If you're wondering, "What is tempeh?", you've come to the right place! This guide will teach you how to cook it perfectly for all sorts of tempeh recipes.
Tempeh is one of my favorite sources of plant-based protein. I love its earthy, nutty flavor and firm texture. But most of all, I love its versatility. It can crisp up into tasty vegan bacon, fill out a stir fry, crumble into a substitute for ground meat, and more.
Below, I’m sharing a simple guide to tempeh: what it is, how to cook it, and my best tempeh recipes. If you follow a plant-based diet or are interested in eating less meat, I hope you’ll give it a try! This vegan protein is delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare. We should all be eating it more often!
What is Tempeh?
Tempeh is a plant-based protein source that originated in Indonesia. It’s traditionally made from fermented soybeans, though you may see store-bought tempeh made from other beans or grains. During the fermentation process, the beans adhere together to form a block or cake, creating tempeh’s firm, satisfying texture.
You can find tempeh at any health food store or in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.
Health Benefits
Tempeh is known for its high protein content, but it offers other health benefits too! It’s rich in vitamins and minerals like calcium, manganese, phosphorus, and iron. It’s also high in dietary fiber.
What Does Tempeh Taste Like?
On its own, tempeh has a mild, nutty flavor. But similar to tofu, this plant-based protein will soak up flavor from marinades and sauces. I always marinate it before cooking. Find my go-to marinade in the recipe below!
How to Cook Tempeh
You can prepare tempeh in all sorts of ways. I often bake it, grill it, sauté it, sear it…
Baking is the method I use most often, and if you’re new to cooking this plant-based protein, it’s a great place to start. Here’s how I do it:
Start by chopping the tempeh. Cut it into 1-inch cubes, triangular “steaks,” or 1/2-inch-thick slices. This recipe works with a variety of shapes!
Next, steam it. I know what you’re thinking. “Wait….aren’t we baking it?” Yes, but when I cook tempeh, I almost always start by steaming it. It only takes 10 minutes, and it helps the tempeh soften, which allows it to soak up even more flavor from a marinade. Totally worth it!
While it steams, make your marinade. I love a sweet and savory combo of tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, and sriracha.
- Heads up:Â I’m sharing the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post!
Marinate for at least 30 minutes. It will take on a ton of delicious flavor!
Finally, bake it. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the pieces evenly on the baking sheet, reserving the excess marinade. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush with more of the marinade. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until browned around the edges.
- Variation:Â Grill it instead of baking! This method works best with large triangles. After marinating, grill over medium heat for 7 to 9 minutes, or until char marks form. Brush with more marinade, then flip and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until well charred.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Store
Baked or grilled tempeh keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s great for meal prep!
Baked Tempeh Recipes
Once it’s baked, there are so many ways you can use this plant-based protein!
- Add the tempeh to a grain bowl. Try it in this kimchi brown rice bliss bowl!
- Toss it into a salad. I like to pair it with crisp romaine lettuce, julienned carrots, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and my vegan ranch dressing.
- Stuff it into a sandwich. I love adding strips to this vegetarian club sandwich.
- Add it to tacos. Tuck it into tortillas with a scoop of guacamole, mango salsa, and shredded cabbage.
- Use it in a stir fry. Toss it into this bok choy stir fry recipe!
How do you like to use it? Let me know in the comments!
More Tempeh Recipes to Try
Try my marinated baked tempeh recipe below! Then, make one of these tasty tempeh recipes next:
Marinated Baked Tempeh
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package tempeh
- ¼ cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the tempeh into cubes, place in a steamer basket, and set over a pot with 1-inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. This helps the tempeh become tender and ready to soak up more flavor from the marinade.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, sriracha, and several grinds of pepper. Place the tempeh in a shallow dish and pour the marinade on top to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the cubes in a single layer on the baking sheet, reserving the excess marinade.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush more of the marinade onto the cubes. Bake for 10 more minutes, or until the cubes are charred around the edges. Enjoy on salads or grain bowls.
Notes
Amazing! I love all the flavors of the marinade. I reduced the amount of maple syrup as I try to watch my sugar. It still browned nicely and would make this recipe again. Scumptious!
My go to Tempeh recipe! Great in a skillet.
Loved this
Can I make this in my toaster oven? I worry about the parchment paper catching fire if I did.
Hi Che, I haven’t tried (I don’t have one) so I’m not sure. I’d probably skip the parchment paper though.
I use a Breville toaster oven & parchment paper all the time. The fire occurs if the paper touches the heating element. So cutting it down to the right size for the pan works excellent!
Thanks for your recipes. Love all your Vegan ideas. Your options totally help w/ a food rut I sometimes get into. Thank you again
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes!
I made it in my toaster oven, using a well seasoned pre-heated cast iron skillet…perfect!
Loved this and bonus was how easy it was. Very tasty. Thank you!
Can I bake some tempeh as meal prep and store it in the fridge until I need it? I’d love to do it for lunches, but don’t have time for all the prep each day. Thanks.
Yep, you can bake it and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. You can reheat it or eat it cold (I like to toss into salads) from there.
So happy to have stumbled onto this! I love tempeh when I’m eating out but the one other time I tried preparing it, it was tasteless. The pre-steam is the trick! Thank you! Added it to a changed-up version of your kale bowl — with dried cherries, toasted walnuts, shredded carrots & a bit of tempeh marinade as dressing. Took a bit longer than I would have liked to prepare, but totally worth the grumbling belly!
We eat this 1-2 x each week. Works well to make a double batch and reheat for lunch bowls
Could this be made in an air fryer? If so, what adaptations do you recommend? Thank you ?
Probably! I haven’t tried, but I’d start with a temp around 380°F and check them after the first 10 minutes and go from there.
First time making tempeh and YUM!! So delicious, definitely the best way to serve tempeh. Thank you 🙂
Hi Olivia, I’m so glad you loved it!
It’s very nice to find your recipes for tempeh on my search for “best”. I’m trying your marinade right now. I’ve have a long history in foods and natural foods, since the 70s, besides as early adopter, also original food coop/collective worker in Central Coast Ca.
Tempeh has been in my family’s diet since then and deserves an outstanding position for healthy eating, and seems to be getting its due. Hang in there everyone, and practice the natural good life to reclaim and restore our beautiful earth.
Any idea of the calorie and nutritional content of this recipe? per serving?
This was SO good. I didn’t even soak my tempeh in the marinade, I just cooked them in the mixture and they were so flavorful. The perfect mix of salty and sweet. I couldn’t stop eating it!!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Loved the tempeh this way. This is so good. Had to substitute for the siracha so used some Korean sweet chili sauce and it was delicious. This time I’m marinating for 50 minutes. The marinade didn’t penetrate enough at 30 minutes so this will be even better than my first batch. Thanks.
I just made this and ate the entire block of tempeh… OMG delicious, thank you so much for this recipe!! Hoping next time I can wait long enough to make a sandwich with it ?
Great recipe, thank you! I’m always looking for new ways to prepare tempeh so happy to find this. The ingredients are simple staples and yield flavorful, good textured tempeh. I make this often.
I love this recipe i do it all the time to have on my salads! 425 is way too hot for extra virgin olive oil though
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You can use another oil, like avocado oil, if you’d like.
I though sriracha had anchovies in it? Can you make this recipe without it?
Hi Alexandra, it doesn’t – it’s vegan.
I have been searching for a recipe since long time ago! Thank you very much.
This is the best tempeh I’ve had! I can’t stand tofu’s texture, and have never loved tempeh… but I add this to stir fries, noodles, green bowls… it goes with everything.
I’ve even made this for some meat-loving friends and they went back for seconds, this is a winner.