The flavor and texture of these tempeh tacos with tofu is killer! The spicy taco meat is perfectly seasoned then pan fried until succulent with crispy edges. Topped with a tangy slaw and creamy avocado, the flavor combination is epic. These vegan tacos are the ultimate, high protein, dinner ready in under 30 minutes.
I tried tempeh several times over the years (I really wanted to like it), but I never fell in love with it until now! Today's vegan taco is one of my first tempeh recipes on the blog!
Tofu and tempeh together make the most craveable vegan ground beef alternative ever! The combination of textures is where this spectacular combo really shines. The tempeh crumbles are firm, nutty, and crispy. The tofu crumbles are succulent and meaty with crispy edges. Together they soak up flavor like a boss and cook to sizzling perfection when they hit the hot pan. That's how to make juicy, spicy, crispy vegan ground beef that's seriously mouthwatering!
Everyone loves these easy vegan tacos (obviously) especially on Taco Tuesday or really any day of the week!
Taco Ingredients and Substitutions
These taco are made with a tofu and tempeh base so they are a great source of plant protein. If you add in the optional lentils or black beans, the protein and fiber content bumps way up! Toppings are up to you, but I do suggest several good options below including my family's favorite killer combo:
Ingredients you'll need:
- Tempeh: (Tem-pay) is a mild tasting, plant based protein made from fermented soybeans that are compress into a cake. Found in the refrigerated section usually near the tofu. I use LightLife Original Tempeh. Check the label for GF if needed.
- Tofu: Tofu is a high protein food made from soymilk that's pressed into blocks. I recommend extra firm, vacuum sealed, tofu for this recipe (found in the refrigerated section). I use Sunrise Tofu, extra firm.
- Lentils: Optional ingredient, but if you have some cooked lentils on hand, they add extra fiber, protein, and texture. I typically have brown or green in the fridge or freezer.
- Taco seasoning: Use homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store bought brand.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds a concentrated tomato flavor.
- Salsa: For the taco filling, but also delicious as a taco topping.
- Green onions: I like green onions, but you can use white or yellow onions.
- Fresh cilantro: Adds flavor and freshness.
- Optional: Brown sugar (or maple syrup) to balance the flavors. Soy sauce (tamari if GF) adds umami depth of flavor and saltiness.
- Taco shells: Soft flour tortillas (corn tortillas for gluten free) or hard corn taco shells.
Topping Ideas
Customize your tacos with toppings of choice! They add vibrant colors, tons of texture, and bursts of flavor. Choose a combination of fresh, crunchy, creamy, tangy, sweet, spicy, and savory for the most craveable bites!
Here's a few topping ideas:
Creamy coleslaw, easy guacamole or sliced avocados, tomatoes or pico de gallo, mango corn salsa, cucumbers, pickled jalapenos, grated cheese or creamy chipotle sauce, vegan sour cream, hot sauce, shredded lettuce or leafy greens, pickled red onions, black beans, crispy lentils or any other vegetables you enjoy. Best sauce to drizzle or dunk tacos? (See recipe card for my favorites).
How to Make Crumbled Tempeh Tofu Tacos
Easy and customizable, these tacos are make-ahead friendly (ie. taco meat, any sauces or condiments like pico, salsa, taco seasoning) and super delicious. Taco night sorted!
- Prepare the tofu: Wrap the block of tofu in paper towels, squeeze out any excess water. Crumble the tofu into ground beef size pieces onto the paper towel or into a bowl. It's okay if you have a variety of sizes as some pieces get crispier and some will be succulent and juicy.
- Prepare the tempeh: Using your hands, break the tempeh into peanut-size crumbles (to break up the dense texture). Add to the tofu pile.
- Brown the tempeh and tofu crumbles: Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced green onions and a sprinkle of salt - cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in the tempeh and tofu crumbles; let cook until turning golden brown with some crispy edges (~6-8 minutes).
- Season the taco filling: Stir the tomato paste, water, salsa, and taco seasoning together in a measuring cup. Pour the mixture into the skillet and stir well to coat. Flatten the filling out in the skillet, let it cook without stirring for a few minutes while the filling soaks up the flavorful seasoning. Once the filling has cooked down a bit, flip it using a spatula and repeat on the other side. Optional Step: For extra crispy bits, add another drizzle of olive oil along the edges of the skillet, and let it sizzle for a minute or two.
- Remove from the heat, add a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice.
- Prepare the taco toppings: While the filling is cooking, prepare the toppings of choice and sauce (if using).
- Heat the taco shells: Warm the tortillas before serving. Just 20-30 seconds per side in a skillet over medium heat.
- To serve: Add a scoop of taco meat, lots of toppings, and a drizzle of sauce (if using) onto the warm tortilla. Enjoy every delicious bite!
Cooking and Ingredient Tips
A few helpful tips from my experience before you start cooking:
- Protein & fiber: There's a heavy focus on and interest in protein these days. I personally also lean hard into fiber for all its health benefits. This tofu-tempeh taco recipe is the perfect combination of both! For an extra boost of protein and fiber, add a handful of lentils to the taco filling.
Protein & Fiber Per Taco
- 12 ounce block TOFU (Sunrise extra firm): 56 grams protein, 300 mg calcium
- 8 ounce package TEMPEH (Lightlife original): 45 grams protein, 225 mg calcium, 16 grams fiber
- 1 cup cooked LENTILS: 18 grams protein, 35 mg calcium, 16 grams fiber
- Total protein: 119 grams ÷ X (number of tacos) = protein per each taco
- Tempeh tips: I have been a slow fan of tempeh. I hadn't found a way to cook and season it that I loved. But when I tried crumbling it and pairing it with something I love (tofu) to mask the texture, I liked it. The combination of the two textures is outstanding (and familiar!) - perfect for meatless tacos!
- How to make tempeh taste good: Changing the texture of tempeh from a dense block to crumbled pieces creates a lighter texture, lots of edges for flavor to stick to, and it crisps up easily when fried. Tempeh has a pretty bland, slightly bitter taste so it can handle A LOT of flavor - don't be shy with the layers of seasoning.
- Type of tofu to use: I like extra firm tofu for this recipe because of its dense, meaty texture that becomes succulent and tender with crispy edges when cooked.
If you've never tried tofu before, it's an incredible, high protein meat replacement: soy beans are soaked, blended, coagulated then pressed until the liquid drains out. The longer it's pressed, the firmer it becomes. It has a neutral flavor profile. For more info on tofu, check out my Complete Tofu Guide. - Manage the spice level: It's quick and inexpensive to make your own homemade taco seasoning, and you control how spicy, smoky, sweet or salty it is. Highly recommend!
- Serving ideas: My family's favorite taco combo is to start with a warm tortilla, smear on hummus, add some spicy tofu tempeh meat, pile on some creamy coleslaw, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and lots of leafy greens. (If I have any spicy peanut sauce on hand, I drizzle it on - chef's kiss!).
Leftovers & Serving Ideas
Save any bits of leftovers or sauce you have from each meal! Because if you're like me and don't like eating the same thing several days in a row, remember leftovers can easily be transformed into a new delicious meal!
Here's a few ways to repurpose/use leftover vegan taco meat:
- Grain bowls & taco salads: Add leftover vegan taco meat to boost up the protein content and bulk up any grain bowl or salad. The 'leftover stars' are aligned when you have leftover salad and leftover grain bowl ingredients too - dinner in minutes!
- Black bean stuffed sweet potatoes or baked potatoes: Loaded baked potatoes and stuffed sweet potatoes lend themselves very well to leftovers. Add a sprinkle of leftover tofu-tempeh taco meat to either potato to boost up the protein and bulk it up - super satisfying meal!
- Meaty vegan burritos: To make a quick burrito, add a scoop of tofu-tempeh meat, rice/quinoa, black beans, grated cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and cilantro to a warm flour tortilla. Wrap it up and store in the fridge (or freezer) for later or warm immediately on a griddle over medium heat - flipping to get all sides golden and warmed through. Serve with creamy chipotle sauce, salsa or easy guacamole.
- Chipotle's sofritas bowl or taco: With a switch up of the seasonings, this tempeh tofu filling makes a spectacular sofritas bowl.
- Vegan nachos or pizza toppings: We love this vegan ground beef crumble sprinkled over loaded nachos smothered in queso sauce. Plus they make a delicious topping on veggie pizzas!
Meal Prep and Storage
This vegan taco meat is amazing for meal prep! It makes a big batch and stores well in the refrigerator (in an airtight container) for up to a week. The flavor and texture are delicious leftover, and it pairs well with everything! I love having a container in the fridge on stand by!
To reheat, pop into the microwave or warm in the toaster oven until heated through.
More Epic Vegan Taco Recipes
- Crispy Black Bean Tacos
- Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos with Creamy Slaw
- Crispy Mushroom Walnut Meat
- Smoky Pulled Jackfruit Tacos
- Epic Vegan Shawarma with 2 Sauces
Tried this recipe or any recipe on the blog? Please leave a comment or question below, and I LOVE seeing your photos - tag me on Instagram.
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Vegan Tacos with Tempeh and Tofu (high protein)
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INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounce package tempeh (227 grams)
- 12 ounce block tofu, extra firm (350 grams)
- 4 green onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ - 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup salsa + ½ cup water (more as needed)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (optional - see note)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or coconut sugar (as needed - see note)
- cilantro, chopped
- lime wedges
- taco shells (soft or hard)
Optional Add Ins
- 1 cup cooked lentils (more or less to taste)
Taco Topping Ideas (more ideas in recipe card below)
- shredded cabbage or coleslaw
- chopped tomatoes or salsa
- cucumber or avocado slices
- grated dairy free cheese
- leafy greens (shredded) or sprouts
Optional Drizzling Sauce Ideas (see recipe card below)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep the tofu: Open the tofu packaging, wrap the block of tofu in some paper towels or a clean dish towel and gently squeeze to remove any excess water. Pat the tofu dry. Use your hands to crumble the tofu onto the paper towel/kitchen towel so it resembles ground beef. A variety of sizes is okay.
- Prep the tempeh: Use your hands to crumble the tempeh into small pieces, around the size of a peanut.
- Brown the tempeh and tofu crumbles: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil, sliced green onions, and a sprinkle of salt. Once the onions start to cook (~2 minutes), add in the tempeh and tofu crumbles. Adjust the heat up or down as needed. Cook for ~2 minutes undisturbed then stir and continue cooking for 6-8 minutes until turning golden with some crispy edges.
- Season the taco meat: Stir the salsa, tomato paste, and water together in a large measuring cup. Pour the mixture into the skillet and stir well to incorporate (add more water as needed). Add the cooked lentils at this time (if using). Flatten out the filling and let it cook without stirring for a couple minutes while the tofu and tempeh soak up the flavorful seasoning. Once the filling has cooked down a bit and has some charred edges, flip it using a spatula and repeat on the other side cooking for a couple minutes. Taste to check the flavor: If the filling is too spicy or acidic for you, stir in ~1 teaspoon of brown sugar or coconut sugar to balance the flavors. If the filling tastes flat, add the soy sauce or a pinch of salt to pop the flavors.
- Optional Step: For extra crispy bits, add another drizzle of olive oil along the edges of the skillet and across the top then let it sizzle for a minute or two. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
- Prepare the taco toppings: While the taco meat is cooking, prep your toppings of choice. Highly recommend a quick coleslaw, avocado or guacamole, tomatoes or pico, and some leafy greens. See more topping ideas and recipe links in notes below.
- Heat the taco shells: Warm the tortillas to soften before serving. Just 20-30 seconds on each side on a griddle over medium heat should do it. Warming hard taco shells brings out their flavor and crunchifies them! I like to do this in a toaster oven.
- Assemble the tacos: Pile a scoop of taco filling, toppings of choice, and a drizzle of sauce (if using) onto a warm tortilla or taco shell. Dig in!
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