Grilled BBQ Tempeh Skewers
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Published Jun 30, 2017, Updated May 21, 2024
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Bring on the BBQ tempeh skewers! You’ll love this plant-based grilling recipe where nutty tempeh is coated in homemade BBQ sauce and grilled to perfection with zucchini, summer squash and red onion.
I don’t know about you but I LIVE for healthy summer recipes — big salads, fresh berries, mountains of zucchini and literally everything grilled. Have you tried grilled avocado yet? It’s soo good!
Throughout the summer months (and into the fall) we grill out at least once or twice a week. Sometimes we even end up eating dinner outside on the patio, which is such a nice treat considering most nights we gobble up dinner while plopped on the couch watching T.V. Horrible, but true.
This grilled BBQ tempeh recipe is one that I’ve had in my back pocket since an Instagram takeover I did with Lightlife last year. I took a few photos of the bbq tempeh skewers to share on Instagram, but somehow never got around to posting the full recipe.
It actually kind of works out because I was able to retest the recipe this year using my healthy homemade BBQ sauce, which made these skewers even better, IMO. My photography skills have improved since last year too so it’s a double win.
As you all know, I am a huge tempeh fan and use it regularly for plant-based meals. Just to recap some of it’s benefits — it’s loaded with protein, less processed than tofu and has beneficial bacteria that makes it easier to digest.
I’m pretty excited about this recipe because it gives all my vegetarian/vegan friends something new to try grilling this year. I know back when I was vegetarian and we were grilling out I relied heavily on sweet potato black bean burgers for protein. Veggie burgers are great, but it’s nice to have some other options.
How to Make BBQ Tempeh
Making grilled BBQ tempeh is so easy. I’ll breakdown the process for you!
- Cube your tempeh, too it with your BBQ sauce and let it marinate for for 20 to 60 minutes. The longer the better!
- Once marinated, wipe any access BBQ sauce from the tempeh cubes. You want them to be coated, but not dripping with it.
- For this recipe I made BBQ tempeh skewers, but if you don’t have skewers you can totally just toss the tempeh on the grill. Just be sure the cubes are cut large enough so they don’t slip through the grill grate.
- Place tempeh on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes. Turn and grill 5-10 minutes more. If the tempeh starts to look dry, simply brush on a little of the leftover BBQ marinade over it while grilling.
- Once heated through, remove from the grill and serve with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
I love making BBQ tempeh skewers, because you not only get delicious cubes of BBQ tempeh but you also have the squash, zucchini and red onion so you get some extra veggies as well. Perfect for a quick and easy grilled dinner or for sharing at a party. I can see these being a big hit for the 4th of July!
I have to mention that the leftover BBQ tempeh skewers make a delicious salad. No need to reheat — just serve the BBQ tempeh cubes over a bed of greens with a little dressing and extra BBQ sauce.
More Tempeh Recipes You’ll Love:
- Tempeh Burgers
- Garlic Tempeh and Broccoli
- Curried Tempeh Salad
- Tempeh Bowls
- Kung Pao Tempeh
- Tempeh Tacos
- Tempeh Tikka Masala
- Maple Mustard Tempeh
- Tempeh Meal Prep Bowls
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
BBQ Tempeh Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz package Lightlife Original Tempeh, chopped into 16 cubes
- 1/2 cup homemade BBQ sauce, or store-bought
- 1 summer squash, cut into chunks or rounds
- 1 zucchini, cut into chunks or rounds
- 1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and pepper
- cilantro, for garnish
- 4 wooden or metal skewers
Instructions
- Add cubed tempeh and BBQ sauce to a medium size bowl and toss to coat. Let tempeh marinate for 20 to 60 minutes.
- In a large bowl, toss chopped zucchini, squash and red onion with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat grill to medium-high.
- Thread squash, zucchini, onion and marinated tempeh alternately onto skewers. Be sure to wipe any access BBQ sauce from the tempeh cubes. You want them to be coated, but not dripping with it.
- Place skewers on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes. Turn and grill 5-10 minutes more or until veggies are tender. Watch the veggies closely as they grill and if they start to dry out, brush them with a little oil. The same goes for the tempeh. If it looks dry simply brush on a little of the leftover BBQ marinade.
- Transfer skewers to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Serve tempeh cubes with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
Notes
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the plant-based recipes. Made the skewers and homemade bbq sauce, so delish! Was thinking it wasn’t worth it to make the homemade sauce but was I ever wrong. I upped the spices a bit, used smoked paprika. I won’t be going back to store bought – yumadoo!💜
These looks so yummy and summery. I love this season, you can really bring out the vibrant colours into dishes x
I’m loving this idea! I love the sweet/savoriness of this combo.
Thanks Hannah!
BBQ is my favorite sauce by far! It really makes anything delicious so this seems like the perfect recipe to get me on the tempeh bandwagon! Yum!