Vegan Arby’s Roast Beef

This Vegan Roast Beef is perfect for an Arby’s style sandwich! Slathered in Arby’s Sauce and Horsey Sauce, it’s insanely delicious!

I made a Vegan Beef n’ Cheddar years ago and figured I’d go ahead and make a regular Vegan Roast Beef like Arby’s too. Mostly because I wanted to, and also to try out the Horsey Sauce!

The Arby’s House and Horsey Sauce are so dang good! I’ve actually just been enjoying this everyday for lunch (and breakfast too if I’m being honest!)

You can also make a quick cheese sauce and turn this into a Vegan Beef n’ Cheddar too!

Ingredients for Vegan Arby’s Roast Beef

Vegan Roast Beef

For the Roast Beef, we are using Seitan! I have made this many times and have recently updated the recipe to be a bit more fool proof.

If you don’t want to make your own Vegan Roast Beef, there’s products like Tofurky, and I really like the Roast Beef by the BEHIVE, so check them out as well!

• Vital Wheat Gluten – this is the base and it can’t be substituted unfortunately!
• Super Firm Tofu – I recommend getting the vacuum sealed tofu that doesn’t need pressing. You can use Extra Firm, but press it as much as possible. You may need to adjust the vital wheat gluten as well.
• Mushroom Seasoning – I love this stuff and use it often. You can substitute with Miso Paste (1 tsp per 1 Tbsp of Mushroom Seasoning.)
• Nutritional Yeast – This is gonna provide a lot of delicious umami flavor!
• Vegan Beef Bouillon – I like the Better Than Bouillon stuff, but you can use regular Veggie bouillon if you can’t get a hold of it.
• Baking Powder – This is just to cut out the funky aftertaste that seitan can sometimes have.
• Red Coloring – If you want the Seitan to have a red tint, you can use some Red Yeast Rice Powder or Red Food Coloring.
• Other Seasonings – we will use liquid smoke, as well as some pantry staples to overload this seitan with flavor!

How to Make Arby’s Sauce

There actually is store-bought Arby’s Sauce and it’s vegan. However, it is NASTY if I do say so myself. I’m loathe to say something tastes like chemicals, but I really don’t know how else to describe the taste of this stuff.

At first it tastes kinda sweet and ketchupy, but there’s this weird aftertaste that almost tastes like artificial room deodorizer. I dunno, it’s gross!

But the good news is, I have a really easy recipe that is so delectable you can eat it with a spoon (though it’s better on a sandwich or some curly fries).

How to Make Vegan Horseradish Sauce

The other sauce that I recommend making for this sandwich is the Horsey Sauce! It’s a simple concoction of Vegan Mayo and Prepared Horseradish (make sure you don’t get the Creamy Horseradish as this isn’t vegan).

It’s super dang good and compliments the Arby’s Sauce and Roast Beef perfectly as it’s tangy and slightly spicy!

The Burger bun

For the bun, use whatever Vegan Burger Bun you like!

How to Make a Vegan Arby’s Roast Beef

First let’s make the seitan! Simply blend up some super firm tofu with a bunch of seasonings until it’s similar to a hummus consistency. I highly recommend a food processor for this recipe!

Next add in the vital wheat gluten. Blend and knead that in the food processor for 3 – 5 minutes or until it’s stretchy and doesn’t rip apart easily.

Form it into a ball, and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes to help the gluten develop more.

To cook it, you have a couple options. First you can roll it up with some HEAVY DUTY foil. Wrap it as tightly as possible. I recommend double wrapping it as well. Seitan likes to expand when you cook it. If it expands too much you will get a “bready” texture with a lot of holes instead of a tight and compact texture like deli meat.

Or you can add it to an Oven Safe Ham Press which is my new preferred method for cooking seitan. This not only keeps the seitan from expanding, but it cuts down on waste since you don’t need to use any tin foil.

Then you can either bake it in the oven, or pressure cook in something like an Instant Pot. I highly recommend using a Thermometer to check the internal temp and pull it out once it’s at 180 – 200 F. I also find that baking it standing upright can sometimes cause it to bake unevenly, so I suggest laying it on its side, flipping it halfway through cooking to ensure a more even bake.

If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can use the Instant Pot, or Boil it on the stove top according to brand’s instructions. Just get the internal temp of the seitan to 180 – 200 F.

Then let it cool and rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, slice it however you wish. I like using a deli slicer, but a sharp knife or mandolin will work too.

To serve the Roast Beef, you can optionally either heat it up with a little oil in a pan. Or you can simply rub the slices with a little oil and anything else you like (I did some red wine vinegar and oil which was delicious!)

For the Arby’s Sauce, simply add everything to a saucepan and heat on medium low for about 10 minutes. Let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

The Horsey Sauce is even easier! Just combine everything and refrigerate. You can make it smoother by blending it up too.

Handy Dandy Video Here!

Storage & Reheating

Store leftover Seitan Roast Beef in the fridge and enjoy within a week. You can heat the slices up for a minute or so in a pan over medium heat.

You can also freeze the seitan for up to 3 months. If you slice it first, I suggest portioning it into serving sizes and freezing in between parchment paper so they don’t stick together.

The Arby’s Sauce and Horsey Sauce should be good for up to 1 week. I like to keep them in Squeeze Bottles too!

10 Tips for Deli Seitan Slices

1. Add more vital wheat gluten or liquid to the dough as needed if it is too wet or dry.
2. Knead (ideally using a Food Processor) until the seitan is stretchy and resists tearing easily. You want to see some good gluten strands!
3. If your food processor is too small to knead all of the seitan at one time, split it in half and knead in 2 batches. Then combine the two halves by simply kneading them together by hand.
4. You can either bake your seitan by wrapping it in 2 layers of heavy duty foil, or you can use an Oven Safe Ham Press. I prefer the ham press because it’s zero waste. It will get you a nice compact texture, perfect for deli meats. If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can boil it on the stove top (I recommend following the brands instructions).
5. You can also pressure cook it in an 6 Quart Instant Pot for 1 hour, with a natural release of 15 minutes, either wrapped in foil or in a Ham Press (doesn’t need to be oven safe for Instant Pot).
6. If you can, use a Thermometer and take out the seitan after it reaches 180 – 200 F (82 – 93 C).
7. Let the seitan cool and rest in the foil or ham press. Then refrigerate overnight. This step is crucial in getting a good texture so don’t skip it!
8. To slice the seitan, use either a sharp knife or mandolin, or if you have the space, I highly recommend using a Deli Slicer! If you think you’ll make your own deli meats a lot, this is a worthwhile investment!
9. If for some reason your seitan is a bit undercooked and gummy, you can fry the slices in some oil to finish cooking them.
10. Likewise if the seitan is cooked to your preference, you can coat the slices in a little oil if you like, I find it helps the taste and texture, but it’s totally optional! And you can even fry them for a bit in a pan to warm them up and get them a little browned as well.

More recipes you’ll dig

• Deli Turkey Slices
• Cheesesteak
• Italian Beef
• French Dip
• BLT

Vegan Arby’s Roast Beef

Thee Burger Dude

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Sandwiches

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Deli Slicer
• Mandolin
• Instant Pot

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Vegan Roast Beef

• 16 oz Super Firm Tofu
• 1 1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten (I recommend weighing it – 150g)
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Beefless Broth Concentrate (or Veggie Broth Concentrate)
• 1 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire
• 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Mushroom Seasoning (I used Imperial Taste Brand) (or 2 tsp Miso Paste)
• 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Red Yeast Rice Powder (or Red Food Coloring)
• Water (if needed)

Arby's Sauce

• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
• 2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 cup Water
• 1 Tbsp Hot Sauce
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Horsey Sauce

• 3/4 cup Vegan Mayo
• 1/4 cup Prepare Horseradish
• 2 tsp Vinegar
• 2 tsp Sugar

Instructions

 

Arby's Sauce

• Simply combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 8 – 10 minutes. Store in the fridge for a 30 minutes before using (or use right away if you're impatient).

Horsey Sauce

• Simply combine everything in a bowl, jar, or squeeze bottle. You can also blend it up to make it smoother (but that's optional).

Seitan Roast Beef

• I highly suggest using Super Firm Tofu (the kind that's vacuum packed and doesn't need pressing). You can use Extra Firm, but you'll need to press out as much water as possible. You may need to adjust the amount of vital wheat gluten as well.

  In a food processor, blend up the super firm tofu along with everything else EXCEPT the vital wheat gluten. Blend for a couple minutes until the texture is similar to hummus.
• Add in the vital wheat gluten and blend and knead for 3 – 5 minutes or until the seitan is stretchy and firm. If it tears very easily it needs to be kneaded longer. Pull it out and check it every now and again until you get the desired texture.

  I have made this many times with Super Firm Tofu and weighing out exactly 150g of Vital Wheat Gluten and it always works perfectly. If you are using another kind of tofu it may be more wet and will need more vital wheat gluten.

  If that is the case, add a tablespoon or so of vital wheat gluten and blend, and repeat until the seitan is dry enough to knead into a firm and stretchy consistency.

  On the flipside, if it's too dry, add a splash of water until it becomes wet enough to knead into a stretchy consistency.

  Refer to the photos in the blog or the video for more info if you are new to making seitan!
• Form your Seitan into a ball, then let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes. If using an oven, preheat to 350 F.

  Wrap the seitan in some Heavy Duty foil tightly. I recommend using two layers of foil.
• Place on a baking sheet, then bake for 1 hour or until the seitan is around 180 – 200 F internally (using a thermometer), flipping it halfway through.

  For more Cooking Options, check the NOTES section!
• Let the Seitan cool to room temp, then rest in the fridge for 8 hours or OVERNIGHT. This is very important for the final texture to firm up. It will be too soft right out of the oven or instant pot.
• Slice up your Roast Beef with a deli slicer if you got one, a sharp knife or mandolin works too! You can also heat up the slices in a pan, but if they are thin don't cook them for too long or they'll get tough.

  You can also just toss them in a little oil and vinegar if you like, it's optional but delicious!
• Serve on a warm or toasted bun, slather on as much of the Arby's Sauce and Horsey Sauce that you want, pile on that Roast Beef, and dig in!
• ENJOY!

Notes

COOKING OPTIONS

There’s a few ways to cook this seitan recipe!

1. You can pressure cook it on high, in an Instant Pot for 1 hour. Add a cup of water to the Instant Pot and place the wrapped seitan on a steamer basket. Let it natural release for 15 minutes.
2. You can also use a Ham Press (my favorite way as there’s no foil involved and it gives a uniform shape and great texture) If the Ham Press is oven safe, you can bake it at 350 F / 176 C for 1 hour or until the internal temp is 180 – 200 F.
3. If the Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can pressure cook it in the Instant Pot (using the same instructions in Option 1), or you can boil it on the stove top (I would follow the brands instructions) and just make sure the internal temp is 180 – 200 F. 

 

10 TIPS FOR DELI STYLE SEITAN

1. Add more vital wheat gluten or liquid to the dough as needed if it is too wet or dry.
2. Knead (ideally using a Food Processor) until the seitan is stretchy and resists tearing easily. You want to see some good gluten strands!
3. If your food processor is too small to knead all of the seitan at one time, split it in half and knead in 2 batches. Then combine the two halves by simply kneading them together by hand.
4. You can either bake your seitan by wrapping it in 2 layers of heavy duty foil, or you can use an Oven Safe Ham Press. I prefer the ham press because it’s zero waste and will get you a nice compact texture, perfect for deli meats. If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can boil it on the stove top (I recommend following the brands instructions).
5. You can also pressure cook it in an 6 Quart Instant Pot for 1 hour, with a natural release of 15 minutes, either wrapped in foil or in a Ham Press (doesn’t need to be oven safe for Instant Pot).
6. If you can, use a Thermometer and take out the seitan after it reaches 180 – 200 F (82 – 93 C).
7. Let the seitan cool and rest in the foil or ham press. Then refrigerate overnight. This step is crucial in getting a good texture so don’t skip it!
8. To slice the seitan, use either a sharp knife or mandolin, or if you have the space, I highly recommend using a Deli Slicer! If you think you’ll make your own deli meats a lot, this is a worthwhile investment!
9. If for some reason your seitan is a bit undercooked and gummy, you can fry the slices in some oil to finish cooking them.
10. Likewise if the seitan is cooked to your preference, you can coat the slices in a little oil if you like, I find it helps the taste and texture, but it’s totally optional! And you can even fry them for a bit in a pan to warm them up and get them a little browned as well.

Keyword vegan arby’s, vegan arby’s beef, vegan arby’s beef n cheddar

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