This 6-Ingredient Stovetop Peanut Tempeh is saucy, creamy, and easy! Serve this 15 minute fuss-free recipe with asian-style bowls or noodles.
Tempeh is definitely a staple in my diet – this soy-based form of plant-based protein is hearty, wholesome, and just a little nutty. Which makes it the perfect vegan protein source to be coated in a smooth and creamy peanut sauce.
Not only is this Stovetop Peanut Tempeh delicious, but it’s ridiculously easy too! All you’ll need are 6 plant-based ingredients and about 15 minutes of your time.
INGREDIENTS FOR STOVETOP PEANUT TEMPEH
This recipe is simple, sweet, and pea-nutty 😉 I’m willing to bet you already have everything you need in your pantry! Here’s the lineup:
- Tempeh: our vegan protein source of choice! If you’re not a fan of tempeh, you could also make this recipe with super firm tofu, chickpeas, or even mushrooms.
- Peanut Butter: the not-so-secret ingredient for our peanut sauce, followed by
- Tamari: for salt and depth of flavor,
- Rice Vinegar: for a little tang,
- Maple Syrup: for sweetness, and
- Sriracha: for a little kick!
These ingredients are simple and customizable too. Want things a little sweeter? Add an extra splash of maple syrup. Don’t have tamari? Use soy sauce or liquid aminos. Out of rice vinegar? Lime juice will work, too!
HOW TO MAKE SAUCY PEANUT TEMPEH
- Steam the tempeh in a saucepan (to get rid of the bitter flavor)
- Stir in our easy 5-ingredient peanut sauce
- Simmer until thick and saucy!
A lot of tempeh recipes call for steaming the tempeh, then marinating it, then baking it in the oven or searing on the stovetop. My tried-and-true method of cooking tempeh does the steaming, marinating, and cooking all in one pot! Which makes your prep, cook time, and clean-up even easier.
One Note: this Stovetop Peanut Tempeh has a dreamy, creamy peanut sauce that thins out beautifully. The recipe instructions as listed below make just enough sauce to coat your tempeh, but if you’re planning to serve it with a bowl of veggies and want just a little more sauce, all you have to do is add some extra water! The peanut butter easily dissolves in any amount of liquid and can be stretched out if you want it to last a little longer.
WAYS TO SERVE PEANUT TEMPEH:
- Over bowls of fluffy rice and steamed veggies,
- Alongside a veggie stir-fry,
- Placed on top of some bouncy noodles and zoodles,
- or served on skewers & sprinkled with sesame seeds for a fun party appetizer!
This saucy stovetop tempeh is the perfect balance of firm and soft – the tempeh still has a little chew, but isn’t overly crispy. If you’re looking for a little extra crunch, try baking (or air-frying) your tempeh before you sauté it on the stove! You can follow the instructions for my Easy Baked Tempeh, and reduce the tamari in this recipe by 1 tablespoon.
If you’re looking for more tempeh recipes, you’ll also love this Smoky Tempeh, this Stovetop BBQ Tempeh and this Maple Mustard Tempeh!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
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Saucy Stovetop Peanut Tempeh
Prep Time: 2 Minutes- Cook Time: 13 Minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Serves 2 to 4 1x
Category: Main
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
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Pin RecipeDescription
This 6-Ingredient Stovetop Peanut Tempeh is saucy, creamy, and easy! Serve this 15 minute fuss-free recipe with asian-style bowls or noodles. Vegan, Gluten-Free, and high in protein.
Ingredients
- 1 8oz (225 g) package tempeh
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water, divided
- 1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce, liquid aminos)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- Sliced green onion and sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the tempeh from its packaging and cut in half. Cut each half into 8 even cubes (by cutting into fourths length and width-wise), then repeat with the other half block.
- Place the tempeh and 3/4 cup of water into a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Let the tempeh “steam” for 5 minutes to get rid of its bitter flavor.
- While the tempeh is steaming, mix the peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, and sriracha together in a small bowl to form a thick paste.
- After 5 minutes have passed, push the tempeh to one side of the pan and add the peanut paste to the remaining liquid; use a spatula to dissolve it into the water and evenly coat the tempeh.
- Once the tempeh is coated, add an additional 1/4 cup (for a thicker sauce) to 3/4 cup (for extra sauce to coat veggies) of water to the saucepan and mix into the tempeh. The sauce will lighten in color immediately as the peanut butter mixes with the water. Simmer the tempeh for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Serve warm, and as desired. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, add the tempeh to a pan with a splash of water and mix well until the sauce loosens.
Notes
- Substitutions: tempeh can be replaced with super firm tofu, chickpeas, or sliced mushrooms. If you’re allergic to peanut butter, almond butter or tahini are also great! Lime juice can be used instead of rice vinegar, and maple syrup can be replaced with any sweetener of choice – liquid or not. Sriracha can be replaced with gochujang or another hot sauce of choice
22 comments
[…] Stovetop Peanut Tempeh: this 5-ingredient tempeh recipe is the minimal effort, maximum flavor protein source we’re all looking for. Pro-tip: add a little extra water to thin the sauce out so you can coat your veggies! […]
Can I just tell you that I love your blog?! I used to skip down to just read the recipe but then I got curious and started reading your blogs and now it’s a must for me. You have great tips and suggestions as well as funny quips here and there. Thank you for your hard work in creating such a wonderful reading and eating experience!
p.s. I love the idea of putting these on skewers for a party appetizer!
Appreciate that so much! Some people don’t like to read the blog in full but there’s a lot of useful information that some people skip! Thanks so much!
[…] Saucy on the stove top […]
What kind of tempeh do you use? Which brand? I’m new to tempeh and find it to have a very strong taste.
I’ve often heard some people have a general aversion to tempeh. I’ve heard that if you steam the tempeh before hand it’ll remove some of the unpleasantness that some people feel the tempeh has.
[…] peanut tempeh over rice (from my bowl) […]
[…] looking for more ‘better-than-takeout’ recipes, you’ll also love this Saucy Stovetop Peanut Tempeh, this Chinese Five Spice Braised Tofu, and this Easy Crispy […]
This recipe instantly became a top 5 favourite! We make it at least once a week now. So satisfying
★★★★★
Oh wow! That’s awesome, thank you!
im obsessed with this recipe! I’ll definitely be making it A TON! as a vegan I’m always dreaming up marinades to bring some life into plant based protein and this one is amazing. love how quick and easy it is too. thanks so much for a great recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much for making it! So glad you like it so much!
Made this last night for my tempeh loving husband. I personally prefer tofu but I thought I’d make this instead. We both really enjoyed it. It was simple and easy to whip up. Thanks for the great recipe !
★★★★★
Glad you both enjoyed it!
Instant staple at our house. We don’t really have tempeh any other way anymore! Just delicious ???????? Thanks Caitlin.
★★★★★
That’s awesome, thanks for making it!
Oh my. I’m left without words. This was so so so good!!! You have definitely made me happy with this recipe. I loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Much love from Mexico. ????
★★★★★
Yay! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
My first time cooking with tempeh and it was so good! I went ahead and baked it using your easy baked tempeh recipe and sautéed some yellow pepper, added frozen microwaved broccoli, and served over jasmine rice. We love peanut sauce and had some extra sriracha on top. Thanks for the easy delicious recipe!
★★★★★
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Unbelievable… So easy, quick, tasty and healthy! It’s the first time I steam the tempeh before cooking it, the taste is improved, actually. I used shoyu, sugar and Chinese 5 spices, delicious, and cause there’s anything fried I digestedbery well ..next time I will stick to the original recipe, but thank you so much ????????????????
★★★★★
This was soooo good! Easy to make as well which is always a bonus! Served it with coconut cilantro rice and roasted veggies????????. Definitely a keeper???? BTW I found this recipe on your YouTube channel which I love????
★★★★★