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Home By Meal Lunch and Dinner

Vegan Tempeh Tacos

★★★★★ 5 Reviews Recipe Print
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By: ErinPosted: 4/4/19Updated: 9/22/20

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!

tacos stacked in a row

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.

skillet of tempeh taco meat

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.

crumbled tempeh meat before cooking

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.

close up shot of vegan tempeh tacos

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.

vegan tempeh meat on soft shell taco

Here are some other tempeh recipes to try!

Sesame Ginger Tempeh Stir Fry

Easy BBQ Baked Tempeh

Spicy Peanut Tempeh

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pinterest image for vegan tacos
tacos stacked in a row
★★★★★ 4.8 from 5 reviews

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! 

Prep: 10Cook: 15Total: 25 minutes
Yield 2 cups taco meat 1x
Print Pin it Rate

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

  1. Crumble tempeh to resemble ground beef consistency (see photos above)
  2. Heat a frying pan with olive oil.
  3. Add diced red onion and let saute for about 3 minutes or until slightly translucent.
  4. Add in tempeh and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Mix spices in a small bowl.
  6. Add spices and 1/3 cup water to saute pan with tempeh and stir till evenly coated.
  7. Let heat through and simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until most water has evaporated.
  8. Serve!

Store taco meat in fridge for up to 5 days.

Author: Erin MorrisseyCategory: vegan, vegetarian, entree, dinner
tacos stacked in a row

Did you make this?

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vegan tempeh tacos

There may be affiliate links in this post! 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 🙂

You May Also Like...

  • baked bbq tempeh with rice and veggies
    Easy BBQ Baked Tempeh
  • tempeh after baking
    Spicy Peanut Tempeh
  • cut up tempeh in pan
    What is Tempeh?
  • tempeh with carrots and green beans
    Sesame Ginger Tempeh Stir Fry
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I’m Erin. Creator of Erin Lives Whole, a food blog with delicious and easy healthy recipes that will leave you feeling good. We’ve got everything from wholesome baked goods to comforting savory dishes. I can’t wait to see what you whip up! Read More...

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