Vegan Ground Beef

🌱 What Makes This Recipe So Good

I’ll say it – there are some meat substitutes out there that… just aren’t good. The flavor’s wrong, the texture’s worse, and the ingredients are all over the place. This vegan ground beef, though? Absolutely does NOT fall into that category. It has a convincingly meat-like texture and a rich, savory flavor that makes it perfect to use in practically any ground beef recipe. Rather than tofu or tempeh or textured vegetable protein, this recipe uses a delicious (and deliciously easy) homemade seitan. Seitan’s a plant-based meat alternative made primarily from vital wheat gluten. Tempeh, tofu, and TVP, on the other hand, are all soy-based. The gluten in the “wheat meat” gives it that meaty texture that makes it optimal for vegan ground beef. That does mean, though, that this recipe is NOT gluten-free, so proceed with caution if you have gluten sensitivities. Like I mentioned above, this recipe gives you a vegan ground beef you can use in any recipe – what you do with it from here is entirely up to you! Pair it with onion, diced tomatoes, and cauliflower rice for vegan taco stuffed peppers. Use it in eggplant lasagna, gyro meatballs, meatloaf, or make a meatless ground beef alfredo with broccoli. You can even add it to recipes that don’t call for ground beef, like these refried bean tacos, for a boost of protein.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

You want to knead the dough long enough to activate the gluten and develop that nice long, stringy texture. That’s how you get the meat-like chewiness that makes seitan such a great option for vegetarian ground beef, so don’t stop kneading until you’ve got it. Essentially, the more you knead it, the chewier it’ll be. On the other hand, be careful not to over-knead. Working the gluten too much can give the seitan a rubbery, tough texture. Seitan itself has a pretty neutral flavor, kind of like plain, unseasoned white meat chicken. Like tofu, it takes on the flavors of marinades and spices really well, so this ground beef substitute ends up with a nice, savory umami thanks to the liquid smoke, garlic, paprika, onion powder, salt, and dried herbs. I also like to add a little soy sauce and garlic to the steaming water, so the seitan picks up a little of those flavors, too. Seitan ground beef is a great option if you’re looking to stock your freezer. Let the crumbles cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container or a food-safe sealable plastic bag. If you’re using a plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing it completely. Stored properly, vegan ground beef can be frozen up to 6 months. Let it fully defrost in the refrigerator before using it in recipes.

🫘 More Meatless Recipes for Mondays or Any Days

Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Crispy Vegan Chicken Sandwich Refried Black Beans Vegan Shrimp with Vegan Sriracha Mayo Buffalo Jackfruit Sandwich Creamy Alfredo Linguini Tempeh Bacon Epic Black Bean Burgers