10 Vegan Tempeh Recipes That Will Knock Your Socks Off

10 Vegan Tempeh Recipes That Will Knock Your Socks Off

Word Count: 1785

Time to Read: 9 minutes


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Regardless of what your dietary preferences are, we have a sneaking suspicion that you are going to need a vegan recipe or two (vegan dinner, anyone?) in your life at some point. After all, from vegan curries to vegan tempeh recipes, vegan cuisine can be darn tasty.

Of course, not everyone has hopped on the tempeh train, let alone the vegan train.

That said, we are hopeful that we can make vegans out of just a few more people with the following 10 vegan tempeh recipes. If we can’t convince them to permanently ditch the meat, we can at the very least convince them to champion Meatless Mondays every now and then.

Tempeh Tacos

Tempeh Tacos

Whenever many people think of the word “taco,” the first image that comes to mind is doubtless a corn shell filled with ground beef or shredded bits of chicken.

Needless to say, we picture tacos differently here in the vegan community, and our tacos are no less delicious for being cruelty-free.

This tempeh taco recipe, which is loaded with spices such as cumin, garlic, and oregano, is actually so simple that you can prepare 6 to 8 tacos in about 25 minutes.

Well, only if you assume that the prep time is correct, but we wouldn’t let such a small detail stop us from enjoying a couple of tempeh tacos, and neither should you.

Tempeh Fajitas

Tempeh Fajitas

As far as simple vegan tempeh recipes go, tempeh fajitas are a rather top-of-the-line option. Unlike those tempeh tacos we praised above (which is admittedly still pretty simple), these tempeh fajitas boast a short list of fewer than ten ingredients.

As a matter of fact, you’ll only need 6 ingredients to throw this dish together: avocado oil, onion, frozen bell peppers, fajita seasoning, tempeh, and tortillas.

Despite the fact that these tempeh fajitas are one of the simplest vegan tempeh recipes on this list, you’ll notice that the creator of the recipe provides a list of “optional” ingredients, some of which you might not want to go without.

Just be aware of the fact that the recipe won’t be quite as simple if you opt to pick up the extra ingredients.

BBQ Tempeh

BBQ Tempeh

If you’ve been living a meat-free life for a while now, you’ve probably been made fun of at family gatherings which were all about eating copious amounts of barbecued beef. If you had known about this recipe for barbecued tempeh, you probably would have been able to shut a few of the party-goers up.

Like our tempeh fajitas, this barbecued tempeh is amazingly simple; it has 7 core ingredients and not a single “optional” ingredient.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this recipe, the final result (a picture of which you can find if you click the link) actually looks like a convincing alternative to a slab of beef.

No, we’re not suggesting that vegan food has to attempt to visually imitate other types of food, but we do get excited when we see vegan dishes that, despite their appearances, are completely cruelty-free.

Tempeh Bacon Wraps

Tempeh Bacon Wraps

The word “bacon” might seem out of place on a list of vegan tempeh recipes, but we couldn’t not include this one.

Because, you know, bacon is all the rage these days, and we don’t want anyone thinking that we’re somehow behind the curve. Vegans are, after all, still cool; we’ve just dedicated our lives to different causes than others.

But back to these “bacon wraps.”

These tempeh bacon wraps are rather simple, all things considered. You’ll likely have the ingredients just lying around your house already, the only exceptions being the liquid smoke and the vegetable broth.

Not only that, but if you actually take a look at the list of ingredients, you’ll find that many of the ingredients are completely optional, probably because we’re talking about a wrap. The tomatoes and lettuce, for instance, might not be your cup of tea, and there is no pressure to put them on your wrap.

Luckily for you, some of these ingredients can easily be replaced with more delicious options (i.e. swapping out the lettuce for spinach because spinach is totally superior to lettuce).

And if you don’t agree about the spinach, we still love you.

If this faux bacon wrap isn’t your thing, you could instead try our recipe for a smoky tempeh sandwich.

Vegan Veggie & Tempeh Pizza

Vegan Veggie and Tempeh Pizza

Perhaps you’re a vegan because you want to reap all of those nutritional benefits you hear about all the time. Maybe you’re a vegan because you’re no fan of animal cruelty. In either case, you definitely didn’t sign up for giving up pizza.

Fortunately, you don’t have to swear off pizza. There are plenty of vegan pizza recipes, and this veggie and tempeh recipe looks absolutely delicious.

We must warn you, though, that this one is going to force you to throw down in the kitchen, regardless of whether or not you actually know how to. That is to say, everything, even the dough, is made from scratch.

Of course, you are more than welcome to purchase a vegan pizza dough or two if you’re not up for the challenge.

Southwestern Salad With Tempeh

Southwestern Salad with Tempeh

When we promised you vegan tempeh recipes, you probably didn’t think that you’d find yet another list that tries to pass off a salad as a recipe.

Believe it or not, salads are not our only recourse when we get hungry.

Even so, there is something about a classic salad that can’t quite be imitated; even the staunchest meat eaters sometimes crave meatless salads.

This southwestern salad with tempeh is a great option for anyone who has a taste for fresh greens (and an assortment of other vegetables). Although this salad requires many ingredients, you won’t be doing much cooking if you decide to give the recipe a try.

Further still, out of all of the recipes we’ve provided you with, this one is the easiest to customize since it’s a salad. That said, if you don’t like to use lettuce as a base for your salads, go for spinach instead.

And, yes, we are subtly advertising spinach here. We hope it’s working.

Buffalo Tempeh Tenders

Baked Buffalo Tempeh Tenders

Sometimes, when you’re sitting up at 3 o’clock in the morning reading about vegan tempeh recipes, you suddenly (and quite vividly) remember what a chicken tender tastes like. Yes, you’re committed to veganism, but you still find the taste of meat appealing.

Enter these baked buffalo tempeh tenders, which are crispy and flavorful. As an added bonus, they also look super tasty.

You can also use these tenders as an excuse to eat way too much vegan dressing. We promise we won’t tell anyone.

Not a fan of chicken substitutes? Go for a beef substitute with our Swedish meatballs.

Green Bean & Tempeh Stir Fry

Green Bean and Tempeh Stir Fry

Let’s take a step back and think about the complexity of some of the dishes we’ve listed here. Then let’s think about all of the dishes you’ll be washing after trying your hand at some of these recipes.

Now be honest with yourself about the fact that, while some of these dishes look delicious, you don’t have time to fool around in your kitchen right now, and you probably won’t have that time for a little while.

Because we know that people are quite often busy, we thought that we’d remind you of the fact that stir fry is still a thing. A quick, 15-minute thing, assuming that the recipe’s creator timed the recipe correctly.

You only need 9 ingredients to put this dish together, and some of the ingredients are totally optional.

Needless to say, if you have a peanut allergy, you’re going to want to stay away from those peanuts on the list of ingredients.

You can also tweak this recipe by throwing in a bit of our teriyaki tempeh. Your taste buds will thank you.

Sweet & Sour Tempeh

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

We have a serious question: who doesn’t love a good sweet and sour dish?

In our humble opinion, a list of vegan tempeh recipes wouldn’t be complete without some sweet and sour variety of tempeh.

Unfortunately, though, we have another humble opinion we’d like to share with you as well: Some of us don’t have soy sauce, rice vinegar, and fresh pineapple chunks just lying around our homes.

That said, we think this recipe is totally doable, and it yields 4 servings in just 20 minutes. The recipe’s creator even gives you a bit of advice on how to customize the balance between the sweet and sour elements of the sauce.

Coconut-Curry Grilled Tempeh

Coconut Curry Grilled Tempeh

We saved this coconut-curry grilled tempeh for last, not because it happens to be more complex than some of the other recipes here, but because, in all honesty, we really didn’t think that the order of these dishes was something to fret over.

But, as it turns, this is one of those vegan tempeh recipes that people avoid like the plague because they’ve never even owned some of the required ingredients.

Still, complexity is usually rewarding when we talk about cooking. Not only that, but we can’t pass up great recipes simply because they look a little intimidating.

Luckily, there is a bit of a silver lining here: The recipe’s creator has been gracious enough to provide the dish’s nutritional and caloric information. Vegan dieters, rejoice.

Enjoying These Vegan Tempeh Recipes?

Even if you’re committed to consuming animal products, we hope that you enjoyed this list of tempeh treats. We also hope that at least one of these recipes appeals to your taste buds enough for you to go meatless every once in a while.

If, on the other hand, you’re someone who has been eyeing veganism as a lifestyle choice, we strongly encourage you to take a look around our site. We know that veganism isn’t necessarily an easy lifestyle choice for some people, but we aim to make it easier.

About the author

Julia Ott
Hi! I'm Julia and I'm a vegan recipe inventor, furniture collector and mum to a little boy. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years, and a vegan for 4. I spend all of my spare time visiting farmers markets, searching for antiques at flea markets and cooking up a vegan storm in the kitchen! I co-founded Vegan.io to make the world a better place.

Want to try a vegan diet?

We created a meal planner app to help you! Get your fresh customized meal plan full of delicious, quick, budget friendly, healthy recipes.

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