Easy Oven Roasted Tempeh Recipe (5 Ingredients!)

Looking for ways to cook tempeh or maybe some healthy, high protein veg-friendly meal ideas? Whether you’re flexitarian, vegan, vegetarian, or looking to simply eat less meat, you’re in the right place! In this blog post, I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to prepare tempeh: this Easy Oven Roasted Tempeh Recipe. Did I mention you just need 5 simple ingredient and only 5 steps? Let’s dive in!

Why I Make This Recipe on MAJOR Repeat

Like most of you, I’m busy AF. Some days I simply don’t have the time or energy to make anything let alone something healthy. But this is a recipe I reach for on those days because let’s be real…I’m still cheap and lazy and try to avoid takeout / delivery whenever possible. Lol!

• No long a$$ grocery lists: This recipe only needs 5 ingredients. Most of them are already in my pantry / are relatively shelf stable, which is super convenient.
• No measuring: You don’t really have to measure anything. I typically eyeball the marinade. This eases my mental load and means less dishes to clean later. Note: I did put measurements in the recipe because it is a recipe, but use that as your baseline and try eyeballing next time.
• Marinade-optional: Yes, you want to marinate the tempeh. But if you’re really pressed for time, you can probably skip it and get good results. I do this sometimes because…life happens.
• No Added Sugar: One challenge when I got into plant-based proteins is that the marinades and sauces are usually FULL of added sugar. This tastes delicious without any sugar added!
• Easy pre-prep (optional): To make the marinading not “take as long”, I’ll prep it before work or the night before so it marinates while I do other things. I know that’s not literally shorter, but it feels shorter. And sometimes that matters.
• High protein that is veg-friendly: When you’re flexitarian like me and eat mostly plant-forward, it can be a little harder to get all your protein in. Luckily, tempeh is high protein while still supporting vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian diets. This is a great idea if you’re doing Meatless Mondays.
• Flexitarian-approved: As a flexitarian, I love how tempeh has a lovely texture and is nice & filling. I hear from a lot of people that they don’t like tofu because it’s too soft and squishy. Tempeh has a firmer bite, so meat eaters or anyone looking to go meatless may enjoy this.

Did I convince you to try this yet? 😉

Easy Oven Roasted Tempeh Recipe 5 Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make this recipe:

1. Tempeh (of course!)
2. Soy sauce (adds flavor and umami)
3. Garlic granules (for a touch of garlicky deliciousness)
4. Nutritional yeast (for added flavor and nutrients – lots of B vitamins in here)
5. Avocado oil (for healthy fats + to help the marinade stretch)

This is just a starting point for a basic oven roasted tempeh recipe. Start here and adjust to your flavor preferences. I like doing a couple variations of this with sriracha and vinegar too – more on that another time!

Personal note: I LOVE salt! So I often do two tablespoons of soy sauce. I’ve had my blood levels checked, and my sodium is A-okay. But I put only one tablespoon below to be more conservative since I know not everyone loves salt like me. This is a great recipe you can continue tweaking to your personal tastes as you continue making it and observing how it suits your flavor preferences and dietary needs.

Oven Roasted Tempeh Recipe Marinade

This recipe makes a quick and easy marinade with mostly pantry, fridge, and /or shelf stable ingredients. Because is there anything worse than trying a new recipe and having to buy a thousand weird ingredients at the store?! Not today!

As I mentioned above, you don’t *have* to marinate the tempeh. It will make the result more flavorful if you have the time.

You can add a touch of water to make the marinade stretch a bit if you’re worried it won’t cover all of the tempeh. But if you follow the measurements below, it should be okay sans water.

Torn Tempeh > Cut Tempeh

When I first started cooking with tempeh, I ALWAYS cut it! Into strips, rectangles, triangles, etc.

But if you tear the tempeh (instead of cutting it), it’s great because:

1. You have less dishes to clean – no cutting boards, knives, etc. needed
2. You get nice crispy edges
3. And there are lots of nook and crannies for the marinade to get into the tempeh for more flavor

So many good things to love!

Rip, Toss, Wait (But Not Too Long)

You can see in the photo above what the torn tempeh looks like. I usually just use my hands to break it into bite-sized pieces in a relatively even size.

Side note: This is a great opportunity for any fellow recovering perfectionists to let this be imperfect. No need for the shapes to be exact, etc. Get a little messy! Let your hair down!

But yea, you basically break apart the tempeh, toss it in the marinade, and wait for it to settle in. But lucky for anything hungry eaters, this is a fast marinade!

Marinating Tips

Here are a couple marinating tips:

1. I usually marinate my tempeh at least 15-20 minutes or overnight.
2. Toss every so often to make sure the tempeh is evenly covered as it sets.
3. If the marinade isn’t getting onto all of the tempeh, you can add a touch of water – not too much though.

This is a pretty forgiving marinade, though. Nice and easy!

Roasting Tips

Here are some tips for roasting the tempeh:

• Even baking: When you’re ready to roast, evenly spread the tempeh on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• How long to bake tempeh: Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning about halfway through. I usually bake mine for 25 because I love crispy tempeh!

It’s that simple!

What to Serve with this Oven Roasted Tempeh

This Oven Roasted Tempeh Recipe is a great healthy protein idea to add to your weekly rotation. Since you can mix it with so many things, it’s super versatile!

Here are some ideas on what to serve with this oven roasted tempeh recipe:

• Serve a portion of the tempeh on top of a salad kit (I usually eat about half of most salad kits for lunch or a light dinner with this tempeh on top – it’s great with the tempeh warm or cool)
• Have this tempeh with stir-fried veggies and rice
• Add this roasted tempeh on top of ramen for a veg protein
• Try it in a sandwich or wrap

The possibilities are endless! But I’d love to hear how you enjoy this recipe. Comment your ideas below!

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More Healthy Flexitarian / Veg-Friendly Recipes to Love

• Simple Soy Roasted Tofu

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Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog post about Easy Oven Roasted Tempeh Recipe (5 Ingredients!).

How did you use this oven roasted tempeh recipe? Comment below, and let’s share healthy meal ideas with each other!