Kung Pao Tempeh Stir-Fry
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Published Jan 13, 2016, Updated Aug 03, 2021
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This kung pao tempeh stir-fry has fresh veggies and a spicy orange Szechuan sauce and comes together in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for Meatless Monday!
The Kung Pao Tempeh recipe I’m sharing makes is crazy easy to enjoy all the health benefits of tempeh. It’s not only flavorful, but the whole meal can be prepared in less than 30 minutes, in one large skillet — making it perfect for a weeknight, plant-based meal!
Onions, peppers, fresh broccoli and snow peas are tossed with the stir-fried tempeh and coated in spicy, but somewhat sweet orange Szechuan sauce that’s really flavorful and delicious. This stir-fry served over brown rice with a garish of crushed peanuts = perfection!
Ingredients in Kung Pao Tempeh Stir-Fry
- coconut or olive oil
- tempeh – I prefer the Lightlife brand!
- yellow onion
- garlic
- fresh ginger
- navel orange
- Szechuan sauce
- low-sodium tamari or soy sauce – tamari is gluten free but has the same taste as soy sauce!
- unseasoned rice vinegar
- fennel seeds
- cinnamon
- ground cloves
- broccoli florets
- mini bell peppers
- snow peas
- roasted, salted peanuts
- rice, for serving – you could swap out for quinoa or cauliflower rice if you want!
Tempeh Stir Fry Recipe
Instead of marinating the tempeh first, we’re going to do a quick fry and then have it absorb all of the flavors of the final dish. In a large nonstick skillet, heat your oil over medium high heat. Add the cubed tempeh and cook until golden brown. As your tempeh is cooking, you’ll make the sauce! Whisk together the orange juice, Szechuan sauce, tamari, rice vinegar, fennel seeds, cinnamon and ground cloves in a small bowl.
After your tempeh is done cooking, remove from the pan and set aside. Use the same skillet to cook your veggies. Add the onion, bell pepper and broccoli to the pan and cook over medium high heat until the veggies begin to soften. Add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low and add the sauce mixture to the pan.
Add the cooked tempeh back to the skillet along with the snow peas and stir to coat everything with the sauce. Serve the tempeh and veggies over warm rice and crushed peanuts on top! Sesame seeds and green onion would also be delicious toppers… just in case you want to take this dish to the next level
If you make this kung pao tempeh please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how it turns out. Your feedback is so helpful.
Kung Pao Tempeh
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons coconut or olive oil, divided
- 1 package, 8 oz Lightlife Tempeh, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- juice of 1 navel orange, about 1/3 cup
- 2 Tablespoons Szechuan sauce
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 cups broccoli florets, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 multi-colored mini bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 2 Tablespoons roasted, salted peanuts, crushed
- 2 cups rice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cubed tempeh and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. It should take about 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer cooked tempeh to a plate.
- While tempeh is cooking, whisk together orange juice, Szechuan sauce, tamari, rice vinegar, fennel seeds, cinnamon and ground cloves in a small bowl.
- Using the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Reduce heat to low, add the Szechuan sauce mixture and cook, stirring for another minute.
- Return the tempeh to the skillet along with snow peas and stir to coat with sauce. Serve tempeh and veggies over warm rice with crushed peanuts on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want More Tempeh Recipes? Try These:
- Lemon Garlic Tempeh
- Maple Lemon Tempeh Cubes
- Tempeh with Kale and Coconut Aminos
- Tempeh and Sweet Potato Collard Wraps
- Tempeh Tacos
- Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls with Pumpkin Rice
This recipe was created as part of the Lightlife Blogger Ambassador Program. Thank you for supporting the brands that make EBF possible.
Yum! I love tempeh
This looks delicious and easy – thanks for the recipe! Congrats on the new partnership, I look forward to adding more tempeh to my life as I usually love fermented foods.
Oooh, I love tempeh and use it sliced and crumbled. I’ve tried General Tso’s cauliflower but this is a great idea along those lines. Thanks for the idea!