Why you’ll love this BBQ Tempeh
Classic BBQ flavor. This BBQ sauce tastes just like they would in your BBQ sauce dreams. It’s sweet but tangy, smoky, and a little spicy. To nail that classic BBQ flavor, I did repeated side-by-side taste-tests of my BBQ sauce vs. a well-known, vegan-friendly BBQ sauce until it felt like mine (a) hit all the same flavor profiles and (b) tasted even a little better! Makes tempeh fun. It’s so nutritious (it’s fermented, as well as high in protein and fiber), but it can be bitter in taste and crumbly in texture. This recipe avoids both of those things and will get you to fall in love with tempeh. From a taste perspective, any natural bitterness from tempeh is masked from the flavors of the BBQ sauce. And texture-wise, the method of pan-frying the tempeh ensures it gets crispy and golden, which minimizes its natural crumbly texture. If you’re intrigued by this prospect, then you have to try my Tempeh Tacos with Avocado Crema (my taste testers couldn’t even tell they were eating tempeh!). Quick and simple. From start to finish, you can get this tempeh done in 20 minutes. The BBQ sauce just requires you to whisk all the ingredients together – that’s it!
How to make vegan BBQ Tempeh
Gather your ingredients. Slice the tempeh into 1/2″ inch pieces, crosswise; flip each piece on its side and slice lengthwise to make thinner. Optionally, steam the tempeh for 10 minutes. This helps remove tempeh’s slight bitter taste, but since it gets coated in a flavor-packed BBQ sauce, I find this step unnecessary. Make the BBQ sauce. Whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, molasses, vegan Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and BBQ sauces. Heat a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat with oil. Once very hot, add the tempeh in a single layer and cook for 3 ½ to 4 ½ minutes. Before flipping, spray top side of tempeh with cooking spray or brush with more oil. Cook on second side for 2 ½ to 3 ½ until both sides are nicely golden brown. Transfer tempeh to a layer of paper towels to absorb excess oil. Pour BBQ sauce into the pan and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the tempeh back in and coat it in the BBQ sauce. Cook briefly to warm through and until tempeh is saucy.
How to serve this BBQ Glazed Tempeh
This BBQ tempeh is the perfect protein for summer cookouts, and is excellent paired with classic summer side dishes like potato salad, macaroni salad, and pasta salad.
I actually photographed this BBQ tempeh and my Herbed Potato Salad on the same day and the combo was electric. For a dream team pairing for a cookout, this Vegan Pasta Salad is a must-make.
Other fun summer combinations to pair with include grilled corn and cornbread. For colder weather pairings, pair it with this Crispy Baked Mac and Cheese or Miso Butter Mashed Potatoes for some serious comfort food.
How to make a BBQ Tempeh Bowl
This BBQ tempeh is great in a grain bowl or salad. Here, I paired it brown rice, crisp romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, charred corn, pickled red cabbage, avocado, and some vegan ranch dressing. So colorful, fun, and hearty yet healthy. I don’t measure and just eyeball everything. For the charred corn, simply shave kernels from fresh ears of corn. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with a bit of olive oil. Once hot, add the corn kernels and cook for 3-5 minutes until charred in spots, tossing just once or twice to get a nice char on them. For the pickled cabbage, I used this recipe from Jessica in the Kitchen’s blog. Other toppings to consider adding to your bowl: crushed tortilla chips or pita chips, your favorite salsa or the pico de gallo recipe in this post, pickled jalapeños or red onions, or black/pinto beans for more protein.
BBQ Tempeh Sandwich
Possibly my favorite way to serve this BBQ tempeh is in a sandwich. Here, I slathered some vegan mayo on a nice baguette, layered it with the BBQ tempeh, bibb lettuce, and a quick carrot-cabbage slaw. For the slaw, I just mixed together shredded red cabbage and carrots with a generous squeeze of lime juice, salt, and pepper. PS: my favorite brands for vegan mayo include Just Mayo, Sir Kensington, and Follow Your Heart Vegenaise). P.P.S. This sandwich was outrageously good. You could also make it on a burger bun for a more casual cookout dish.
Tips for making this recipe
Be sure to use a vegan-friendly Worcestershire sauce. Traditionally, the sauce contains anchovies, but several brands are vegan. I have used Annie’s vegan Worcestershire sauce and the Whole Foods 365 vegan Worcestershire sauce with great results, and know that the Kroeger store brand is also vegan. Interested in making this gluten-free? First, buy a tempeh variety that is gluten-free (some contain wheat; I use Lightlife’s original tempeh). Second, for the BBQ sauce, use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) instead of soy sauce. Also, omit the vegan Worcestershire sauce (most vegan Worcestershire sauces contain wheat). There is, however, at least one vegan and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce I’ve seen online. If you are sensitive to bitter foods, you may consider steaming the tempeh before further cooking it. I typically do this before preparing tempeh, but the bold flavors of the BBQ sauce make it unnecessary in this recipe (at least for my tastebuds). To ensure the tempeh gets perfectly golden and crispy, you’ll want to: That’s all you need to know about this BBQ Tempeh. If you love the recipe, please rate it and review below :)
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
