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Tempeh Tacos with Cashew Lime Cream

15 min

Main

The pan-fried and spiced tempeh makes for a protein-packed filling in these hearty tacos. Adjust the spices to be as mild or as fiery as you'd like, and load the tacos full of your favourite toppings!

Servings

(3 tacos per serving)

Total

15 min

Prep

4 min

Cook

11 min

Contains

Soy symbol

soy

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Swap out

Gluten symbol

gluten

Free from

Peanut symbol

peanut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Ingredients

Tacos

  • 2 tsp (10 mL)
    vegetable oil
  • 2
    medium shallots, minced
  • 3
    cloves garlic, minced
  • 11 oz (300 g)
    tempeh
  • 2 tsp (5 g)
    onion powder
  • 1 tsp (2 g)
    paprika powder
  • 1 tsp (2 g)
    ground cumin
  • ½ tsp
    dried oregano
  • ½ tsp
    chili powder, or less for less spicy (optional)
  • ⅛ tsp
    ground black pepper
  • 1⅔ cups (400 g)
    canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL)
  • 9
    small soft tortillas
  • 1 cup (150 g)
    cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 1
    avocado, sliced
  • ¼
    small red onion, minced

Cashew cream

  • ½ cup (65 g)
    raw cashews
  • ⅓ cup (80 mL)
    boiling water
  • 1
    lime, juiced

Optional toppings

  • fresh cilantro
  • lime slice

Directions

  1. To a large pan on high heat, add the oil, shallots, and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
  2. Crumble the tempeh into the pan with your hands and cook for 6 - 7 minutes, stirring until lightly golden. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan.
  3. Meanwhile, make the cashew cream by adding the ingredients to a small food processor. Blend until smooth. Add more water if needed to achieve your desired consistency.
  4. Returning to the pan with the tempeh, add the spices and toast for 30 seconds. Then add the diced tomato and soy sauce, cooking for 3 - 5 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, heat the tortillas on a skillet. Spoon the tempeh it onto the warmed tortillas, top with tomatoes, avocado slices, and onions. Enjoy!

Storage

Let us know what you think

Plate method

The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.

Grains & Starches 23%

small soft tortilla

Proteins 26%

tempeh

raw cashews

Fruits & Veggies 51%

medium shallot

clove garlic

canned diced tomatoes

cherry tomato

avocado

small red onion

lime

Calcium
No significant sources of calcium
Fat

vegetable oil

avocado

raw cashews

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

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Michaela - March 25, 2024, 7:57 p.m.

Hi, I cooked the full recipe, used 20cm wraps and cut a corner with store bought cream cheese. The filling kept well in the fridge and over the course of 4 days I enjoyed 6 wraps, each full to bursting. Sehr lecker!

PUL Team - March 28, 2024, 5:29 a.m.

So glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Michaela! Thanks for sharing your experience with it :)


Tina - March 15, 2024, 7:43 a.m.

Hi, can I substitute the cashews for sunflower seeds in this? 😊

PUL Team - March 15, 2024, 4:43 p.m.

Hey Tina, we haven’t tried but imagine you could!


José - Dec. 8, 2023, 8:28 p.m.

We love it! It's so easy to make, and fast as well. A lot of things I already had (like the spices and cashews) which also made this very budget friendly :) at first we thought it was way to little food, but afterwards we were actually pretty satisfied haha. The amount of spice is also just right!! Also I never cooked with tempeh before and it was a bit weird to me but it tasted so good in the end it amazed us. We left the cilantro out though because I'd be the only one eating that and I never finish a pack before it starts to die hahah. Do you recommend any particular dessert after dishes like this? I think I'll be making this a lot of times hahah

PUL Team - Dec. 9, 2023, 5:29 a.m.

Hey there, José, aw we're so glad that the tacos were enjoyed! How exciting to experiment with tempeh 😃 Here are two public PUL recipe dessert ideas:
- Tea-Infused Chocolate Mousse
- Coconut Lemon Custard Tart

And some app-exclusive ideas:
- Coconut Mango Panna Cotta
- Pistachio Matcha Mousse
- Coconut Lime Tart with Brûléed Meringue

Happy cooking 🤗✨

José - Dec. 9, 2023, 6:20 a.m.

Thank you! ⭐


Oljana Kaluci - Dec. 5, 2023, 5:53 p.m.

I love this recipe, but we mostly use tofu😅 the app is amazing💫

PUL Team - Dec. 5, 2023, 10:29 p.m.

Tofu is a lovely substitution, Oljana - we’re so happy the PUL App is being enjoyed too 🥰✨


Lara - Oct. 15, 2023, 8:45 p.m.

Simply amazing.


Olivia - Aug. 4, 2023, 1:32 p.m.

Quick and easy, tasty but not exceptional like other recipes. I used the coleslaw from the app instead of the avocado and other garnishes.


Anisha McClure - July 18, 2023, 6:17 p.m.

This is delicious! If you hesitate at tempeh, don’t with this recipe. It just works! And super simple. I did mine in corn tortillas. It was lovely.


Leisa - July 16, 2023, 10:54 a.m.

I have never really loved Tempeh recipes until this one.
These tacos were amazing and this recipe will be going on repeat.

PUL Team - July 17, 2023, 11:57 p.m.

A huge compliment, Leisa, welcome to team tempeh 😜


Stephane - July 16, 2023, 12:11 a.m.

These tacos were amazing. The only thing I did was substitute Tempeh for Tofu because I’m not a fan of Tempeh. I was a bit hesitant about the taste of the Cashew lime Cream…we loved it so much. I’ll be making that more often.

PUL Team - July 17, 2023, 4:53 p.m.

So glad the recipe was enjoyed, Stephane, and a lovely idea to use tofu instead 🤗


William - July 15, 2023, 4:34 a.m.

Amazing recipe! My partner was surprised that plant-based tacos could be so yummy. :) I subbed the cherry tomatoes for homemade pico de Gallo.

PUL Team - July 17, 2023, 4:36 a.m.

A lovely substitution idea, William, thank you!


Ema - July 1, 2023, 3:20 p.m.

My first time eating tempeh, but certainly not last!


Azul - May 21, 2023, 2:37 p.m.

These tacos are awesome. It’s my first time trying Tempeh and I loved it. Also, i just made them while using the (Beta) app and it was SO useful to have the timer embedded on the app for each step. Thank you so much!!

PUL Team - May 21, 2023, 9:01 p.m.

Woohoo! Thank YOU, Azul - it means so much 💛


melissa mayfield - April 12, 2023, 1:16 a.m.

Very easy to make I added more spice because I like the tempura spicy the cashew cream was an excellent condiment to add to the tacos. Will definitely make this again.

PUL Team - April 12, 2023, 1:20 a.m.

Sounds lovely, Melissa, thank you!


Janja - Nov. 30, 2022, 4:54 a.m.

This was SO good!


Eva - June 21, 2022, 9:16 p.m.

Made this and even my very carnivorous brother enjoyed it! I did it with lentils and it was perfect! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!

PUL Team - June 22, 2022, 4:18 p.m.

A huge compliment, Eva, we're so thrilled the tacos were enjoyed!


Charlotte - Sept. 15, 2021, 10:15 p.m.

This is among my favourite tempeh recipes to date! I love how quick and easy this meal is and it does not disappoint on taste! These tacos are so delicious and we love adding all the toppings for optimum enjoyment. 🥰🌮

PUL Team - Sept. 16, 2021, 4:41 a.m.

Wow, we're honoured to hear, Charlotte! So happy the tempeh tacos were enjoyed Charlotte 😊


Katrina - Aug. 7, 2021, 11:10 p.m.

Made these today and they were delicious! Will absolutely be making these again. Highly recommend.


Ryan - Aug. 3, 2021, 4:31 p.m.

Welp. This is going to be my dinner for the next two months (the tacos). I swear I could drink a gallon of the cashew cream. adding the tomatoes to the tempeh was the perfect touch. Loved this

PUL Team - Aug. 5, 2021, 4:50 a.m.

So glad the recipe is being enjoyed, Ryan!


Greta - July 27, 2021, 3:16 p.m.

Delicious! I added some diced butternut pumpkin and black beans instead of canned tomatoes. I usually steam tempeh first because I heard it got out the sourness, but this easy method works really well and got nice and crispy.

PUL Team - July 29, 2021, 1:31 a.m.

Mmm sounds yummy! Thank you for taking the time to share, Greta 🤤


Kelly - July 22, 2021, 6:49 p.m.

Love, love, LOVE these tacos. They're super fast to make, so I make them frequently. I made it with the cashew creme the first time, but found that it honestly made too much of the creme, so I skip that now. I'll add plain vegan yogurt if I have it on hand to substitute, but these are great even without. I dress these up with homemade pickled red onion and pickled red cabbage, fresh avocado and fresh cilantro with a squeeze of lime juice. Made these on vacation with a friend one time and she demanded the recipe.

PUL Team - July 23, 2021, 2:47 a.m.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the tacos, Kelly, it means a lot 🙂


Victor - July 15, 2021, 3:58 a.m.

Yum. YUM. I wish I was better with words to describe how delicious this was. Loved this as a meal with a side salad! Thanks PUL!

PUL Team - July 18, 2021, 1:36 a.m.

So glad you enjoyed it, Victor, thank YOU 🤩


Caitlin - June 28, 2021, 9:45 p.m.

These tacos are so good! I highly recommend them - quick, easy, and really tasty. Thank you so much for the recipe; these will definitely be a family favorite!

PUL Team - June 29, 2021, 2:35 a.m.

Thank you for taking the time to share your review with us, Caitlin, it's super appreciated ✨


Jessica West-Walker - May 24, 2021, 4:08 a.m.

Delicious, easy to make and filling!


Sahar - April 13, 2021, 2:43 a.m.

My first time trying Tempeh and I love it!
Thank you so much for your fantastic website that makes it so easy to change servings and check things off the list as I go along.
You are amazing!!!

PUL Team - April 14, 2021, 2:14 a.m.

Woohoo! So happy your first time was a success, Sahar, and so glad you're enjoying the new website functionalities 🤩


Lauren - March 30, 2021, 6:05 p.m.

This recipe has become a fixture in our household (though we use tofu rather than tempeh). Love it!

PUL Team - April 3, 2021, 12:44 a.m.

Thanks for sharing, Lauren! So happy to hear 🥰