These quick and easy vegan tempeh tacos are full of flavor and packed with protein. Tempeh has a naturally meaty texture and is a great meat alternative for your veggie tacos. They’re the perfect plant-based weekday meal ready in just 15 minutes!

A top view of 4 soft shell tempeh tacos with cilantro lime sauce and pickled onions in them.

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Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and is sold in a brick-like form. It has a slightly bitter flavor that is easily eliminated when boiled. Simmering the tempeh in a toco-flavored broth allows the flavors to soak in.

You can also use it to make things like tempeh bacon or BBQ tempeh sandwiches.

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

  • It’s easy to make in just minutes
  • Makes a hearty and delicious meal.
  • Plain tempeh is a naturally gluten-free plant-based meat alternative.

We love tacos in my house and make a variety of fillings like cauliflower tacos, jackfruit tacos, and TVP tacos, but these tempeh tacos topped with pickled red onions and garlic cilantro sauce are one of my all-time favorite meals!

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

  • Tempeh – for the meaty base of your tacos. If you don’t want to use tempeh, you can make my TVP tacos instead.
  • Water – to form a broth to simmer the tempeh in. You can also use vegetable broth.
  • Taco Seasoning – for flavor. Use any store-bought taco seasoning that you like or make your own using chili powder and cumin.
  • Cumin – optional for a little extra Mexican-style flavor.
  • Salt – to taste. If you use salty taco seasoning, you may not need extra salt.
  • Cooking Oil – to fry the tempeh crumbles after they have absorbed all of the water. This will help crisp it up a little and give it a better texture. You can omit the oil and skip this step for oil-free taco “meat.” You can use light olive oil, refined coconut oil, avocado oil, or any other neutral-flavored oil.
  • Taco Toppings – Add lettuce, Mexican pickled onions, vegan cilantro lime crema, tomatoes, vegan cheddar cheese, olives, vegan sour cream, guacamole, jalapenos, salsa, cilantro sauce, crunchy quinoa, or anything else that you like on your tacos.
  • Taco Shells – you can use hard-shell tacos or soft-shell tacos. I love to use flame-heated corn tortillas for these tacos.
A close of of tempeh tacos with Mexican pickled onions and chipotle mayo drizzled on them.

🔪 Helpful tools

  • A Skillet – to simmer and fry the tempeh taco “meat.”

🥄 How to make tempeh taco meat

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Add 1 cup of water or broth to the bottom of a skillet and stir in 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.

Step 2 – Crumble a block of tempeh with your hands into small pieces and put it into the broth.

Step 3 – Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until all of the liquid is gone.

Step 4 – Drizzle the crumbles with 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté for an additional 3 – 4 additional minutes.

A skillet filled with water, spices, and tempeh crumbles.
Simmer the tempeh in broth and taco seasonings.
Crumbled tempeh cooked in a skillet with taco flavored seasonings.
Cook until the broth is gone and the tempeh is browned.

Step 5 – Serve as you would taco meat in tacos, tostadas, burritos, or loaded vegan nachos.

👨‍🍳 How to make gourmet vegan tacos

If you want to turn these tacos from boring into something special, I highly recommend using soft-shell corn tortillas and heating them over an open flame. I do this over my gas stovetop with some metal tongs to flip them. You can also heat them over the open flame of a grill.

The toppings are the key to great tacos and my favorites are Mexican pickled onions, garlic cilantro sauce, cilantro lime crema, and some spicy mayo like vegan chipotle mayo or vegan sriracha mayo. I love to add some crunchy quinoa, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice as well.

🌮 Vegan taco toppings

🍞 Gluten-free tempeh tacos

Tempeh tacos make a great gluten-free meat alternative, however, you have to read labels to make sure that they are gluten-free. Be sure to buy plain tempeh. A lot of tempeh has other grains added to it, so make sure that yours is made from only soybeans. You also want to double-check your taco seasoning. A lot of brands include wheat as a thickening agent in taco seasoning.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

  • Be sure to simmer the tempeh taco meat to get the bitterness out of it.
  • Toss in a bag of fresh baby spinach at the end of cooking and let it wilt. It makes a delicious spinach taco or burrito filling!
  • Different brands of taco seasoning have different amounts of salt. You will need to adjust the salt in this recipe based on the brand of taco seasoning that you are using to suit your taste.

🥡 Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: The vegan tempeh taco meat will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.

Freeze: Tempeh taco meat will freeze well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat the tempeh taco meat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, and pan-fry in a little oil.

A close up of soft shell vegan tempeh tacos with Mexican pickled onions, cilantro lime crema, and chipotle mayo.

🌟 More southwest-style meals

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

📋 Tempeh tacos recipe

Four tempeh tacos on a blue plate with cilantro and lime slice around them.
Diet
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5 from 8 rating

Tempeh Tacos

Yield: 4
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
Vegan tacos made with tempeh. A quick and easy way to turn tempeh into taco meat.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For the taco "meat"

  • 1 ( 8 oz.) block tempeh
  • 1 cup water, (or low sodium broth)
  • 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, (if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon oil

For the tacos

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 cup of water or broth to the bottom of a skillet and stir in 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.
  • Crumble a block of tempeh with your hands into small pieces and put it into the broth.
  • Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until all of the liquid is gone.
  • Drizzle the crumbles with 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté for an additional 3 – 4 more minutes.
  • Serve as you would taco meat in tacos, tostadas, burritos, or loaded vegan nachos. I like to serve them in heated soft-shell corn tortillas with vegan cilantro lime crema, Mexican pickled onions, and chipotle mayo.

Notes

  • Be sure to simmer the tempeh taco meat to get the bitterness out of it.
  • Toss in a bag of fresh baby spinach at the end of cooking and let it wilt. It makes a delicious spinach taco or burrito filling!
  • Different brands of taco seasoning have different amounts of salt. You will need to adjust the salt in this recipe based on the brand of taco seasoning that you are using to suit your taste.
Serving: 3tacos, Calories: 282kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 190mg, Potassium: 321mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 7IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 113mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!

*The original recipe was posted on April 7, 2021. Updated on October 17, 2023, to include new images.