Vegan Chorizo

Tempeh Patties: The original restaurant recipe used scallopini patties, which refers to tempeh patties in this collection.
Texture: Crumbling the tempeh into pea-sized pieces gives the chorizo a better bite and keeps it from becoming pasty.
Toast the Fennel: Toasting and grinding the fennel seed gives the seasoning a deeper, more traditional sausage-style flavor.
Serving Suggestions: Use in tacos, burritos, breakfast scrambles, nachos, quesadillas, rice bowls, or alongside Scrambled Tofu.

Name: Vegan Chorizo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds tempeh patties (crumbled into pea-sized pieces); ⅓ cup granulated garlic; ⅓ cup granulated onion; ¼ cup fennel seed (toasted & ground); ¼ cup smoked paprika; ½ cup oregano (dried); ½ cup crushed red pepper flakes; ½ teaspoon nutmeg (ground); ½ teaspoon cinnamon (ground); ¼ cup kosher salt; ½ cup water; ½ cup avocado oil

Crumbled tempeh takes on the deep color and smoky heat of chorizo without collapsing into a paste. A few minutes in the skillet leave little seasoned pieces ready to scatter through a taco.

By Alex Stone35 MINUTES

Butter Club Notes

Vegetarian chorizo is all about seasoning and texture. Tempeh gives you the right crumble without turning mushy, and once it soaks up the paprika, fennel, garlic, onion, and chile, it starts acting like something much bigger than a meat substitute. I like this kind of recipe because it does a lot of work after it's made. Keep a container in the refrigerator and suddenly tacos, breakfast potatoes, scrambled tofu, burritos, and rice bowls all feel like they have a plan.