Name: Buffalo Tempeh Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 6 cups mixed leafy greens; ¼ cup vegan avocado ranch dressing (click link for recipe); ¼ cup buffalo sauce; 8 ounces buffalo tempeh strips; 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce; ½ avocado (thinly sliced); ¼ cup red onions (thinly sliced); ¼ cup radishes (thinly sliced); ¼ cup bell peppers (diced)

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Your new favorite salad recipe is here! This Vegan Buffalo Tempeh Salad is tossed in both buffalo sauce and avocado ranch dressing for the perfect balance of creaminess and spice! This easy salad recipe is so delicious and made in just 10 minutes!

cubes of cooked buffalo tempeh on top of salad in bowl

I have a serious obsession with buffalo sauce, loaded salads and a new found love for tempeh. So I decided to combine them all in this epic Buffalo Tempeh Salad recipe!

It's bursting with colors and flavor, and easy to make in just 10 minutes, perfect for a quick and easy lunch or dinner! I like to add bell peppers, onions and radishes for a pop of crunch and color, but feel free to add your favorite salad toppings!

This recipe is vegan and gluten free, yet still filling and packed with protein. This makes it the perfect meal for anyone that's trying to fuel up on healthy plant-based protein!

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What you'll need
Step by step instructions
What else can you add to the salad?
Frequently asked questions
More vegan salads to try
Recipe
Comments

What you'll need

Mixed leafy greens - for this recipe, I usually do a spring mix or mix of baby greens with spinach and kale. Feel free to use your favorite greens, although I do recommend something leafy. I tried the recipe with chopped romaine and cabbage, and the texture didn't pair as well with the crispy buffalo tempeh.
Vegan avocado ranch dressing - I'm obsessed with putting this dressing on everything! It's super easy to make, but if you don't have time, you can always sub in your favorite brand of store-bought vegan ranch dressing.
Buffalo sauce - I mix buffalo sauce with the ranch dressing for a yummy buffalo ranch dressing to toss with the greens. I also toss the buffalo tempeh with even more buffalo sauce after it's cooked, because as I mentioned before, I love buffalo sauce!
Buffalo tempeh strips - I highly recommend looking for Lightlife Buffalo Tempeh at your local grocery store. Just like other tempeh, it's usually found in the refrigerated section with other vegan foods near the produce section. If you can't find the buffalo tempeh, you can use traditional tempeh and marinate it in ½ cup buffalo sauce for 20 minutes before preparing the salad.
Avocado
Red onion
Radishes
Bell peppers

strips of buffalo tempeh in a skillet and cubes of buffalo tempeh in a glass bowl

Step by step instructions

Toss the salad with the dressing. Add the leafy greens to a large bowl. Add the ranch dressing and buffalo sauce, then use tongs to toss the greens until they're covered in the sauce. Divide the dressed greens between two bowls.
Pan fry the buffalo tempeh. Heat a large skillet on the stove over high heat. Add strips of buffalo tempeh to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until it starts to brown on both sides.
Add the buffalo tempeh to the salad. Remove the buffalo tempeh from the skillet and dice into cubes. Toss the tempeh with another 2 tablespoons of buffalo sauce. Add half of the buffalo tempeh to each salad bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to the salad. Top the salad with sliced avocado, red onion, radishes and diced bell pepper.

salad in bowl topped with cubes of buffalo tempeh

What else can you add to the salad?

I've already given you a few suggestions of my favorite ingredients to top this salad, but here are a few more to try!

Tomatoes - toss a ¼ cup of halved cherry tomatoes in the salad for a juicy addition.
Jalapenos - thinly slice a jalapeno and add it to the salad for a kick of spice.
Cucumber - for a light and healthy crunch on top of the salad, add a few sliced or diced cucumbers.
Celery - a common pairing with buffalo sauce, add chopped celery to the salad to bring this combo together.
Carrots - also commonly served with buffalo sauce, shredded carrots are a great way to add more vitamins, crunch and color to the salad.

Frequently asked questions

What is tempeh made of? Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans. It has a chewy and firm texture, with an earthy and nutty flavor. Check out our ingredient guide to tempeh to learn more about the nutrition, how it differs from tofu and other recipes you can use it in!
Is buffalo sauce vegan? Some buffalo sauce brands use butter in their recipe, making them not vegan-friendly. Luckily Frank's Buffalo Sauce, which I used in this recipe is vegan. Primal Kitchen also makes a delicious vegan buffalo sauce.
Can you meal prep the salad? Yes, you can. While I do prefer the buffalo tempeh when it's freshly cooked and warm on top of the salad, it can be cooked ahead of time and stored in a separate container from the other salad ingredients for meal-prepping. I also recommend preparing the vegan ranch dressing ahead of time, so that the salad comes together super quickly!
Can you make the salad low-carb? While tempeh is a great source of plant-based protein, it's unfortunately also high in carbs. Each serving of this salad contains 16 net carbs. If you're looking for a similar low carb recipe, I recommend checking out this Buffalo Cauliflower Salad.

buffalo tempeh cubes on top of salad in bowl with fork

More vegan salads to try

Recipe

cubes of buffalo tempeh on salad in a bowl

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