Buffalo Tempeh Sandwich

I recently took a trip to one of my favorite vegan destinations, New York (see recent restaurant reviews here). One of my go-to vegan restaurants there is Champs Diner. I’ve only been twice, but that was enough to win me over. During my most recent trip, I went all in and decided to order an appetizer (yolo, right?!). I decided on the tempeh wings. As you might already know, I’ve been around the block a few times with tempeh, but I’ve never experienced it in the form of “wings.” I knew that this could go terribly wrong, or amazingly right. I was nervous, but not too nervous because I was at Champs, the vegan mecca. They can do no wrong, right?

Well folks, I’m happy to report that it was amazingly right! Even at a table full of carnivores, everyone loved it! Those wings disappeared in minutes! I was so inspired by these tempeh wings, I wondered what it would be like as a sandwich. Imagine that… a buffalo tempeh sandwich topped with vegan ranch. As soon as I got home, I did some research and came up with my own version that you see below. I’m so excited to share it with you because it’s now one of my favorite creations to date!

Admittedly, I made two minor mistakes… First, I chose the wrong bread. I was in a pinch and decided to go with ciabatta bread. Much too tough for this sandwich. The next time I make this, I might also consider slicing each piece of tempeh across, in order to make the patties a little easier to eat and a much softer bread. I had to really stretch my mouth in order to take a bite, however the bread likely contributed to this a great deal in addition to the thick patty.

Interested in the vegan ranch drizzled on top? Check out this post. It was a great addition to this sandwich, but if you’re not in the mood to whip it up, some vegan may will do just fine! So go ahead and give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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5 from 3 votes

Buffalo Tempeh Sandwich

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

Miscellaneous

• 2 8oz. packages of tempeh cut in half
• 4 sandwich buns

Breading Mixture

• 1 cup flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 6-8 drops liquid smoke
• 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup breadcrumbs separate from other breading ingredients

Sauce Mix

• 1 tbsp melted vegan butter
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Begin by slicing your tempeh in half so that you have 4 squares. 

  Note- if too thick, you can slice them each across individually
• In a medium sized bowl, mix all breading ingredients together with a whisk until smooth and set aside
• In a separate flat dish, measure out the breadcrumbs
• Take each piece of tempeh and coat with the flour mixture, then in the breadcrumbs and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking pan. Repeat until all tempeh pieces are covered and cook for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through
• While the tempeh is cooking, mix together the melted butter and buffalo sauce and set aside
• When the tempeh is done cooking, coat each piece in the sauce and butter mixture and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.
• During this time, begin preparing your toppings if you choose (lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, vegan ranch sauce…etc)
• Once done, remove from oven and begin building your sandwich. Top with more buffalo sauce if you’d like and enjoy!