Tempeh Tacos
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2tablespoons neutral oil (such as grapeseed or sunflower), plus more as needed
- 2(8-ounce) packages tempeh, crumbled into roughly ½-inch pieces
- 1large yellow onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3tablespoons tomato paste
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 2teaspoons chili powder
- 1½teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1teaspoon red hot sauce, plus more to taste (optional)
- 12hard taco shells, warmed
- Desired toppings, see Tip
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
504 calories; 28 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 499 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the tempeh and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, undisturbed, until deep brown, 2 minutes. Stir and cook until browned all over, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more oil as needed if the pan looks dry.
- Step 2
Add the tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, nutritional yeast and smoked paprika. Season with salt and cook, stirring constantly, until brick red and beginning to stick to the skillet, 5 to 7 minutes. Try not to rush this step; if it begins to burn, deglaze with a bit of water and reduce the heat.
- Step 3
Add 1 cup water and the hot sauce, if using. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until thickened and the mixture is sizzling, 2 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce.
- Step 4
Divide the filling between the taco shells, then top with chosen toppings.
Tip
- Great toppings include, but are not limited to: Nutritional yeast, grated Cheddar or Jack cheese, lime, shredded lettuce, chopped white onion, pico de gallo, sour cream, cashew crema, sliced jalapeños, cilantro and avocado.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
reverberant
If you haven’t made tacos with lentils before, try it! Cooked lentils are great as a substitute in taco recipes that call for ground turkey or beef. I haven’t tried it yet in this recipe but think it would work.
Julia in NC
If you steam for 5 minutes, it takes the bitter flavor away.
Sue
A hit! We topped this with cashew crema: 1 cup of raw cashews, 3/4 cup water, lemon juice and salt to taste. Whirl in a high-speed blender for a few minutes. Shout out to Trader Joe's - taco shells, tempeh, onions, salsa. Everything we needed plus Mexican beer.
Granddaughter of immigrants
It's the wrong texture. Vegetarian "ground meat" would work, or you could freeze tofu, and then thaw it and crumble it. You'd have to add a lot of seasoning as tofu is very bland (tempeh, which is also made from soy, gets some umami from the fermentation).
DMR
I’m guessing (but only guessing) that “chili powder” in this recipe means the innocuous spice blend of very mild dried chilis, cumin, garlic, oregano, etc. that is commonly available in the US. Here in Australia, chile/chili powder is just dried and ground hot chiles. I’m not arguing about what either should be called, which is better, or which should be used in this recipe, but know that if you use 2 tsp of the latter instead of 2 tsp of the former, the results will be profoundly different.
Shell
A winner!! We love Tempeh, this is one of the best recipes I have tried. I used 3 packages of Tempeh and doubled the spices. It was a bit too much in the large skillet, I think it should have browned more but in the end it was quite good. This could be interchangeable as chili also. I always steam the Tempeh first, crumbles well and soaks up the spices better.
Gwen
The Vegetarian Times (circa 2000-something) had a primer on tempeh that suggested a gentle braise in broth before using in recipes. My husband does it that way and it makes it tender and flavorful. I go straight in on using tempeh and do not braise or boil. It usually tastes really good too.
Janet W.
I was inexperienced cooking with tempeh but put my trust in NYT and it turned out great! The taco shells arrived home from the grocery mostly cracked and broken. So I broke them all and made a delicious taco bowl with all the fixings. This might be easier than fitting everything into those rigid shells. Good tortilla chips would also work.
Sooz
I recently read that tempeh should be boiled before using. Has anyone else read that or tried it?
A
This was delicious! Doubled the tempeh filling recipe to have leftovers for rice bowls during the week.
DokieArtieChokie
This recipe is a delight! Let the tempeh shine with its "own" texture - I don't liken or expect it to taste like meat (I'm an omnivore). The spice profile here is glorious with the tempeh while keeping the dish accessible for milder palates... but I went for it with Secret Aardvark habanero sauce! A great option for a meat-free meal.
Deborah VC
I’ve been curious about cooking with tempeh and this seemed a good way to try it. I thought the texture and flavor were very good. Served with blue corn shells from TJ, soy cheese, home pickled jalapeños, and diced avocado. Yum.
Mare
How do you steam tempeh? I have never seen nor used it before.
SwimForYourLife
Fantastic! Only had one 8oz. package, but forgot and made the rest of the recipe using the full amounts of the other ingredients called for in the recipe.
Jonas M
Couldn’t find tempeh so I used reconstituted fine TVP and WOW! This was really terrific. Flavors and texture are really satisfying. It’s messy and spicy and rich and everything you want out of the inside of your taco!
Scott in Zurich
I have not got tortillas, taco shells or tomato paste on hand so I plan to make the filling with canned tomatoes and to put the filling on top of rice instead of into taco shells. Especially with a bit of sour cream or creme fraiche to bridge the gap, I think this combination should work nicely.
Rosey
I haven't had a hard-shelled taco since I was a kid and this was a treat!
Darcy
What is “red hot sauce”? Tabasco? Sriracha? Something else?
Kim in Austin
I use one package of tempeh. First grate the tempeh with a cheese grater then slow boil in water just covering for 5-10 minutes then strain. Use the same pan to heat the oil then add the strained tempeh. Fry for a few minutes before adding the onions. Use same amount of seasonings as for 2 pkgs of tempeh). Add 1 large chipotle pepper in adobe sauce (chopped) and 1 tablespoon of the gravy instead of chili powder and hot sauce. Make cashew crema with cumin and lime juice. Tasty!
Bethany
Very good. Ate as leftovers. Definitely steam the tempeh. I did for 10 minutes but could probably do longer. Definitely use hard shells.
Bethany
Steam at least 10 minutes. Definitely use hard shells and sharp cheddar.
Bethany
First time cooking tempeh. Once you add the shell and toppings it tastes just like a regular taco. (I’m not vegetarian, but trying to eat more plant based). I did steam the tempeh beforehand based on other reviews (thank you) and felt it needed some acid so added half a squeezed lime. Will make again!
C
Near god tier. I was skeptical even as a tempeh lover because the tempeh didn’t taste great on its own IMO but once it was in a hard shell taco piled with slaw and jalapeños it was amazing. For the slaw I mixed sliced cabbage with mayo, lime zest and lime juice. Highly recommend.
CZ
Loved these. Served with avocado, shredded lettuce, cilantro, and creamy cashew dressing. Yum. Next time I will try steaming the tempeh. I’ve been avoiding that step for tempeh, but I agree with other cooks that it will help a lot.
Jeff in Charlotte
Well, I've tried several tempeh recipes but could never get past the bitterness. This recipe however is excellent. I did steam the tempeh before hand but the sauce ingredients and the technique described added a great smokey, savory flavor. I used Mexene as the chili powder and a few drops of El Yucateco habanero hot sauce. I'll be making tempeh tocas again soon.
Sue
Steaming the tempeh is key. I've used tempeh in a few recipes and have always been disappointed with the moldy and bitter flavor. But tonight after reading through the notes - thank you NYTimes Cooking community - I steamed the tempeh for about 10 minutes and shazam!, delicious taco filling sans moldy bitterness.
Lisa
This was very good. I do recommend bumping up the spices by A LOT. Served it on soft tacos with crema, lettuce, avocado and salsa. Definitely a keeper.
Susan
Thanks for the tip about steaming the Tempe first never tried that before and it really made a difference Very yummy. Definitely needs a creamy topping like the cashew crema described by a reader here or some sour cream, vegan or not. Will make again
Susan
To steam tempeh put in a steamer basket over boiling water. With a lid on the pot. five minutes will do.
Megan
I found the final product to be a little bitter - next time I will try steaming/boiling the tempeh before using it to help with that, per recommendations on here! I halved the recipe as I only had one package of tempeh and ate this taco bowl style with some black beans, avocado, hot sauce, and tortilla chips. I also had some CSA peppers on hand so threw those in with the tempeh/onion mixture.
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