A simple wrap is just about the easiest dinner that you could possible make, and that’s only one of the reasons that I love making them for dinner. They can also be made an endless variety of ways, like these crunchy buffalo tempeh wraps!
This is not my first wrap on the blog with tempeh. (Check out this Korean BBQ Wrap recipe.) Tempeh is a great plant-based protein source that takes well to many flavors, adding to the variations on wraps that you can make!
For this recipe, I breaded and lightly fried the tempeh strips. This made them super crunchy, which is a perfect delivery vehicle for buffalo sauce!
I found the best method for breading was to wet them in a faux buttermilk, then dip in flour, wet them in buttermilk again, and finally coat with crunchy panko. The double buttermilk help everything to stick to the tempeh!
Variatons to the Crunchy Buffalo Tempeh Wraps recipe:
- Make it vegan: try your favorite brand of vegan ranch. I suggest Primal Kitchen Vegan Ranch
because it is also made with whole foods!
- Other milk options: You need a milk high in protein to make the faux buttermilk that acts as a binder. I have tried this with almond milk, and it does not work. Cows milk or a pea protein based milk are my alternative suggestions.
- More veggies! Pile your wrap high with other veggies like sliced cabbage, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc instead of simple lettuce!
- Step 1: steaming the tempeh. This helps to remove some bitter flavors that make some people dislike tempeh. You can skip this step if those flavors are not offensive to you.
because it is also made with whole foods!- 8 oz package tempeh
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 TBS soymilk
- 1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup panko (whole wheat preferred)
- ¼ cup canola oil, or other high heat oil
- 3-4 TBS buffalo sauce
- 3 whole wheat tortillas (8-10 inch size)
- Lettuce and Ranch dressing for serving
- Steam the tempeh by wrapping it in a damp paper towel and microwaving it for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on the strength of your microwave, it should be steamy, but not cooked). Let cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile set up your breading station by placing flour, soymilk, and panko into three separate shallow bowls. Whisk the cider vinegar into the soymilk to make it thick.
- Cut the tempeh into 15 pieces (the short way). Dredge them in the soymilk, the flour, back in the soymilk, then finish in the panko crumbs, rolling to coat in each.
- Place 7-8 breaded slices in a hot skillet with 2 TBS of the oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining tempeh pieces. (I turn the stove down to warm while in-between batches so the second batch doesn’t scorch on contact)
- In a large bowl, toss the breaded tempeh with the buffalo sauce.
- Assemble the wraps by laying down lettuce, topping with crunchy buffalo tempeh strips, and drizzling with ranch dressing.
