Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes
I needed a way to use up my leftover ranch dressing, so why not Buffalo some tempeh? Spicy, tangy, saucy tempeh over a cool ranch salad was just what the summer night ordered. And this recipe is capital E lowercase A lowercase S lowercase Y. (Um, that spells “Easy.”)
Secret: sometimes I google my own recipes. So instead of, you know, opening my copy of Appetite For Reduction, I found the Buffalo Tempeh recipe online. In fact, I came across a blog that mentioned crumbling instead of cutting. “Hmmm, no slicing, that sounds cool.” Thought lazy me. And so I crumbled. And then, once the laziness took hold, I really didn’t feel like steaming or marinating. Instead, I used the method for Tempeh Sausage Crumbles in Vegan With A Vengeance. Essentially, steam that yumminess in the same pan you’re going to saute it in. Pour in the sauce, and boom, a really really really easy summer night topping for your ranch salad!
The ranch will make more than you need, but I’m sure that’s ok, right? I looooove powdered onion and garlic in ranch dressing. I don’t know, I was born in the 70s, that’s what we ate, there were no fresh onions or garlic. But feel free to use fresh as you see fit. In my opinion, fresh chives are a must!
Dinner tonight! Looks amazing. I think I might add so grain or maybe roasted potato. Thanks Isa! Delicious…
Assuming the store isn’t sold out of Franks, this is SO going in my mouth tonight!
Ok I’m totally dumb here: what’s described above as “steaming” the tempeh is reading to me like “boiling” or “simmering” it. I’m confused, please help!
These look great I’ll have to an alternative to the garlic and onion powder though, I’ve never used them and can’t bear to buy another ingredient so I’ll have to let go of the full retro authenticity.
What would be a good substitute for Franks hot sauce (it isn’t available anywhere in Australia)? Something thin like Cholula, or is the consistency thicker like sriracha? I’d appreciate your suggestions
Lisa, I’d say Cholula.
Looks great!! I think I will thaw some tempeh out and have for tomorrow night! Hope wife and kids will enjoy
That’s so funny. I only put one recipe online, and that’s the only way I know how to make it. It’s so natural to turn to the internet for a quick answer!
Lisa – cholula is spicier than franks, but ultimately you’ll probably be pleased by using whatever hot sauce’s flavor you already prefer 🙂 (sorry for the buffalo sacrilege)
Yes, ok I’m one of those people that doesn’t read recipe notes until afterwards….
Please ignore my previous question 🙂
Totally digging this! Love the buffalo tempeh!
Lisa, Woolworths have recently started stocking Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (hooray!) and it’s also available from David Jones.
I have plans to make this ASAP but am having the same issue as Maria, in terms of getting mixed up between steaming and boiling in the first bit of the instructions.
Fantastic! This looks totally awesome. 🙂
I’m totes going to make this salad. I’m also totes going to place this salad inside of a huge piece of bread. I have actually never had Frank’s hot sauce before. Is it hotter than cholula?
Isaaa! I’ve looked into Franks hot sauce and to get it here (NZ) is over $30 all up.. It was hard enough to find sriracha and I shop almost only at asian supermarkets. Please help! Can I bastardise some sriracha with margarine or something? anything? We’re pretty backwards here. Vegans may as well introduce themselves with ‘baaa’ and proceed to eat grass.
Charlotte,
Long time lover/reader/eater, first time questioner
I would consult with your fellow countrymen! Sriracha is MUCH spicier and thicker so I wouldn’t suggest it…
I eat this combo way to often. On tempeh. On rice. In wraps. I’m a sucker for veg versions of ranch/buffalo.
I love your summer of salads.
Just don’t make the mistake that I made and buy the Frank’s “buffalo wing” sauce….not vegan.
This looks awesome! The only way I can get my meat-obsessed boyfriend to eat veg-friendly food is when I make things like this 🙂
Charlotte, Countdown appear to stock Cholula; perhaps you could try that. If you can’t find Cholula, I’d use Tabasco rather than Sriracha.
This recipe looks amazing and gives me a great idea of what to do with tempeh. I will definitely be making this but will need to find an alternative sauce, I don’t think we can get Frank’s in England
I definitely saw it at Sainsburys when I was in London, if that helps!
Made this last night for dinner, and a second batch this afternoon for lunch – it’s that good! Only downside is I’ve had Bob Marley going in my head. (Buffalo tempeh, yum yum yum…)
We just made this and it was amazing!!!! It was actually my first time cooking with tempeh and now I’m hooked. Thank you thank you thank you!
I made this from Appetite for Reduction and came here for the ranch dressing but wonder why the cooking instructions are so different?
I just had this for dinner. It was perfect. Perfect. Thank you, Isa! You are the best.
WOW!!!
[…] things coming. Until then go make some buffalo tempeh, go to the state fair, go ride a […]
Jill- She explained the different cooking technique in the paragraph before the recipe notes…this looks incredible. I can’t wait to try it!
Made this last night and it was deelish! And very filling. The only change I would make is to use a high temp oil instead of olive oil, if using a stainless steel pan. It’ll help keep the Tempe from sticking.
This was delicious! I have found my replacement for chicken wings, finally. As well, I have never before enjoyed Ranch dressing because I find commercial preparations too think, gelatinous and overpowering in flavour. I can’t believe I enjoyed this version so much! This dish is definitely going on high rotation for the rest of the summer.
@Lisa – The hot sauce she’s talking about is the thinner kind. Cholula would probably work fine. (Though, now that you mention it, I kind of want to try this with Sriracha!)
Genius! And I adore your photo…I want that napkin (or is it a hankie?)…the yellow, weathered, painted furniture…seriously cute…perfect for summer. Oh, and the salad looks amazing too!
😉
It’s a hankie…but don’t tell anyone.
Made the tempeh last night and it was great. Since going vegan almost 2 years ago, I had missed buffalo wings. Thanks
I make something similar all the time with either tofu or the chickpea chicken cutlets, but since I’m from Pittsburgh, I also top the salad with skin-on oven fries.
I made this for dinner tonight and put it in a pita. Freaking amazing, that’s all I have to say!
Hi. I was just on your facebook page and read an old post that you wanted feedback about comments on your blog. I didn’t know you liked it so much, but now that I know I will do it more often.
I lived in Buffalo for 5 years and had a friend who worked at a wing shop. Buffalo sauce is Franks and butter. The more butter, the milder the suace. For me, straight Franks is a Buffalo medium, a NYC hot. Depends on where you live. If you have to sub, make sure its a cayenne pepper suace, not any other kind of hot pepper.
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It only takes a sec! Thank you! And I love this website!
Well this was beyond fabulous. I actually exclaimed when I took my first bite because it was so freaking good. I used a little extra vegetable stock and let the tempeh steam a bit longer, but it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Two thumbs up.
Thanks! This was easy to make, but it’s still going to take me an hour to clean up! But that’s just me. Will make again!
THis was SOOOOOO good!!The dressing was amazing!!And super easy!!!
This recipe is amazing, just got done consuming it. Yum!
Thanks Isa, this is the best tempeh recipe I’ve had! I made the dressing too!
Well, that is high praise*, thanks! (unless you’ve only made like one other tempeh recipe)
i just made this…. and licked the plate. thank you.
I just made this with Cholula and it was delicious, although Frank’s reigns supreme, if you have it on hand.
Just made this for my husband tonight. His comment, “I love it. I *!$^%&’n love it.” High praise. 🙂 He also moved it to the top of his ‘must cook’ recipes. Delicious! Two thumbs up!
Best recipe I’ve tried in a while, Thank you!
I used Sriracha because it’s all I had, just halved the amount and cut it with butter.
This sounds great! Another alternative to the tempeh could be cauliflower. A restaurant down the street from me serves a buffalo cauliflower appetizer. I think they steam the cauliflower before buffalo-ing it.
This was amazing.
thank you for a nut-free ranch dressing! i’m totally doing this with soy curls!
We made this last night. Super good! I’ve been vegan for 2 years and have longed for a good fix for the old days of chicken wings. This did it!
This is definitely going into my regular menu! I love the dressing and the tempeh tastes amazing.
Made this for dinner tonight. Fantastic! Frank’s is now going to be added to my eclectic end-of-the-world stockpile of hot sauces which includes: Gator Sauce, Valentina, and now Frank’s.
I’m confused about the steaming of tempeh. Do I turn the burner off once it boils and let it sit in the hot water for 15 min?
[…] Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh http://www.theppk.com/2013/07/ranch-salad-with-buffalo-tempeh/ […]
I made this for the first time a little over a week ago, and if it were up to my husband, we’d eat it every night! I’m thinking about using the buffalo tempeh and Daiya as a pizza topping this weekend!
Tasty, but the dressing was a too thin. Next time I’ll adjust make it thicker. Also, my tempeh fell apart so it was grounds instead of nuggets. Looked terrible, but of course still tasted great. It went over well with the non-veg hubby (he had seconds!).
[…] Here’s a link to the Post Punk Kitchen’s Buffalo Tempeh recipe http://www.theppk.com/2013/07/ranch-salad-with-buffalo-tempeh/ […]
had this for the second time in two weeks! recipes don’t often get repeated over here, but we’re already planning it again for next week. (it’s so perfect for these warm southern california evenings).
whenever i ask my husband what sounds good for dinners next week, he says “anything by isa.” you’ve been our favorite cookbook author for years, thank you so so much for the delicious meals.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now. I’m a sucker for Franks. This is amaaaaazing!!
You are the sh*t. How did you get to be the sh*t so well? I lOVE YOU!!!!!
I made this into a wrap and it was very good! I will use less milk in the dressing next time to make it more thick. Thanks for the great recipe!
Even I couldn’t screw up this recipe!
Super delicious. We had it two nights in a row – once with tempeh, once with seitan. (If you’re wondering, the tempeh holds the flavor MUCH better than seitan.)
We don’t have Frank’s in my ‘hood, so I used some generic hot sauce, which worked well.
I didn’t add as much almond milk to the ranch – my first attempt was a little runny – and added a little extra nutritional yeast.
We love crunchies, but I didn’t want to ruin this with croutons, so I threw some chow mein noodles on top – loved it.
A huge hit!
Isa – THANK YOU.
[…] casserole/lasagna…it’s an experiment…if it works, I’ll let you know Monday – salad with buffalo tempeh Tuesday – arugula and goat cheese panini (something else may go on those sandwiches as well; I […]
Just made the mayo, and the salad. Very good! Is there any nutritional analysis posted anywhere? That’s what I love about Appetite for Reduction, I like to plug the numbers into MyFitnessPal to keep track of my calories. Love your work!
[…] original recipe can be found here, but since I do still eat minimal amounts of dairy, I used regular ranch dressing to speed things […]
[…] Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh – Another one of Isa’s Rock Star vegan recipes. This is on my list to make for sure! […]
Love your site!
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In Australia too and had to have this tonight so substituting ABC chili sauce until I can get my family back home to send some Franks or get an order from USA foods. Fingers crossed, steaming now.
I am made the tempeh and then decided, that since only 1/2 the sauce would soak up, I added 8 ounces of seitan. I have been wanting to try that; now is my chance. (I also used Earth Balance instead of the olive oil (lots of it) and pure corn syrup during the frying. It is yummy.
If anyone in Australia is after Frank’s Hot Sauce, it’s available at Woolworths for around $4 a bottle. There’s no need to order it online!
This is what I’ve been looking for for 3 years.
Ok, officially not hating tempeh anymore. viva buffalo tempeh!
Isa,
This recipe looks so darn good and I would love to try it out but the stores that are nearby don’t carry tempeh unfortunately. Woud this work if I made some seitan pieces or tofu?
I just made this and it’s SO F-ing GOOD!!!!!! You are the BEST, Isa!
This salad is a staple in our house. We add orange or yellow pepper to bulk up the veggies and switch out the tempeh for soy chicken breasts. We find it helpful to add a little cornstarch to the hot sauce as the soy chicken doesn’t soak up the sauce like the tempeh.
I also made the ranch to use on vegan BLTs last night with extraordinary results. My husband and I agreed they were the best BLTs we had ever had. I just used a bit less soy milk so that it wasn’t too runny on the bread. Amazing!
[…] 28Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh (Post Punk Kitchen) […]
[…] Solution: Make your own homemade ranch with cashew nuts! […]
[…] does it). Make a homemade sauce with blended nuts or seeds: cashews make a great blue cheese, and ranch replacement. Lemon Tahini (sesame seed paste) , Thai peanut sauce , curried -almond , avocado […]
My first attempt at tempeh & a complete D.i.s.a.s.t.e.r. Don’t boil the tempeh (even by accident like me) it falls apart and goes squishy/slimy. I’ve read it can be steamed? I agree with an earlier post to use a high heat oil instead of olive because ohh the sticking was horrendous. To top it off (sorry Isa) i used a different hot sauce (it might just be me but we English folk don’t really know what a buffalo wing should taste like saucy wise). The one I chose was WRONG. I’m trying not to let this experience be my first and last with this apparently delicious and versatile vegan ingredient but maybe I just need time to recover from my overwhelming sense of disappointment and failure
P.S On the plus LOVED the ranch dressing on my salad, had it next day drizzled on a homemade vegan pizza and was better than my BF’s cheesy version by far!
[…] Potato Salad, Buffalo Tempeh with Homemade Sauce, and Sweet Kale Salad via Betty Goes Vegan, Post Punk Kitchen, Emeril Lagasse, […]
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[…] you can try where you’d never know. I love Maple Tempeh Meatballs from Vegan Dad or even Buffalo Tempeh from Post Punk […]
Mmm.. this is a PERFECT dinner on a hot (Indian) summer night. We added avocado but otherwise made exactly as listed. The ranch dressing is amazing, especially with the fresh chives. Thank you!
the ranch is so awesome! I used cashew milk and its so creamy!
Made this but used siracha sauce and served it with some lightly stir fried pak choi so no ranch dressing; AMAZING! Thank you for teaching me how to cook with tempeh!
[…] Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh […]
[…] Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh (Post Punk Kitchen)(I know this was just on my menu, but I never got around to making it) […]
This has been one on my go to recipes for years now, it’s a great easy recipe! The cucumber ranch dressing from ‘isa does it ‘ ( page 200) is excellent with this, it’s how I use up the leftover dressing from the recipe. Also, if your ever in Theodore for junk food, this recipe with the Gardin Chicken patties added to the sauce after they are cooked is pretty satisfying of your having a weird chicken craving. ( it happens!!) thanks so much Isa for the endless fantastic easy recipes, your a star in our house!!!
This was SO incredibly good. Steaming the tempeh really made it taste so much better than my normal sauté routine that I will be do that for all my future tempeh creations. Thank you for this and all you’re incredible recipes! You’re a goddess!
[…] i started with this recipe here: http://www.theppk.com/2013/07/ranch-salad-with-buffalo-tempeh/. But instead of sauteeing the tempeh in oil i just let it kind of dry brown and added water 1T at a […]
[…] sauce using only Frank’s Red Hot, water, oregano and a whole bunch of garlic (I found the recipe here). I was completely amazed at how easy and delicious it was. I used Smiling Hara Tempeh and […]
[…] Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh (or maybe actual chicken!) (Post Punk Kitchen) […]
Followed recipe completely, ranch was runny, tempeh crumbled apart but WOW, the flavors were an amazing combo!!! Love it, will definitely make again, thank you Isa!!
The tempeh part of this recipe is a staple in our house. Buff Tempeh with roasted potatoes (or fries, sometimes) and celery sticks is so yummy (and easy!) on a Friday night after a long work week!
I make the buffalo bite part of this recipe at least weekly for months now. It’s actually excellent as it is, but the changes I have made to speed up the process a tiny bit are: A) after pulling off bite size pieces, steam the tempeh in the microwave: 6 minutes in a glass bowl with lid in 1 cup of water (my microwave is low wattage). B) then proceed with recipe from there except reduce oregano to 1 teaspoon.