This easy recipe makes deliciously crispy, yet succulent, lightly fried vegetables. It’s a quick process and only requires a few staple ingredients. Vegetable Tempura is a wonderful side dish, snack, or appetizer to serve.
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Tempura is actually a very simple concept. You just dip pretty much anything you can think of in a simple batter and then fry it. From my experience, the batter is typically very basic, usually just a flour and water mixture.
When fried the batter creates a very light, crunchy coating over the vegetables. Some tempura uses egg, however this recipe does not.
The process is quick, easy, and simple for preparing this recipe. Once completed, you will have succulent, crispy, crunchy vegetables to enjoy.
Veggie tempura makes the perfect side dish, snack, or may even be served as an appetizer too. Tempura is best when served immediately and still warm from frying.
I like to serve Vegetable Tempura as an appetizer when we are having sushi for dinner. I also like to serve it alongside dishes like Mongolian Beef, Asian Pork Tacos, and Sesame Cauliflower.
Why This Recipe Works
Vegetable Tempura is quick and easy. It’s one of the simplest batters to make.
You will only need a handful of ingredients to make tempura fried veggies.
Serving vegetable tempura is great for an appetizer or snack.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Assorted Vegetables: you can chose from broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, onion, mushrooms, zucchini and much more.
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Water (ice cold)
- Oil For Frying: choose a neutral oil like sunflower, canola or peanut oil.
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
If you are using a deep fryer, set it to 375°F to preheat. If you are going to be frying your tempura in a pan, fill a large, deep skillet with oil about 1/2-inch deep.
Chop the vegetables into bite size pieces.
Create!
Heat the oil in your skillet on medium to medium-high heat. You want the oil to get very hot, but not smoke.
Stir together the flour and water for the batter in a medium bowl until it just comes together. It’s okay if there are some lumps. The batter will be fairly thick.
Chef’s Tip: it’s important that the batter and vegetables stay as cold as possible to ensure that the batter sticks to the vegetables during frying without absorbing excess oil. For this recipe, metal bowls work great, as well as placing the bowl with the batter into a second bowl of ice.
Dip each piece of vegetable into the batter until completely covered and immediately add to your fryer basket or hot skillet.
Cook about 2-3 minutes, turning as needed, until just crispy, then carefully remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. You will likely have to work in batches.
Present!
Serve immediately with dipping sauce. Some sauces that pair well with this recipe are:
- Tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce)
- Soy Sauce (with or without wasabi mixed into it)
- Ponzu Sauce
- Spicy Mayonnaise (1/4 cup mayonnaise mixed with sriracha or Sambal Oelek to taste)
Tips and Techniques
- You can use any variety of vegetables that you like. This recipe works great with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, green beans, onion, zucchini and mushrooms.
- Use metal bowls to keep the batter as cold as possible. You can even place the batter bowl into a second bowl of ice to keep it chilled as you work.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 2 days for best results. Reheat in an oven preheated to 425°F for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway.
FAQ’s
Why Does Tempura Batter Need To Be Cold?
Keeping tempura batter very cold will help it adhere to the vegetables as they fry without absorbing too much oil.
Does Tempura Batter Have Eggs?
Some tempura batters are made with egg, while others are not. This particular tempura recipe is made without eggs.
More Asian Inspired Appetizer Recipes
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Vegetable Tempura
Ingredients
- oil for frying (see notes)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup ice water
- 2 cups vegetables (see notes)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in your skillet on medium to medium-high heat (or your deep fryer to 375°F). You want the oil to get very hot, but not smoke.oil for frying
- Stir together the flour and water for the batter in a medium bowl until it just comes together. It’s okay if there are some lumps. The batter will be fairly thick.1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup ice water
- Dip each piece of vegetable into the batter until completely covered and immediately add the hot skillet or fryer basket.2 cups vegetables
- Cook about 2-3 minutes, turning as needed, until just crispy, then carefully remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. You will likely have to work in batches.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- You can use any variety of vegetables that you like. This recipe works great with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, green beans, onion, zucchini and mushrooms.
- Use metal bowls to keep the batter as cold as possible. You can even place the batter bowl into a second bowl of ice to keep it chilled as you work.
- Sunflower, canola or peanut oil work best for frying.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 2 days for best results. Reheat in an oven preheated to 425°F for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on April 3, 2017. It was updated with new images, step-by-step instructions, tip, techniques and FAQ’s in February 2022.
