These tempeh sandwiches are packed with spicy flavor! Made with blackened tempeh, greens, and creamy vegan Remoulade sauce, they cook up in minutes and are perfect for lunch or dinner.
Last week I posted a recipe for homemade blackened seasoning, and I promised that I'd provide a recipe giving you something to do with it. Well, here is that recipe.
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Blackened Seasoning & Tempeh
Although blackening seasoning was created for meat, it's great in all kinds of dishes. Tempeh is a particular polarizing ingredient. It's got a strong flavor that some folks aren't totally into. So a flavorful seasoning blend like blackened seasoning is great fit for tempeh.
Blackening essentially involves pan searing your food and sprinkling it with blackened seasoning, to create a spicy crust. Tempeh comes in study slabs that cook up well in a pan, so it's easily cooked with this technique!
How to Make Blackened Tempeh Sandwiches
Start by mixing up your vegan Remoulade sauce. You'll need vegan mayo, horseradish mustard, hot sauce, garlic, and a bit of cayenne pepper (just if you'd like some extra heat).
If you generally find the flavor of tempeh to be overly bitter, consider steaming it before getting started. This post includes instruction on how to do that.
Once your tempeh is steamed you'll need to cut it into a few slabs. Start by halving the entire block, then cut each of your halves in half, thickness-wise, so you've got 4 thin rectangles.
Now heat up some vegan butter in a pan. I prefer a cast-iron skillet for this recipe, but anything nonstick will work fine. Once the butter is good and hot, add your tempeh slabs. Cook as many as you can fit in a single layer (that was three for me), and save the rest for a second batch.
Cook your tempeh slabs for a few minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Now drizzle your tempeh slabs with some balsamic vinegar. Balsamic isn't exactly a traditional ingredient in blackened dishes, but I love how the tartness and subtle sweetness compliments the salty and spicy flavors of the blackened seasoning!
Sprinkle the tops of your tempeh slabs liberally with blackened seasoning, flip them and let them cook for a few minutes to toast the spices. Now sprinkle the other side with more seasoning, flip again, and repeat.
Slather some bread with vegan Remoulade sauce and sandwich it together with your blackened tempeh, roasted red pepper slices, and greens. Enjoy!
Tempeh Sandwich Tips & FAQ
- Can these sandwiches be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use your favorite gluten-free sandwich bread.
- Blackened tempeh works great on salads too! Instead of cutting it into slabs, dice it up before cooking.
- Turn on your exhaust fan before you start cooking, and be careful not to overcook the tempeh. The process of blackening involves burning spices, including cayenne pepper. The fumes can be intense!
- Are these sandwiches spicy? They are! Blackened seasoning is spicy by nature, and Remoulade sauce has a slight kick. If you're looking for a milder tempeh sandwich, try my crispy maple Dijon tempeh sandwiches or mango barbecue tempeh sandwiches.
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📖 Recipe
Blackened Tempeh Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Remoulade Sauce
- 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon horseradish mustard
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper hot sauce (or to taste)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional - just use if you'd like some extra heat)
For the Blackened Tempeh
- 1 (8 ounce or 227 gram) package tempeh
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons blackened seasoning (store-bought or homemade), plus more to taste (up to 4 tablespoons)
For the Sandwiches
- 4 slices sandwich bread, optionally toasted
- 4 large roasted red pepper slices
- ½ cup arugula
Instructions
Make the Remoulade Sauce
- Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Make the Blackened Tempeh
- Cut your tempeh block in half, widthwise, so you have two squares. Now cut each square in half, thickness-wise, so you have four thin slabs.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the tempeh slabs to the skillet, in an even layer. You can cook them in batches if they won't all fit at once.
- Cook the tempeh slabs for about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
- Drizzle the tempeh with balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle the slabs evenly with blackened seasoning. Flip the slabs so the seasoned side is facing down.
- Cook the tempeh for 1 to 2 minutes, until the seasoning darkens and forms a crust on the tempeh.
- Sprinkle the tempeh again with blackening seasoning, flip the slabs, and cook them for another 1 to 2 minutes, to form a dark crust on the opposite sides.
- Remove the tempeh from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Slather the bread slices with Remoulade sauce, pair them up, and stuff with the blackened tempeh, roasted red pepper slices, and arugula.
- Serve.
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This is SO GOOD! I liked the seasoning so much that I made a double batch just to have some extra on hand! This will definitely be in the regular dinner rotation!
Love the flavours of this sandwich and it smells amazing when cooking it. I used tofu instead of tempeh though as that's what I had. Your blackened seasoning is so yummy, I've made a batch and have it on my spice shelf ready to use on other stuff too. The roumelade was a bit spicy for my partner but I loved it, he just added extra mayo on his sandwich to balance out the heat. I'm having this again for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for a great recipe.
Yummy! Easy and quick to prepare. Thank you for a fab recipe! I also made your blackened seasoning, and that was great too.
Made this today with tofu instead of tempeh and it was still awesome! Thank you!
These sandwiches look AMAZING! I love the spices you used :)
I love tempeh -- especially on sandwiches! Never added blackening spice to it, but sounds like a great flavor addition! Sometimes I just wipe over some tamari, but I love the idea of a little spiciness to it! Yum!
Thank you! Sandwiches are probably my favorite way to eat tempeh too!The spices here worked out really nicely. I've got a bunch more tempeh ideas that will hopefully work out and make their way onto this blog soon :)