Spicy Tempeh Tacos

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If you’re looking for a flavorful and nutrition packed taco recipe that also uses up the tempeh lying in your fridge, look no further than these spicy tempeh tacos. 

This tempeh taco recipe is packed with crispy and spicy tempeh ‘meat’ (that I can assure you actually tastes like crispy chicken). Plus it’s paired with crunchy iceberg lettuce, avocado and an insane creamy jalapeno verde sauce that is actually life changing. 

Side note, if you like to prepare your meals ahead of time, you can make the jalapeno verde sauce and the spicy tempeh ahead of time. Just store them in your fridge so you can make these vegan tacos whenever you want! 

Ok, back to the tempeh recipe. Which I can honestly say will become my go-to way to use up any tempeh because it’s so dang good. 

Let’s get into the recipe, or you can skip to the recipe here. 

Spicy Tempeh Taco Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to make these insanely good and easy tempeh tacos. 

As always, the full recipe + directions and measurements is below in the recipe card. But listing out the ingredients here so you can use this as a shopping list! 

• Lightlife tempeh – favorite brand tempeh, be sure to get the original tempeh
• White onion 
• Jalapeno peppers 
• Tomato paste
• Fresh garlic
• Vegan yogurt 
• Cilantro 
• Limes
• Maple syrup or Honey 
• Spices – like chipotle chile pepper, cumin, oregano and salt 
• Flour tortillas – love the almond flour tortillas from Siete 
• Avocado
• Iceberg lettuce 

How to Make These Spicy Tempeh Tacos 

Making these spicy tempeh tacos couldn’t be simpler. Everything comes together on one sheet pan (so very minimal clean up). Plus, the other components of these tacos get prepared while the tempeh mixture cooks to save on time!

1. Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 450°F. 
2. Next, add the avocado oil, lime juice, tomato paste, minced garlic, chipotle chile pepper, cumin, oregano and salt into a bowl. Mix well with a whisk and set aside. 
3. Grate the tempeh on a box grater. You can crumble the tempeh with your hands, but grating the tempeh helps mimic the texture of meat better. 
4. Add the grated tempeh onto the parchment lined pan, along with the onion and jalapeno. Pour the spice mixture over the tempeh and toss to combine (highly recommend using your hands to mix everything so you can ensure everything is coated with the spice mixture). Bake for 25-30 minutes at 450°F until crispy but still tender. 
5. While the tempeh is baking, add the jalapeno verde ingredients into a blender and blend together. Adjust for salt as needed. 
6. Next step while the tempeh mixture cooks is to prep the iceberg lettuce, avocado and heat your tortillas. I like doing this while the tempeh cooks to save on time and cook more efficiently. 
7. Once the tempeh mixture is done, it’s time to assemble the tacos. Add the tempeh onto your tortillas, followed by the iceberg lettuce, avocado and cilantro. Finish with a generous drizzle of the creamy jalapeno verde. 

My Notes On The Creamy Jalapeno Verde Sauce 

I thought I would dedicate a section in this recipe to making the verde sauce because while it is straightforward I do have some notes and tips to make it perfectly. 

• Use an immersion blender. If you have one of course. However, since we’re not making a huge batch of this sauce, using a blender doesn’t work. Because most blenders need a lot of volume to properly emulsify and make things smooth and creamy. I like adding the ingredients into a large plastic jar (don’t use glass haha) and blending everything in there. That way the sauce ingredients will be blended up really smooth! 
• Add more jalapeno peppers if you like your meals spicyyy. I personally like the sauce as is, but feel free to add the seeds of the peppers along with an extra one if you like things hot. 
• Use almond or cashew vegan yogurt. Coconut milk yogurt tastes strange in the sauce, so use a more neutral yogurt like almond or cashew for the sauce. I personally love the unsweetened Kite Hill almond yogurt, the texture and flavor is amazing.
• Maple syrup is optional. If you regularly make my savory recipes, you know I like to add a touch of sweetness with honey or maple syrup. Because balance (and that’s what all the restaurants do to make the food taste good). That sauce, you can omit it if you like or even add more depending on how sweet and spicy you want the sauce. 

Recipe Notes…

• While the tempeh mixture does get baked, feel free to stir fry the spicy tempeh instead. This honestly might taste even better, I’m just not a big fan of frying things (the oven is so much easier). 
• Heat the tortillas up over an open burner. That’s how you’ll get the signature black spots and crisp you see on my tortillas (the char tastes so good). Just turn the flame on medium-high and place the tortilla directly on the burner. Flip the tortilla after about 15 seconds, cooking on the other side until you see small bubbles or the tortilla starts to puff. 
• Ok, this is a spicy tempeh tacos recipe, but you can make this into a tempeh taco bowl. Simplye make everything according to directions, but pair it with white or brown rice instead of a tortilla (I tried doing this and can assure you that it tastes just as good as making these tacos). 
• And yes, you can use tofu instead of tempeh. Although that would technically make this recipe a spicy tofu taco recipe haha. Anywho, tofu works just as well, although I feel like tempeh tastes better when used in a recipe like this. 

Even More Savory Recipes

• Spicy Marinated Peanut Sesame Tempeh 
• Tempeh Shawarma Bowl 
• Roasted Chickpea Bowl

Snap a pic of this when you make these spicy tempeh tacos and tag me on Instagram or TikTok. Love seeing you make my recipes — seriously, make me so happy!

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