Vegan Protein Salad
This healthy vegan protein salad features high-protein ingredients such as tofu, tempeh, chickpeas and hemp seeds and is easy to make for a delicious and filling plant-based meal.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
- high-protein – this meal provides 40 grams of plant-based protein alongside 25 grams of fiber
- dietary features – vegan, nut-free, oil-free and can be gluten-free
- customizable – for a low-carb salad, omit chickpeas and see below for additional substitutions that can be made
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient list and amounts is located in the recipe card below. Here are a few helpful notes regarding specific ingredients:
- tempeh – since we’re adding a marinade, plain tempeh is best…if you prefer you can use your favourite prepared packaged tempeh instead of adding your own marinade
- tofu – medium, firm or extra-firm are all suitable
- chickpeas – canned or home cooked both work great, any other bean or lentil would work here if you don’t have chickpeas, I’d suggest cooked green lentils, white kidney beans or black beans
- hemp seeds – swap for sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) but hemp seeds provide the most protein
- arugula – totally fine to use any other green of choice, if using kale, I’d suggest massaging it with a little olive oil to soften though
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Start with the tempeh and tofu. They can be baked at the same time but ideally you’ll marinade the tempeh for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. If you don’t have time to marinate, you can skip it or just do as long as you have time for.
- For the tempeh, cube it, mix with the marinade ingredients, let sit then bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.
- For the tofu, cube it, toss it with the listed tofu ingredients then bake for 30 minutes until browned.
Step 3. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse and chop the cucumber and broccoli.
Quick Tip: I prefer to lightly steam the broccoli rather than leave it raw. To steam, bring water to a boil stovetop then use a steamer basket to steam the broccoli for 5 minutes.
Time to assemble your salad! Add everything to bowl, top with tahini and lemon and dig in!
Notes and Tips
- Topping: I love nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, lemon, sea salt, pepper and hot sauce. For additional dressing, make my lemon tahini sauce instead of using plain tahini.
- Breakfast: Believe it or not, this is perfect for a savoury, high-protein vegan breakfast! Start the day right with all this nutrition.
- Tempeh: If you don’t want to do the balsamic tempeh, this almond butter marinated tempeh is amazing!
- Low-Carb Option: For a lower-carb meal with close to the same amount of protein, omit the chickpeas.
Storing
- Best enjoyed fresh but can be packed up and enjoyed the next day. When storing, add the salad greens last so they’re on top (prevents from getting soggy).
- Tofu and tempeh can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Cucumber and broccoli can be chopped and stored ahead of time for quicker assembly.
Related Recipes
- Tofu Kale Salad
- Vegan Roasted Beet Salad
- Mediterranean Farro Salad Bowls
- Vegan Roasted Beet Salad
- Tempeh Buddha Bowl
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PrintVegan Protein Salad
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Prep Time: 10 mins
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Cook Time: 30 mins
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Total Time: 40 minutes
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Yield: 4 1x
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Category: Main Dish
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Method: Baking
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Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
This protein-rich vegan salad packs in a whopping 40 grams of plant-based protein along with 24 grams of dietary fibre and a ton of essential vitamins and minerals. Enjoy this filling dish for a filling and energizing, savoury breakfast or lunch or dinner bowl.
Ingredients
For the Marinated Tempeh
- one block of tempeh, cubed (approx. 250 g)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
For the Baked Tofu
- one 350 g block of medium or firm tofu
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- pinch of salt and pepper
For the Salad (per salad)
- 1/2 cup chopped and steamed broccoli
- 1 cup or big handful of fresh arugula
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/4 of an avocado
- 1/3 cup chickpeas
- 1–2 tbsp drippy tahini or 3–4 tbsp tahini dressing
Instructions
- To make the marinated tempeh, mix the marinade ingredients together in shallow dish then add the cubed tempeh. Let sit for 2 hours up to overnight then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes on a baking tray either sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lined with a silicone baking mat. Once it’s baked you can toss with a bit of the leftover marinade.
- To make the baked tofu, toss the cubed tofu with the rest of the ingredients and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until browed. You can bake it at the same time as the tempeh.
- To assemble the salad, add all of the salad ingredients along with baked tofu and tempeh to a bowl. Top with the tahini and finish with a spritz of fresh lemon juice and sea salt and enjoy.
Notes
The marinated tempeh and tofu make enough for 4 salads. The ingredients listed for the salad are per bowl, so be sure to double, triple or quadruple if you’re making more. If only making 1-2 salads, the extra tofu and tempeh can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
For a lower-carb salad, omit the chickpeas.
For an alternative tempeh marinade, try this almond butter marinated tempeh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 619
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fat: 33 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 24 g
- Protein: 40 g
Keywords: vegan protein salad, vegan high-protein recipes, vegan tempeh salad
Update Note: Originally published August 24, 2018. Updated with new photos and text on August 24, 2020.
Loves this bowl! The marinated tempeh was delicious, we had a hard time not eating all of it. We did substitute the arugula for spinach, simply because we didn’t have arugula in the fridge. The sauce was really tasty and complimented the other ingredients well. Husband was really happy with the high protein content. Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!
Loved it!
★★★★★
Sorry for my ignorance or maybe I don’t know how to read, but where is the section on how to make the marinade mentioned throughout this recipe?
It’s the ingredients listed for the marinated tempeh and instruction step 1 in the recipe card. Enjoy!
Oh my goodness. This salad was delicious! I pretty much eat salad every day for lunch, and I have not had one that was this good in a long time (maybe ever!). This will definitely be a new staple in my salad rotation. Thank you for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Amazing!! So happy you loved it! Thanks for the review!
Wow, this salad was AMAZING! I don’t think I have ever made tempeh taste this good, thanks so much for this recipe! I logged my version (followed the recipe mostly but used a store bought sriracha tahini dressing) and it came out to be 35 grams of protein! That paired with healthy fats, this is a filling salad that will leave you feeling satiated for a while.
First time here on your blog, can’t wait to check out more!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Jessica!
Would like to know sodium content
I don’t have the exact sodium content but if you omit the soy sauce and use low-sodium vegetable broth instead, the sodium content for the finished recipe will be very low.
HI! This looks amazing! How much broccoli, arugula and cucumber are included in the nutrition numbers?
About 1/2 cup of chopped broccoli and cucumber and 1 cup or a big handful of arugula. They’re all so low-calorie if you’re a little off that it’s not going to make a big difference. Enjoy!
I’m just going to say that I DO think it’s good to provide the protein sources, and not unnecessary like you said, because for people like me, who are transitioning to eating less meat and a more veggie based diet, I like to know where the protein comes from without meat, you know? Of course, once I get used to this and learn where it comes from, I’ll just know but in the meantime I find it very helpful to have it pointed out to me (◠‿・)—☆
This really helps me prep for my weekly salads. Thank you so much. I tried the marinated tempeh, and have been making it ever since. I greatly appreciate the ideas. 🙂
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad you’ve been liking it.
I haven’t made marinated tempeh in awhile, but it is SO delicious! Love the texture of tempeh and it’s perfect for lunch bowls 🙂