Easy Japanese-style Vegan Tempeh Curry
Try this healthy Japanese-style dry curry with chopped tempeh as a meat substitute. It’s an easy and simple recipe that even those unfamiliar with tempeh can easily follow.
Looking for Japanese curry dishes? Try my Tofu Katsu Curry, Vegetable Curry, or Curry Udon!

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans. It has a firm texture and doesn’t lose its shape like tofu, so it’s a great meat substitute for vegans and vegetarians.
Dry curry is a type of curry that originated in Japan. This dish doesn’t require simmering in a soup, so the meal prep time is shorter compared to traditional curry.
What is dry curry?
Dry curry is a Japanese original dish, and it refers to all curries with low water content. It even includes curry-flavored fried rice. It’s similar to India’s keema curry, made with minced meat, but dry curry has no specific rules for ingredients. Minced meat dry curry, vegetable dry curry, beans dry curry…you can choose any ingredients you like!
What is Tempeh?

Tempeh is an Indonesian fermented food made by fermenting boiled soybeans. We often compare it to natto as it is also fermented soybeans, but tempeh is more versatile and not sticky like natto, nor does it have a strong smell.
As it is a soybean product, tempeh is a highly nutritious plant-based protein, rich in vitamin B, dietary fiber, and more.
It is typically sold in the form of a plate like the picture above (this one is 500g/17cmx17cm). The soybeans are covered with white mycelium, holding the beans together, so they will not fall apart even if you cut them into thin slices.
It has a firm texture, and the taste is light. Tempeh doesn’t have much smell, but some people may find it offputting. In such cases, cooking with garlic or fresh ginger is good.
How to eat Tempeh the Japanese Way

You can enjoy tempeh in various ways, such as baked, stir-fried, deep-fried, and so on.
Since the taste is light, it becomes more flavorful by coating with flour or potato starch and tossing it with seasoning or marinating before cooking.
Tempeh Japanese recipes
- Marinated Tempeh Syogayaki
- Tempeh Karaage
- Tempeh Vegetable Stir-fry
- Tempeh Tempura
- Tempeh Oyakodon (egg and rice bowl)
- Tempeh Teriyaki
- Fried Tempeh
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).

- Tempeh
- Vegetables: Ginger, garlic, onion, and carrot
- Seasoning: Ketchup, soy sauce, curry powder, and salt
🔪Instructions
Okay, let me walk you through the steps. You can also watch this video.

- Mince ingredients: Mince ginger, garlic, onion, carrot, and tempeh (separately). If you can, use a food processor for the carrots, onions, and tempeh, as it will save you a lot of time.
- Stir fry ginger and garlic: Warm a frying pan, pour some olive oil, and stir-fry minced garlic and ginger over low heat.
- Stir fry onion and carrot: Add onion and carrot, then stir-fry until tender.
- Stir fry tempeh: Add tempeh and stir fry. You can stir-fry the tempeh lightly, as it can be eaten raw.
- Season: Blend all the seasoning, pour over, and mix until the color spreads evenly.
Once you add the tempeh, the dish will be complete. Therefore, fry the onions and carrots until they are tender to avoid having a hard texture.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container, and it will last for 3 days.
Serve with Japanese steamed rice
In Japan, curry is always served with Japanese steamed rice. This is the best way to eat! Serve with a fresh vegetable salad and you have a healthy, wholesome meal!

Other ways to eat
This curry goes well with thick fat udon noodles, as well as boiled potatoes.
- Curry udon noodles: Blend it with dashi (soup stock), and pour over warm or cold udon noodles
- Curried potato salad: Mix tempeh curry with mashed potato and season with mayo, salt, and pepper
Get Your Free Vegetarian eBook!
Looking for healthy dinner ideas? I’ve got a free ebook with 10 delicious, easy Japanese vegetarian recipes! Sign up for our newsletter below to get it now!

Grab a copy of our free
Vegetarian Recipe eBook
More Vegan Recipes You Will Love
Leave a Rating!
I hope you enjoy this Tempeh Curry! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!

Easy Japanese-style Vegan Tempeh Curry
Print Pin SaveEquipment
- 1 Frying pan 26cm (10 inch)
Ingredients
Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp Ketchup
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Curry Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Mince ingredients: Mince a ginger, garlic, onion, carrot, and tempeh.
- Stir fry ginger and garlic: Warm a frying pan, pour some olive oil, and stir fry minced garlic and ginger over low heat.
- Stir fry onion and carrot: Add onion and carrot then stir fry until tender.
- Stir fry tempeh: Add tempeh and stir fry.
- Season: Blend all the seasoning, pour over, and mix until the color spread evenly.
Video
Notes
- Storage: It will last for 3 days in the fridge.
- You can save time chopping ingredients with a food processor.
- You can stir fry tempeh lightly as it can be eaten raw.
This recipe was very easy. It is such a delicious way to prepare tempeh. I would definitely serve this dish to company, that’s how good it is. I served it with roasted sweet potatoes which turned out to be a very nice compliment.
Hi Patricia, thanks for trying the recipe! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Hi! I made this recipe and it was very tasty but also very salty 🙁 What kind of soy sauce are you using?
Hi Serena, thanks for trying my recipe but sorry for the result is not the best… I use Saishikomi Shoyu (Refermented) which is a dark color and more savory than standard one (this is good info: https://www.soysauce.or.jp/en/types-and-how-to-use-them). I think it might be salt…I use sea salt and maybe the amount of salt should be less if you use other types of salt. Let me reconsider the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!