This vegan Carne asada is meaty, delicious, made 100% from plants, and it’s as close as you’ll get to the real deal. You’ll only need 8 ingredients in total to transport you to the days of Mexican carne asadas.
Vegan Carne Asada
Let’s start by saying that I was never a huge fan of beef but I did love those backyard carne asadas with the family. A plate of carne asada with homemade beans (frijoles de la olla), fresh salsa, and corn tortillas is pure comfort food. I do remember the aftermath though.. heartburn and indigestion as they are packed with saturated fat. Also not the best for those with high cholesterol. However, this vegan carne asada has all the flavor with none of the heartburn or slump! It is so satisfying and perfect for those wanting to eat less meat or go plant-based.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
Vital Wheat Gluten: This is the key ingredient for making seitan. Click here to check out my favorite one to buy! I typically get it at Whole Foods or purchase it online. For a gluten-free option, I recommend trying soy curls or TVP. Seitan is the closest in texture and flavor but soy curls have a closer texture to carne asada than TVP (soya).
Chickpeas: You can substitute these with any white beans such as cannellini, Great Northern, or Peruvian beans.
Flour: I use all-purpose flour. This helps it bind together.
Soy sauce: This helps provide the umami flavor we get from meat. You can also use liquid aminos, tamari or salsa Maggie.
Spices: I highly recommend adding cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to the seitan mixture for the best results. You can adjust or substitute any of these to flavor preference.
Tips for the Best Seitan/Vegan Carne Asada
- After processing all the ingredients you will get a nice seitan dough. Knead seitan dough for at least 5 minutes while also pounding it with your fist. It’s really fun! Kneading will help you get a meatier texture.
- Let seitan cool off completely and store in the refrigerator overnight for best results. The texture gets firmer and meatier the next day, trust me!
- Play around with flavors that you prefer and make sure to add umami to the dough such as soy sauce/liquid aminos/salsa Maggie.
Other Delicious Vegan Meat Options:
Shredded King Oyster Mushroom Tacos
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Vegan Carne Asada
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan Carne asada is meaty, delicious, made 100% from plants, and it’s as close as you’ll get to the real deal. You’ll only need 8 ingredients in total to transport you to the days of Mexican carne asadas.
Ingredients
Seitan:
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water
Tacos:
- 12–14 corn tortillas
- Cilantro, minced
- Onion, diced
- Salsa of choice
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Set a pot of water to boil, and add 2 tbsp soy sauce.
- Add all seitan ingredients to a food processor and process until a dough forms.
- Take it out of the food processor and onto a countertop. Knead well and pound for 5 minutes.
- Add to boiling water and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 50 minutes.
- Once the seitan is done cooking, take it out and set it aside to cool off. Once it’s cooled, slice it into carne asada-like pieces. For best results, refrigerate overnight and cook the next day. This helps it get more of a meaty texture.
- When ready to cook, add a bit of oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and cook until fragrant. Next, add seitan slices to the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve on tortillas as tacos or in burritos, nachos, and so much more. If having tacos, add cilantro, onion, lime juice, and salsa!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 50
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Mexican
