Air fryer tempeh
Tempeh cubes air-fried until crisp and nutty, tossed in a sticky garlic soy glaze and served with rice and green beans, the easiest way to cook tempeh for the first time.
- 40 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.64 a serving
- 700 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package tempeh
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1½ cups frozen green beans
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp sriracha (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1¾ cups water, divided
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Each serving has about 700 calories, 33 g protein, 101 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $2.64 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No sriracha? Hot sauce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it in a small with 1½ cups water and the salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Meanwhile, cut the tempeh into ¾-inch and them with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the oil. Let them sit 5 minutes.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Tempeh drinks up marinade fast, so even 5 minutes adds real flavor.Air fry the tempeh in one layer at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until and at the edges.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 11 min
While it cooks, put the frozen green beans and ¼ cup water in a large , cover, and cook over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes, until hot and bright. Tip them onto plates.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Add the rest of the soy sauce, the brown sugar, vinegar and garlic to the empty skillet and over medium heat about 1 minute, until it looks syrupy.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: It thickens fast once the sugar melts. Take it off the heat before it smells like caramel.Add the hot tempeh and until every piece is .
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Serve the tempeh over the rice with the green beans, and finish with sesame seeds and a little sriracha.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
