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This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner.

This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #airfryerrecipe #buffalotempeh

I know, I know, I KNOW…another buffalo recipe. Shocker, right? 😂

By now you know that I love a good buffalo recipe (Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos, Buffalo Mac & Cheese, Buffalo Chickpea Wraps). BUT one thing I know about TSV readers is that you guys LOVE buffalo recipes too. So, I’m glad we can be on the same team when it comes to this tasty, spicy sauce.

I also have gotten so much great feedback on the addition of air fryer recipes on TSV. I wasn’t sure if I would get enough use out of my air fryer when I first purchased it, but I literally use it everyday. It has replaced my toaster and oven for many recipes. Which is especially great during the warm months when you don’t want to heat up the house with cooking.

This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #airfryerrecipe #buffalotempeh

How to Make Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh

This buffalo tempeh is ridiculously easy to make. Slice up your tempeh into strips – if you haven’t bought tempeh before, you can usually find it in the refrigerator section near the tofu. Marinate the tempeh slices in a mixture of buffalo sauce, garlic powder, chili powder and pepper for 30 minutes.

This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #airfryerrecipe #buffalotempeh
This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #airfryerrecipe #buffalotempeh

Next, coat the marinated tempeh in panko breadcrumbs (they will easily stick to the marinade) and place them in the air fryer basket. You want them to lay in a single layer in the basket, so work in batches if needed. Cook for 12-15 minutes at 330 degrees (no need to flip) until nice and crispy.

Lastly, toss with some more buffalo sauce and serve them up. You can either eat these as a snack/appetizer with a side of vegan ranch or add them to your favorite salad for a healthy dinner.

If You are Sensitive to Heat

If you are sensitive to spicy food, there are a couple of things you can do to tame these down:

  • When marinating the strips, swap 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce for water.
  • Add 2 tbsp of melted vegan butter to the second coating of buffalo sauce before tossing the cooked strips in it.
  • Omit the second coating of buffalo sauce altogether.
This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #airfryerrecipe #buffalotempeh

Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh

Servings: 24 pieces
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner.
5 from 9 ratings

Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Cut tempeh into 24 equal strips.
  • Add 1/2 cup buffalo sauce, garlic powder, chili powder & pepper to a bowl. Stir to combine. Add the tempeh strips to the bowl and gently stir to combine until coated evenly. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
  • When you are ready to cook them, add panko breadcrumbs to a bowl. Working 3 strips at a time, add them to the panko and coat on both sides. Place coated strips on a plate. Repeat until all of the strips are coated. Reserve the remaining marinade in the bowl.
  • Spray air fryer basket with non-stick spray (optional) and place strips in a single layer – you may need to work in batches. Cook at 330 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
  • Once all of the strips are cooked, add the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce* to the leftover marinade. Add cooked strips to the bowl and toss until coated with sauce. Serve immediately.**

Video

Notes

*If you are sensitive to heat you can omit this step or add some melted vegan butter to the buffalo sauce before adding the strips.
**These will get soggy if you let them sit for too long, so you should eat them right away. You can also hold off on tossing them in the sauce until right before eating. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Calories: 21kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 237mg, Potassium: 44mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below or take a photo and share it on Instagram @thissavoryvegan with #thissavoryvegan.

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This Air Fryer Buffalo Tempeh is perfectly crispy & spicy. Serve as an appetizer with some vegan ranch or over a salad for a healthy dinner | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #airfryerrecipe #buffalotempeh