18 Vegan Tempeh Recipes That Prove It’s Not Bland

These came about from a block of plain tempeh close to its use-by date, and they worked on the very first test. Cashews and nutritional yeast stand in for parmesan, and a quick shallow fry in panko gives them a crisp shell that holds up in marinara. Yvonne baked hers without the nuts, served them with extra sauce as I suggest, and said she plans to make them again.

Laura steams and crumbles the tempeh, then cooks it down with soy sauce, coconut sugar, ginger, and hot sauce until it caramelizes, and serves it over lime-scented coconut rice. It has over 90 reviews averaging close to five stars. Stacy Bird said steaming the tempeh got rid of the bitterness completely, and Nick, who calls himself a partial carnivore, makes it almost every week.

Tempeh cubes are browned in their own soy, maple, and garlic marinade, then simmered in a peppery mushroom sauce. Thomas thins the coconut milk with water so it doesn't take over, and each serving has around 20 grams of protein. It's rated 4.88 stars from 32 votes and goes well over rice or noodles.

My take on the Indonesian salad layers potatoes, green beans, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts and pan-fried tempeh under a peanut sauce you make in a small blender. I skip the eggs and prawn crackers to keep it fully plant-based. Liz said the no-cook peanut sauce is what makes it so fast to put together.

Nisha cuts the tempeh into thin matchsticks and pan-fries them until crisp, then tosses them with peanuts, lemongrass, lime leaves, and a sticky kecap manis sauce (there's a homemade kecap manis recipe on the page if you can't find it). Emma, who says she only tolerates tempeh, couldn't taste it at all in this dish. Another reader, Tone, added galangal and rated it above the tempeh they'd eaten in Indonesia.

Crumbled tempeh cooks in hoisin, maple, five spice and tamari, then goes into steamed bao with a sesame-dressed cabbage and coriander salad. Amanda uses ready-made bao buns from an Asian grocer, which keeps it to about 30 minutes. Reader Cadry called that a great tip, since she loves bao but isn't into bread-making.

Steamed and seared tempeh cubes are coated in two kinds of mustard, maple syrup, white wine, thyme, and a little miso, and the sauce clings to every piece. Shannon got her dad, a skeptic of anything that isn't meat, to try it, and he loved it. Pearl ate the leftovers cold on salads and next to a bowl of lentil soup.

I kept ordering vegan Reubens in cafes when we traveled through the US, so I rebuilt one at home. Marinated tempeh, sauerkraut, gherkins, and melty vegan cheese go on toasted rye with a three-ingredient sriracha mayo. It takes about 20 minutes, which makes it an easy lunch.

Eva tears the tempeh into rough "wings," soaks them in a garlicky gochujang marinade, then coats them in starch and panko so they crisp up whether you bake or fry them. They're served with a two-ingredient gochujang mayo for dipping. One reader made them for dinner and called them delicious!

Michael and I ate some of the best tempeh of our lives in Ubud, and this peanut, tamari, ginger and lime marinade is my nod to it. Marinate plain tempeh for an hour or overnight, then toss it in a hot wok for about eight minutes. It works just as well on tofu, cauliflower or eggplant.

Steamed tempeh strips soak up a lemony marinade with cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano, then roast at high heat until the edges caramelize, ready to pile into pita. Yarden made them with black bean tempeh, and Kim, a meat eater cooking tempeh for the first time, said this recipe showed them how good meat-free cooking can be.

Pan-seared tempeh triangles simmer in a cremini mushroom and Marsala sauce made creamy with blended cashews. One reader says it has become a monthly go-to, and others have made it with brandy or pinot noir when they couldn't find Marsala. Another swapped the cashews for coconut cream and said it worked well.

Remy uses tahini instead of egg to stick the breadcrumbs on, then bakes the strips until crunchy, with no oil. Barbara said her meat-loving boyfriend loved them. Cristina swapped in crushed cornflakes and called it the best vegan "chicken tender" recipe out there.

Allison mashes tempeh with rice, walnuts, mushrooms, and finely grated beet, chills the mix, then bakes and pan-sears the patties for a crust. No food processor needed. Lee called them the meatiest homemade veggie burgers they'd ever made, and Paul, after four decades of disappointing veggie burgers, left his first ever recipe review for these.

A Northern Thai-style coconut curry noodle soup with cashew-butter-marinated tempeh in place of chicken. Thomas uses a little seaweed and dried shiitake to replace the shrimp paste, and describes it as mildly spicy. It's rated 4.77 stars from 17 votes.

Thin strips of tempeh marinate in tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast, then bake until crisp. Karen said she'd disliked every tempeh bacon recipe she'd tried before this one, and that slicing it super thin made it crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Nisha, a registered dietitian, simmers the tempeh briefly, crumbles and browns it, then stirs it into a one-pot stew of lentils, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. It's rated 4.98 stars from 38 votes. Angela said she was unsure about tempeh until this recipe, and Diana swapped the potatoes for cauliflower and still loved it.

This is one of the bowls we make most often at home. It has black rice, steamed broccolini and peas, roasted almonds and golden pan-fried tempeh triangles, all finished with a creamy green goddess dressing. It comes together in 30 minutes and keeps in the fridge for up to three days, so it’s great for lunches. Just keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat. It’s rated 5 stars from four reviews.