Baked Tempeh Tots

Baked tempeh tots seasoned with rosemary, thyme, and nutritional yeast with an almond flour breading. Perfect for a protein packed snack!

Do you guys own bikes?

I’ve been wanting to get one for years now but never seem to tuck away the money for it.

During quarantine, outdoor biking became a favorite activity in my social circles.

It’s the perfect way to experience the outdoors, social distance, and get some exercise, too.

So it occurred to me this past weekend that while I don’t have a new bike, I *do* have a bike.

The purple bike sitting in my parents’ garage that I last rode when I was 16.

So I called my parents and asked for my bright bike back, pretty please.

Last weekend my parents dropped off the bike at my place and ever since then I’ve been pedaling around my neighborhood, feeling buoyant and carefree.

These Baked Tempeh Tots also made me feel gleeful and childlike this week.

They’re an easy savory snack that’s packed with plant-based protein!

This recipe was inspired by a recipe from No Meat Athlete cookbook for Baked Tempeh Nuggets.

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge nuggets or tots fan, but the concept of serving tempeh in bite sized seasoned pieces intrigued me.

This version uses almond flour instead of bread crumbs to achieve a gluten-free nutty coating.

The recipe is easy to make with packaged tempeh, an easy seasoned marinade, and plenty of almond flour for coating.

The result is a flavorful savory and slightly “cheesy”  bite that’s vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.

Let’s tackle tots!

Here’s what you need to make tempeh tots:

• packaged tempeh
• unsweetened almond milk
• nutritional yeast
• dried rosemary
• dried thyme
• dried sage
• arrowroot powder
• fresh lemon juice
• black pepper
• Himalayan sea salt
• almond flour

That’s it!

Tempeh tots start with tempeh!

I like to use this tempeh made with brown rice for a gluten-free version.

You can steam the block of tempeh first on the stovetop for about 10 minutes if you find the bitter taste of tempeh off-putting, but I skipped this step.

Slice each tempeh block in half and then cut each halve into quarters so you have 16 rectangles total.

You. can slightly smash the rectangles for more of on “uneven” feel if you’d like.

Next, mix up your marinade.

I like to do this directly in a rectangular/square baking dish.

Make sure your dish has enough surface area to allow all of the tempeh tots to rest without touching.

Add in the almond milk, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, arrowroot powder, lemon, pepper, and salt and whisk until you have a golden paste.

Add in tempeh squares and toss them with a fork until they’re completely covered.

Allow them to marinade for ~10 minutes on the counter, flipping once halfway to ensure all sides soak up the flavors.

Meanwhile, you can ready your almond flour in a separate bowl.

I used super-fine almond flour as the grain-free “breading” to my tempeh tots, but almond meal will work here as well.

If you don’t have almond flour, you can also sub your favorite gluten-free crackers crushed or bread crumbs.

I recommend using one hand for the marinade and one for the almond flour, carefully transferring the soaked tots to the almond flour to roughly coat.

Shake off any excess almond flour and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat this until all of the tempeh tots are coated in almond flour on the baking sheet.

Transfer the tempeh tots to the oven and let them bake for ~30 minutes, flipping once halfway.

Tots are done when the almond flour coating starts to turn golden brown on all sides.

The tots won’t completely brown, but they should be compact and crispy.

Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving with your dip of choice.

Enjoy these Baked Tempeh Tots as a protein-packed snack or side.

Try baking a pan ahead of time to keep on hand for easy plant-based protein during the week.

They’re so easy to reheat and throw on top of power bowls, salads, or plates to bring your meal together.

If you decide to plate them as a snack, try dipping them in guacamole, hummus, ketchup, or tahini.

The recipe below makes 16 tots, but you can halve or double the recipe and marinade to make more or less bites.

Enjoy!

If you make these Baked Tempeh Tots, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.

For more fabulous fries, check out my Oil-Free Sweet Potato Fries with Lemon & Tahini, Tri-Spiced Yam Fries with Oil-Free Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Purple Sweet Potato Fries with Beet Ketchup, too!

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XO Lauren

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