Tempura
intro
Ultra-light, lacy, non-greasy crisp batter coating tender shrimp and fresh spring vegetables, served with savory umami tentsuyu dipping sauce—iconic Japanese tempura.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and dry ingredients
Pat 200g butterflied tail-on shrimp and 300g sliced spring vegetables completely dry with paper towels. Make 2 small 5mm shallow cuts on the inner curve of each shrimp to prevent curling during frying, and leave shrimp tails attached for easy handling. Set all prepped items on a wire rack at room temperature for 5 minutes to eliminate surface moisture, which causes oil splatter and soggy batter.
Mix ice-cold batter
In a pre-chilled large mixing bowl, whisk 1 cold egg yolk with 160ml ice-cold sparkling water until just combined (about 10 seconds of whisking). Sift 100g chilled cake flour into the bowl, then stir very gently with chopsticks for 10-15 seconds only—leave visible pea-sized lumps in the batter, do not overmix, as overdeveloped gluten creates a tough, bready coating. Keep the batter bowl nested in a larger bowl filled with crushed ice to hold batter temperature below 10°C/50°F while frying.
Heat oil to correct temperature
Pour 1L neutral rice bran or canola oil into a deep heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium heat until it reaches a steady 170°C/340°F, measured with a clip-on candy thermometer. Adjust stovetop heat as needed to hold this temperature throughout frying; do not let oil rise above 180°C/355°F (which burns batter quickly) or drop below 160°C/320°F (which makes tempura greasy).
Fry vegetable batches first
Dip vegetable pieces one at a time into the cold batter to coat lightly, then carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry in small batches of 3-4 pieces at a time to avoid dropping oil temperature: cook dense vegetables (sweet potato, eggplant) for 2.5-3 minutes until pale golden, and thin, delicate items (shiso leaves, green beans) for 45-60 seconds. Remove pieces with a slotted metal spoon, and drain on a raised wire rack (not paper towels) for 1 minute before moving to a serving platter.
Cook shrimp tempura
Hold each shrimp by the dry, uncoated tail, dip 90% of the shrimp body into the cold batter, and lower slowly into the 170°C oil. Fry 2-3 shrimp per batch for 2 minutes total, turning once gently with chopsticks at the 1-minute mark, until the batter is pale crisp white and the shrimp is opaque and cooked through. Drain on the wire rack for 45 seconds, and do not stack fried pieces to avoid trapping steam that softens the crust.
Make sauce and serve
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 120ml dashi stock, 45ml soy sauce, and 30ml mirin, and heat for 3 minutes until just barely simmering (do not boil). Pour the warm tentsuyu sauce into 4 small individual dipping bowls, and add a small mound of grated daikon on the side of each bowl for guests to stir into the sauce. Serve hot tempura immediately, while the crust is at its crispiest.
Tips
2.Ensure all shrimp and vegetables are completely dry before dipping in batter; surface moisture creates steam when it hits hot oil, which causes dangerous splatters and makes the batter soggy instead of crisp.
3.Avoid draining tempura on paper towels, as trapped steam between the towel and fried food will soften the crispy crust in seconds; a raised wire rack allows air circulation to keep tempura crisp for 5-10 minutes after frying.
OMG this tempura was SO good! I made it for our weekly family dinner last night, paired it with the tentsuyu dipping sauce I had stashed in the fridge, and even my super picky 7 year old asked for seconds of the shrimp and sweet potato slices. The crust stayed crispy for 20 whole minutes after I pulled it out of the oil, which is a total game changer compared to the soggy mess I usually end up with when I try tempura. Only thing I messed up was letting the oil get a little too hot on my first batch, oops.
Took this to my neighborhood potluck over the weekend and people were hounding me for the recipe all night! I did a mix of shrimp, zucchini, broccoli, and onion rings, and every single piece came out light and crispy, not greasy at all. 30 minute cook time was totally doable even after getting home late from my kid’s soccer practice. Will absolutely be adding this to my regular meal prep rotation!
Pretty solid tempura recipe! I will say it’s definitely medium difficulty like listed – I’m a pretty casual home cook and I had to rewatch the batter mixing tip twice to make sure I didn’t overmix it. Ended up with great crunch on the shrimp, though I think I cut my sweet potato slices a little too thick so they were slightly underdone in the middle. Next time I’ll slice them thinner for sure.
My kids loved it! I was worried the light batter wouldn’t be flavorful enough for them, but they dipped every piece in soy sauce and gobbled it up faster than the frozen tempura we usually buy from the grocery store. Only note: I used sparkling water straight from the fridge like the recipe said and I swear that’s what made the crust so extra crispy. 10/10!
Game changer alert! I’ve tried so many tempura recipes over the years that turn out heavy and greasy, and this one actually delivers that light, shatteringly crisp crust you get at good sushi restaurants. I made it for date night with my girlfriend and she thought I ordered takeout, lmao. Worth every minute of prep.
Wait, has anyone tried making this with gluten free flour? My sister has celiac and I want to make this for our family dinner next weekend but I don’t want the texture to be off if I swap out the regular all purpose. The regular version I tested last night was chef’s kiss, though, so I’m really hoping the GF swap works!
Decent recipe, though I wish the instructions were a little more specific about how long to fry each piece. I overcooked a few of the shrimp on my first go because I was guessing on timing. Flavor was great, crunch was perfect, just would’ve loved a little more clarity on cook times for different veggies vs proteins. Probably would give it a 3.5 if I could, rounded up to 4.
SO good! I made this for my roommate’s birthday dinner since she’s obsessed with tempura, and we ended up eating the entire batch while we watched a movie. I added a little paprika to the batter for a tiny kick and it was chef’s kiss. 10/10 will be making this every other week from now on, no cap.
Made this last night for my meal prep for the week and it held up way better than I expected! I reheated a batch in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 3 minutes today at lunch and the crust was almost as crispy as when I first made it. Saved me from spending $15 on takeout sushi for lunch, win.
This was my first time ever making tempura and I was super intimidated, but the instructions were really straightforward! I will say it’s definitely medium difficulty like the page says – I messed up the first two batches because I overmixed the batter, but once I got the hang of leaving little lumps in it, it turned out perfect. Even my roommate, who is a total tempura snob, said it was better than the stuff we get at our local spot.
Solid tempura recipe, but heads up for anyone who doesn’t have a deep fryer: you don’t need a ton of oil! I used about 2 inches of canola oil in my heavy bottomed Dutch oven and it worked perfectly, no need to fill the whole pot. Saved me a ton of oil and cleanup, which is always a win for a weeknight meal.
Wait I made this for a girls’ night in last weekend and we were all obsessed! We did shrimp, sweet potato, avocado slices (game changer, try it!), and bell peppers, and every single piece was crispy and light, no greasiness at all. We paired it with cold sake and it felt like we were at a fancy izakaya without the $100 bill. 100% making this again.
Good recipe, but I wish it had tips for making the tempura extra light. My batches came out a little denser than I expected, even when I used ice cold water and didn’t overmix the batter. Maybe I used too much batter on each piece? I’ll have to try again next weekend and see if thinner coating helps. Flavor was great, just texture was a little off for me.