This easy vegan corned beef recipe can turn tofu, tempeh, seitan or any meat substitute into a delicious corned beef dish. Serve with cabbage and potatoes, sliced in a vegan Ruben sandwich or chopped up in a vegan corned beef hash. It's perfect for a special St. Patrick Day dinner or just a delicious sandwich!
I was never a big meat eater, but I did love that salty flavor of corned beef that my mother would make on St. Patty’s Day, and my favorite sandwich has always been a grilled Ruben! I wanted to recreate that same flavor - without the meat of course.
The secret to that authentic corned beef flavor is in the seasonings that you put into a salty brine to cook your "meat." You can then marinate any vegan meat substitute in this flavored broth. When I first attempted to make a vegan corned beef, I just boiled tofu or Butler soy curls in the brine and then served it. It tasted good, but the texture was too wet. Then, I had the idea to bake it after it marinated and that's when it went from good to great! The seasonings baked in even more and the texture was wonderful!
What do you need to make vegan corned beef?
- Water - for the base of your marinade.
- Salt – to make a salty brine.
- Pickling Spice – for flavor. This can be purchased in the spice section of most grocery stores. (I put it into a metal tea ball to keep the strong spices from getting stuck on the “corned beef.”)
- Mustard Seeds – for flavor. There is some in the pickling spice, but I like more.
- Coriander Seeds – for flavor. There is some in the pickling spice, but I like more.
- Bay Leaf – for flavor. There are some bay leaves in the pickling spice
- Beet – for color and a little sweetness. I use the pre-cooked ones that come in a vacuum-sealed pack in the produce section. You can also use a fresh beet, but just blanch it and peel it before adding it to the pot. (You can also add a few drops of red food coloring and a tsp of brown sugar instead).
- “Meat” – I like to use tofu since it has a nice flavor and texture when cooked this way and it’s gluten-free, but you can also use tempeh, jackfruit, soy curls, or seitan.
For a vegan corned beef and cabbage meal…
- Cabbage – cut into big wedges. (1 small cabbage).
- Potatoes – small potatoes or potatoes that have been peeled, cut into smaller pieces work best. (about 2-3 cups).
- Carrots – peeled and cut into big pieces. (about 3-4 carrots).
How do you make vegan corned beef?
- Make a flavored brine by adding water, salt, pickling spice, mustard and coriander seeds, a bay leaf, and beet to a medium-sized pot.
- Boil the brine for about 10 minutes to get the spices to release flavor.
- Add sliced tofu (or another meat alternative).
- Simmer for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. (or cover and put in the fridge until you are ready to bake).
- Bake the tofu on an oiled cookie sheet at 375°F for about 1 hour until it starts to get crispy at the edges.
- Serve with cabbage and potatoes, mashed potatoes, or use as sandwich “meat” to make a vegan Ruben.
*You can also put all the ingredients into a crockpot and cook it on low for about 6 hours to allow the tofu to soak up the flavor.
The seasoned brine before and after adding the beet and tofu.
For a vegan corned beef and cabbage meal:
- Add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, plus and an additional cup of water to the brine once the tofu has been removed.
- Simmer the vegetables covered with a lid for about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft in the middle.
- Serve with the baked vegan corned beef.
The potatoes, carrots, and cabbage before and after cooking in the corned beef brine.
Tips to make perfect vegan corned beef:
- Allow the tofu or vegan "meat" to sit in the brine for at least 30 minutes.
- Refrigerate the tofu and brine if you will not be baking it within about 30 minutes of it cooling down.
- If you don't want mustard or coriander seeds sticking to your tofu, you can put those in the tea ball as well.
- If you don't have a tea ball, you can wrap the spices in a piece of cheesecloth and then tie it up with a cotton string.
- Bake until slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Bake time with vary slightly depending on how much brine drips onto the tofu when you are putting it on the cookie sheet.
- Use a cookie sheet with edges to catch any drips.
- If you have extra tofu corned beef, make it into a Reuben sandwich or add it to onions and potatoes for a vegan corned beef hash!
How do I make a vegan Ruben out of the vegan corned beef?
Layer your baked corned tofu pieces with sauerkraut, vegan swiss cheese, and vegan 1000 Island dressing and then grill until golden brown. (Official recipe coming soon)!
Can I make this tofu corned beef into a corned beef hash?
Yes, it's delicious fried with potatoes to make a vegan corned beef hash. Makes a perfect hearty breakfast food!
Want to try some other meaty gluten-free vegan recipes? Try my homemade vegan sausage, vegan buffalo chicken, or my homemade vegan soyrizo!
Vegan Corned Beef
Ingredients
For the basic vegan corned beef:
- 5 cups Water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pickling spice
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 small beet or 1 tsp brown sugar and a few drops of red food coloring
- 2 14 oz packages tofu or tempeh, or seitan
For a vegan corned beef and cabbage meal…
- 1 small Cabbage
- 4-6 small Potatoes
- 3-4 medium Carrots
Instructions
Basic vegan corned beef:
- Make a flavored brine by adding water, salt, pickling spice, mustard and coriander seeds, a bay leaf, and a beet to a medium-sized pot.
- Boil the brine for about 10 minutes to get the spices to release flavor.
- Add thinly sliced tofu (or another meat alternative). (Cut about 1/4 inch thick).
- Simmer for about 5 minutes and then turn off heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. (or cover and put in the fridge until you are ready to bake).
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake the tofu on an oiled cookie sheet at 375°F (190°C) for about 1 hour until it starts to get crispy at the edges. (exact cooking time will vary depending on moisture level and thickness of tofu or vegan "meat").
- Serve with cabbage and potatoes, mashed potatoes, or use as sandwich “meat” to make a vegan Ruben.
For a vegan corned beef and cabbage meal:
- Wash and cut the desired vegetables into big pieces.
- Add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, plus and an additional cup of water to the brine once the tofu has been removed.
- Simmer the vegetables covered with a lid for about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft in the middle.
- Remove from the cooking water and serve with the baked vegan corned beef.
Video
Notes
- Allow the tofu or vegan "meat" to sit in the brine for at least 30 minutes.
- Refrigerate the tofu and brine if you will not be baking it within about 30 minutes of it cooling down.
- If you don't want mustard or coriander seeds sticking to your tofu, you can put those in a tea ball.
- If you don't have a tea ball, you can wrap the spices in a piece of cheesecloth and then tie it up with a cotton string.
- Bake until slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Bake time with vary slightly depending on how much brine drips onto the tofu when you are putting it on the cookie sheet.
- Use a cookie sheet with edges to catch any drips.
- If you have extra tofu corned beef, make it into a Reuben sandwich or add it to onions and potatoes for a vegan corned beef hash!
Nutrition
I want to try the jack fruit version With the corn beef and cabbage meal. How would you do it and not have the vegetables take on the color of the veggie corn beef? I want to do the ccrockpot method. Also, do you mind if I film this and put it on a youtube channel. I can leave a link to your website instead of putting the recipe in the description if you want.
There is no way to make the jack fruit pink and the vegetable not have a tint of color unless you boil them in two separate liquids. I don't mind if you share as long as you credit me and leave a link. Thanks so much for asking! 🙂
Just made this today/yesterday with tempeh and would rather try the tofu version instead .. that being said I'm newly vegan as of one.5 years and have never used tempeh before. My partner bought a bunch of it and I decided to try it with this recipe due to being on a tight budget. Reubens turned out just fine but the actual 'meat' didn't turn out that well. I will definitely try again with tofu though. Thank you so much.
Hi Monica---I am interested in trying your recipe using jack fruit.
How much jack fruit do you think I would need? Also, do you have any other suggestions of soy-free meat alternatives that might work well?
Thank you,
Sharon VS
You will need about 3 cups of drained jackfruit. You could also use Butler Soy curls rehydrated in that broth. Enjoy!
Hey, I want to put this in the slow cooker for the six hours. Do I need to put it in the oven? Do you think after I take it out of the slow cooker?
The oven dries it out a little, I think it will be to wet directly out of the slow cooker.
Can you make this ahead and reheat it? So excited to have a veggie option at my st Patrick’s day party but only have one oven 😂
Yes, you can, it reheats well! Enjoy! 🙂
I'll be honest. I was sceptical at first. I didn't really know if the brine made from pickling spice would transfer the flavour well enough. But my goodness , it's so tasty! I didn't have some of the extra ingredients. I just used more pickling spice to compensate (as it has them in anyway) and it turned out well.
Thank you *so* much for sharing this. My grandma passed away a while ago and I'd turned vegan since last having it. She used to make corned beef for us as kids so I've really been craving some.
Seems like the brine technique has a lot of other applications , so I'll definitely be using this more.
Thank you for helping me reconnect with a long lost food!
Aww, I'm so happy that you liked it! I'm glad that it could bring back memories for you! Corned beef was a favorite from my childhood too! The seitan corned beef in my seitan cookbook has the same great flavor, but with a meatier texture if you ever want to try that. 🙂
I'm making this for my non-vegan Bunco group this week. I'm SO excited!! If it turns out well, I will be making it for the family next week for St. Patty's Day.
Enjoy! 🙂
Can any left over be vacuum sealed and frozen to be used at another time?
Yes, you can freeze it for later, but freezing with make the tofu a little grainy in texture.
Made the "corned beef" with both tempeh and extra firm tofu. We definitely liked it best with the tofu. Will definitely make it again, and will also try it as someone mentioned sliced thinner as a "bacon" substitute. It was so easy and delicious with our homemade sauerkraut on our reubens!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Karen! 🙂
Hi Monica,
What kind of seitan would you recommend? Beef or chicken? Or which one of your recipes would you use? And what amount? 28 oz like tofu or more? Suggestions?
If you can find plain that will be best, but the chicken flavor will work if you can't find plain. Use two packages (about 28oz) as you would tofu. I also have a recipe for corned beef seitan in my seitan cookbook if you want to make the seitan from scratch.
Hi I am going to give this a try. Can you tell me if you could cook the tofu in an airfryer instead of an oven.
I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure that it will work fine. Enjoy! 🙂
I’m so glad I found this recipe! Quick question- if cooking in the crock pot would you still bake it afterwards to dry out the tofu? Thank you!
Yes, you will still want to bake it or it will be too wet. Enjoy!
I was skeptical but gave it a try after seeing all the positive reviews.
Wow.
Actually tasted like corned beef and cabbage. And, better yet, probably one of the most satiating vegetarian/vegan meals I’ve ever had. Enjoying with some Dijon mustard really hit the spot.
Couldn’t find coriander seeds and forgot to pick up the ground so omitted that but used everything else. Probably added more salt but that helped it taste more like the real thing.
My “meat” didn’t turn red but the broth was a lovely blush color which was still fun. Didn’t affect the taste of course.
Sincerely thank you for this recipe. I have plenty of leftovers and now I know I will look forward to making this next St Patrick’s Day.
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Kim! 🙂
I tried this recipe-but did not have picking spice, so I substituted pickle juice (dill )-around a quarter cup. Also used coriander leaves, some ground pepper and no mustard seeds or beets (used red dye and brown sugar). Tasted great, despite over baking the tofu (I just let it sit with the cooked vegetables for a while and it rehydrated). Thanks!
Hi Herena, Pickle juice has a totally different flavor than pickling spice, but I'm so happy that it came out well for you this way! 🙂
Made today for family member and used s e i t a n. I’m not a vegetarian and tasted and it’s good. Tastes like real corn beef. Thank you for having recipe available and one that works. Would like to post pic but not sure can on this comment. Happy St Patrick’s Day coming up.
I'm so happy that you liked it, Becky! 🙂
We made this last night, with some skepticism, but WOW it was good!!! The only change I would make is to cook the cabbage separately as I though it tasted a bit odd cooked in the brine. Other than that I want to make it again today!!! Thank you for the recipe!!
You are very welcome, Beth! I'm happy that you liked it! 🙂
I have a question: does this taste like cloves? I bought the mccormick pickling spice linked above specifically for this recipe and it smells like pure clove, very strongly. I'm worried that this is going to greatly overpower the tofu and ruin it but I really want to try this dish.
It doesn't overpower it for me, but if you don't like that flavor, you may want to pick out some of the cloves. It is what they use to spice traditional corned beef, so if you like that flavor, I think you will like it.
i made this today for my vegan daughter. I used slices of seitan I'd already made. I just used the food colouring and brown sugar (I'm all about easy lol). After simmering and then letting sit in the brine, I put the slices on paper towel to drain. Then I put some slices in the frying pan and crisped them up and put them on a bun with mustard. I thought they were amazing. I thought the spice mix was pretty good and the taste a good starting point but yes, you may prefer a little heavier spicing. I'm interested to see what the tofu version will taste like! Thanks for the great recipe!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Tom! 🙂
Sorry if I’ve missed this but we’re preheating the oven to 375 but cooking at 357? Is this a typo?
Oh my, yes, I will fix that now. Bake at 375. Thanks! 🙂
We just had this for St. Patrick's Day dinner. It was pretty good, and we’ll doubtless have it again, but if I’m being honest it didn’t have enough seasoning by half. And I soaked the tofu in the brine all day. Next time we’ll double up on both the spices and the salt, but I still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
Hi. I'm making this right now. I am a meat eater but my sister is a Vegan so I always try to include her in holiday meals in the most authentic way possible. I can tell you that the color of the Tofu and the flavor of the brine is Spot on with the real thing. Excellent work! I'm baking the tofu now, but I had a very difficult time getting it out of the liquid in such a soft wet state. I did press it out first so it would be less wet to begin with. Any tips on getting the slices out in one piece?
Hi Theresa, I'm sorry that I didn't see this in time to help you get the tofu out. I usually use a big flat spoon or a spatula to get it out without breaking. It does get really wet and soft. That is why I bake it after to dry it back out again and firm it up. I hope your sister enjoyed it! It's so nice of you to make it for her! 🙂
Hi Monica. My sister loved it! So much that I am making it again this year. I wanted to let you know that I sliced a few of the peices a little too thin, so they got crunchy when I baked them. Those thin crunchy peices tasted so much like real bacon, which I still eat as a non-vegan, that I could not stop munching on them. Amazing!! Best substitute for vegan bacon I have ever tasted! What a happy little mistake. You should try it.
I am going to use Original Tempeh should I keep it whole or slice it?
Slice it first so it soaks up more flavor. Enjoy! 🙂
Can't wait to surprise my wife with this tonight! Having never done a pickling brine, about how much water did you use in the pan? I do want to do it with the cabbage and potatoes if that affects the water quantity. Can't wait to try it!
That's so nice of you to surprise your wife! You will just use the 5 cups of water suggested in the recipe. Watch the video too if that helps. Enjoy! 🙂
Going to try this today (March 17, 2020). So if I do it in the crockpot, put EVERYTHING in the crockpot for 6 hrs on low and then remove tofu and bake in the oven? Then serve the baked tofu with the already cooked veggies?Thank You, June
Happy St. Patty's Day
Yes, that should work. Check on the tofu though, if it is starting to fall apart take it out. It may start to break down before 6 hours. (I bake the tofu to dry it out again. You can also pan fry it if you would like).
Has anyone tried making this with impossible meat? I'm going to give it a try, with the block shaped meat, basically following the same recipe, but I wont slice it ahead of time, just the whole block.
I'd love to know how this turns out for you! We'll be making with tofu tomorrow.
I also was thinking about using the same. Just trying to get my thought process together on exactly how to do this. ..any help with tnat
Hi Monica,
I have ground mustard seeds and ground coriander. Can they be used in place of the whole seeds?
You probably can, but only use about 1/4 of the amount. The ground is going to be much stronger than the whole seeds.
Ethan, I did exactly that today; I put in an entire block of Impossible ground beef and it tasted SO good! I came here to let everyone know. The whole apartment smelled amazing and the “meat” was nice and juicy. Wow. We are saving the rest of the “beef” stock for a future dish.
I didn’t feel like buying pickling spices, so I looked up a few more recipes and ended up with this (good idea to use an infuser, by the way):
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 Clove
1 Cardamom pod
1 tsp Black peppercorns
Bay leaves
Cinnamon stick
Allspice (ground)
Ginger (ground)
Thank you for the recipe and the inspiration!
Great idea to use impossible ground beef! The spices that you used are very similar to pickling spices, so I think that taste is probably similar either way. Glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
I have a spice world corned beef spice pack I plan to use. I will update .
I have never tried that one. Hope that it works well for you.
So you put the whole block of Impossible Burger in and sliced it after? Did you also bake it?
Yes
Did it hold together and then you just sliced the Impossible Burger block? Did you have to bake it?
Yes
I love that this recipe was so simple to make, and when I tried the finished recipe I instantly went "ooh wow" - it's that good. This gave me such nostalgic joy as it tasted just like the corned beef I remember enjoying as a kid; thank you for sharing this recipe! I changed coriander to caraway seeds simply because I don't care for coriander, but everything else I kept the same. This is going in my recipe box to be remade! 💚
I'm so happy that you liked it, Bev! 🙂
I will be using seitan since I can't eat soy. Do you bake the seitan just like the tofu? Any adjustments needed? Looking forward to making this! 🙂
You will not need to bake the seitan. I bake the tofu to dry it out after it soaks up the broth. You may want to use some of the broth to make your seitan and then boil it in it as well. Enjoy! 🙂
Oh wow this is just what I was looking for, I saw this and your more recent blog for the vegan corned beef hash. Thank you so much. Me and my hubby love this. Definitely going to start making more slices for putting in sandwiches. I also love the breakfast style hash with a drizzle of maple syrup over the top. Not to everyone's taste I know but I love the contrast of savoury with sweet. You've made me one very happy vegan!
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Did u use tofu? If yes was it firm, extra firm?? Which kind
Yes, I used extra firm tofu for this.
i added soy sauce for the umami and a small apple cut in half, left it for 8 hours then pan fried it, was absolutely delicious!
Great ideas! So happy that you liked it! 🙂
Have you ever made this with Jackfruit so it shreds like beef?
Hi Carly, I haven't tried it with Jackfruit, but I have done it with Butler Soy Curls and seitan, both also work well, so I think jackfruit will also work. 🙂
Made this yesterday and it was excellent...fit right in with our New England boiled dinner for St Patrick's day. I marinated the tofu overnight I also added 2 cloves of garlic to the marinade just because I love garlic!. Baked on parchment paper instead of using oil. Thank you for this recipe. I will use it again for Vegan option on St Patricks Day!
I'm so happy to hear that you like it Becky! Garlic sounds like a yummy addition!
Did you press the tofu for this recipe?
Yes, I press the tofu lightly for this recipe. You don't have to get it really dry, but squeeze out any excess water. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I can't wait to make this and your breakfast links.. Yumo
Thanks so much! I hope that you enjoy them!
What is it about corned beef and cabbage that makes me miss meat? Okay not really but I do love the memory of many many delicious St. Patricks Day dinners - looking forward to giving this a try and celebrating old school!
I would love to make this, but have not seen pickling spice here in Israel. Is there a substitute? What goes into pickling spice?
Pickling spice has cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaves, ginger, chilies, cloves, black pepper, cardamom, and mace. You could use a little piece of a cinnamon stick, some ginger, and some peppercorns along with the mustard seed, coriander, and bay leaves and get something very close. They are all pretty strong spices, so you just need a little of each of them (about 1/8 -1/4 tsp). Let me know how it goes! 🙂
This looks delicious.
I can't wait to try it...I'm sure its amazing.
Thanks for all of your unique recipes.
You are so creative.
I'll let you know how it turns out!
Thanks so much, sue! I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do! 🙂