Tempeh tacos

Vegan tempeh taco platter with guacamole and cherry tomatoes.

5 from 4 votes

Tempeh has wonderful chewy texture & satiating protein. That makes it ideal as a taco filling. Pile it high in crispy taco shells with plenty of colorful toppings. Taco night just got a whole lot more fun!

Makes about 8 tacos, depending on how much you fill them

Prep Time12

Cook Time18

Total Time30

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan

Keyword: meatless taco, weeknight friendly

Servings: people

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

Tempeh taco meat

1 teaspoon avocado oil or your preferred oil, divided
8 ounces tempeh
Pinch of salt plus more to taste
½ cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon granulated onion
¾ cup water
2 teaspoons tamari
2 teaspoons lime juice
Few dashes hot sauce

Taco fixings

8 taco shells warmed
1 ½ cups shredded cabbage or chopped romaine lettuce
¼ cup pickled red onions
¼ cup pickled jalapenos
½ cup chopped tomatoes
1 batch guacamole
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

To make tempeh taco meat

Bring large skillet to a medium heat with ½ teaspoon avocado oil (or your preferred oil). Use your hands to break the tempeh apart and crumble it into the pan in very small pieces. Spread the tempeh across the pan, so that it has as much contact with it as possible. Add a pinch of salt.
Let the tempeh cook for about 4 minutes, rarely moving it, until it becomes nutty brown in spots.
Push the tempeh to one side of the skillet. Put the remaining ½ teaspoon of organic canola oil on the empty part of the skillet. Top it with chopped onions.
Saute for a couple minutes. Then add the minced garlic & saute for a minute more, until fragrant. (If the garlic or onions start to burn, lower the heat.)
Incorporate the onions and garlic with the tempeh in the pan.
Add ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika, and granulated onion to the tempeh. Stir to evenly combine. Let the spices toast for about a minute.
Add water and tamari to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring the skillet to a low simmer, and allow the excess liquid to cook off. This will take about 7 minutes.
Once the tempeh taco meat mixture is mostly dry, add lime juice and a few dashes of hot sauce. Stir to incorporate, and cook for another two minutes. If needed, add salt to taste.

To prepare tacos with fixings

Divide the tempeh taco meat into warmed taco shells.
Top with your choice of shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, red pickled onions, jalapenos, guacamole, and cilantro.

Notes

Warm the taco shells following the directions on the package.

If it's important that this dish is gluten free, be sure to use gluten free tempeh, gluten free tamari soy sauce, and corn taco shells or corn tortillas.

Store any tempeh taco meat leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about four days. Reheat in the microwave or in a non-stick skillet with oil until warm.

Tempeh taco filling also freezes well. Freeze in a freezer proof container. Move to the refrigerator when ready to thaw. Or thaw using the defrost function on the microwave.

Nutrition