These Buffalo Tempeh Tenders are baked to crispy perfection and slathered in buffalo sauce to make the most addictive vegetarian comfort food!
I originally made these Buffalo Tempeh Tenders years ago, back when I first started cooking with tempeh.
But, they just weren’t all the could be. Where I wanted them to be mock-chicken tenders, indistinguishable from their meaty counterparts, the original just tasted like…tempeh.
So we went back to the drawing board to retested the recipes to get them juuuust write. I think you’re going to love them!
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Tempeh: With more taste and texture than tofu, tempeh is a hearty meat alternative. If you’re not a fan of tempeh, you can substitute extra firm tofu.
- Buffalo sauce: My favorite is Franks RedHot, but you can use whichever you fancy!
- Breading: We’re baking these tenders rather than frying, meaning we’ll do some basic breading to get them crunchy. You’ll need all-purpose flour, egg (or flax egg for a vegan option), and panko bread crumbs.
- To serve: And because no tenders are complete without a good sauce, I love to serve mine with ranch or bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks. Here’s a fun recipe for homemade ranch dressing (made with kefir!)
You can serve these Buffalo Tempeh Tenders by themselves, or as a salad topper, or on a sandwich, or in your weekly meal prep. The possibilities are endless here, friends. Enjoy!
How to make tempeh tenders
Step 1 (Optional): Steam
Prepare a steamer basket on the stove. Cut tempeh into thin rectangular tenders. Place tempeh in a single layer in the basket, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. This is an optional step, but helps to remove the bitter flavor of tempeh, while also helping the marinade to soak into the tempeh better.
Step 2: Marinate
Place tempeh in a deep dish and cover with buffalo sauce, tossing to evenly coat. Let the tempeh marinate for at least 1 hour (or up to 12) in the fridge.
Step 3: Prep
Preheat oven to 375 °F (190°C). Shake excess sauce from the tempeh and set on a plate, reserving the buffalo sauce marinade. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in one bowl, egg in another bowl, and panko in the last bowl, with a parchment-lined baking sheet at the end. Getting your breading station set up is crucial for making the breading process smooth and easy!
Step 4: Bread
Coat each tempeh tender lightly in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and set on the baking sheet. I like to use a fork for this to prevent my fingers from getting too gunky. (Pro tip! Use two forks – one for the wet ingredients and one for the dry. This will prevent the fork from getting caked on breading!)
Step 5: Bake
Bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown. Brush each tender with remaining buffalo sauce, then return to the oven for 5 minutes, until slightly dry.
Pro tip: Serve these tempeh tenders on a classic Buffalo Tempeh Sandwich!
Ingredients
- 1 8-oz package tempeh 226 g
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce 170 mL
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 65 g
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 large egg or flax egg*
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 50 g
- To serve: ranch or bleu cheese, celery
Instructions
- Steam (Optional): Prepare a steamer basket on the stove. Cut tempeh into thin rectangular tenders. Place tempeh in a single layer in the basket, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. This is optional, but helps to remove the bitter flavor of tempeh!
- Marinate: Place tempeh in a deep dish and cover with buffalo sauce, tossing to evenly coat. Let marinate at least 1 hour (or up to 12) in the fridge.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 375 °F (190°C). Shake excess sauce from the tempeh and set on a plate, reserving the buffalo sauce marinade. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in one bowl, egg in another bowl, and panko in the last bowl, with a parchment-lined baking sheet at the end.
- Bread: Coat each tempeh tender lightly in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and set on the baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown. Brush each tender with remaining buffalo sauce, then return to the oven for 5 minutes, until slightly dry.
Sonia says
This recipe is really delicious. I’m finding myself making them all the time.
Sarah says
So happy to hear, Sonia! Enjoy! 😀
Jessica says
Great buffalo sauce flavor on these tempeh tenders! I did sub egg with flaxseed egg to keep them vegan and the flaxseed egg became a little clumpy! I imagine a regular egg works better. I am also curious if frying them would make them a bit more crispy and browned. Overall they were very taster!
Sarah says
I bet frying them would be delish! So happy you liked them though, flaxseeds and all! 😀
Foster says
Hello, I just encountered this same issue. My solution was to add slightly more water to the flax egg and dilute it a little more, worked perfectly! I am also going to try putting mine in the air fryer, instead of oven. Great recipe!
madilyn says
Hi Jessica I just made these on 450 for 10 minutes using panko breadcrumbs and they were super crunchy! Hope this helps 🙂
pallav says
Looks delicious. Will make it soon!
madilyn says
It was so good!
Karen Moorhead says
I loved this and I’m new to cooking tempeh, so this was a great first try.
Mike says
375 seemed way to cold. It took mine more like 45 min to cook.
MAI says
How long do these last?
Sarah Bond says
About 3 to 5 days in the fridge!
silver says
Amazing recipe! I was a bit tight on time so I mixed the hot sauce with enough vegan chicken stock to cover them in a lasagna pan (I doubled the recipe so two blocks fit perfect) and baked the tempeh strips at 425 for 15 mins on each side. They came out super tender, flavourful and ready for the breading. I used sorghum flour because it’s all I had, about 2 tbsp of flax meal with some water until I reached the desired consistency then finished with the panko breadcrumbs, as written. This is totally my favourite way to enjoy vegan buffalo tenders or wings, much better than cauliflower or tofu, in my opinion. Very filling as well and wholesome! Thank you for sharing xx
Sarah Bond says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear it, Silver! 😀