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    Home » Recipes » Tofu and Meat Substitutes

    Tempeh Karaage - Japanese Fried Dish (Vegan)

    May 20, 2022 by JURI · This post may contain affiliate links

    5 from 2 votes
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO

    This is Japanese style tempeh dish, Vegan Tempeh Karaage. Marinate the piece of tempeh in homemade sauce and fry it. Simple but super tasty recipe!

    vegan tempeh karaage

    Karaage is a Japanese deep-fried dish and is usually cooked with chicken. Karaage is not only for chicken, it's also a great way to cook tempeh for vegan/vegetarian.

    I make this recipe so many times as it's our family's favorite recipe.

    Even if you are not so familiar with tempeh, don't worry, how to make this karaage is super easy!

      This recipe is for you if:
    • You love tempeh
    • You are vegan or vegetarian
    • You want to make something easy with tempeh
    • You are looking for savory vegan main dish

    I will show you how to make this easy vegan dish. If you want to check the recipe right away, please jump to the recipe card. Let's get cooking!

    Jump to:
    • About this recipe
    • 📋 Ingredients
    • 🔪Instructions
    • The Best Way To Eat It
    • Thanks for Stopping By
    • More Vegetarian Recipes You Might Like
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    About this recipe

    • Easy tempeh recipe
    • Japanese karaage recipe
    • Takes under 15 minutes
    • Vegan/Vegetarian

    📋 Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).

    Ingredients for Vegan Tempeh Karaage

    All you need are 3 ingredients.

    • Tempeh
    • Potato Starch: Use potato starch to make the outside crispy. You can substitute it with regular flour or corn starch.
    • Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce: This is homemade all-purpose sauce. Please see the instruction below.

    How To Make Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce

    With this sauce, any ingredients can be transformed into delicious karaage. This sauce is also great for stir-fry and chahan(Japanese fried rice).

    Ingredients

    • 400ml Soy Sauce
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • 1 clove Ginger

    Instructions

    1. Finely chop garlic and ginger with a food processor
    2. Put soy sauce, chopped garlic and ginger in a bottle and stir
    3. Leave it in the refrigerator for one day before using

    If you don't have a food processor, chop finely with a knife.

    You can store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.

    Glass Jar

    I recommend storing the sauce in a glass jar and about 500ml would be the right size.

    I use a glass jar, and since the lid is stainless, I can't get rid of the garlic smell on it. That's why I always use the same jar for this sauce.

    If you don't like to have the smell on the lid, use the one with a glass lid.

    🔪Instructions

    Let me show you how to make it! You can also watch this video.

    How To Make Vegan Tempeh Karaage - Step by Step
    1. Cut tempeh >> Cut tempeh into a small bite size
    2. Put them in a bowl >> Put tempeh in a bowl and pour homemade sauce over
    3. Marinate >> Mix them by hands and let them soak more than 10 mins
    4. Coat with potato starch >> Pour some oil to a frying pan, heat it over medium heat and place tempeh coated with potato starch
    5. Fry >> Fry on medium heat for 2 mins until golden brown
    6. Fry the other side >> Flip it over and fry another 2 mins
    Vegan Tempeh Karaage

    Your crispy and yummy tempeh karaage is done!

    It's delicious even when it's cooled so this is a staple recipe for when we go out for a picnic and it's also great for meal prepping.

    The Best Way To Eat It

    My recommendation is Rice Bowl!

    Serve Japanese steamed rice in a deep bowl, place tempeh karaage on, and top with shredded nori. And add some green salad on the side then the vegan tempeh karaage rice bowl is done! It's a healthy and beautiful lunch!

    vegan tempeh karaage rice bowl

    If you are tired of eating it as it is, here is another idea, vegan tempeh karaage with egg.

    Heat dashi(soup stock) in a frying pan, put the tempeh karaage, pour the beaten eggs over and cook for a couple of minutes. Put it on the steamed rice and ready to eat! This is also a delicious dish.

    Thanks for Stopping By

    I introduced a Japanese-style tempeh recipe. How did you like it?

    If you make the garlic ginger soy sauce beforehand, it's quick to make this recipe. It's a great main dish and also an appetizer. I hope you will enjoy it with your family.

    Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe(or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!

    Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

    Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes include vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.

    More Vegetarian Recipes You Might Like

    • Marinated Tempeh-Japanese Syogayaki
    • Tofu Hambagu
    • Koyadofu Cheese Katsu
    • Takikomi Gohan With Shiokombu
    • Inari Sushi

    📖 Recipe

    tempeh karaage

    Tempeh Karaage - Japanese Fried Dish (Vegan)

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep: 15 minutes
    Cook: 10 minutes
    Total: 25 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Author: JURI
    This is Japanese style tempeh dish, Vegan Tempeh Karaage. Marinate the piece of tempeh in homemade sauce and fry it. Simple but super tasty recipe!
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 c Tempeh, 250g
    • 2 tablespoon Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce
    • 3-4 tablespoon Potato Starch
    • Oil for cooking

    Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce

    • 400 ml Soy Sauce
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • 1 clove Ginger

    Instructions

    • Cut tempeh: Cut tempeh into small bite-size pieces
    • Marinate: Put the tempeh and garlic ginger soy sauce in a bowl, toss, then marinate for more than 10 minutes
    • Prepare your frying pan: Warm a frying pan over medium heat and add some oil
    • Coat with potato starch: Coat the tempeh with potato starch and add them to the pan
    • Pan-fry: Pan-fry on medium heat for 2 mins until golden brown, and flip them over and fry for another 2 mins
    • Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce
    • Mince: Finely mince garlic and ginger with a food processor.
    • Put in a bottle: Put soy sauce, minced garlic, and ginger in a bottle and stir.
    • In the fridge: Keep the bottle in the fridge, and you can use it the next day.

    Video

    Notes

    • Equipment: Frying pan 22 cm/8.7 inches, 450ml bottle (for Garlic ginger soy sauce)
    • Substitute: Garlic ginger soy sauce needs to be made in advance, so if you want to make this recipe right away, substitute it by mixing soy sauce, grated garlic, and grated ginger. If you don't have potato starch, you can substitute it with flour or cornstarch.
    • Storage: It will last for 3 days in the fridge.
    • Tempeh soaks up cooking oil so if you run out of oil, pour some more.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.9g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 11.7g | Sodium: 441mg
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Japanese
    Keyword: vegan tempeh karaage recipe
    Did You Make this recipe?Please Leave a star rating!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda

      January 06, 2023 at 5:02 am

      5 stars
      I love your recipes. I try not to cook in oil. Do you ever use an air fryer instead?

      Reply
      • JURI

        January 07, 2023 at 5:12 am

        Thank you, Linda! I don't have an air fryer but it should be ok to use it!

        Reply

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