You’re going to need some extra napkins for this one! This Vegan Roast Beef Po’ Boy is the sandwich you’ve been missing. It’s messy, dripping with flavorful gravy, perfect amount of spicy, meaty, and so damn good.
My non-vegan boyfriend LOVES roast beef po’ boys and he’s been asking me to veganize it for probably as long as this blog has existed. I wrote it on my list but always overlooked it because I wasn’t very confident that I could make it happened. I always say that everything can be made vegan but I never said I could make everything vegan. Even with this slight doubt in the back of my mind, I decided to challenge myself and make this recipe. I’m so happy I did it! This recipe came out just as I imagined and even my non-vegan roast beef po’ boy loving boyfriend said it was amazing! This is a win and you gotta try it!
Things you need to know about this recipe:
- The vegan roast beef must be made the night before for best results. It takes a few minutes to pull together and needs to bake for 90 minutes. Cover and refrigerate overnight. After this, the po’ boy comes together very quickly.
- This recipe uses half of the seitan loaf. You can use the other half to make a Gyro, Reuben, or double this recipe!
- I highly recommend using No-Beef Bouillon for this recipe. If you can’t find a no-beef bouillon, use vegetable broth.
- I used this Creole Seasoning Mix. It makes WAY more than you need for this recipe but you can add it to all kinds of dishes for extra flavor and heat. Can also use store-bought.
- French Bread is the preferred bread for Po’ Boys but any sub sandwich bread will work. Just be sure to check ingredients to ensure the bread is vegan.
- This Vegan Roast Beef Po’ Boy is best served with cold beer. Check on Barnivore to make sure the beer is vegan!
Vegan Roast Beef Po' Boy
NOTES: The vegan roast beef must be made the night before for best results. It takes a few minutes to pull together and needs to bake for 90 minutes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Vital Wheat Gluten
- 1/4 cups Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 1/2 cups No-Beef Broth, I recommend Better Than Bouillon
- 3 tbsps Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsps Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1/2 of a Yellow Onion, minced
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 3 tbsps Vegan Butter
- 2 tbsps All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tbsp Creole Seasoning, recipe I used linked above or use store-bought mix
- 2 cups No-Beef Broth, I recommend Better Than Bouillon
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, I used Annie’s
- 1 tbsp Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp Organic Cane Sugar
- French Bread or Bread of Choice
- Shredded Lettuce
- Tomato Slices
- Pickle Slices
- Vegan Mayo, I recommend Follow Your Heart
Vegan Roast Beef
Gravy:
Po’Boy Extras:
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a large bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, and black pepper.
- In another bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, olive oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and tomato paste.
- Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry and knead the dough for a few minutes. It should be slippery but not dry. If it’s too wet, add more vital wheat gluten tbsp by tbsp.
- Roll the seitan dough into a long log. Roughly 5 by 10. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and twist the sides and tuck them under the bottom of the loaf.
- Place the wrapped loaf on a baking tray and bake for 90 minutes. Once done, it should feel firm. Refrigerate overnight.
- Cut the seitan loaf in half. Put 1 half away and thinly slice the other half. Make these slices as thin as possible and don’t worry about them all being the same length. Set aside.
- Mince the onion. Place in large pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt. Cook onions until brown and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Add water as needed to prevent burning.
- Once onions are caramelized, add minced garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes. Then, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the flour and mix until no raw flour is visible. Next, add nutritional yeast and creole seasoning. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the no-beef broth, water, vegan worcestershire sauce, Louisiana hot sauce, and sugar to the pan and whisk until incorporated. Bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes.
- After 7 minutes, reduce heat to a simmer and add thinly sliced vegan roast beef. Cook for an additional 7-10 minutes until gravy has thickened.
- Toast bread, if desired. Shred lettuce, slice tomatoes, and pickles.
- Spread a good amount of vegan mayo on the bread and top with vegan roast beef, lettuce, tomato, and pickle slices. Serve & enjoy!
