This delicious grilled tempeh is a winning recipe and an excellent meat-free option for your next barbecue. Featuring lime juice, sesame oil, and various spices, the mouth-watering marinade takes this popular plant-based ingredient and sends it into the stratosphere.
When it comes to vegan barbecuing, I enjoy shop-bought burgers and sausages as much as the next person. But creating something yourself that'll put a smile on faces without any of the food-industry additives? That's always worth giving a go.
Looking for more top-notch vegan barbecue recipes this summer? Check out these grilled tofu skewers, this teriyaki grilled aubergine, and this grilled asparagus in foil.
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Jump to:
- Why I love it 💚
- Grilling 🔥
- Test notes 📝
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Variations 🔀
- More ideas 💡
- Recipe 👨🍳
Why you'll love this grilled tempeh
- The marinade is mouth-watering
- The lime juice takes it to another level
- Tempeh is an excellent source of plant-based protein
- It makes for a great vegan meat substitute at barbecues without always relying on burgers and sausages (although there's nothing wrong with those)
Can you grill tempeh?
You certainly can! You'll just want to make sure the pieces are large enough to sit across the grill bars and you've used a good marinade to add plenty of flavour.
I usually cook with fresh tempeh found in the refrigerated section of stores or supermarkets, i.e. not frozen or jarred (which are also available).
Fancy trying out more vegan tempeh recipes? Take a look at these: 👇
Recipe testing notes
- Microwaving: Tempeh isn't always bitter, and so it's not always necessary to try and soften the taste. If you do want to, however, microwaving the tempeh in a little water is a great trick to use instead of steaming (as it essentially does the same thing).
- Marinating time: For the best results, prepare the tempeh ahead of time and marinate for several hours or even overnight.
- Grilling: The barbecue/grill you use will have an impact on the cooking time. Feel free to adjust the heat and move the pieces around to find the best spots.
- Excess marinade: By continuing to brush this over during cooking, you'll add more flavour while preventing the tempeh from drying out too much.
- Pan-frying: The first time I tested the flavours in this new recipe, I fried the tempeh in a pan and also got great results.
What you'll need
To make this top-drawer barbecued tempeh, you'll need:
- Fresh tempeh as the star of the show
- Spices in the form of cumin, coriander, garlic, smoked paprika, and chilli
- Tamari and sesame oil for classic Asian-inspired flavours
- Agave syrup for sweetness
- Lime juice to help marinate the tempeh and bring it to life
How to make delicious grilled tempeh
Cut the tempeh into 6-8 even slices, roughly ½ inch thick. You want them to be large enough to sit across grill bars and a consistent size to ensure even cooking.
Optional step: To help remove any bitterness, add the pieces to a wide microwaveable bowl with a small amount of water and microwave for a couple of minutes.
Remove and set aside.
Discard any water from the bowl, then add all of the remaining ingredients to this.
Mix well to create your marinade.
Add the tempeh pieces to the marinade bowl, making gentle fork pricks in each to help absorb the flavours.
Make sure everything is well coated, then marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, but ideally several hours or overnight.
Continue to coat the pieces in the marinade from time to time.
Preheat the barbecue/grill to a medium heat.
Brush the bars with a little oil, then add the tempeh pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and starting to crisp up on the outside.
Brush with extra marinade during cooking and be careful when turning over (use tongs or oven gloves if necessary).
Once cooked, remove the grilled tempeh from the heat, brush once again with the remaining marinade, and serve.
Serving suggestions
Serve the grilled tempeh as is or top with sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, and fresh coriander. You could also drizzle with vegan raita or cashew lime crema for something a little different.
I've hand-picked a few serving suggestions below (you can also check out my full list of vegan side dishes):
Recipe FAQ
It's not strictly necessary, but I like the simple approach of microwaving the tempeh in a little water before marinating (which is essentially steaming it quickly). This helps to remove any potential bitter flavour and also helps soften it up to absorb the marinade.
It can help to brush the bars of the grill or barbecue with a little oil before adding the tempeh.
Yes, this recipe will be gluten-free provided you use tamari or a soy sauce that is certified gluten-free.
Once cool, store the cooked tempeh in the fridge for up to four days.
Variations and tips for grilled tempeh
- Spices: If you don't have all of the spices listed in the recipe, just work with what you have. You could also replace them with a similar amount of your favourite spice blend (I like homemade Cajun seasoning).
- Tempeh alternatives: This marinade would also work well with tofu, mushrooms, or veg such as aubergine.
Keep in touch
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
You can also check out my full list of vegan BBQ recipes.
Full recipe
Grilled Tempeh with Sesame-Lime Marinade
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) tempeh
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce if not GF – see notes)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup (or maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Remove the tempeh from any packaging and cut into 6-8 even slices, roughly ½ inch thick. You want them to be large enough to sit across grill bars and a consistent size to ensure even cooking.
- Optional step: Add the pieces to a wide microwaveable bowl with a small amount of water and microwave for a couple of minutes. This can help to remove any bitterness from the tempeh (see notes below for more info). Remove and set aside.
- Discard any water from the bowl, then add all of the remaining ingredients to this. Mix well to create your marinade.
- Add the tempeh pieces to the marinade bowl, making gentle fork pricks in each to help absorb the flavours. Make sure everything is well coated, then marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, but ideally several hours or overnight. Continue to coat the pieces in the marinade from time to time.
- Preheat the barbecue/grill to a medium heat. Brush the bars with a little oil, then add the tempeh pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and starting to crisp up on the outside. Brush with extra marinade during cooking and be careful when turning over (use tongs or oven gloves if necessary).
- Once cooked, remove the grilled tempeh from the heat, brush once again with the remaining marinade, and serve (see serving suggestions above).📸 See recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
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Simone
SO good! We've been trying out a few different plant based recipes ahead of summer season and this will definitely be added to our favourites list!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks for the review!