This scrumptious vegan (yes, vegan!) Philly Cheesesteak is made with succulent seitan and a creamy nacho cheese sauce that is insanely delish! This meat-free take on the infamous sandwich originating from US Philadelphia is a great alternative to the meat-containing version.
Actually, what gave me inspo for this dish was my years of binge-watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air when Will Smith would manage to sneak in some Philly cheesesteaks wrapped in crisp brown paper bags to the Bel Air mansion or get them in during his occasional visits to his home town in Philly. I’ve only ever physically tasted Philly cheesesteaks twice in my life, once in London and once in Brooklyn and they sure were memorable. The most mesmerizing part was watching the meat being chopped whilst sizzling on the hotplate and simultaneously being drizzled with nacho cheese before it was packed snugly into a hoagie bun.
However, I wasn’t vegan at the time, but now I fancy philly cheesesteak! Only one way to solve this quandary…with seitan and sweet potato cheese. The result? Pretty, pretty good.
This recipe is actually an adaptation of my Seitan Ribs which you should definitely check out if you love this one!
Why is this Good for Me?
- Seitan, also known as vital wheat gluten, is the protein extracted from wheat, without the starch – so it is actually a low-carbohydrate and low-fat food. In addition to being a rich source of protein, vital wheat gluten also provides a small amount of iron and calcium.
Questions about Philly Cheesesteak
Philly Cheesesteak Recipe
To make Philly Cheesesteak, start by making seitan steak. Preheat oven to 210°C. Add water, liquid smoke, soy sauce, yeast extract and miso paste in a blender and blitz until smooth and well combined. In a large bowl, add vital wheat gluten, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, smoked paprika and dried mushrooms and mix. Pour in the wet ingredients from the blender and mix briefly until all ingredients are mixed well – try not to exceed 1 minute of mixing as the result will be more bready and chewy rather than succulent and meaty. Roll into a large sausage, around 25cm long. Wrap tightly in tin foil, concealing the ends by twisting tightly then folding under the log. Place into a baking tray and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
How to make Vegan Nacho Cheese
For the vegan nacho cheese sauce by mixing together miso paste with milk, rapeseed oil, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and heat until bubbling, stirring constantly and adding a little water if necessary to avoid sticking. Continue for around 2-3 minutes after bubbling on a low heat. Place into a blender along with cooked sweet potato, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and lemon juice and blitz until smooth and creamy.
Philly Cheesesteak Filling
Once seitan is cooked, remove foil then allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly.
Fry sliced seitan lightly in a frying pan with a dash of oil for 2-3 minutes. Stuff generously into hoagie buns (or sliced baguette if buns are not available) along with fried onions and drizzle with the nacho cheese sauce and a hint of tabasco for a kick.
Philly Cheesesteak Substitutions
- Coconut sugar can be replaced with brown sugar.
- Liquid smoked can be replaced with additional smoked paprika.
- Nutritional yeast flakes can be used instead of yeast extract.
- Soybean paste can be subbed for miso paste.
- Red or white miso paste can be used.
- For the filling, fry some onions along with the sliced seitan and top with hot sauce.
This Philly Cheesesteak is …
- Meaty
- Tender
- Made with seitan
- Packed with protein
- Dairy-free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Plant-based
Shopping List
Food
- 260g vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp yeast extract
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 5 tsp miso paste (red or white)
- 1 tbsp ground dried mushrooms
- 190 ml water
- 1 large sweet potato cooked and diced
- 6 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 75 ml plant milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Wooden spoon
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
More Recipes to Try…
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Recipe
Philly Cheesesteak
Ingredients
Seitan steak
- 260 g vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp yeast extract
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp miso paste red or white
- 1 tbsp ground dried mushrooms
- 190 ml water
Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- 1 large sweet potato cooked and diced
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 75 ml plant milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 210°C.
- For the seitan steak, add water, liquid smoke, soy sauce, yeast extract and miso paste in a blender and blitz until smooth and well combined.
- In a large bowl, add vital wheat gluten, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, smoked paprika and dried mushrooms and mix.
- Pour in the wet ingredients from the blender and mix briefly until all ingredients are mixed well – try not to exceed 1 minute of mixing as the result will be more bready and chewy rather than succulent and meaty.
- Roll into a large sausage, around 25cm long.
- Wrap tightly in tin foil, concealing the ends by twisting tightly then folding under the log.
- Place into a baking tray and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
- In the mean time, prepare the cheese sauce by mixing together miso paste with milk, rapeseed oil, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and heat until bubbling, stirring constantly and adding a little water if necessary to avoid sticking. Continue for around 2-3 minutes after bubbling on a low heat.
- Place into a blender along with cooked sweet potato, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and lemon juice and blitz until smooth and creamy. Leave aside.
- Once seitan is cooked, remove foil then allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly.
- Fry sliced seitan lightly in a frying pan with a dash of oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Stuff generously into hoagie buns (or sliced baguette if buns are not available) along with fried onions and drizzle with the nacho cheese sauce and a hint of tabasco for a kick.
Notes
• Liquid smoked can be replaced with additional smoked paprika.
• Nutritional yeast flakes can be used instead of yeast extract.
• Soybean paste can be subbed for miso paste.
• Red or white miso paste can be used.
• For the filling, fry some onions along with the sliced seitan and top with hot sauce.