Sriracha Tempeh Bowls

Looking for a quick and easy vegan meal prep recipe? Try this Spicy Sriracha Tempeh Bowl recipe! Crisp tempeh is tossed in a spicy marinade and served with veggies over brown rice. It doesn't get much easier than that!

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You know what's one of the easiest things in the world to make and the most delicious things to eat? Bowl food!

It's no surprise that we're big fans of meal bowls here on HNL. We've got Vegan Poké Bowls, Vegetarian Burrito Bowls, and Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Bowls to name a few. And be sure to check out our guide to How to Make a Meal Bowl Without a Recipe as well!

Meal bowls are a great way to take advantage of weekly batch cooking (related: Batch Cooking for Beginners) and you can mix and match the ingredients as you go.

But if there's one meal bowl I really must insist you get into regular rotation, it's these Spicy Sriracha Tempeh Bowls!

Why? Here's just a few reasons why this recipe is so great:

• Only a handful of ingredients
• It's hella nutritious!
• Easily customized 
• Totally vegan 
• Totally gluten-free
• Packed with plant-based protein

All that and a simple technique for making the tempeh that'll help it to soak up that flavourful sriracha sauce. Read on to learn more!

Ingredients:

The ingredients list is short and sweet, my friends. You'll find specific quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post, but let's take a quick look together:

• Tempeh --> This is kind of the star of the show.
• Sriracha --> Or another hot sauce of your choice.
• Light soy sauce --> I love using Bragg's Liquid Aminos for this or tamari is fine too.
• Toasted sesame oil --> You can't beat those nutty flavors.
• Agave nectar --> Or honey if you're not vegan, or even maple syrup.
• Ginger --> For some zing!
• Cooked brown rice --> I use this recipe for Instant Pot Brown Jasmine Rice.
• Veggies of your choice --> I used broccoli, bok choy, and carrots. 

Equipment:

I love preparing the tempeh in my Air Fryer using this Air Fryer Tempeh recipe. It's so fast and easy, and the tempeh is perfectly crisp.

Of course if you don't have an Air Fryer, you can just make the tempeh in the oven instead. All you'll need is a sheet pan and some parchment paper to prevent sticking. 

Method:

You'll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. For now, let's go through it together.

You may want to check out this post about How to Cook Tempeh which goes through all the different cooking methods. I'll talk about just two in this post!

Start by preparing your tempeh. You're going to want to cube it up, and toss with a bit of oil. Then season with salt and pepper.

Now you're either going to Air Fry your tempeh, or bake it in the oven until it's crisp and golden.

While the tempeh is cooking, whisk together the ingredients for your marinade. That's right - the marinade is going on AFTER the tempeh has been cooked. I find this is the best way to ensure crispy edges and it does a great job of soaking up all of the sauce. 

As soon as the tempeh is done cooking, just add to the bowl with the marinade and let it sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, so it can soak up the sauce. 

While the tempeh is soaking, get your bowls ready! This is a good time to steam the broccoli florets, bok choy, and carrots. Remember we're going for a LIGHT steam, preferably with a bit of crunch remaining.

Add in cooked brown rice to your bowls, (or another cooked grain of your preference), lightly steamed vegetables (whatever your favourites are) and then add the marinated tempeh on top.

That's it! Your Sriracha Tempeh Bowl is done like dinner!

Pro tips / recipe notes:

If you have the rice prepared in advance, this Tempeh Bowl recipe comes together very quickly. You can go for brown rice, as I did, or opt for quinoa, millet, or a mix of grains. 

I steam the vegetables because it's so fast and easy, but you can also stir fry them if you prefer. Mix up the veggies that you like - you can add in bell peppers, sweet potato, shredded cabbage, or whatever you have on hand. You can also add in more greens like, kale or spinach. I also love topping these bowls with Spicy Pickled Onions!

If you prefer to marinate the tempeh for a longer time, you can let it soak in the sauce for an hour or up to overnight, and then bake or air fry when you're ready to eat. If you're going to air fry pre-marinated tempeh, be sure to drain any excess marinade off before you add it to the air fryer basket. 

Prefer to use tofu instead of tempeh? You totally can! I suggest trying my Tofu Nuggets and tossing them with the sriracha sauce when they're done cooking. 

If you're batch cooking or packing these tempeh bowls for your lunches, just pack them into air-tight containers and store them in the fridge. They'll last 3-4 days in the fridge, and can be easily re-heated in the microwave. 

Is tempeh healthy? 

You bet it is! Tempeh is fermented soy food originally from Indonesia.

To make tempeh, whole soybeans are fermented with the mold Rhizopus oligosporus in a process similar to cheese making. The fermentation process makes digestion easier and nutrients like zinc, calcium, and iron are more bio-available than in non-fermented soy products like tofu.

Tempeh is a great source of plant-based protein. Also, because the soy beans in tempeh are still in their whole form, all of the dietary fiber is still intact. Think of tofu as the white bread of the soy world and tempeh as its healthier whole grain cousin.

Other recipes you might enjoy

Tempeh Tacos
Tempeh Teriyaki 
8 Vegan Tempeh Recipes You Should Try
BBQ Tofu Bowls
Veggie Burger in a Bowl
Vegan Rice Noodle Bowl
Vegan Sheet Pan Fajita Bowls
Red Curry Stir Fry
Sticky Tofu

This recipe was first published on September 11, 2014. It was been re-tested, re-photographed, edited, and updated on January 4, 2022.