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    Home » Recipes » Indonesian

    Easy Crispy Air Fryer Tempeh (No Oil Option)

    Published: Jul 5, 2022 by Jess & Dan · Modified: Jul 5, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Air fryer tempeh in a basket with a Pinterest title above.
    Pinterest title at the bottom and air fried tempeh in a basket at the top.

    Crispy Air Fryer Tempeh only needs three ingredients and takes 15 minutes to make! It’s perfect for adding extra protein to stir fries, such as nasi goreng, or vegetable curry. With both oil free and low oil options, this air fried tempeh will really hit the spot!

    Tempeh chinks in a wicker basket with soy sauce and sesame seeds in small bowls.
    Jump to:
    • 🌟 Why this recipe works
    • 📋 Ingredient Notes
    • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
    • 👩‍🍳 Expert Tips
    • 💭 FAQs 
    • 🍛 Serving suggestions
    • 🇮🇩 More Indonesian recipes to try
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🌟 Why this recipe works

    Tempeh – tempeh is an Indonesian protein cake, made with fermented soybeans that is often used in the same way as tofu. However, unlike tofu, it is a whole protein! It’s§ a fermented food that contains good bacteria and loads of other healthy nutrients, as well as 15g of protein per 84g portion (source). Plus, it tastes great! 

    Air frying – OK, maybe we’re late to this trend but how good are air fryers? When we moved into our house we cooked everything in ours, like these air fryer corn ribs (we didn’t have a cooker at the time)! An air fryer lets you brown and crisp ingredients like tempeh and tofu with a fraction of the oil, or even completely oil-free! This air fried tempeh can be made without oil or with a little bit of sesame oil.

    Versatile uses – air fryer tempeh is great for throwing in other dishes like a vegan stir fry, veg curries Buddha bowls and even for breakfast, like this tempeh on toast. While the tempeh cooks in the air fryer, it’s a great time to make the rest of a meal!

    Quick – just like deep frying, air frying is a quick way of cooking foods (and so delicious too!). It only needs to be cooked for 15 minutes, but should be checked halfway through.

    📋 Ingredient Notes

    Tempeh chunks, soy sauce and oil in bowls on a wooden table.

    Tempeh – as mentioned above, tempeh is a fermented block of soybeans that hails from the Java region of Indonesia. Often, it can taste a bit ‘funky’ sort of like a sour kombucha taste, but tempeh shouldn’t actually be like this! The tempeh we used to eat in Bali is mild, nutty and Earthy rather than funky. It cooks quickly, remains intact while it is air fried and tastes delicious with soy sauce and sesame oil (if using). If you’re looking to try a classic Balinese tempeh dish, why not try this delicious and sticky tempeh kecap?

    Soy sauce – just bog standard light soy sauce sold in (probably) all supermarkets. It can be omitted but we think a little bit of umami rich soy sauce goes really well with this air fryer tempeh.

    Sesame oil – this is optional. We think it adds a delicious nutty flavour to the tempeh and helps it to go extra brown and crispy. It’s important to use an oil with a high smoke point, like sesame oil, or alternatively, you can use groundnut oil. However, you don’t need to use oil when cooking tempeh in the air fryer.

    Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this article for exact measurements to make this air fryer tempeh recipe.

    🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

    This is a step-by-step overview with photos for making air fried tempeh. The full recipe, along with measurements and detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

    Chunks of tempeh in a container before and after having a marinade on it.

    1. Chop up the tempeh into ~2cm cubes. If using the soy sauce and sesame oil, pour both ingredients into a small ramekin or jar and then stir well.

    2. In a bowl or container, pour the soy sauce and sesame oil over the tempeh. Mix well. Top tip: if you use a container with a lid, you can pop the lid on and then shake the tempeh to make sure each cube is well coated.

    Chunks of tempeh in an air fryer basket, before and after cooking.

    3. Now it is time to make the air fryer tempeh! Simply tip the tempeh pieces into the basket of your air fryer and spread them out. Make sure that the cubes are not sat on top of each other. They should cover the bottom of the air fryer basket in a single layer. Pop the basket into the air fryer and then turn the temperature up to 190°c.

    4. Pause and shake the basket halfway through the cooking time. Once the cooking time is up, the air fried tempeh will be crispy, golden and ready to be added to a curry like this rogan josh or a stir fry like these Singapore noodles.  

    👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

    No oil – there is actually no need to coat the air fried tempeh in either oil or soy sauce. We think it adds a great base layer of seasoning ready for it to be added to another dish. However, you could easily omit the oil. The tempeh may be a little dryer when it is done if you don’t use oil. Nevertheless, it will still be crispy and golden, and ready to be coated in whatever delicious stir fry (or curry) sauce that you’re making!

    Type of tempeh – as far as tempeh brands go, we like Plant Power Foods the best. They make their tempeh the Indonesian way, so it’s not too funky and it’s nice and firm.

    Storage – this air fryer tempeh keeps in the fridge for up to three days but it will lose some of its crispness, so we think it is best served fresh out of the air fryer for best results.

    Freezing – while air fried tempeh can be frozen for up to three months, we don’t recommend it. Reheating it will only cause the tempeh to lose its crispiness. It would make more sense to freeze an uncooked block of tempeh (if you don’t plan on using it while it is fresh), thawing and then cooking it in the air fryer. 

    💭 FAQs 

    How long does it take to air fry tempeh?

    Great air fried tempeh takes 15 minutes to cook at 190°c.

    What temperature to air fry tempeh at?

    It’s best to air fry tempeh at 190°c for 15 minutes, for best results. If your air fryer runs slightly hot or slightly cool, you may need to cook them for a minute or two longer or shorter. Either way, you can keep checking them at the 13 minute mark to see if they’re golden and crispy enough.

    🍛 Serving suggestions

    Try adding these amazingly crispy chunks of air fried tempeh to these dishes:

    • Thai Vegetable Stir Fry
    • Satay Sweet Potato Curry
    • Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
    • Kimchi Fried Rice

    🇮🇩 More Indonesian recipes to try

    • Tempeh kecap in a woven basket on top of parchment paper.
      Crispy Indonesian Tempeh Kecap
    • Top down view of urab sayur in a light brown bowl, with condiments around it
      9 Ingredient Balinese Urab Sayur
    • Vegan mi goreng on a grey plate with rice crackers and vegan satay with soy sauce in the background
      Vegan Mi Goreng in 15 Minutes [with step-by-step instructions]
    • A bowl of vegan gado gado salad topped with green beans, lime halves and peanuts. The angle of the photo is diagonal and there is a ramekin of peanut sauce pointing towards the bowl, and another bowl of salad in the background
      Vegan Gado Gado In 15 Minutes

    Did you make this recipe? Leave a review and a rating below, or tag us in your photos on Instagram! Alternatively, bookmark it in your browser or save to Pinterest for later.

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    📖 Recipe

    Chunks of air fried tempeh in a basket lined with parchment paper.

    Crispy Air Fryer Tempeh

    Crispy Air Fryer Tempeh only needs three ingredients and takes 15 minutes to make! It’s perfect for adding extra protein to stir fries and curries. With both oil free and low oil options, this air fried tempeh will really hit the spot!
    5 from 1 vote
    Save Saved! Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Side
    Cuisine: Indonesian
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 17 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 servings
    Calories: 260kcal
    Author: Jess & Dan

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 200 g tempeh – sliced into cubes ~2cm
    • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

    Instructions

    • If using the soy sauce and sesame oil, pour both ingredients into a small ramekin or jar and then stir well.
      1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • Chop up the tempeh into ~2cm cubes.
      200 g tempeh
    • In a bowl or container, pour the soy sauce and sesame oil over the tempeh. Mix well. Top tip: if you use a container with a lid, you can pop the lid on and then shake the tempeh to make sure each cube is well coated.
    • Tip the tempeh pieces into the air fryer basket and spread them out. Make sure that the cubes are not sat on top of each other. They should cover the bottom of the air fryer basket in a single layer.
    • Pop the basket into the air fryer and then turn the temperature up to 190°c. Switch on and set the timer to 15 minutes.
    • Pause and shake the basket halfway through the cooking time.
    • Once the cooking time is up, the air fried tempeh will be crispy, golden and ready to be added to a curry or stir fry.

    Notes

    • If not using oil, the tempeh may be a little dryer when it is done. Nevertheless, it will still be crispy and golden, ready to be added to a stir fry or curry, which should feature plenty of sauce!
    • Air fryer tempeh keeps in the fridge for up to three days but we think it is best served fresh for best results.
    • While tempeh can usually be frozen, we don’t recommend freezing this tempeh as it loses crispness when reheated. It’s far better to serve it fresh.
    • While the sesame oil and soy sauce are both optional (also feel free to use just one or the other), we think the tempeh is best with both!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 431mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg
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    Hey there! Thanks for checking out Vegan Punks. We're Dan and Jess – a husband and wife team who love creating and sharing vegan recipes. We draw on our experiences of travelling the world and learning about different cuisines. That's why you'll find plant-based versions of traditional dishes from all around the globe on our blog. And, of course, all with a pinch of punk attitude.

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