Tempeh Sandwich

Make a tasty, high-protein tempeh sandwich with crispy pan-fried tempeh, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, sharp red onion, and lashings of sauce—a quick, healthy, satisfying lunch or snack ready in just 15 minutes!

15-Minute Tasty Tempeh Sandwiches

Sometimes, all you need for a quick and satisfying lunch is something as simple as a sandwich. This tempeh sandwich recipe is easy to throw together in under 15 minutes, healthy, versatile, satisfying, and loaded with plant-based protein.

In fact, tempeh is a nutritional powerhouse. Along with boasting a whopping 15 grams of protein per 3oz serving, it is a good source of prebiotics (great for supporting gut health), antioxidants, and an array of vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, and magnesium.

In this quick tempeh recipe, the earthy, nutty, almost mushroom-like flavor of tempeh combines with crisp fresh veggies and your favorite sauce in a naturally dairy-free, vegan, meal-prep-friendly sandwich made with simple, inexpensive kitchen staples.

Looking for more high-protein vegan sandwich ideas? Try our crispy buffalo tofu sandwich, pesto tofu sandwich, or BBQ tempeh sandwich!

The Ingredients and Substitutes

The Tempeh

• Tempeh: We used plain tempeh, but you can use smoked tempeh, too.
• Olive oil: Or another neutral cooking oil, like avocado oil.
• Everything bagel seasoning: This adds crunch and flavor to the tempeh while keeping it neutral enough to pair with all your favorite sandwich veg.

Optionally add some salt (or soy sauce for extra umami flavor).

The Other Sandwich Ingredients

• Bread: Use your favorite bread. We prefer something sturdy, like sourdough, whole grain, or rye bread.
• Vegetables: Add extra texture, freshness, and nutrients with a combination of:
  • Tomato (use large tomatoes – regular or heirloom, in-season)
• • Lettuce (Romaine, Iceberg, or mini gem for crunch. Alternatively, use spinach, kale, or arugula)
  • Red onion (we used fresh onion, but pickled or caramelized onion work too)
• Sauce: Spread your choice of sauce, such as Dijonaise, vegan mayo, sriracha mayo, hot sauce, or garlic aioli.

Recipe Variations and Add-Ins

• Avocado: Sliced or mashed for a rich, creamy element with healthy fats.
• Vegan cheese: Add vegan gouda slices or your favorite slices for rich cheesiness.
• Pesto: Use your favorite kind (like arugula pesto, sunflower seed basil pesto, walnut pesto, or red pesto) for salty, herbal, rich flavor.
• Hummus: Spread it, plain or flavored like red pepper hummus, instead of sauce.
• Grilled or roasted vegetables: Like bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, etc.
• Other vegetables: Add color, flavor, and texture with…
  • Sun-dried tomatoes
  • Micro-greens/sprouts
  • Shredded carrot

The easiest way to change the flavor is changing the tempeh marinade, sauce, and/or seasonings used to flavor it. I.e., BBQ tempeh, buffalo sauce, a vegan ‘bacon’ marinade, teriyaki sauce, etc.

How To Make Tempeh Sandwiches

Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions.

Prepare the Tempeh

• First, if you’d like, toast the bread slices, then set them aside on a cutting board or plates. Then, rinse and dry the lettuce and slice the tomatoes and red onion.
• Meanwhile, cut the tempeh in half across the width and then in half lengthwise to create four slab-like slices.

• Heat the oil over medium in a skillet large enough for all 4 slices (or work in batches). Once hot, add the tempeh, sprinkle over the everything bagel seasoning, and cook for 1-2 minutes until browned underneath with crispy edges.

• Then flip the tempeh, sprinkle with more seasoning, add the water, and cover with the lid. Turn off the heat and leave the tempeh in the pan.

Assemble the Tempeh Sandwiches

• First, spread sauce over all the slices of bread.

• Top half of those with 2-3 lettuce leaves.

• Over the lettuce, add two slices of tempeh.

• Follow that with 2 slices of tomato and 3 slices of onion.

• Cover that with another slice of bread, lightly press down, cut it in half, and enjoy!

 Enjoy this high-protein vegan sandwich alone or with some fries/wedges, a side salad, coleslaw, a piece of fruit (like an apple), chips and dip, etc.

Pro Recipe Notes

• Use high-quality ingredients: This is a simple recipe, so use fresh, ripe veggies, high-quality tempeh and bread, etc.
• Use regular or toasted bread: If toasting, make sure it’s only lightly toasted; otherwise, it can become hard (and even painful) to eat.
• Experiment: Try different sauces, veggies, tempeh flavorings, and other add-ins to build the perfect tempeh sandwich.

FAQs

Storage Instructions

Once assembled, it’s best to enjoy tempeh sandwiches immediately. However, you can wrap the sandwich in foil or wax paper/parchment paper for up to 2 days (it will soften over time – pat the tomato dry to avoid the bread becoming soggy too soon).

Alternatively, store leftover pan-fried tempeh in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

More Vegan Tempeh Recipes

• Sweet and sour tempeh
• Sticky sweet jalapeño tempeh
• Easy tempeh stir-fry
• Pan-fried ginger soy tempeh

Photos by Alfonso Revilla