Tempeh substitutes

The nearest thing in the shops and the swap that works in the widest range of recipes.

Best for

stir-fries, marinated and pan-fried slabs, curries and coconut braises, sandwiches and bowls

Tempeh is a dry, tightly packed block; tofu is wet and loose. Press it between plates under a heavy pan for 20 to 30 minutes, pat it bone dry, and cut it thicker than you think. It will taste noticeably plainer and it has no nutty, mushroomy ferment note at all, so add a teaspoon of soy sauce and half a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to the marinade, or mash in half a teaspoon of white miso, which is the single closest flavour stand-in for tempeh's fermentation. The texture stays creamier inside no matter how hard you fry it, and it will never give you tempeh's crumbly grain.

The best match for tempeh's chew, though it is wheat gluten rather than soy so it is not gluten-free.

Best for

stir-fries, skewers and satay, sandwich fillings, stews where you want something meaty

Chewier and springier than tempeh rather than crumbly, and it pulls into strands when you tear it instead of breaking into pebbles. The flavour is savoury and bready rather than nutty and fermented. Because seitan is usually already seasoned in its cooking broth, taste before you add extra salt or soy. It browns very well and holds up to long simmering, so it is a good pick for anything Indonesian that fries the protein first and then braises it.

Genuinely good for anywhere tempeh is chopped small, and hopeless anywhere it needs to stay in a slab.

Best for

tempeh crumbles in sambal goreng, taco and burrito filling, vegetarian bolognese, salads and grain bowls

Chickpeas share tempeh's nutty, faintly earthy, starchy quality more closely than tofu does, which surprises people. Drain them very well, smash about half of them so the mixture holds together, and brown them hard in oil until the edges go crisp and golden, which takes longer than you expect. They will not slice and they will not hold a cube shape, so do not attempt this for satay skewers or a marinated slab. Add a squeeze of lime at the end to keep them from tasting flat.

The right answer when you want savoury depth rather than protein.

Best for

stir-fries, stews and braises, mushroom and tempeh style ragu

Mushrooms bring the same dark savoury undertone tempeh has, and if anything they are more umami-rich. What you lose is real: almost all of the protein, and the firm bite. They also release a lot of water, so cook them in a wide pan in a single layer without stirring until the liquid has gone and they start to brown, otherwise the dish turns soupy. Chop them chunky rather than sliced thin so there is still something to chew.

A dry-store option for crumbled and shredded uses.

Best for

tempeh crumbles, shredded fillings, chilli and curry

Rehydrate in warm salted stock rather than plain water, then squeeze out the excess or they will steam instead of frying. The texture is chewy in a slightly spongy, uniform way, quite unlike tempeh's dense grain, and there is no ferment tang whatsoever. Because they are essentially flavour sponges, they take marinade far better than tempeh does, so lean into that with soy sauce, garlic and a little sugar.

For the specific case where you need a firm block that browns and keeps its shape, and dairy is fine.

Best for

grilled or pan-fried slabs, skewers, curries added at the end

This is not a flavour substitute at all. Halloumi is markedly salty and squeaky and paneer is milky and mild, and both read as dairy, not soy. What they do share with tempeh is the ability to be cut into cubes or slabs, browned in a hot pan, and dropped into a sauce without disintegrating. If you use halloumi, cut the salt elsewhere in the recipe. Neither is vegan, so this is no help if tempeh was there for that reason.