How to make chickpea tempeh

It is possible to use our tempeh starter to make chickpea tempeh. It is important not to dehull the chickpeas and to use a small size variety. If you use large sized chickpeas, there will be a lot of air space between the peas, resulting in too much sporulation.


To make 1 kg of chickpea tempeh, you will need the following ingredients

• 600g whole small chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons of 80% vegan lactic acid
• 1 teaspoon (about 3 to 5 grams) of tempeh starter

Step 1: Soaking the chickpeas Soak the chickpeas in 2 liters of water for about 8 hours or overnight.

Step 2: Cooking

Place the chickpeas in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Add the lactic acid and cook on a low heat for 60 minutes. Drain and allow the chickpeas to cool to below 35°C. The chickpeas should not be dry, they should still be slightly moist.

Step 3: Inoculate the chickpeas

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the tempeh starter over the chickpeas. Mix well with a clean spoon for about 1 minute.

Step 4: Fermentation

Take 2 18 x 28 cm plastic bags and pierce them with a thick but sharp needle about 1 cm apart. Divide the peas between the two bags and seal them. Press flat to remove as much air as possible between the peas. Let the tempeh ferment at 30°C for about 36 to 48 hours.