Tempeh Stir Fry is the perfect quick vegetarian dinner recipe! Sauté veggies and tempeh until golden brown and then toss in a super flavorful stir fry sauce.
Quick
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: How to sauté tempeh for golden edges and hearty texture
Worth It: Simple method, great results-without fussy steps
Bonus: Sheet pan option
Try this simple and Filling Vegetarian Dinner
There are lots of tofu recipes out there, but what about tempeh recipes? If you’ve never tried tempeh, you gotta test this recipe out! This tempeh stir fry comes together quickly for an easy weeknight meal.
Tempeh is less fussy than tofu, so it’s a bit easier to work with. It is also heartier than tofu so it can be more filling.
This simple tempeh recipe includes delicious vegetables and rice covered in an amazing homemade stir fry sauce!
Kitchen Tools
- Measuring spoons and measuring cups
- Liquid measuring cup
- Large frying pan
- Cutting board and kitchen knife
- Small mixing bowl
serving Suggestions
This meal is great served with cooked rice (white or brown is great), green onions, and toasted sesame seeds. You could use cauliflower rice in place of rice if you’d like.
The great part about this recipe is the versatility! Some people have strong feelings about certain vegetables, as we all know, so make it to your liking! You can trade them out for others or add in your favorites. See below for some good ideas.
Tempeh Stir Fry Ingredients
- Tempeh
- Red bell pepper
- Broccoli
- Oil
- Soy sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Honey
- Lime juice
- Sesame oil
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh ginger
- Corn starch (optional)
tempeh vs tofu
Tempeh and tofu are both forms of soybeans and they come from the soy plant. The difference is in how they are processed before we buy them!
Tempeh is a compressed block of fermented whole soybeans, where as tofu is made from soy milk that is processed into a block. Tempeh comes in one texture – it is chewy and much heartier than tofu.
Tofu can come in many different textures, from silken (very soft and jiggly) to extra firm (but still pretty soft compared to tempeh).
other uses for tempeh
Now that you know a bit more about about tempeh as an ingredient, you should also know the many ways to use tempeh in recipes! Tempeh crumbles really nicely and can easily replace ground meat in recipes. Try my ground beef baked taco recipe, but make them tempeh tacos with some ground tempeh.
Baked tempeh is also a very popular recipe because tempeh holds its shape nicely when baked. You can actually make this recipe on a sheet pan if you prefer. Marinate the tempeh and veggies in the simple marinade and then bake on a sheet pan at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes.
ingredient substitutions
This tempeh recipe is very versatile! To make this vegan, simply switch out the honey for quality maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup. If you’d like to make this gluten free, switch the soy sauce for a gluten free option like coconut aminos or tamari (a gluten free soy sauce).
Other vegetables that would be great in this include bok choy, onions, cauliflower, or zucchini. If you or your loved ones don’t care for broccoli or red bell pepper, simply switch them out with another favorite vegetable. Just keep in mind the proportions of sauce here is for the proportion of vegetables in the recipe!
How to make This Tempeh Stir Fry Recipe
Step 1: prepare Ingredients
Cube the tempeh, chop the bell pepper, and cut the broccoli florets into small pieces. Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat.
Step 2: Saute the vegetables
Add the chopped vegetables to the frying pan once the oil is arm. Cook the veggies, tossing frequently, for about 7 minutes.
Step 3: Saute the Tempeh
Remove the cooked vegetables from the pan and add the remaining oil. Add in the cubed tempeh and brown on all sides for about 7 minutes, flipping frequently.
Step 4: Mix the Sauce
While the tempeh cooks, mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
Step 5: Mix everything together
Add the veggies back into the pan with the cooked tempeh. Pour the sauce all over the top and increase the heat to medium. Toss the veggies and tempeh together with the sauce. Allow to simmer for about 4 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water. Make space in the middle of the pan and stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Toss everything together again and allow to simmer for another minute.
Serve immediately with green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and cooked rice.
Storage and Reheating
This dish is best served immediately, but makes great leftovers too! Allow to cool fully and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove until warmed through.
Check out these other east Vegetarian recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Tempeh Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 8oz pack of tempeh
- 1 red bell pepper
- 6 oz broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp oil – separated
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch – optional
Instructions
- Cube tempeh, chop bell pepper and cut broccoli florets into smaller pieces. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat.
- Add chopped bell pepper and broccoli to the frying pan when the oil is warm. Cook the veggies tossing frequently for about 7 minutes.
- Remove the cooked veggies from the pan and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan along with the cubed tempeh. Brown tempeh on all sides for about 7 minutes, flipping frequently
- While the tempeh cooks, mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
- Add the veggies back into the pan with the cooked tempeh. Pour the sauce over top and increase the heat to medium. Toss the veggies and tempeh in the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 4 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water. Make space in the middle of the simmering pan and mix cornstarch slurry into sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for another minute while tossing in the tempeh and veggies. Serve immediately with green onion, toasted sesame seeds and rice
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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