Easy Tempeh Stir-Fry with Cabbage

This easy vegan tempeh stir-fry with cabbage makes a quick lunch or dinner full of plant-based protein, fiber, and delicious umami flavors. It’s a quick one-pot recipe that can be made in a wok or a skillet, without pre-cooking tempeh first. A perfect meal for busy weeknights!

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I’ve been making this tempeh stir-fry for years. It’s a hit in our family: they always get ecstatic whenever I put it on our weekly meal plan.

Every week, I try to make at least one stir-fry dish.

I’ve shared a few of our favorite vegan stir-fry recipes here on the blog, like this sweet chili tofu and vegetables, or this Szechuan tofu and peppers.

Today’s vegan stir-fry with tempeh is one of my favorite to cook – and here’s why:

• It’s simple: cut up tempeh, make the stir-fry sauce, sauté some veggies, add tempeh and the sauce, and you’re done 🤩
• Tempeh doesn’t need to be pre-cooked – no pre-boiling, steaming, etc.
• It’s a one-pot meal – less cleanup 😊

Why Tempeh?

Tempeh a great plant-based meat alternative made from whole fermented soybeans. In Indonesia, its place of origin, people have been making it for centuries.

Tempeh is a great source of plant-based protein: a 4-ounce serving delivers 21 grams of protein.

Plus, it’s easier for us to digest compared to tofu and other beans. The fermentation process breaks down some harder-to-digest compounds in soybeans (less gas for us later!) and makes nutrients easier to absorb.

Why did I choose tempeh for this stir-fry? For a few reasons.

First, tempeh is easy to handle: it doesn’t require pressing first like tofu, and it holds its shape well without crumbling when I mix it with the stir-fry.

Tempeh isn’t porous like tofu, so it absorbs just the right amount of sauce without becoming too salty.

Finally, tempeh feels “meaty” thanks to its dense texture, which is great if you miss meat in your Asian-style dishes, or if you’re sharing this stir-fry with omnivores.

The Secret to Great Tasting Tempeh

Usually, to get tempeh to taste good, a lot of vegan tempeh recipes recommend boiling or steaming it first – otherwise, it can have a waxy, off-putting texture and a bitter aftertaste.

As it turns out, this is only typical of pasteurized tempeh – the only kind sold in stores here in the US.

Fresh, unpasteurized tempeh, however, is much milder, not bitter at all. In fact, it tastes so good that it can be eaten raw!

I’m not aware of any stores that currently sell this kind of tempeh, but I managed to find a company that makes fresh tempeh and ships it all over the US from their base in New Hampshire.

It’s called BOSTempeh*, and it was founded by two families of immigrants from Indonesia (the place where tempeh is originally from).

They figured out a way to produce fresh tempeh following the traditional techniques AND to ship it out quickly and safely so it doesn’t spoil in transit.

I’ve tried their tempeh, and every dish I made with it has turned out amazing – including today’s stir-fry 😊 You can watch me use it in this video on my YouTube channel.

*The folks from BOSTempeh were kind enough to share a discount with the readers of my blog: use coupon code ALINA on their site over here* to get 10% off your first order of their delicious, fresh tempeh.

You’ll be supporting a small, family-run business while getting the best tempeh I’ve ever had 😊

(*Affiliate link.)

Tempeh Stir-Fry Ingredients

FOR THE STIR-FRY:

⭐ Tempeh. You’ll need one 8-ounce block. Use whatever brand of tempeh you can find, but my favorite brand is BOSTempeh (see above). It’s fresh, unpasteurized, and doesn’t have a bitter flavor like most types of tempeh we see in grocery stores.

⭐ Yellow onion, red bell pepper, and carrots. I’m grouping these together because they’ll go into the wok at the same time. Ideally, you want to sauté them quickly so they get a few charred spots but stay crunchy.

⭐ Garlic. In my opinion, this is a must-have ingredient of any good stir-fry. It works great to tie the flavors together.

⭐ Cabbage – green and red. This is the main ingredient to add bulk to this dish. I like to use a combination of green and red cabbage because they create a nice visual contrast.

However, if you only have one of those on hand, feel free to use it alone.

⭐ Cremini mushrooms. Sliced mushrooms add a nice hint of umami to the flavor, plus their “meaty” texture works great against the softness of the rest of the vegetables.

⭐ Scallions. These are added at the end of cooking – this way, they’ll keep their crunch and bright green color, adding even more interest to the vibrant colors of this dish.

⭐ Cucumber. Cucumber doesn’t get cooked – instead, it’s used as a topping just before the stir-fry is served. It creates a nice, cool contrast to the warm, slightly spicy stir-fry.

⭐ Toasted sesame seeds (optional). Another great finishing touch. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over your bowl of stir-fry to add some crunch and boost the flavor even further.

⭐ Avocado oil. Avocado oil has been my go-to everyday cooking oil for years. Its neutral flavor doesn’t overpower the flavor of whatever I’m cooking.

Besides, It has a high smoke point, which means it can get hotter than most other cooking oils before it starts breaking down and potentially releasing harmful compounds (more on that process here).

FOR THE SAUCE:

⭐ Chili garlic sauce and/or gochujang paste. These can be used interchangeably in this sauce depending on the flavor and the amount of heat you want to achieve.

• Chili garlic sauce is more bold and spicy. It’s used in a lot of Asian cuisines, particularly in China and South Asia.
• Gochujang paste is mellow, less spicy, with a touch of fermented sweetness. This is one of the staple ingredients in Korean cuisine.

I like to use a combination of both in this sauce, but feel free to use just one of them if you don’t have both.

⭐ Soy sauce. The salty, savory “backbone” of this stir-fry sauce. I recommend using a low-sodium option if possible.

⭐ Dark soy sauce (optional). You may ask, “Isn’t regular soy sauce already dark?” But that’s just what it’s called 😄

Dark soy sauce is thicker, almost syrupy, and it has a deeper umami flavor compared to regular soy sauce. You can find it online or in your local Asian grocery store.

I recommend picking one that has the shortest number of ingredients. My personal favorite is Pearl River Bridge brand dark soy sauce: only 6 ingredients, no MSG, and loads of flavor.

If the dark one isn’t available, just use more of the regular soy sauce.

⭐ Toasted sesame oil. This is essential for that classic stir-fry flavor. A great way to enhance both the flavor and the aroma of your stir-fry. Omit at your own risk.

⭐ Rice vinegar. Adds a touch of tanginess to balance the richness of the sauce. If you don’t have any rice vinegar on hand, feel free to use fresh lime juice instead.

⭐ Maple syrup. If you’ve ever made a stir-fry sauce/salad dressing/curry, etc. and found its flavor lacking, just add a touch of maple syrup (or agave). Its sweetness rounds everything out beautifully.

Want to watch me make this recipe? Check out this video on my YouTube channel – I’m showing how to make two vegan dinners with tempeh, including this one. Fast forward to 4:49 to watch it.

Instructions

(For ingredient measurements and a printable version of this recipe, see the recipe card below.)

First, I cut the tempeh block into bite-sized pieces, then put the pieces into a bowl.

Next, I make the stir-fry sauce – it will also work as a marinade for tempeh.

To make the sauce, I whisk together all of the sauce ingredients – chili garlic sauce and/or gochujang paste, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and maple syrup.

Once the sauce is ready, I pour it over the tempeh and stir to cover every piece. The tempeh will marinate while I’m doing the rest of the cooking.

Next, I prep all of the vegetables:

• The onion gets quartered and sliced into strips.
• The red bell pepper is seeded and cut into matchsticks.
• The carrot is cut into matchsticks.
• Garlic – peeled and minced.
• Cabbage (both green and red) – shredded.
• Cremini mushrooms – sliced.

Tip: You can do the veggie prep in advance (great for meal prep!) – in that case, this stir-fry will come together in no time.

Next, it’s time to start cooking.

I preheat my wok over medium-high heat (if you don’t have a wok, you can use a large skillet instead).

The first portion of the vegetables goes in together: onion, bell pepper, and carrots. I toss them and cook for about 2 minutes, or until they look a little softer, then add minced garlic and toss again.

Next, I add the sliced mushrooms and both types of cabbage. I sprinkle a pinch of salt over the cabbage – this way it will release its juices and cook faster.

I mix everything together and cover with a lid.

After about 2 minutes, I add in my tempeh and the sauce.

I toss everything well to distribute the sauce, then cover with a lid again.

This mixture gets cooked for about 4-5 minutes, or until the cabbage reduces in volume, and most of its juices have evaporated.

(If there’s still some juice on the bottom after 4-5 minutes of cooking, take the lid off and cook the stir-fry for another minute or two until the juice is gone.)

While the stir-fry is cooking, I prep my scallions and cucumbers.

The scallions will be added to the stir-fry just before it’s done. I cut them into 2-inch pieces.

The cucumbers will be used as a fresh topping for the stir-fry just before it’s served. I chop them into matchsticks.

The stir-fry mix is done once it looks almost dry: only a little bit of juice on the bottom of the wok, or no juice at all.

Finally, I mix in the chopped scallions and turn off the heat. All done!

To serve, I spoon the stir-fry into bowls over cooked rice, and top each bowl with chopped cucumbers and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Tips for the Best Stir-Fry

✅ USE 2 TYPES OF CABBAGE

I recommend using both green and purple cabbage in this recipe. This way, your stir-fry will be more nutritious because purple cabbage contains up to 4.5 times more antioxidants than green cabbage.

Besides, using both types of cabbage will give your stir-fry a more interesting color.

Feel free to mix both types of cabbage in any proportion.

To make the stir-fry color lighter, use more green cabbage.

To make it darker, use more purple cabbage.

At the same time, if you only have one type of cabbage at home, no problem – just use what you’ve got.

✅ USE A WOK WITH A LID

Covering the wok with a lid during some steps of cooking creates a steamy environment that helps the vegetables cook faster and cooks tempeh pieces more evenly.

I use this carbon steel wok by Babish. Carbon steel heats up quickly, and lets you sear the vegetables perfectly every time.

However, this particular wok doesn’t come with a lid. There are a lot of wok lids you can find online, like this domed stainless steel one, or this traditional-looking flat wooden one.

Don’t have a wok? Use a large heavy-bottomed skillet with a lid.

However, I recommend investing in a wok if you cook a lot of Asian-style dishes: believe it or not, but stir-fry cooked in a wok is always tastier 😊

✅ COOK ON HIGH HEAT

(But watch your food closely so it doesn’t burn!).

Cabbage releases a lot of juices during cooking. If you cook this stir-fry over lower heat, those juices will soften the rest of the vegetables, and make everything taste like cabbage.

However, if you cook over high heat, those cabbage juices will evaporate quickly.

As a result, the rest of the vegetables will have a chance to keep their shape and flavor, and you’ll get a tastier stir-fry with a more complex texture.

✅ USE THE RIGHT SPICY INGREDIENT

I’m talking about gochujang paste and chili garlic sauce.

Both of these have just enough spiciness to perk up the flavor of this stir-fry, but they taste a bit different:

• Chili garlic sauce is sharp, savory, with a distinct spicy kick.
• Gochujang paste is more mellow, with a touch of fermented sweetness.

When deciding on which one to choose, think of the flavor you’d like to achieve, and go from there.

Or, do as I do, and mix both of them for an even more complex flavor 😊

✅ PREP IN ADVANCE TO SAVE TIME

The most time-consuming part of making this stir-fry is chopping all the vegetables.

If you have time to prep them (or at least some of them) in advance, I highly recommend doing that.

Those chopped veggies will keep just fine in the fridge for a day or two – and you’ll save lots of time later when you’re cooking!

(I like using reusable gallon-sized freezer bags like these to store my chopped vegetables in the fridge.)

Besides the vegetables, you can also cut up the tempeh and make the sauce in advance.

FAQs

More Recipes Like This:

Sweet Chili Tofu Stir-Fry with Vegetables

Szechuan Tofu and Peppers Stir-Fry

Vegan Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich

I hope you enjoy my tempeh stir-fry with cabbage as much as we do in our family!

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