• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Up Beet Kitchen

  • About
    • Daily Eats
  • E-Book
  • Recipe Index
  • Workouts
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Thai-Inspired Peanut Tempeh Noodle Salad

July 28, 2020 by Allison 2 Comments

Tweet
Pin
Share
18 Shares
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This Thai-inspired peanut tempeh noodle salad is comprised of tempeh baked in peanut sauce, mango, peppers, cucumber, and rice noodles tossed in coconut-lime-cilantro dressing! The perfect minimal fuss dinner for hot weather. 

an overhead shot of the peanut tempeh salad in a wooden bowl with the tempeh cubes, cucumber, peppers, and mango arranged over top of the rice noodles.

The other evening, I was watching “Jamie Oliver’s 15-Minute Meals” while making dinner. I love the show, not only for the recipe inspiration it provides, but for how easy he makes cooking look (to say nothing of how badly I want his kitchen!!!). The irony of it all is that in the amount of time that it took me to prepare one relatively simple dinner, he had made three of his 15-minute meals. Ha! You might think that, given all the recipes I create, I am an efficient cook, but I actually take my own sweet time in the kitchen. By the end of the day, I’m usually pretty tired and not moving all that fast. That’s why I love one-bowl meals such as the one I’m about to share! 

Now allow me to introduce to you the summer salad of your dreams: Rice noodles tossed in lime-coconut-cilantro dressing. Crunchy bell peppers and cucumber. Sweet, juicy mango. Rich and satisfying peanut sauce-baked tempeh. In this Thai-inspired main dish salad, these components come together for the ultimate heat wave dinner! 

It’s still incredibly hot in Ottawa (I mean 40+ degrees Celsius with the humidex hot), which means most of our meals have been low-fuss or no-fuss. The Vegan Snack Board has been a mainstay, as have meal-sized salads. 

This salad is an adaptation of one of the earlier recipes I developed for the blog: Thai Peanut Tempeh Kale Salad. I wanted to make it heartier, so I swapped out the kale for rice noodles, which are tossed in a creamy yet fresh-tasting coconut milk, lime, cilantro, and mint dressing. The noodles are then topped with diced mango and cucumber, sliced peppers, and tempeh that’s been marinated and then baked in a homemade peanut sauce. 

Ingredients you’ll need

For the dressing: 

  • Cilantro, mint, lime juice, coconut milk, garlic, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and hemp hearts. 

For the peanut tempeh: 

  • Tempeh, peanut butter, lime juice, tamari, sriracha or hot sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and water. 

For the rest of the salad: 

  • Rice noodles (or soba noodles), red pepper, cucumber, and mango. 

Step by step instructions 

  1. Start by preparing the tempeh, since it’s best if it marinates for some time before baking. Chop the tempeh into cubes and steam it for a couple of minutes to open up its “pores.” (This helps it absorb the marinade.) Mix up the peanut sauce by whisking together peanut butter, lime juice, tamari, sriracha, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and water in a bowl. Place the steamed, cubed tempeh in a square baking dish and pour the peanut sauce over top. Toss to evenly coat all of the cubes in peanut sauce. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. 
  2. After the tempeh has marinated, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully spoon out the tempeh cubes onto it. Reserve the remaining peanut sauce to serve with the salad. Bake the tempeh at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. 
  3. While the tempeh is baking, prepare the dressing. Place coconut milk, lime juice, maple syrup, herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and hemp in a blender and blend until smooth. Note that the dressing is quite thin/runny- this is normal. 
  4. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package and slice/chop the pepper, cucumber, and mango. 
  5. To assemble the salad, place the rice noodles in a salad bowl and pour about half of the coconut lime dressing over top. Toss to coat and arrange the tempeh, peppers, mango, and cucumber on top. Drizzle remaining peanut sauce over the tempeh and serve. 

an overhead shot of the tempeh cubes and peanut sauce

an overhead shot of the peanut sauce-coated tempeh cubes in a square dish

 

overhead shot of the peanut tempeh fresh out of the oven

overhead shot of all the salad dressing ingredients in a blender

overhead shot of the green coconut herb lime dressing in a jar

allergy substitutions 

  • If allergic to peanuts, use sunflower seed butter or tahini in the peanut sauce. 
  • If allergic to soy, forego the tempeh and use 1-2 cups of cooked black beans or adzuki beans in its place. Simply add the cooked beans to the salad and drizzle peanut sauce over top. 

an overhead shot of a bowl of the Thai peanut tempeh salad in an individual bowl

a straight on shot of an individual bowl of the salad with a close up on the peanut tempeh

looking for more vegan recipes with tempeh? Try these: 

  • Spring Abundance Bowls with Maple Balsamic Tempeh
  • Thai Peanut Tempeh Kale Salad 
  • Sweet and Sour Tempeh Meatballs

I hope you love this Thai-inspired peanut tempeh noodle salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below. And if you post a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can feature it in my stories! 

Enjoy!! 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
an overhead shot of the peanut tempeh salad in a wooden bowl with the tempeh cubes, cucumber, peppers, and mango arranged over top of the rice noodles.

Thai-Inspired Peanut Tempeh Noodle Salad


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Allison
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings, with leftover dressing 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

A fabulous meal-sized salad with rice noodles, peanut-baked tempeh, mango, vegetables, and coconut lime cilantro mint dressing.


Ingredients

Scale

Peanut Baked Tempeh

  • 1 (8-oz) block of tempeh, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/3 cup natural smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tamari
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha, or to taste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp water

Coconut Lime Cilantro Dressing

  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 cup hemp hearts (also called hulled hemp seeds)
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro (some stems are fine)
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

For the Salad

  • 250 grams rice noodles or soba noodles
  • 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 an English cucumber, diced
  • 1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced

Instructions

  1. The tempeh needs to marinate for at least 30 minutes for best flavour, so prepare it first. Place the cubed tempeh in a steamer basket on the stove and steam for a couple of minutes, to allow the pores to open up and absorb more of the marinade. Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, tamari, sriracha, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and water in a small bowl. Place the steamed tempeh in a square dish and pour the peanut sauce over top. Toss to evenly coat the tempeh cubes, cover, and set aside for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
  2. After the tempeh has marinated, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Carefully scoop the tempeh cubes onto the baking sheet, reserving the marinade to drizzle over the salad later.
  3. Bake the tempeh for 20 minutes. During baking, the tempeh develops a crisp outer layer that’s totally addictive. It’s a delicious snack in its own right!
  4. While the tempeh is baking, make the coconut lime cilantro dressing: Place all of the dressing ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Pour into a jar and cover until ready to serve.
  5. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.
  6. To assemble the salad, place the cooked noodles in a large bowl and drizzle with about half of the coconut dressing. Toss to coat. Top with the peppers, cucumber, mango, and peanut tempeh. Drizzle the tempeh with additional peanut sauce. Toss again, if desired, or leave everything as is (as I did in the photos) for a more artistic presentation.
  7. Serve extra coconut lime dressing at the table so that people can add more as desired.
  • Category: Supper, Main Dish, Meal-Sized Salad
  • Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: Thai Peanut Tempeh Noodle Salad, Coconut Lime Cilantro Dressing

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @upbeet.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #upbeetkitchen

You might also like

Filed Under: Bowls, CSA-Inspired, Dressings, Dips, and Sauces, Gluten-Free, High Protein, Lunch, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Summer Recipes, Supper, Vegan Tagged With: gluten-free, mango, noodles, tempeh, vegan

Subscribe to get recipes straight to your inbox + my free "Power Bowls" e-cookbook!

Previous Post: « Vegan Snack Board with Two Dips
Next Post: Vegan Nachos Supreme with Spicy Barbecue Tofu »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anne

    July 31, 2020 at 6:16 pm

    While Thai food is my favourite, it is rare to find a good vegan Thai recipe. This one was totally delicious and easy to make.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Allison

      July 31, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      Thanks, Anne!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆
Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

... And welcome to Up Beet Kitchen, my cozy little corner of the internet where I share wholesome and delicious plant-based recipes.
Read more

Free E-Cookbook!

Free "Power Bowls" E-Book!

Sign up to receive blog updates, and I'll send you my e-cookbook, Power Bowls: 10 Vibrant and Wholesome Recipes to Supercharge Your Diet, and Your Health, for free!  

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.Please check your inbox to confirm and download your e-book.

.

Recent Posts

  • Tex-Mex Black Bean Portobello Boats with Vegan Cheese Sauce
  • Moroccan Chickpea + Roasted Vegetable Burritos with Green Tahini Sauce
  • Vegan Fruit Pizza with Maple Orange Cashew Cream
  • Egg, Broccoli Pesto + Potato Bowls
  • Vegan Banana Layer Cake with Chocolate Avocado Icing

Footer

  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • About Up Beet Kitchen

Copyright © 2021 Upbeet Kitchen on the Foodie Pro Theme