Low Carb Vegan Smokey Maple Tempeh (2024)

March 9, 2018

Breakfast / Dinner / Nut Free / Recipes

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Remember the other day when I was obsessing over the sugar-free maple-flavored syrup I found? Well, I’m still completely enamored. Right off the bat, I feel like I should say that not only are they not sponsoring me, but I doubt they even know I exist. This obsession is of my own volition and is being fueled by the fact that sugaring season is upon us here in New England, and all I can think about is maple. Yeah, this isn’t going to be the last maple-flavored recipe. Sorry to those of you who aren’t super into it. Anyway, I was thinking this morning that what would really hit the spot is a nice piece of vegan keto smoked maple tempeh, and now that I have the maple syrup that is more than within reach.

Notes on MakingVegan Keto Smoked Maple Tempeh

Like I stated above, I’ve only used the Lakanto brand of sugar-free maple syrup. If you use another low carb syrup, I can’t guarantee that the taste or texture will be the same! If you want to give the Lakanto one a try, you can save 15% using the code MEATFREEKETO.
If you don’t like tempeh, you could definitely use tofu instead. In fact, I made both smoked maple tofu and smoked maple tempeh and both were super tasty.
If the 1/4 tsp of smoked salt doesn’t seem smokey enough to you (I advocate tasting the dressing), you could definitely add more. I figure it’s best to start small and build from there. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out!
I used low-sodium tamari here and smoked sea salt. If you don’t have smoked salt, liquid smoke and regular tamari would work just fine.
The nutrition information was calculated using the USDA’s food reference database entries for the tamari and tempeh, and the product entry for the Lakanto syrup. I calculated all of this in Cronometer. If you use specific brands, you may have different results.
Keep in mind that the erythritol in the syrup does not count towards net carbs. Unfortunately, most tracking programs (at least the ones that I’m familiar with), do not subtract the carbs from sugar alcohols, so we have to remember to do that on our own! It can definitely be a bit of a shock when you look at your MyFitnessPal entry for a food, only to see that it’s a whole 10g of carbs higher than you thought.

Vegan Keto Smoked Maple Tempeh

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Sweet, salty, smokey and delicious, this easy vegan keto dinner option is low carb and loaded with complete protein!

Ingredients

1 block tempeh (8 oz/226g)
2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp low-sodium tamari
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 -1/2 tsp smoked salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar-free syrup, tamari, olive oil and salt, and let sit for a few minutes so the salt dissolves and the flavors meld together.
Slice the tempeh into pieces about 1/4" thick (I cut them on an angle for greater surface area).
Dip each slice of tempeh into the maple mixture so that it's totally covered, and place onto the baking sheet. Repeat for each slice.
Brush/pour the remainder of the sauce over the tempeh and place the baking tray in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes, optionally flipping halfway through.

Notes

To calculate net carbs - subtract the grams of fiber and sugar alcohols (if applicable) from the total grams of carbohydrates in the recipe.

For sweeteners, I prefer to use Lakanto. It’s the brand I’ve found that works best for baking, and doesn’t upset my stomach. You can save 15% if you shop on their site using the code MeatFreeKeto.

Nutrition