Easy Crispy Baked Tempeh Tenders Recipe
Apr 18, 2019 • Updated Apr 08, 2024
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A delicious, crispy, and crunchy baked tempeh recipe! A high protein, vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free take on chicken tenders. Perfect for lunch, dinner, and kids! Grab your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
What Makes This Recipe Great
F R I E N D S… this Baked Tempeh Recipe is the perfect example of just wingin’ it in the kitchen. I’m a pretty organized person when it comes to planning my content but the recipe I was originally going to share today has been thrown out the window because these Tempeh Tenders have truly rocked my world. This recipe is chicken-free (AKA completely vegan), gluten-free, oil-free, and most importantly, crispy, crunchy delicious.
I came up with this recipe for Tempeh Tenders while I was cleaning out my fridge and pantry and discovered a bag of chickpea breadcrumbs that had been hiding in the back of the cabinet. I wanted something high protein, and I also had about 2/3 of a pack of tempeh left over so I thought, why not bread the tempeh and make tenders? And bread the tempeh I did.
It’s quite a simple recipe and will make enough for about 2-3 servings and this recipe really packs in some serious plant protein! You can serve them with sweet potato fries like I did, or a side salad, or just eat them by themselves!
What is Tempeh?
Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made with whole soybeans that have gone through a fermentation process. It has a firm texture and a nutty, mushroom-like flavor. You can find it at most grocery stores or specialty markets like Whole Foods and even Trader Joe’s!
Tempeh can be used in various dishes, such as stir-fries, salads, rice bowls, sandwiches, and soups. It’s a popular meat replacement because it’s high in protein and fiber in a fully plant-based way! Win!
Today we’re breading them and the resulting tenders are delicious. Let’s get baking!
Ingredient Notes
With simple ingredients, these baked tempeh tenders are super easy to make and absolutely delicious! One of my new favorite ways to eat vegan protein!
- packaged tempeh: Our main ingredient! It’s an amazing plant-based protein and you can typically find it in the refrigerated section of grocery stores, health food stores, and specialty markets.
- veggie stock
- old bay seasoning
- Tahini: In place of eggs, which are typically used to bread as it helps the breadcrumbs stick, I used one of my favorite ingredients… you guessed it–tahini! It also helps to add some moisture to the tenders and replaces the need for refined/processed oils.
- coconut aminos or soy sauce: You can substitute this for Tamari as well, which is a gluten-free soy sauce alternative.
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- poultry seasoning
- smoked paprika
- salt
- black pepper
- breadcrumbs: I used chickpea breadcrumbs because I unfortunately have a gluten allergy, but you can absolutely use regular breadcrumbs instead! I like the chickpea breadcrumbs because they’re a nice touch of extra protein, and they crisp up really nicely too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees while you prep your tenders.
- Slice tempeh into strips about 1 centimeter thick. *
- As an optional step, let tempeh strips marinade in veggie stock and old bay for a few hours or overnight in the fridge, and sauté with liquid until it disappears and tempeh absorbs it. This helps to add moisture and flavor.
- In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, water, coconut aminos, and spices until smooth. The texture should be smooth and thick but still run very slowly off your spoon. Add additional water as needed.
- In a separate small bowl, combine all breading ingredients and quickly mix with a fork.
- Take each tempeh strip and cover in tahini sauce, followed by breading mixture. Place each breaded tender onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or silicon baking mat-lined baking dish.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. If using different breadcrumbs, cook time may vary but mine were crisp and golden brown around the 15-minute mark. Keep in mind the tempeh doesn’t need to be “cooked” so we’re really just looking for crisp on the breading.
Storage Tips
Store leftover baked tempeh tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the air fryer or over to retain the crispy breading. These are great for meal prep too!
Recipe FAQs
No! If you want it to be softer and more porous, you can boil it. However, for this easy baked tempeh recipe, we want it to be firm so boiling is not recommended.
Tempeh and tofu are both soy-based products, but they differ in texture, taste, and production.
Tofu has a softer texture, while tempeh is firmer and chewier with a nutty flavor. Tofu is made by curdling soy milk and pressing it into a block, while tempeh is made by fermenting cooked soy beans with a mold.
Tempeh is higher in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals due to the fermentation process. Both can be used as plant-based protein sources, with tofu having a milder taste and tempeh a more distinct, nutty flavor. Both are great in stir fry, salads, soups, mains, and more!
More Favorite Tempeh Recipes
Vegan Cucumber Tempeh Sandwich
Tempeh, Broccoli, & Sweet Potato Hash
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Easy Crispy Baked Tempeh Tenders Recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 package tempeh roughly 150g, cut into strips
- 1/3 cup veggie stock + 1 tsp old bay seasoning*
- 1 heaping tbsp tahini
- 2-4 tsp water
- 1 tsp coconut aminos liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- breading
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs I used this gluten-free chickpea variety
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees while you prep your tenders.
- Slice tempeh into strips about 1 centimeter thick. *As an optional step, let tempeh strips marinade in veggie stock and old bay for a few hours or overnight in the fridge, and sauté with liquid until it disappears and tempeh absorbs it. This helps to add moisture and flavour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, water, coconut aminos and spices until smooth. The texture should be smooth and thick but still run very slowly off your spoon. Add additional water as needed.
- In a separate small bowl, combine all breading ingredients and quickly mix with a fork.
- Take each tempeh strip and cover in tahini sauce, followed by breading mixture. Place each breaded tender onto a parchment or silicon baking mat lined tray.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. If using different breadcrumbs, cook time may vary but mine were crisp and golden brown around the 15 minute mark. Keep in mind the tempeh doesn't need to be "cooked" so we're really just looking for crisp on the breading.
Notes
Storage Tips
Store leftover baked tempeh tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the air fryer or over to retain the crispy breading. These are great for meal prep too!Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love & tenders,
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