This vegan roast beef is meaty, juicy, and tender! Made with seitan and seasoned and roasted to perfection, this mock roast beef can be served as a holiday loaf or sliced and used for roast beef sandwiches. If you have been looking for a vegan alternative to roast beef that tastes truly authentic, this is the recipe for you.

A vegan roast beef cut into thin slices on a wooden cutting board.

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The beef flavor in this seitan roast beef comes from a beefy broth made from mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste which is then pureed and mixed with vital wheat gluten for a meaty texture.

This vegan roast beef comes together in about 15 minutes of prep time. The only hard part of this recipe is waiting for it to cook.

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

I started making this plant-based roast beef when I mastered my vegan beef recipe. I take the same basic beef recipe and cook and season it differently to make vegan pot roast, vegan beef stew, and more.

The mushroom and onion base of this seitan roast beef gives it a realistic taste and texture. The mushrooms are a key ingredient that keeps the faux meat moist and juicy.

This roast beef alternative can be used as a main course, sliced and used for a vegan french dip, or vegan roast beef sandwiches smothered in vegan horseradish sauce aka horsey sauce or vegan garlic aioli.

A vegan roast beef sandwich with vegan horse radish sauce on it.
Vegan roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

For the vegan beef
  • Olive Oil – for sauteing the onion and mushrooms. You can also use canola oil or coconut oil.
  • Mushrooms – for a beefy flavor and texture. You can also use white mushrooms, baby bellas, or portabella mushrooms. (Mushrooms are a key ingredient in this recipe to give a beefy flavor and help the seitan retain a juicy texture when cooked.)
  • Onion – for flavor. I usually use a yellow onion, but any will work. (You can use 1 teaspoon of onion powder plus 2 additional tbsp of water instead of an onion.
  • Oregano – for flavor. You can use fresh or dried.
  • Black Pepper – for flavor. You can also use red pepper flakes if you want a little heat.
  • Salt – for flavor.
  • Garlic Powder – for flavor.
  • Soy Sauce – for a beefy flavor. You can also use Tamari or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
  • Tomato Paste – for an umami flavor and red color. (You can swap this for nutritional yeast or red wine if desired.) (The acidity in the tomato paste helps subdue the gluten flavor in seitan.)
  • Smoked Paprika – to give your vegan beef a red color and a slightly smoky flavor. You can also use regular paprika and a dash of liquid smoke.
  • Vital Wheat Gluten – for the base of the meat substitute and what gives it a meaty texture. This can not be substituted with any other ingredient. (I’m sorry, but this recipe can not be made gluten-free.) You can usually find it in the Bob’s Red Mill section or the specialty baking section of large grocery stores. I order a large bag from Amazon to make lots of seitan recipes.
For the basting liquid
  • Olive Oil – or any other neutral-flavored oil
  • Soy Sauce – or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • Water or Vegetable Broth
  • Oregano
  • Black Pepper
  • Rosemary
  • Smoked Paprika

🔪 Helpful tools

  • Blender or Food Processor – to puree the cooked mushrooms and broth.
  • A Steamer Pot – or pressure cooker or Instant Pot with a steam basket.
  • Thick Foil – heavy-duty aluminum foil works best, so it doesn’t break when cooking the seitan.

🥄 How to make vegan roast beef

Step 1 – Peel and dice 1 small onion and wash and slice 2 cups of mushrooms. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet and saute the diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Step 2 – Add 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 2 tbsp tomato paste, and mix well. Then stir in 1 cup of water and turn off the heat.

Onions and mushrooms sauteed in a frying pan with spices, soy sauce, tomato paste, and water added for the flavor base of beef seitan.

Step 3 – Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.

The beef flavored broth with mushrooms and onions pureed in a food processor before add the wheat gluten.

Step 4 – Pour the pureed mixture into a large glass bowl add 1 1/2 cups of vital wheat gluten and stir with a silicone spatula.

Step 5 – Kneed in the last 1/2 cup of wheat gluten with your hand until a firm seitan dough ball is formed.

A frim ball of setain flavored to taste like beef before it is wrapped and steamed.

Step 6 – Shape your dough ball into a loaf shape and wrap it tightly in thick foil.

Step 7 – Place the wrapped roast in a steaming basket and steam for 1 hour. (Or in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for 45 minutes and then let the steam escape naturally.)

The vegan beef roasted wrapped in foil in a steamer basket to cook.

Baking your vegan roast beef

Step 8 – Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).

Step 9 – Let your loaf sit for about 5 minutes so you can safely open the foil without getting burnt by the steam inside. Then unwrap the steamed seitan and put it into a small baking dish that is just a little bigger than your loaf.

Step 10 – Mix oil, water, soy sauce, paprika, oregano, rosemary, and black pepper. Pour it evenly over your roast. Then use a spoon to scoop up the basting liquid and drizzle it over any spots that you may have missed.

Step 11 – Bake your plant-based roast beef for 30 minutes at 375° F (190° C), taking it out of the oven every 10 minutes to quickly spoon the basing liquid over the top of the roast.

Vegan roast beef with oil and seasonings poured over top before it is roasted.

Cook the roast beef with some vegetables like potatoes and carrots to make a vegan pot roast.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

  • Use a glass bowl and a silicone spatula to mix your seitan. Vital wheat gluten is very sticky once it gets wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that will get everywhere if you are not careful with it. Pour it low down and slowly over the broth mixture so it doesn’t splash out of your bowl.
  • Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that’s a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 60 seconds so your wheat meat doesn’t get too chewy.
  • If you don’t want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the mock beef in parchment paper first, and then wrap the foil around that.
  • Seitan expands when it cooks, so be sure to use strong foil, or it will break the foil when it is steaming.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can this vegan roast beef be made gluten-free?

The main ingredient in this seitan roast beef is vital wheat. This is what provides the structure and gives it an authentic chewy, meaty texture. There is no gluten-free alternative to this that will give you the same texture.

Can seitan be eaten raw?

Seitan can not be eaten raw, you must cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F before it is safe to eat. If your seitan is undercooked, it will not have as much of a meat-like texture as a fully cooked seitan. If your seitan is chewy or slightly doughy continue to heat it until it’s fully cooked.

Vegan beef seasoned and baked into vegan roast beef that is sliced on a cutting board.

🥡 Storage and reheating

Refrigerate:  Slice your vegan roast beef and keep it in the fridge to use on roast beef sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Roast beef seitan freeze well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Let it thaw overnight in the fridge.)

Reheating: Reheat it in the microwave for about 5 minutes, pan-fry in a little oil, or bake at 350°F for about 15 – 20 minutes until warm. (Times vary depending on how much you are reheating.)

🌟 More seitan recipes

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

📋 Vegan roast beef recipe

A vegan roast beef seasoned and sliced thin on a wooden cutting board.
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4.88 from 8 rating

Vegan Roast Beef

Yield: 6
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Baking time: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 45 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
Mock roast beef made from seitan. This vegan roast beef can be served as a roast or sliced and used as vegan deli meat on sandwiches.
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Ingredients

For the seitan "beef"

  • 2 tablespoons oil, (any neutral-flavored oil)
  • 2 cups mushrooms, (sliced)
  • 1/2 cup onion, (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika , (or regular paprika)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste, (or vegan red wine)
  • 1 cup water, (or low sodium veggie broth)
  • 2 cups vital wheat gluten

For the basting liquid

  • 1/4 cup light olive oil, (or any neutral-flavored oil)
  • 2 tablespoons water, (or low sodium veggie broth)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, (coarse freshly ground tastes best)
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions
 

Make the beef

  • Peel and dice 1 small onion and wash and slice 2 cups of mushrooms. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet and saute the diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp salt.
  • Add 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 2 tbsp tomato paste, and mix well. Then stir in 1 cup of water and turn off the heat.
  • Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.
  • Pour the pureed mixture into a large glass bowl add 1 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten and stir with a silicone spatula.
  • Kneed in the last 1/2 cup of wheat gluten with your hand until a firm dough ball is formed.
  • Shape your dough ball into a loaf shape and wrap it tightly in thick foil.
  • Place the wrapped roast in a steaming basket and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Or in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for 55 minutes and then let the steam escape naturally.)

Baste and bake the faux beef

  • Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
  • Let your loaf sit for about 5 minutes so you can safely open the foil without getting burnt by the steam inside. Then unwrap the steamed seitan and put it into a small baking dish that is just a little bigger than your loaf.
  • Mix together the basting liquid (oil, water, soy sauce, paprika, oregano, rosemary, and black pepper). Pour it evenly over your roast. Then use a spoon to scoop up the basting liquid and drizzle it over any spots that you may have missed.
  • Bake your plant-based roast beef for 30 minutes at 375° F (190° C), taking it out of the oven every 10 minutes to quickly spoon the basing liquid over the top of the roast.

Notes

  • Use a glass bowl and a silicone spatula to mix your seitan. Vital wheat gluten is very sticky once it gets wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that will get everywhere if you are not careful with it. Pour it low down and slowly over the broth mixture so it doesn’t splash out of your bowl.
  • Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that’s a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 60 seconds so your wheat meat doesn’t get too chewy.
  • If you don’t want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the mock beef in parchment paper first, and then wrap the foil around that.
  • Seitan expands when it cooks, so be sure to use strong foil, or it will break the foil when it is steaming.
Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1031mg, Potassium: 284mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 506IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 82mg, Iron: 3mg
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