What is Tempeh?

Have you ever heard of tempeh? To be honest, I hadn’t until a few years ago when I first tried it at a restaurant in San Juan Capistrano.

What is tempeh?

• Tempeh is a plant based protein commonly used in vegan and vegetarian diets. It is made out of fermented soybeans and is a staple food in Indonesia (1). The most common way to make tempeh is from soybeans, but other beans and grains can also be used. Tempeh has a dry, firm, and chewy texture with a slightly nutty taste.

What is the difference between tofu and tempeh?

• Tempeh and tofu both come from soybeans. However, the main difference between the two is their texture. Tempeh is much more dense and chewy than tofu.
  • This makes it a more “realistic” meat substitute in recipes.
• Tempeh is ~2x higher in protein than tofu (2,3)
  • ½ cup tofu = ~8g
  • ½ cup tempeh = ~16g protein

Tempeh Nutrition Information (2)

3oz of tempeh (~½ cup)

• 140 calories
• 16g protein
• 4.5g fat

Compared to beef, tempeh contains a similar protein content. However, tempeh is lower in fat (total and saturated) and higher in fiber than beef (1). Seems like a win/win - you get the same amount of protein but with less saturated fat (the bad stuff) and more fiber (the good stuff)!

Where do you buy tempeh?

Most grocery stores sell tempeh in the refrigerated section next to the tofu. I normally find this by the dairy section. I have been able to buy it at all the major grocery stores in my area (Trader Joes, Ralphs, and Whole Foods).

Tempeh Health Benefits

Heart Health

• Tempeh contains isoflavones, which have been shown to reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) significantly (4).
  • Isoflavones are a type of antioxidant, which helps to fight free radicals.
    • Free radicals: compounds that are linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (5).
    • The isoflavone content increases during the fermentation process that tempeh goes through (1,6).

Gut Health

• There is some evidence that probiotics in tempeh can boost gut health by increasing beneficial bacteria (1).
  • Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that have been linked to a variety of health conditions, but especially our mental health and immune system (7).
• Tempeh is also an excellent source of prebiotics, which feeds and keep the healthy bacteria in our gut happy (8).

See below for my current favorite baked tempeh recipe.

Tempeh Buddha Bowls with Spicy Ginger Peanut Sauce

Recipe

Spicy Ginger Peanut Sauce

This sauce goes great in this tempeh bowl but would be delicious on any grain bowl with your favorite protein.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

Peanut Ginger Sauce

• 1 ½ tbsp peanut butter
• 1 ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp water (or more if you need to thin the mixture)
• 1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoon garlic chili paste
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 dash garlic powder

Tempeh Bowl Ingredients

• Cooked quinoa
• Greens
• Sautéed red bell pepper
• Oven roasted sweet potatoes (bake at 425°F until golden brown)
• Radish, thinly sliced
• Cilantro (for topping)
• Sesame seeds (for topping)
• Peanut ginger sauce

Instructions

 

Peanut Ginger Sauce

• Combine all ingredients into a small bowl or mason jar. Mix well and adjust seasoning as needed (you can make it more spicy by increasing the garlic chili paste)

To assemble the tempeh bowl:

• Start by putting quinoa in a bowl (~ 1 cup per serving)
• Next add on all the veggies (greens, bell pepper, radish, and sweet potato)
• Top with the peanut sauce, sesame seeds, and cilantro & enjoy!

Keyword Tempeh, vegan

Sources:

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12710?af=R
2. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174272/nutrients
3. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/411177/nutrients
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17413118/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4310837/
6. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19476337.2016.1197316
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996119303894
8. http://www.pjm.microbiology.pl/archive/vol6222013189.pd