This recipe for Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is SO EASY. No breading, no frying, no fuss! Healthy + quick + plant-based! These buffalo tempeh bites are perfect as a snack on their own, layered into a wrap, a taco, a sandwich, or on top of a salad! Perfect for meal prep!
Tara’s Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh:
- Cut your tempeh into equal size pieces so that they cook evenly. I chose cubes but you can do slices (great for dipping or in a sandwich), triangles, or rectangles.
- No breading! Again, call me a lazy cook but I do not like the act of breading things. Too many bowls and too many ingredients, too many unnecessary calories. Way too complicated for my taste. This easy air fryer buffalo tempeh is just that, easy! No breading involved but spicy + awesome!
- Adjust your spice level. I used Frank’s Hot Sauce. There are mild and medium bottled versions of buffalo sauce. If you aren’t used to spicy things, start with the mild. Be sure to read your labels and choose one with as few ingredients as possible.
- Butter or no butter? I choose not to add butter to my Buffalo Tempeh, but butter does add a silky, rich restaurant quality to the sauce. If you are vegan, use vegan butter, and if not vegan, use regular butter will do. As pictured here, I did not add butter.
- Boil the tempeh first!!!!! One of the main reasons people think they do not like tempeh is because it has a slightly bitter taste. Personally, I do not like tempeh in its original form, I always boil it. After boiling, the bitter taste is gone!
You Can Also Bake Your Tempeh In The Oven!
It’s easy! This takes a little longer than the air fryer method. After boiling, lay the tempeh in a single layer on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, give them a light spray of olive oil if you use oil. 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven to achieve the same golden brown + crispy tempeh.
Love Buffalo Sauce? Me too!
Try my Buffalo Cauliflower or Buffalo Chick Peas or Air Fryer Buffalo Tofu or Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos!
Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh
Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh perfect for a snack, tossed in a salad, on top of pasta or sliced into a sandwich. The perfect no fuss way to enjoy tempeh!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of tempeh (2 8 oz packages)
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan butter (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium pot.
- Step 2 Remove tempeh from packaging, cut into evenly sized strips or cubes or triangles.
- Step 3 Add tempeh to boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.
- Step 4 While tempeh is boiling, preheat air fryer to 325 degrees or oven to 400 degrees, and when tempeh is done boiling, drain the water from the pan and transfer tempeh to air fryer basket in a single layer. Do not crowd air fryer, may need to be done in batches depending on the size of your air fryer. Air fry for 8-10 minutes or until brown and crispy.
- Step 5 When tempeh is browned, remove from air fryer or oven and set aside.
- Step 6 Heat buffalo sauce or hot sauce and butter (if using) over medium-low heat until bubbly, add tempeh in + gently stir until all cubes are coated with the sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow tempeh to cook for 5 minutes.
- Step 7 Transfer to serving dish and eat or enjoy immediately! Leftovers can be stored in a glass container in refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Step 8 NOTES – <span style="color: #000000
- Step 9 ">Y<span style="color: #000000
- Step 10 ">ou Can Also Bake Your Tempeh In The Oven! <span style="color: #000000
- Step 11 ">It’s easy! This takes a little longer than the air fryer method. After boiling, lay the tempeh in a single layer on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, give them a light spray of olive oil if you use oil. 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven to achieve the same golden brown + crispy tempeh. Follow the same recipe instructions after baking.
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