This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious vegan tempeh tacos is an easy and healthy recipe that will spice up your next Mexican taco night! I’ll show you how to cook the best tempeh tacos that both meat eaters and vegans will love! Top with avocado, rice, black beans, and salsa!
Vegan tempeh tacos are currently on repeat in my house. It’s so amazing what tempeh can do and I love sharing it with my meat-eating family.
I’m not actually plant based myself, but I’ve been obsessed with tempeh ever since I tried it a few years ago. (P.S. if you don’t know what tempeh is, check out my post here!)
When most people think about vegans or vegetarians and protein, it’s always a question of ‘Well, how do you get enough protein?’ and most people just assume that you’re eating tons of tofu.
But if you make my Sesame Ginger Tempeh Stir Fry or Easy BBQ Baked Tempeh, you will get tons of protein in your diet!
Well, let me just tell you that in my humble opinion, I think tempeh is ten times better than tofu! Everything from the texture to the flavor ranks so much higher for me.
It’s so much nuttier and holds sauces and marinades a lot better, plus it is incredibly versatile and can be baked, pan fried, crumbled into a meat like substitute, which is exactly what we did with these tempeh tacos.
What is in tempeh tacos?
It basically takes on whatever flavors you pair it with, so what I did do? Created an epic homemade taco seasoning to coat these with so that we got that authentic Mexican taco flavor.
All we really had to do was crumble the tempeh up until it resembled meat, and this is so easy to do! Just takes using your hand to crumble it. Then, we threw on our epic homemade taco seasoning, threw it in a pan and added it to our taco spread!
The homemade taco seasoning really takes this dish to the next level.
We’ve got everything that you already have in your cabinet: chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt, and pepper. So easy.
You can also easily use a package of prepared taco seasoning! That will work perfectly!
How to eat these tacos:
Easy – grab your favorite tortillas or hard shells and get to town!
I like to prepare a spread of sliced avocado (or guacamole!), black beans or refried beans, salsa, shredded cheese, Greek yogurt for sour cream, and fresh cilantro!
Store the tempeh meat in the fridge for up to five days.
Here are some other tempeh recipes to try!
CONNECT WITH ERIN LIVES WHOLE!
Be sure to follow me on my social media accounts
Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
If you make one of my recipes, snap a photo and tag it @erinliveswhole onย Instagram and hashtag it #erinliveswhole
Vegan Tempeh Tacos
This delicious vegan tempeh tacos is an easy and healthy recipe that will spice up your next Mexican taco night! I’ll show you how to cook the best tempeh tacos that both meat eaters and vegans will love! Top with avocado, rice, black beans, and salsa!ย
Ingredients
- 1 8oz block tempeh
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (or more if you like it really spicy!)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Crumble tempeh to resemble ground beef consistency (see photos above)
- Heat a frying pan with olive oil.
- Add diced red onion and let saute for about 3 minutes or until slightly translucent.
- Add in tempeh and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix spices in a small bowl.
- Add spices and 1/3 cup water to saute pan with tempeh and stir till evenly coated.
- Let heat through and simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until most water has evaporated.
- Serve!
Store taco meat in fridge for up to 5 days.
There may be affiliate links in this post!ย By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat ๐
sydney says
So easy and SOO tasty!!! My meat-loving friends were amazed at how delicious this was!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sydney, so glad you all loved them!!
Lynn says
This was my first time trying tempeh and it was amazing with the taco seasoning! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lynn, I am so happy you tried and enjoyed it!! ๐
Kim says
I made these tacos and liked them a lot. I had never eaten tempeh before, so the texture threw me off but the flavors from this recipe are spot on! Thank you!
★★★★
Erin says
So glad that you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kendall Rivera says
This recipe sounds INSANE! What a fun way to use tempeh!!
★★★★★
Erin says
You’re the best girl!! Love you!!!!
Britt says
Cannot wait to try these tacos!! I’ve never made tempeh but now I have to try! ๐ Absolutely fabulous, Erin!
★★★★★
Erin says
Thank you, Britt!! You gotta give it a try! Such a good plant based protein ๐