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5.0 from 72 votes

Vegan Ground "Beef" (Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)

This high-protein vegan ground beef is made with healthy, whole-food ingredients and is a great base recipe for everything from lasagna to burritos! Rich in protein and fiber and so satisfying. Oil-free with a nut-free option.Yield: makes about 4 cups. Double the recipe if serving more than a few people.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 225 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American , Vegan

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces dry soy curls (half of a bag) or sub 1⅓ cups TVP
  • 1¼ cups vegetable broth
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 8 ounces baby bella or portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ 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

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Return the mixture to the same sauté pan, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Dissolve the corn starch in the reserved ¼ cup broth. Pour into the pan and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. It should now look more moist, slightly clumpy, and lightly browned. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy vegan ground beef as is, or use in other recipes.

Notes

  • Batch Size
  • The recipe makes enough for 3 or 4 servings, depending on your appetites and how you serve it. So if you're cooking for more than just a few people I recommend doubling the recipe.
  • Substitutions
  • Storage
  • Once cool, transfer to a storage container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave. Soy curl ground  beef can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
  • 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 I'm sure brown or black lentils would be great! See this lentil meat for inspiration.
  • Mushrooms - if you avoid mushrooms, increase the amount of soy curls by about 1 cup, or substitute cauliflower rice to replace the volume.

Nutrition Information

Calories 225kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 18g (36%) Fat 11g (17%) Cholesterol 0mg (0%) Fiber 6g (24%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 225

% Daily Value*

Calories 225kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 18g 36%
Fat 11g 17%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Fiber 6g 24%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.