Is Tempura Vegan? Exploring This Specialty Dish With Nutrition Experts In 2024

While the vegan diet may reduce your environmental impact, figuring out what to eat isn’t always easy. A healthy vegan diet is entirely plant-based, focusing on fruit and veggies while excluding animal-based products. 

However, many animal-based products sneak into popular foods, like deep-fried dishes, which many assume are vegan. So, is tempura vegan? 

While plenty of traditional Japanese cuisines may seem vegan, like tempura veggies, there may be hidden ingredients in the oil or batter. So, let’s get to the bottom of this once and for all. What should you know? Is there such a thing as vegan-friendly vegetable tempura?

Can Vegans Eat Tempura?

Traditional Japanese-style tempura consists of fish or vegetables fried in a batter. Usually, a traditional-style Japanese restaurant will make this batter with soft wheat flour, water, and egg yolk, giving it a yellow tinge. And unfortunately, this makes most types of tempura non-vegan. 

On top of this, traditional tempura dipping sauce also isn’t often vegan-friendly due to some ingredients made from fish. 

So, is vegetable tempura vegan? Only sometimes. This means it’s a good idea to check with the source. Check the ingredients list if possible. Or inquire with the restaurant as to how they make their tempura dishes.

However, it is possible to make a tempura recipe vegan-friendly. Some restaurants offer this option, making vegan tempura at home possible. 

Reasons Tempura Is Not Vegan

Most tempura dishes are not vegan, and here are the exact reasons why.

• Many types of tempura are meat tempura or seafood tempura. Inevitably, this isn’t vegan-friendly since the main components of these dishes are animal products.
• The batter recipe usually contains eggs. Whether it uses a whole egg or egg yolks, it’s hard to find vegan tempura dishes. Also, this dish is not usually gluten-free due to the presence of wheat flour.
• Tempura and animal-based products may be fried in the same oil. This can be considered cross-contamination for vegans, depending on how picky you are. 

If you want to play it safe, it’s probably best to make tempura at home or specifically choose vegan food options. 

In fact, due to the confusion regarding whether some foods are vegan, many vegans now opt for vegan meal delivery or vegan meal replacement options. Additionally, visiting specifically vegan restaurants can help you avoid this dilemma and ensure you’re sticking with your diet.

What Is Tempura?

Tempura is considered a traditional Japanese dish. However, most people don’t realize that tempura^[1] was first introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century. It’s usually a food that is dipped in batter and fried, giving it that classic crispy texture known and loved by many.

Tempura comes in all shapes and sizes. There’s chicken tempura, tempura with bamboo shoots, fish tempura, shellfish tempura, vegetable tempura, and more. Yet, as previously mentioned, not all tempura options are vegan. So, let’s take a closer look.

How Is It Made?

The crispy tempura batter^[2] is traditionally made with water, eggs, and soft wheat flour. Sometimes, depending on the restaurant, seasonings, gums, or leavening agents may be added. 

Often, thin veggies, meat, or fish slices will be cut, then dipped in the batter. Each unit is then deep-fried in sesame oil. Yet, today, it’s more common to see tempura deep fried in vegetable or canola oil, likely due to its affordability. Each batch of tempura is served with dipping sauce and enjoyed hot. 

Types Of Vegan Tempura

Making vegan tempura batter usually involves using cornstarch, rice flour, baking powder, and sparkling water, then using vegetable oil for frying. Typical vegetables that are used for vegan tempura include:

• Bamboo shoots.
• Shiitake mushrooms.
• Broccoli.
• Butternut squash.
• Carrots.
• Bell peppers.
• Green beans.
• Sweet potato.
• Okra.
• Pumpkin.
• Eggplant.
• Seaweed.
• Onion.

Yet, if you’re making tempura at home, you can use almost any vegetable. 

However, if you’re eating at a restaurant, you’ll want to check with the chef to determine if their tempura is vegan. Inquire about the ingredients used for the batter and oil. Who knows, you might luck out and find a restaurant that offers vegan tempura options.

Many vegans also wonder, “Does tempura have dairy?” Surprisingly, this may depend on the restaurant. Some Western restaurants may use butter or milk in their batter. Yet, this is fairly rare. Again, ensure you ask before ordering.

Nutrition Considerations

Due to restrictions involved in following the vegan diet, it’s also important to be aware of your protein and nutrient intake. Many vegans may find themselves deficient in protein since fruits and vegetables contain lower protein amounts than animal-based products. Taking specific vitamins and minerals, protein powder, or green powders can help fill gaps, ensuring you follow a balanced and healthy diet. Additionally, taking blood tests to determine if you’re deficient in any nutrients can help you make informed dietary decisions.

The Bottom Line

Most tempura isn’t vegan, but some types can be. 

At the end of the day, many restaurants offer vegan, vegetarian, and even gluten-free options. Many Japanese restaurants have also begun to incorporate some selections for dietary restrictions. 

Checking if something is vegan is always a good idea before ordering. Many places make tempura with eggs, meaning even the vegetable variations aren’t vegan-friendly. If the restaurant doesn’t have vegan tempura, at least you should be able to find some vegetable-based sushi rolls. 

The good news is that if you love tempura, it’s fairly easy to make at home with ingredients you likely already have in your cupboard or pantry. This way, you’ll know it’s within your dietary limits or choices and feel good about what you’re eating.

---