These tempeh recipes are nutritious, delicious, and simple to make and a great way to add more plant-based proteins to your diet!
Whether you already eat mostly plant-based food or you’re wanting to start eating more a more plant-based diet, tempeh is a nutritious and versatile protein to add to your meals.
Part of eating well is finding nourishing foods that you enjoy and are easy to make. So as you’re exploring the recipes below, try a few to find a couple that you like enough to add to your regular meal planning. It’s so important for your meals to be both nutritious and delicious!
In this article, I’m sharing the Nutrition Stripped Community’s favorite tempeh recipes!
What is Tempeh?
Tempeh is a plant-based protein food that originates in Indonesia. Traditional tempeh is made from soybeans that have undergone fermentation, which is a process in which carbohydrates are broken down by bacteria and yeast. The soybeans are then pressed and bound together to form a dense, cake-like patty. In addition to soy-based tempeh, there are several other variations of tempeh available as well, including tempeh made from beans, flax, barley, or wheat.
There are plenty of benefits of tempeh that make this plant-based protein worthwhile to add into your weekly meals, from it’s high-protein and antioxidant content to its ability to support gut health.
6 Tempeh Recipes to Try
Tempeh has a firm texture and nutty yet earthy taste. Like other soy products such as tofu, it also easily takes on the flavors of whatever it’s cooked with and can be marinated and seasoned to help easily boost the flavor. It’s often sautéed, roasted, baked, steamed, or grilled and swapped in for meat or other protein foods as part of a well-rounded, meatless meal.
The key with making a delicious tempeh recipe is to make sure the tempeh is marinated and seasoned well so that it’s super flavorful!
You can also play with the texture by choosing to slice it thinly, dice it into cubes, or even ground it up so it’s a texture that would resemble ground beef. Play around with what you like best!
These tempeh recipes will give you a few ideas for how to marinate your tempeh but keep in mind, most marinades that you enjoy will taste great on tempeh!
Foundational Five BBQ Tempeh Nourish Bowl
Maybe it’s because I’m born and raised in the midwest and our summers in Ohio were filled with sweet BBQ, corn on the cob, and cucumber salads, but there’s something about this nourish bowls flavor and texture combination that’s so delicious!
Baked Citrus Tempeh
One of my go-to make-ahead dishes that I regularly include in my batch cooking plan on the weekend, a citrusy savory tempeh dish served alongside cooked veggies and greens or grains.
This Baked Citrus Tempeh is incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed so many ways! I enjoy it in a bowl alongside veggie and over a bed of greens like in the photo, but you could easily serve it with your favorite cooked veggies (or whatever is in the fridge!) and cooked quinoa or brown rice for a heartier meal. However you enjoy this one, I hope you enjoy it and it becomes one of your batch cooking staples as well!
Buffalo Tempeh Nourish Bowl
Spice up your next meal with this Buffalo Tempeh Nourish Bowl with creamy cooling vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing!
Spicy Tempeh Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers is a great tempeh recipe to include when you’re meal planning for the week, they’ll store and keep well for up to 5 days which is just enough time to enjoy them for a quick lunch on the go or 10-minute dinner to heat up.
These stuffed peppers will come in handy for a quick lunch on the go by just adding them to a huge bowl of fresh greens to make a salad. That’s right, this recipe is so good, you don’t even have to reheat it and enjoy it cold on top of a fresh greens salad. I recommend adding your favorite salad dressing with fresh lime and a generous sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro — fresh, fast, and delicious.
Simple Dairy-Free Kale Caesar Salad with Maple Pepper Tempeh
This Maple Pepper Tempeh offers a light and refreshing option, perfect for topping on salads! It’s only 6-simple ingredients to make the marinade (and I can almost guarantee you have them in your pantry already!)
10-Minute Peanut Stir Fry
I love a good stir-fry and I use this recipe template weekly! It’s a simple and quick stir-fry with a savory-sweet peanut sauce for topping that can be made in under 10 minutes, especially if you utilize frozen veggies or have batch cooked veggies and grains.
Where to Find and How to Use Tempeh
Thanks to its ever-growing popularity, you can easily buy tempeh at most major grocery stores and supermarkets. Look for it in the refrigerated section. It can usually be found alongside other vegetarian products like tofu and meat substitutes. There are usually several varieties available, including flax, soy, bean, barley, or three-grain tempeh. Experiment with each to find your favorite and begin taking advantage of the many potential tempeh benefits.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even try making tempeh at home using a tempeh starter culture. There are plenty of detailed guides available online for making homemade tempeh from scratch, but it typically involves soaking, splitting, and cooking the soybeans, and then letting them ferment for up to 48 hours.
Try a New Tempeh Recipe
Now it’s time for you to try new tempeh recipes to find a new favorite! If you make one of these recipes, be sure to take a photo and tag me over on Instagram @nutritionstripped so I can share it! I love seeing you take what you’ve learned from the blog and putting it into practice in real life!
