Sticky Ginger Tempeh with Coconut Rice

Created by Laura Wright — Published 27/05/2020
4.95 from 76 votes

Sticky ginger tempeh with coconut rice is an easy and deliciously saucy vegan dinner. Perfect for the tempeh skeptics!

Overhead shot of a bowl of sticky ginger tempeh with coconut rice with a lime wedge alongside.

I am really fussy about tempeh in general. I know that it’s good for me and that it’s a superstar vegan main, but sometimes the flavor/texture doesn’t sit right. I’m not a picky eater, but there’s something about it that presents a mental block for me. I will pump myself up to eat it, load the tempeh up with flavors that I like, and then I’ll put one morsel in my mouth and immediately be turned off. I’ve been working on this sticky ginger tempeh for a while and it is helping! This air fryer tempeh is another recipe that changed my mind a bit.

Every once in a while I hit on the right combination of cooking method and flavor treatment. This marinated and grilled tempeh is a good example, and also this broccoli caesar with smoky tempeh bits from my cookbook is another application that I enjoy. Both methods turn to deep browning and big flavours for a tasty end result.

The culturing process is what gives tempeh its solid, patty-like texture and signature nutty/earthy flavor. Tempeh can taste mushroom-y and this is likely because the culturing results in a thin film of mycelium (fungus!) that encases the soybeans.

Those earthy notes taste so good with super punchy and rich flavors like chili, ginger, coconut, lime, and soy sauce, which happens to be the flavor profile we’re going with here in this recipe! We first steam the tempeh to remove any trace of bitterness. Then, it’s crumbled up and lightly browned, and finally finished with a tamari-based sauce with lots of salty, sweet and hot notes. The sauce thickens slightly, clinging to the browned bits of tempeh. I opted to serve this with some coconut rice to make it a bit more special.

Hope you give this sticky ginger tempeh recipe a try—especially all of my tempeh skeptics. It’s saucy, salty, spicy, lightly caramelized, and bright too. A huge flavor bomb with the most lush coconut rice accompaniment. The tempeh itself comes together pretty quick, which is a nice bonus!

Sticky ginger tempeh getting sautéed in a pan.
Overhead shot of a bowl of sticky ginger tempeh with coconut rice with a lime wedge alongside.

Sticky Ginger Tempeh with Coconut Rice

Sticky ginger tempeh with coconut rice is a super flavourful and easy vegan dinner. The tempeh is meaty and spicy and pairs well with mellow coconut rice.
4.95 from 76 votes
An overhead shot of crumbled tempeh coated in a red spice blend/sauce treatment. The tempeh is served on top of rice and garnished with sliced green onions.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 3 -4

Ingredients

COCONUT RICE

  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1 cup brown basmati rice, thoroughly rinsed
  • ½ teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice

TEMPEH

  • 8 oz block tempeh, cut into 1 inch slices
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce of choice (optional–or use less!)
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon avocado or other heat-tolerant oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Notes

  • This tempeh is also delicious with plain rice, but I wanted to give you the option of taking things to the next level! I would serve this with a simple side of steamed/roasted broccoli or green beans.
  • I haven’t tried this recipe with a fluid sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar. My hunch is that the sauce will not thicken around the tempeh bits as much and you may have to introduce a starch.
  • Steaming the tempeh ahead of time is a key step! It helps to reduce that trace of bitterness.

Instructions

  • Make the coconut rice. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the coconut milk, water, coconut sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring a few times to dissolve the sugar. Add the rinsed brown basmati rice to the saucepan and stir. Bring the coconut rice up to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and then cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  • Add the lime zest and juice to the coconut rice and fluff/lightly stir with a fork. Return the lid to the pot and let it sit on the warm stove for 3-4 minutes, or keep warm until ready to serve.
  • Make the sticky ginger tempeh. Cover the bottom of a medium skillet with water and place it on the stove over medium heat. Once it’s simmering, add your tempeh slices and cover. Steam the tempeh for 10 minutes. Remove the tempeh from the skillet with tongs and place it on a plate to cool. Rinse the skillet and wipe it out. You’ll be using it to finish the tempeh.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, coconut sugar, hot sauce, and lime juice. Set aside.
  • Pat the steamed tempeh with some a clean kitchen towel to dry. Crumble the tempeh into little pieces.
  • Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. Pour in the avocado oil and swirl it around. Add the tempeh to the skillet and stir. Sauté the tempeh until the pieces are lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Season the tempeh with salt and pepper and stir. Add the ginger and garlic to the skillet and stir until quite fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Pour the tamari mixture into the skillet and stir, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet with a spatula if necessary. Keep cooking the tempeh until the sauce has caramelized slightly and turned deeper brown, about 6-7 minutes. Check the sticky ginger tempeh for seasoning and then adjust if necessary (more salt, pepper, hot sauce, lime etc).
  • Serve the sticky ginger tempeh hot with coconut rice and sliced green onions.
A bowl of sticky ginger tempeh with coconut rice.
27/05/2020 (Last Updated 22/06/2025)
Posted in: autumn, coconut milk, creamy, earthy, gluten free, main course, nut free, quick, salty, side dish, spicy, spring, summer, tempeh, umami, vegan, winter

73 comments

4.95 from 76 votes (32 ratings without comment)

Recipe Rating





  • Anna

    5 stars
    This was DELICOUS!!!! I made it last week and had leftovers for lunch and I am already planning on making it again this week for the family :)

  • Chelsea

    5 stars
    This has become a household staple!! We love it so much YUM have started having sliced cucumber on the side, delicious.

  • Rachel

    5 stars
    Gives me a new creative way to make tempeh, thank you! As much as I love a full fat coconut rice, I only had coconut water on hand, but that worked out quite well too. Will be doubling up on tempeh for my leftovers next time!

  • Stacy Bird

    5 stars
    Oh, this was so, so good! Thank you for the recipe! I made extra coconut rice, and I could eat it and the full meal every single day. Fantastic taste and very easy to make. Steaming the tempeh completely eliminated the bitterness. What a discovery!

    • Laura Wright

      So happy to help you discover the steaming trick, Stacy! Thank you for this kind comment and review :)
      -L

  • Noelene Plummer

    5 stars
    It was delicious, so happy too find a tempeh recipe I like. I have avoided Tempeh but I will definitely be doing this recipe a lot.

  • Kristina

    4 stars
    This was good, I was expecting a stickier sauce (like ginger fried beef), but the sauce was mostly absorbed by our Tempeh (it was homemade green pea tempeh – so that might be it). It was mushier too than I would have liked.

    My husband read the tempeh ingredient as 18oz, not 1x8oz… perhaps you can fix the recipe to make that clearer. We made a lot! ha!

    • Laura Wright

      I’m so sorry about the confusion with the tempeh amount/size! I will edit this to make it clearer. Thank you for the feedback!
      -L

  • jiske

    I really like this recipe, but the tempeh does not get very sticky (almost mushy sometimes), what could I do to fix this?

    • Laura Wright

      Hi! If the tempeh is mushy, I would avoid breaking it into super small “crumbles”. Perhaps just dice it into cubes instead?
      -L

  • Alexis

    3 stars
    I made this today and wasn’t crazy about the balance of flavors. It was much too tamari/ soy sauce heavy.. and the reduction just made it saltier and more soy sauce tasting.. I added more lime and sugar but it just wasn’t right.. I also found the Tempeh broke into tiny bean-sized pieces and tasted a bit dry in the inside. I would start with 1/2 the amount of tamari and add some water to thin the sauce out as it reduces. You can always add more after. Maybe add some sweet Mirin or sweet Thai chili sauce in addition to the sugar?

  • Anita

    5 stars
    This was excellent, even the meat-lovers in our house didn’t hesitate to polish off every last bite. Highly recommend the coconut rice. Thank you so much for the recipe!

    • Laura Wright

      So glad that everyone enjoyed it, Anita! Thanks for this kind review.
      -L

  • Veronika

    5 stars
    Hi :) I would like to make this amazaing recipe but I do not know how many grams of tempeh is the 1 8 oz block as I can find it properly. Could you please help me with this one? Thank you!

    • Laura Wright

      Hi Veronika!
      8oz is roughly 227 grams :)
      -L

  • Elizabeth

    5 stars
    This recipe tasted like something I’d get at a restaurant, not make in my own kitchen. I loved the coconut rice and the tempeh was even better than I thought it would be! I’ve tried many Asian-inspired stir-fries, but this one far surpassed the others. It will be my go-to from now on.

  • Eleanor

    5 stars
    I have been trying to find a way to love tempeh and this is it!! (I used agave and it came out perfectly) X

    • Laura Wright

      So glad that you enjoyed the tempeh here! It can be tricky :)
      -L