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Tempeh

Also known as Fermented soybean cake, Tempe

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Whole cooked soybeans bound into a firm cake by Rhizopus mould, an Indonesian ferment that keeps the beans intact rather than dissolving them. The mould mycelium is what holds the block together and gives it a nutty aroma.

Women's HealthHeart HealthGut & Digestive Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Menopausal symptoms

Women's Health
Limited evidence

Some trials report reductions in hot flush frequency with soy isoflavone intake, but results vary widely, partly because only some people carry the gut bacteria that convert daidzein to equol. Tempeh specifically has rarely been the tested food.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

Research suggests soy protein intake produces a modest reduction in LDL cholesterol, an effect consistent enough across pooled trials to support a regulatory claim in several countries. Most of the trials used soy protein isolate rather than tempeh.

What may be going on: Soy protein and its associated components appear to increase hepatic LDL receptor activity; displacement of animal protein and saturated fat contributes as well.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Gut microbiome

Gut & Digestive Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for tempeh affecting the gut microbiome. It is usually cooked before eating, which removes the live culture, and human trials measuring microbial outcomes with tempeh are essentially absent.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Tempeh

Ask about Tempeh

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories192 kcal10%
Protein20.3 g41%
Total fat10.8 g14%
Carbohydrate7.64 g3%
Water59.6 g—
Fats
Saturated fat2.54 g13%
Monounsaturated fat3.21 g—
Polyunsaturated fat4.3 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)4.05 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.078 mg7%
Riboflavin (B2)0.358 mg28%
Niacin (B3)2.64 mg17%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.278 mg6%
Vitamin B60.215 mg13%
Folate24 µg6%
Vitamin B120.08 µg3%
Minerals
Calcium111 mg9%
Iron2.7 mg15%
Magnesium81 mg19%
Phosphorus266 mg21%
Potassium412 mg9%
Sodium9 mg0%
Zinc1.14 mg10%
Copper0.56 mg62%
Manganese1.3 mg57%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.62 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Tempeh (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174272).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • fermentedReduces phytates

    Rhizopus fermentation degrades a substantial share of the phytate in the soybeans, which improves iron and zinc absorption from the same meal relative to unfermented soy.

  • cookedReduces live mould culture

    Steaming, frying or baking tempeh kills the Rhizopus culture. This is the intended way to eat it, and the fermentation-derived changes to the beans remain.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Soy allergy

    Soy is a major regulated allergen, and tempeh is close to whole soybean in protein content, so it is among the more concentrated exposures.

  • Worth knowing

    Must be cooked before eating

    Tempeh is a live mould culture and is not intended to be eaten raw. Poorly controlled home fermentation can allow contamination, and one traditional variant made from coconut presscake has caused fatal bongkrekic acid poisoning.

  • Interaction

    Isoflavones and levothyroxine timing

    Soy isoflavones can reduce levothyroxine absorption when eaten at the same time as the dose; separating them by a few hours is the usual advice.

  • Worth knowing

    Gas and bloating

    Tempeh retains most of the fibre and oligosaccharides of the whole soybean. Fermentation reduces them somewhat but many people still notice gas when they first add it.