This vegan corned beef recipe is easy to make at home and perfect for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration! Tofu is simmered in a smoky marinade and baked until firm and crispy on the outside.
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Many vegan versions of corned beef use a seitan recipe to recreate the texture and flavor of corned beef. They are made from seitan dough that uses vital wheat gluten as the main ingredient.
I wanted to create a more straightforward recipe that didn’t involve as much time or as many steps. Tofu is the way to go!
It starts with a marinade of dried spices, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth with tomato paste and beet powder to give the tofu the pinkish look of corned beef.
The tofu is baked until it’s nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The trick is to be sure to use extra firm tofu and press the water out before slicing and marinating. This improves the texture of the tofu immensely!
💗 Why You’ll Love Vegan Corned Beef with Tofu
- Vegan St. Patrick’s Day Meal
- Great to add to your weekly vegan meal prep!
- Perfect for Holiday Meals
- Use in sandwiches
- Healthy and low in fat and calories
- Great texture
- Gluten-free
- High in plant protein
- Meat Eater Approved
- No special pickling spices needed
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Extra Firm Tofu: Make sure to use extra-firm tofu. Drain the tofu from the water, and press the water out of the tofu before cutting and marinating.
Spice Mix: A combination of both seeds and ground spices gives this spice rub a rich flavor that mimics the taste of corned beef. I use black mustard, coriander, and cumin seeds with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add a touch of soy sauce, too, if you prefer.
Tomato Paste and Beet Powder: The tomato paste adds flavor to the marinade, while the beet powder helps to give the tofu a red/pink color.
Liquid Smoke: A little of this liquid smoke goes a long way! It adds a smoky “meaty” flavor!
📖 Variations and Substitutions
Tempeh or Seitan: You can use tempeh or seitan instead of tofu if you prefer the texture or flavor.
No beetroot powder? You can use actual beets for the color, and remove them before adding the tofu. Or you can also leave the beetroot out and double the amount of tomato paste.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Corned Beef
- Add the vegetable stock, water, and spices, including salt and pepper, liquid smoke, tomato paste, and beetroot powder, in a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk together until combined.
- Bring the marinade to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the spices to incorporate into the marinade.
- While the sauce is simmering, cut the tofu into quarter-inch slices. Be sure to press the water out of the tofu before slicing.
- After the sauce has been simmering for 10 minutes, add the tofu. Cover the tofu entirely with the marinade. Turn off the heat, and cover with a lid. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes to soak up all the flavors. While the tofu is marinating, preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place marinated tofu onto a baking sheet, leaving room between each slice. Don’t overcrowd. Spoon a bit of extra marinade on top of each piece of tofu.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the outside is crispy and the inside is soft.
📝 Expert Tips
- Use extra firm tofu, and take the extra step to press the water out before marinating.
- Give the marinade a couple of minutes to simmer on low to release the flavors from the mustard, cumin, and coriander seeds.
- Spoon a tablespoon of the marinade over the top of the tofu before baking for extra flavor and a nice coloring effect.
- Don’t overbake. Check on the tofu halfway through the cooking process so that it doesn’t burn and become too crispy.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve this vegan corned beef with vegan sautéd cabbage in a casserole dish.
I served mine with a side of green peas, potatoes and carrots.
This would also taste amazing added to Reuben sandwiches with rye bread, sauerkraut, and vegan Russian dressing!
🫙Storage
Fridge: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It has a tendency to lose some of its crispiness. It will keep for about 3-4 days.
Freezer: Store in the freezer in an airtight freezer-safe container. It will keep for up to 3 months.
Reheat: When ready to reheat transfer to a baking sheet and heat in the oven or toaster oven at 350°F for 10 minutes. This will help bring back the crispiness more so than reheating in the microwave.
🎥 Video
☘️ More Vegan St. Patrick’s Day Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Corned Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon beetroot powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- In a medium pot add vegetable stock, water, all of the spices including the salt and pepper, liquid smoke, tomato paste, and beetroot powder. Whisk together until combined.
- Bring the marinade to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the spices to incorporate into the marinade.
- While the sauce is simmering, cut the tofu into quarter inch slices (be sure to press the water out of the tofu before slicing).
- After sauce has been simmering for 10 minutes, add the tofu. Cover the tofu completely with the sauce. Turn off the heat, and cover with a lid. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to soak up all the flavors. While the tofu is marinating, preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place marinated tofu onto baking sheet, leaving room between each slice. Don't overcrowd. Spoon a bit of extra marinade on top of each piece of tofu. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the outside is crispy and the inside is soft.
Video
Notes
- Tastes great enjoyed on its own or in a vegan reuben sandwich.
- Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an air tight container.
- Reheat in the oven or toaster oven for 10 minutes at 350 F.
Nicky
This was very tasty! Made for St Patrick’s day.
Soniya
Love this vegan version! Looks and sounds so flavorful and delicious!
Angela
Such a great group of spices. The flavor is wonderful.
April
I love that you included variations on how to make this.
Toni
I just tried it and it turned out so good!! Thanks for the recipe! Healthy and really delicious!
Kechi
WOW!!! Tofu is so versatile – love all the ingredients. Such a yummy and healthy alternative!