Every summer I get completely hooked on peaches. They’re one of my favorite fruits, if not my absolute favorite. This means I’m super psyched when they start showing up in stores and farmers’ markets in late spring, but also really bummed out when they disappear in the fall. In past years I’ve found myself scouring the produce bins at my local supermarket, rooting through those last few sad looking fall peaches for one that might be marginally edible. I love peaches that much.
So of course I have to make the most of peach season while it lasts, and fortunately we’ve still got some nice juicy peaches in my neck of the woods. This means not just noshing on peaches à la carte, but also incorporating them into as many dishes as possible, both sweet and savory.
These tempeh tacos are not just savory, but also spicy and smoky, thanks to the chipotle pepper marinade that the tempeh gets soaked in. All of these flavors are awesome with the mildly tart sweetness of the peach salsa.
Tempeh makes a great taco filling, and most of the time you’ll see it crumbled to mimic ground meat. This time around I opted to do things a little differently, cubing, marinating and pan-frying the tempeh. Marinating lets the flavors really soak in, while pan-frying gives you just a bit of caramelization on the outer surface of your tempeh cubes.
Some of my other favorite taco recipes include Roasted Brussels Sprout Tacos with Chipotle Aioli, Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos, and Pulled Spaghetti Squash Tacos with Avocado Slaw.
Ingredients
For the Chipotle Tempeh:
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 8-ounce package tempeh, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or another neutral flavored vegetable oil
For the Peach Salsa:
- 1 ripe peach finely diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving:
- 4 to 6 hard taco shells or corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Instructions
To make the Chipotle Tempeh:
- Stir the lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, chipotle chili powder, cumin and garlic together in a shallow dish. Add the tempeh cubes and gently stir to coat. Allow to marinate while you prepare the peach salsa, occasioally flipping to distribute the marinade.
- Coat a large skillet with the grapeseed oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tempeh cubes in a single layer, reserving any excess marinade. Cook 10 minutes, flipping once or twice, until browned on several sides. If you had any excecss marinade, pour it into the skillet over the tempeh cubes and cook another 30 seconds or so, just until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
To make the Peach Salsa:
- Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl.
To serve:
- Divide the lettuce and tempeh among taco shells or tortillas and top with salsa.
Ashley says
Oh my gosh, these look delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Alissa says
Thanks so much Ashley!
Jennifer @ Delicious Everyday says
That peach salsa looks so delicious and refreshing - perhaps a good reason enough for me to try those Chipotle Tempeh ( I love the marinade!).
Alissa says
It was delicious and refreshing! I hope you get to give it a try. 🙂
Donna says
I made these for dinner tonight. They're very different from our usual tacos, and they were delicious! My husband cannot eat dairy; it was great to fix a meal in which he did not feel deprived. Definitely a keeper for us. Thank you!
Alissa says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them. Thanks Donna!
Catherine Simonelli says
These sound amazeballs!!! I've been wanting to try tempeh again and this sounds perfect. However, I'm kinda wimpy when it comes to chipoltle ..can I replace it with a milder chili powder?
I forget what I have at home, but it's a less hot mix I used only a little in some incredible cornbread butter (and expensive!)
Thanks in advance 😉
Alissa says
Thanks Catherine! A mix of mild chili powder and smoked paprika might be nice. That way you get some smoky flavor that would normally come from the chipotle powder, which goes really well with the peaches. Enjoy!