This versatile and delicious vegan ground beef substitute is made with healthy, whole-food ingredients and is a great base recipe for everything from stuffed peppers to chili mac to spaghetti! It's rich in protein and fiber and very satisfying. This vegan "beef" is also oil-free and easily made nut-free.
Why You'll Love It
This recipe was inspired by our favorite Vegan Taco Meat. A reader commented on that post that it tasted just like a Beyond Burger but more affordable, and I thought, "You know, she's totally right. It really is beefy!"
So I ditched the taco seasonings, added meaty mushrooms, and now we have a high-protein, filling, healthy vegan ground meat option to use any way we like.
When I'm creating a vegan version of something high in fat/calories/protein, I usually opt for ingredients like beans, tofu, tempeh, etc, to give it more staying power, as opposed to low-calorie veggies which don't keep me, or my hungry hubby, satisfied for long. Tofu is a little soft for imitating beef, but soy curls are chewier and work really well here.
This vegan ground beef is made with mushrooms, soy curls, and either sunflower seeds or walnuts. And unlike store-bought vegan beef products, you're in total control of the ingredients. This one is even oil-free!
It's delicious as is, yet the seasonings are light enough that you can take it in different directions. Add more herbs and a binder and turn it into meatballs or burgers. Or just pile it on top of your favorite grain, add a sauce and some greens, and call it dinner.
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Ingredient Notes
- Soy Curls - if you're not in the U.S. and can't get soy curls, soy chunks or TVP are an option. And if you're not familiar with soy curls yet, be sure to check out this post: 18 Soy Curl Recipes + FAQs.
- Broth - any good quality vegetable broth you like is fine. This is for rehydrating the soy curls, and adding moisture to the finished meat.
- Mushrooms - I chose baby bella (cremini) mushrooms for their darker color so the beef would be brown, but other varieties will taste great, too.
- Onion - any variety.
- Walnuts OR Sunflower Seeds - because beef is high in fat, I wanted to add some richness to our vegan ground beef. Walnuts contribute a slightly darker color, but raw sunflower seeds work very well, too. The nuts/seeds also add bite and texture.
- Nutritional Yeast - a small amount adds to the overall savory flavor. I recommend this non-fortified nutritional yeast by Sari Foods.
- Smoked Paprika - adds red color and a hint of smokiness.
- Tamari - for saltiness and umami.
See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
Step By Step Process
- Soak soy curls in broth for about 15 minutes while you prepare the sauté in Step 3 below.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the broth, and drain the rest. Lightly squeeze the soy curls to remove excess moisture.
- Dry sauté the onion and mushrooms until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, soy curls, and smoked paprika, and cook until the soy curls are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large food processor (I use this 14 cup Cuisinart) pulse the nuts or seeds, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper until the nuts/seeds are chopped.
- Spoon the soy curl mixture into the food processor and drizzle with the tamari and vinegar. Pulse 7 or 8 times or until it resembles ground meat.
- Return the ground "beef" to the same sauté pan, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Dissolve the corn starch in the reserved ¼ cup broth. Pour into the pan and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The soy curl beef should now appear more moist, slightly clumpy, and lightly browned.
And that's it! You just made some tasty vegan ground beef. Enjoy it as is, or add more spices or seasonings. It's totally up to you.
If you have an air fryer be sure to try it in these Beefy Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers.
Substitutions
- Nut-Free - sunflower seeds are delicious in the recipe. The color of the finished ground beef will be slightly lighter than when made with walnuts.
- Gluten-Free - the recipe is gluten-free as written. Just make sure your broth and tamari are certified gluten-free.
- Soy-Free - since the base of this recipe is soy curls, unfortunately I don't have a tested, soy-free option to share with you. But if you feel like experimenting I suspect brown or black lentils would be great!
- Mushrooms - if you avoid mushrooms, increase the amount of soy curls by about 1 cup, or substitute cauliflower rice to replace the volume.
Batch Size
The recipe makes enough for 2 to 4 servings, depending on your appetites and how you're serving it. So if you're cooking for more than just a few people go ahead and double the recipe.
Leftovers are great, and it freezes well, too.
Vegan Ground Beef FAQs
Store leftover vegan ground beef in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave. It can also be frozen for extended storage. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Absolutely. And the best part is that this is easy to adjust at the end of cooking. So you can prepare the recipe as written, then taste it and decide whether to add oil to the pan.
I hope you enjoy this healthier vegan ground beef option as much as we do. If you try the recipe please share your feedback with us in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Ground "Beef" (Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dry soy curls - half of a bag
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable broth
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 8 ounces baby bella or portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds or walnuts - walnuts create a darker "beef" color
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tamari
For final saute:
- 1 tablespoon corn starch or arrowroot
Instructions
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat.
- Place soy curls in a large bowl and cover with the broth. Let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes. After soaking, reserve ¼ cup of the broth, and drain the rest. Lightly squeeze the soy curls to remove excess moisture, then set aside.
- In the preheated pan, dry sauté the onion and mushrooms until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, rehydrated soy curls, and smoked paprika, and cook until the soy curls are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large food processor combine the nuts or seeds, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pulse until the nuts/seeds are chopped. Spoon the soy curl mixture into the food processor and drizzle with vinegar and tamari. Pulse 7 or 8 times or until it resembles ground meat.
- Return the mixture to the same sauté pan, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Dissolve the corn starch in the reserved ¼ cup broth. Pour into the pan and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The soy curl beef should now appear more moist, slightly clumpy, and lightly browned. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy as is, or use in another recipe.
Notes
- Gluten-Free - the recipe is gluten-free as written. Just make sure your broth and tamari are certified gluten-free.
- Soy-Free - since the base of this recipe is soy curls, unfortunately I don't have a tested, soy-free option to share with you. But if you feel like experimenting I suspect brown or black lentils would be great!
- Mushrooms - if you avoid mushrooms, increase the amount of soy curls by about 1 cup, or substitute cauliflower rice to replace the volume.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Mary
This looks delicious! Do you think this could be used to make meatloaf?
Lori
Thanks, Mary! As the recipe is, it won’t bind together enough to make meatloaf. It would take some additional ingredients, like lentils plus a grain.
Andrea
This is the Best! I am going to make a Shepherd's Pie with it next.Thank you so much.
Diana
I just made this as I had mushrooms that needed to be used. It’s amazing! Looks just perfect for tacos! Already thinking of other ways to use it, thanks a bunch!
Brigitte
I made this with 1 table spoon less Tamari sauce , if your broth is already salty this makes it too salty . It is a wonderful recipe that you can use endlessly . I replaced the 1 table spoon with some liquid smoke to your taste maybe 1/2 tsp it adds more flavor less salt . I didn’t cook it after it was blended with the food processor . I wanted to use it the next day for a Sheppard pie so there was no need to thicken it right away . You use the sauce you like for Sheppard pie . Also if you are going to use this in a spaghetti sauce or ground beef macaroni with a red sauce you don’t need this thicken . You can always thicken when using it . Like if you want to make stuffed peppers you don’t want this mixed thick because you will use rice . I like it just like that than it’s always ready when you need it . I will make batches of it and freeze it .
Cammie
Can't wait to try this! Was wanting a recipe for a meaty feeling to make some Bierocks. Think this might be perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Shellie
This sounds great and I can't wait to try it out. If I were to make it into burgers, would 1 flax egg be enough for a binder or would you suggest something else.
Lori
Haha I was hoping no one would ask that Q until I have a chance to test it. 😉 That's next up on my list. You'll also need some oats or bread crumbs to help it bind. I'll report back asap with amounts, and if you feel like experimenting let us know how it goes!
Jane
Wondering about the sodium per serving. We are on a low salt diet and it sucks having to know the sodium on everything.
Lori
Hi Jane, if you made the recipe exactly as written the sodium would be in the upper 600 mg or so per serving. So you'll want to adjust to suit your needs; try low-or no-sodium broth, omit the salt listed, and reduce the tamari. An online calculator like cronometer may help you, if you're not already familiar with it.