it’s comparable to beef—that is loaded with prebiotics and key for many vegan diets. Naturally gluten-free and nut-free, it’s made by combining hulled, cooked, and cooled soybeans with a starter or fungus and letting them come together for one to two days. And come together they do: Literally, the beans bind and, with help from the starter fungus, become one firm, solid cake. Tempeh is also highly digestible compared to other soybean products because the fermentation enables nutrients such as vitamin B12 and calcium to become more soluble.
And how does tempeh taste? On its own, tempeh is earthy and surprisingly nutty, but it’s also quite sponge-like, so it can soak up whatever flavors you want it to.
Ready for our favorite tempeh recipes? We thought you might be.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Nicole Louie1/11Hummus Bowls With Merguez-Spiced Tempeh
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. , Prop styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht2/11Coconut Tempeh Larb
3/11Stir-Fried Eggplant With Basil and Chiles
Use crumbled tempeh for this choose-your-own-adventure stir-fry recipe. Just like the eggplant, when sizzling over medium-high heat, it’ll soak up the flavor of the garlic, sesame seeds, hot red chiles, tamari, rice vinegar, and olive oil.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Heather Greene4/11Tempeh Bowls With Nut Butter Sauce
While peanut butter is the classic choice for this sauce, almond, cashew, sunflower seed butter, or even tahini would work well, adding a toasty flavor to an otherwise bright and light recipe.
Photograph by Matthew Keough, food styling by Drew Aichele, prop styling by Emma Ringness5/11Kung Pao Tempeh
We’d venture to guess that you have rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in your pantry. That puts you almost halfway there for this recipe with tempeh. Now, all you need are the green onions, sweet bell peppers, and a few more bits and bobs.
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food Styling by Pearl Jones.6/11Pan-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh
You can buy tempeh bacon at the grocery store, but in this recipe, more budget-friendly block tempeh is transformed into what tastes like bacon bits. (And here’s a tempeh slab bacon recipe from our friends at Epicurious that leans on maple syrup and smoked paprika.)
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Dayna Seman7/11Tempeh Crumbles With Coconut Rice
Crumbled tempeh is crispy, but crumbled tempeh with roasted peanuts and chili crisp is magnificently crispy. PS: You can also cook tempeh in an air fryer. Don’t have one? Here are the winners of our air fryer reviews.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li8/11Peanutty Noodles With Tempeh Crumbles
This recipe (made with peanut butter, sriracha, fresh ginger and garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, and honey) keeps on giving because it can also help you meal prep: Make extra golden brown tempeh crumbles, and you’ve got a topping for salads and stir-fries throughout the week.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker10/11Kale Salad With Roasted Tempeh and Mushrooms
Justin Brooks11/11Sesame Tempeh Slaw
There’s no cook time for this tempeh recipe, because there’s no cooking. Let the tempeh marinate all morning, then put together the dish—which comprises shredded cabbage, sliced carrot, sliced cucumber, sliced radish, cilantro leaves, and mint leaves—for lunch.
