If you’ve been around for a while (and if you’re new- HI!) then you KNOW my love for both tofu and tempeh. Like, completely obsessed and could eat them for every meal. Earlier this year we ventured into the world of soy curls and today: TVP! I’m obsessed and can’t wait to tell you ALL about it.

In fact, TVP is quite similar to soy curls and overall an extremely underrated plant based protein source. It contains only ONE ingredient, is shelf stable, and per serving, it’s quite inexpensive!

Let’s dive into the specifics some more….

I only so happen to live about 20 minutes away from the Bob’s Red Mill plant in Oregon which means that their products are EVERYWHERE and in great abundance. I’ve found TVP at most of my local grocery stores HOWEVER, I’m not sure that is the case in other areas.

And simply to clarify, this post is in NO WAY sponsored, the Bob’s Red Mill brand simply so happens to be the one that I found in my area. The only brand I have ever tried is Bob’s Red Mill TVP. Anthony’s also makes a version of it and I’ve always liked their products!

up close shot of a soft taco filled with tvp taco meat and fresh veggies

What is TVP?

TVP stands for “textured vegetable protein”. It’s similar to soy curls but much smaller in size. TVP has simply ONE ingredient in it: “defatted soy flour”. So, it’s a soy based product that’s relatively inexpensive, unfussy to find online, and so particularly versatile!

Straight out of the bag, TVP is pretty much completely flavorless and has a similar crunchy texture to bacon bits. In order to flavor it, it’s go-to to rehydrate it first so that it can genuinely soak up the flavors that you’re mixing it with.

How to Cook TVP:

Cooking TVP is particularly unfussy but the method depends on how you’re planning to use it in a dish. Technically, TVP is safe to eat raw but on it’s own, would not be truly appetizing.

Before tvp is cooked, it needs to be rehydrated (similar to dried mushrooms). Once it has some moisture in it, it has a strong resemblance to ground turkey or chicken with a slightly softer texture to it.

Below, I’m sharing my go-to way to prepare tvp: in place of ground meat in tacos (but it also works great in other ground meat recipes such as chili, stroganoff, nachos, etc.

tvp taco meat in a pink skillet with a wooden spoon

TVP Nutrition:

TVP is FULLY plant based and has lots of great nutrients in it! Here’s a speedy run down of the basics. These numbers are based on a single serving of TVP which is 1/4 cup.

TVP protein:

One serving of TVP (1/4 cup dried) has 13g of protein in it.

One of the main reasons that people love tvp SO MUCH is that it’s high in protein per serving. Especially for a food with only one ingredient in it that’s so incredibly simple to make. It’s overall great as a meat substitute in both texture and protein levels.