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    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Peanut Tempeh Bowl

    Published: Feb 18, 2021 . Modified: Oct 11, 2022 by Allie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Spicy peanut tempeh with kale, broccoli, and rice in a bowl.

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    Filling and flavorful spicy peanut tempeh bowl with roasted broccoli and kale. This nourishing dish uses a revised version of my peanut dipping sauce recipe. Use the residual sauce from the tempeh as a dressing for this flavor-packed dinner or lunch.

    peanut tempeh bowl with kale, roasted broccoli, and rice in a bowl

    How to Cook Tempeh

    Simmering the tempeh in water or vegetable broth will help remove some of the bitterness.  My favorite method is using vegetable broth to add more flavor.  I normally use homemade salt-free vegetable broth.  If you’re not, be cautious of the sodium content and how it may impact the seasoning of the dish.  If you’re adding a very flavorful sauce to the tempeh (like in the recipe below), then just use water.  

    Step 1 Simmer

    Place the tempeh block in a saucepan or skillet, cover with water or vegetable broth, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.  The tempeh will swell and puff up.

    simmering tempeh in pan

    Step 2 Dice or Slice

    Remove, let cool, then slice, dice (like our recipe below) into desired pieces, or crumble.

    Step 3 Add Flavor

    Tempeh tends to be bland, bitter, with a slightly nutty flavor.  In this recipe, we’re adding spicy peanut sauce. For other recipes, you can choose to marinate, cook in a flavorful liquid, or add desired dry seasonings.

    Step 4 Cook

    In the recipe below, we're coating the tempeh in peanut sauce just until it’s warmed through and the sauce has thickened.  For other recipes, it can be baked, sautéed, added to sauces, or used in burgers for a meaty texture.

    Tips for Tempeh Buddha Bowls

    • If you don’t use fresh ginger often, it can be peeled and then frozen for later.  It’s actually a lot easier to grate while frozen.
    • To not waste the stem of the broccoli, I dice it into small bite-size pieces and roast them along with the florets.  Make sure they're much smaller than the florets because they take longer to cook. The end of the stalk can be fibrous, so trim off about an inch from the bottom, peel the outer layer, and then dice.
    • A Microplane works great for grating ginger.
    • This sauce can be made ahead of time, it may thicken while chilling in the fridge so thin it back out with more water to be able to coat the tempeh in the pan.
    • The recipe works well for meal prep, store the kale separately.
    • Add more kick with more crushed red pepper or sriracha.

    Peanut Tempeh Substitutions

    • Fresh ginger is much better, but in a pinch, a ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger can be substituted.
    • The lime juice can be substituted with rice vinegar, which may produce a stronger flavor.
    • Tofu can be substituted for the tempeh, check out my instructions for oven-baked crispy tofu. To substitute follow the tofu instructions all the way through, once baked add to a pan with the sauce, tossing to coat and flavor the tofu. Once the sauce has thickened add it to your grain bowl.

    How to Make Peanut Temeph Broccoli Bowl

    Start the brown rice, and cook according to the package instructions. Then preheat the overn to 425 F (220 C).

    Roasted broccoli for cheesy broccoli and potatoes.

    Roast the broccoli florets for 20 minutes (no need to line the baking tray) or until they have softened and the tips start to brown. Place the tempeh in a small skillet or pot and just cover with water, simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

    Once done, remove the tempeh, let cool slightly, then cube into bite-size pieces.  Discard the cooking liquid, reserving the pan for later use.

    peanut sauce with a whisk

    While waiting, make your sauce.  Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together (except the water), then whisk in the ½ cup of water to thin out.  Or add all of the ingredients (including the water) to a blender and blend until smooth.

    About 10 minutes before everything else is done, preheat the pan and return the tempeh with the watered-down peanut sauce.  

    peanut tempeh in pan

    On low to medium-low heat toss the tempeh in the sauce to warm up, thicken, and flavor the tempeh, cook for roughly 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The residual sauce will also work as your sauce for your bowl and the rest of the components.  Cook the sauce down to your desired thickness or thin it back out with more water.

    Plate by adding rice, roasted broccoli, a handful of kale to a bowl, then top with the peanut tempeh and sauce.

    peanut tempeh bowl with kale, roasted broccoli, and rice

    More Bowl Recipes

    • Chickpea vegetable rice bowl
    • Sweet potato nourish bowl with smoky tahini dressing
    • Vegan deconstructed sushi bowl
    • Vegan taco bowl
    • Burrito bowl
    • Butternut squash Buddha bowl

    More Tempeh or Tofu Recipes

    • Mustard Tempeh Buddha Bowl
    • Crispy Oil-Free Tofu
    • Marinated Tofu (Oil-Free)
    • Tofu Buddha Bowl

    As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for peanut tempeh!

    Print
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    Peanut tempeh bowl with kale, roasted broccoli, and rice in a bowl.

    Peanut Tempeh Bowl


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Allie
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Filling and flavorful spicy peanut tempeh bowl with roasted broccoli and kale. 


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 cup (180 g) uncooked brown rice
    • 1 large head (1.7 lbs (775 g)) of broccoli, cut into florets
    • 8 ounces (227 g) tempeh
    • 4 handfuls of kale, remove from the stem and torn into bite-size pieces

    Peanut Sauce

    • ⅓ cup (80 g) natural peanut butter
    • 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
    • ½ inch fresh grated ginger
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • ½ cup of water

    Instructions

    1. Start the brown rice, and cook according to the package instructions.
    2. Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
    3. Roast the broccoli florets for 2o minutes (no need to line the baking tray) or until they have softened and the tips start to brown.  
    4. Place the tempeh in a small skillet or pot and just cover with water, simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
    5. Once done, remove the tempeh, let cool slightly, then cube it into bite-size pieces.  Discard the cooking liquid, reserving the pan for later use.
    6. While waiting, make your sauce.  Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together (except the water), then whisk in the ½ cup of water to thin it out.  Or add all of the ingredients (including the water) to a blender and blend until smooth.
    7. About 10 minutes before everything else is done, preheat the pan and return the tempeh with the watered-down peanut sauce.  
    8. On low to medium-low heat toss the tempeh in the sauce to warm up, thicken, and flavor the tempeh, cook for roughly 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The residual sauce will also work as your sauce for your bowl and the rest of the components.  Cook the sauce down to your desired thickness or thin it back out with more water if it gets too thick.
    9. Plate by adding rice, roasted broccoli, and a handful of kale to a bowl, then top with the peanut tempeh and sauce.

    Equipment

    Image of microplane

    microplane

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    Notes

    I only tested with natural peanut butter, which only contains peanuts or peanuts and salt.  Other jars of peanut butter with added oils and sweeteners may alter the taste.

    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 35 minutes
    • Category: main course
    • Method: stovetop
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: peanut tempeh, tempeh rice bowl, tempeh bowl, tempeh buddha bowl, spicy tempeh bowl

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @threelittlechickpeasblog on Instagram and hashtag it #threelittlechickpeasblog

    More Main Course

    • Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili
    • Roasted Sweet Potato Nourish Bowl
    • Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
    • Vegan Hash Brown Casserole

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessie

      February 01, 2022 at 6:14 pm

      I made this but substituted chickpeas for the tempeh and thinly sliced red pepper for the kale, it turned out great! I also used wild rice. I really enjoyed the peanut sauce and will definitely make again as it seems like a meal that you can easily substitute any protein and a variety of veggies. Thanks for the recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allie

        February 01, 2022 at 7:08 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe and your substitutions sound delicious!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Allie! I love cooking and I want to share my simple plant-based meals with you. Eating this way doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Just simply delicious!

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