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This vegan tempeh Buddha bowl is coated in a creamy maple mustard dressing. It's packed with quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, silky avocado, crunchy apple, and marinated tempeh for a hearty-filling vegan Buddha bowl. It's plant-based, oil-free, and gluten-free!
The tempeh bowl has several components to the dish, but many can be prepared in advance. Check out my sections below for tips and time-saving tips to prepare this delicious meal.
For more tempeh recipes, try a peanut tempeh bowl with a spicy peanut dressing, or try a tofu Buddha bowl for another grain bowl option. For more sweet potato recipes try vegan Southwest sweet potato bowl with a cilantro cashew dressing or roasted sweet potato nourish bowl with a smoky tahini dressing.
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Recipe features
- Vegan and oil-free!
- Nourishing and filling!
- Enjoy it for meal prep!
What is tempeh?
Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian soy product. It's a plant-based protein that goes through a fermentation process that binds whole soybeans and sometimes grains into a block. It has a bitter nutty flavor and it's less processed than tofu.
The tempeh cake can be cut into cubes, thin strips, triangles, or even crumbled. Steaming it will help reduce some of the bitterness and soften it. It isn't always necessary to do so; if you've come to enjoy the flavor of tempeh it can be skipped.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements for the tempeh bowl.
Tempeh - I use the Lightlife or Trader Joe's brand of tempeh. If you are not a fan of tempeh it can be substituted with crispy oil-free oven-baked tofu or the tofu from my tofu Buddha bowl recipe.
Spicy brown mustard - Dijon mustard can be used if you prefer a tangier kick or whole-grain mustard can also be used for a dressing with a coarser texture. I definitely wouldn't use regular yellow mustard in this spicy brown mustard dressing.
Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce - Use low-sodium soy sauce if you don’t have tamari. Use gluten-free tamari to keep the dish gluten-free.
Maple syrup - It adds a little sweetness to the dressing, agave syrup can be used instead.
Tahini - The sesame seed condiment adds fat to the dressing to thicken it.
Apple cider vinegar - If you do use oil, then you can use a neutral-tasting oil to roast the sweet potatoes. The vinegar taste dissipates while cooking, so don’t worry your sweet potatoes won’t be sour.
Quinoa - The quinoa in this tempeh Buddha bowl can be substituted with white rice, brown rice, millet, cauliflower rice, or any whole grains you prefer. For more recipes with quinoa try zesty quinoa salad.
Sweet potatoes - Scrub the sweet potatoes clean and then dry them. Then cube the starchy veggies into bite-size pieces. To keep this dish oil-free, the potatoes are roasted with apple cider vinegar to hold onto the salt. If you're not oil-free, feel free to roast them with a neutral-tasting oil.
Kale - Remove the stem and tear it into bite-size pieces. If you substitute with spinach or baby kale, there's no need to massage the greens to break down the fibers.
Avocado - Remove the pit and slice or cube a ripe avocado.
Apple - The apple adds a sweet crunch to the tempeh bowl recipe. Cube into bite-size pieces. Instead of apples try spicy pickled onions.
Tips for making the tempeh bowl
- Kale only needs to be massaged with a little of the dressing, just long enough to start to break down some of the fibers and reduce in volume.
- Save a dish and massage the kale in the bowl that was used to toss the sweet potatoes and vinegar together.
- Use a straight-sided bowl or dish to marinate the tempeh.
Time-saving tips
Try some of the tips to save time making this recipe.
- I think the maple mustard tempeh tastes better steamed and marinated; but if you choose not to, it will be covered with a flavorful mustard dressing. (And sometimes we just need to save time and dishes in the kitchen).
- Steaming the tempeh before marinating lets the tempeh puff up slightly and soaks up the marinade better. To save time during cooking, you can skip the steaming of the tempeh and marinate it overnight to soak up more marinade. If you do, toss it occasionally to let it evenly soak up the marinade.
- Preheat the oven and get the prep work done for the sweet potatoes while the tempeh is marinating.
- Plenty of times I’ve just tossed un-steamed cubed tempeh with half of the marinade ingredients, let them marinate while the oven preheats, and baked them as per the instructions in the recipe. I’ve seen that my un-steamed tempeh doesn’t soak up as much marinade, so I use half the amount.
How to roast sweet potatoes without oil
Sweet potatoes don’t have much moisture so they need some in order to have the salt and other seasonings stick. If you use oil, then the vinegar for the potatoes can be substituted with a neutral-tasting oil.
Vegetable broth can also be used instead of apple cider vinegar. Don’t worry, the vinegar dissipates and the potatoes don’t taste sour. If you’re transitioning to using less oil, just a quick spray of oil can work to get the salt to stick.
Instructions
Start the vegan tempeh buddha bowl by placing the tempeh in a pan with water coming halfway up the blocks of tempeh, and simmer on medium to medium-high for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Or use a steamer basket and steam it for 10 minutes. You can also skip the steaming, marinate the tempeh overnight, or cut the marinade ingredients in half and marinade for as long as you can.
While the tempeh is steaming, in a bowl whisk together the tamari, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Once steamed, let it cool until you’re able to handle it, then cut your tempeh into ½-inch cubes.
Place the tempeh in the bowl with the marinade, and toss the cubes around to ensure they’re covered. Let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Toss the cubes around about every 5-10 minutes, to ensure even marinating. It can also marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C). For oil-free roasting, in a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with apple cider vinegar and salt. Don’t pour them onto a baking tray, lift them out of the bowl to leave excess vinegar behind. If you're not oil-free, skip the apple cider vinegar and use a neutral-tasting oil. Discard any remaining vinegar or wipe out any leftover oil to reuse the bowl.
Bake the sweet potatoes on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking tray spread out in a single layer for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Bake the marinated tempeh on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking tray for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the quinoa according to the package instructions. Then in a small bowl whisk the ingredients together for the dressing.
Reuse the sweet potato bowl to massage the kale with 2 tablespoons of dressing, and tear it into bite-size pieces if needed. The volume of kale should be reduced in size.
To serve, portion off the quinoa, cooked potatoes, tempeh, diced apples, and sliced avocado into bowls, and add the mustard dressing.
Storage
If you’re using this tempeh Buddha bowl for meal prep, the sweet potatoes and tempeh can be stored together. I store the rest separately, although the kale and apple may be fine together.
Depending on the type of apple, if pre-cut it might brown overnight in the refrigerator, a splash of lemon juice may help but it will taste a little like lemon. If you have leftover avocado, store it with the seed still intact in an airtight container.
More tofu and tempeh recipes
Related recipes
- Butternut squash Buddha bowl
- Vegan taco bowl
- Roasted sweet potato nourish bowl
- Chickpea vegetable rice bowl
- Vegan fajita bowl with black beans
I hope you enjoy this recipe for the maple mustard tempeh buddha bowl! If you like the recipe feel free to rate it and leave a comment.
Recipe
Maple Mustard Tempeh Buddha Bowl
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan tempeh Buddha bowl is coated in a creamy maple mustard dressing. It's packed with quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, silky avocado, crunchy apple, and marinated tempeh.
Ingredients
Tempeh
- 2 (8 ounces each) packs of tempeh,
- 2 tablespoons tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Sweet Potatoes
- 1 medium ((1.2 lb) 578 g) sweet potato, cubed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or a neutral-tasting oil
- Salt to taste
Dressing
- ⅓ cup spicy brown mustard
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the Bowls
- 3-4 cups of kale, stem removed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 avocado, deseeded and sliced
- 1 apple, diced
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
Instructions
- For the tempeh: Place the tempeh in a pan with water coming halfway up the blocks of tempeh, and simmer on medium to medium-high for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Or use a steamer basket and steam it for 10 minutes. (See notes on steaming to save time)
-
While the tempeh is steaming, whisk together the tamari, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar.
-
Once steamed, let the tempeh cool until you’re able to handle it, then cut tempeh into ½ inch cubes.
-
Add the tempeh to the marinade, and toss the cubes around to ensure they’re covered. Let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Toss the cubes around about every 10 minutes, to ensure even marinating. (It can also marinate overnight)
- Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
- For the potatoes: For oil-free roasting toss sweet potatoes with apple cider vinegar and salt. Lift them out of the bowl onto a baking tray to leave excess vinegar behind. (Or skip the apple cider vinegar and use a neutral-tasting oil).
- Bake the sweet potatoes on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking tray for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Tempeh: Bake the marinated tempeh on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking tray for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- For the quinoa and dressing: While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the quinoa according to package instructions. Then whisk the ingredients together for the dressing.
- For the kale: Massage the kale with 2 tablespoons of dressing, and tear it into bite-size pieces if needed. The volume of kale should be reduced in size (I just reuse the bowl from the sweet potatoes).
- To serve: Portion off the quinoa, cooked potatoes, tempeh, diced apples, and sliced avocado into bowls and add the mustard dressing.
Notes
Steaming the tempeh before marinating lets the tempeh puff up slightly and soaks up the marinade better. Plenty of times I’ve just not steamed the tempeh, cubed it, and marinated it with half of the marinade ingredients (half because it won’t soak up as much). Then bake it as per the instructions. I think the tempeh tastes better steamed and marinated; but if you choose not to, it will be covered with a flavorful mustard dressing.
You can also skip the tempeh steaming and marinate the tempeh overnight instead.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Kate
My family and I really enjoyed the recipe! We loved the apples and mustard sauce, thank you for the recipe.
Allie
I'm glad you liked the recipe and thank you for leaving a comment.