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Vegan Reuben Sandwich

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This Vegan Reuben Sandwich is my plant based version of my all time favorite sandwich.  It’s made with marinated homemade seitan, a vegan Russian dressing, and sauerkraut all grilled up on rye bread. Delicious!

I have such fondness for the Reuben that in the past I’ve even made Reuben Soup and Reuben Bread Pudding – but those recipes are not vegan friendly. Today I’m replacing the corned beef with some marinated seitan.  Obviously, it doesn’t taste exactly like corned beef but it has a great chewy texture, it’s high in protein and a good plant based substitute.  The combination of the seitan along with tangy sauerkraut, Russian dressing and, if you like, some vegan swiss cheese (recommended) makes one delicious grilled sandwich!

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Vegan Reuben sandwich

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  • Author: Judy

Ingredients

Scale

For the Seitan:

  • 1 C. vital wheat gluten
  • 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
  • 1 C. warm (not hot) water
  • 8 C. vegetable broth

For the Marinade:

  • 1/2 C. dill pickle juice
  • 1/2 C. beet juice
  • 2 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. dill
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

For the Russian Dressing:

  • 1 C. vegan mayonnaise
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • 3 Tbls. minced onion
  • 1 Tbls. prepared horseradish
  • 2 tsp. sriracha
  • 1. tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • salt & pepper, to taste

For the Sandwiches:

  • Rye bread
  • sauerkraut (squeezed dry)
  • Vegan swiss cheese (opt.)
  • Vegan butter

 

Instructions

To Make the Seitan:

  1. Add seitan dry ingredients to bowl and stir well to combine.
  2. Add liquid smoke to water, then add to bowl with dry ingredients.  Mix until well combined, kneading is not necessary.  Cover and let rest 10-20 minutes, then form into a ball.
  3. Add vegetable broth to stock pot and bring to boil.  Add seitan.  Simmer partially covered for 1 hour.
  4. Remove seitan, place in container, cover with cold water and store in refrigerator until completely cooled.
  5. Once cooled, slice thin and marinate seitan in marinade 1-2 days.  You could also freeze this after marinating if you don’t eat it all up.

To make the Marinade:

  1. Simply combine all marinade ingredients together and set aside to marinate seitan when ready.

To Make the Russian Dressing:

  1. Add Russian dressing ingredients in small bowl and stir well to combine.

To Make the Sandwiches:

  1. Assemble as you would a grilled cheese sandwich… Spread dressing on one slice of rye bread.  Layer with sauerkraut, sliced seitan, swiss cheese (if using) and top with second slice of rye bread.
  2. Add butter to skillet and melt.  Add sandwich and grill until toasted on one side, flip and repeat.

Notes

I suppose you could purchase plain seitan at the store and marinate it, but I haven’t tried that!