Vegan Beef n’ Cheddar

Arby’s is likely never going vegan, so let’s show them how it’s done with a VEGAN BEEF n’ CHEDDAR!

I didn’t got to Arby’s much as a kid, but in my 20s when I moved to LA, I would definitely get some, and I gotta say it got more hate than it deserved! Sure it wan’t gourmet, but after a few drinks when you only got a few bucks it was pretty dang good!

But I gotta say, I think I dig the vegan version even better! The combination of the Red Ranch, the Cheese Sauce and the Roast Beef is pretty incredible!

Ingredients for Vegan Arby’s Beef n’ Cheddar

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 amount of vital wheat gluten as well.
• Mushroom Seasoning – I love this stuff and use it often. You can substitute with Miso Paste as well.
• 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!

Vegan Cheese Sauce

For the cheese sauce, you have two options. The first is to simply melt your favorite vegan cheese with some unsweetened plant milk.

Or if you want to make something richer you can opt for the cheese sauce from my Philly Cheesesteak! The cheesy choice is yours!

Red Ranch

When I first made this years ago, I made it with some Arby’s Sauce and Horsey Sauce. Somebody pointed out that Arby’s actually uses a different sauce on the Beef n’ Cheddar called Red Ranch!

I looked into it and they are correct! I found this recipe on Reddit, and it’s freaking fantastic! It’s zippy and tangy, kinda like Catalina Dressing.

The onion bun

Arby’s serves this on an Onion Bun. The only ones I’ve seen at the stores near me are made by Orowheat, but you can always use whatever hamburger bun you like!

How to Make a Vegan Arby’s Beef n’ Cheddar

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 cheese sauce, you can simply melt some vegan cheese with some unsweetened plant milk. Or you can make the Cheese Sauce from my Vegan Cheesesteak recipe! It’s just making a simple cashew cream and then melting some vegan cheese into it.

For the Red Ranch, you just need to cook the ingredients in a saucepan for about 10 minutes!

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 cheese sauce is best fresh, but you can reheat leftovers gently on the stovetop. I don’t recommend microwaving it.

The Red Ranch will be good for 7 – 10 days, but it’s so good you can eat it on salads or other sandwiches too!

10 Tips for Deli Style 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 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.

More recipes you’ll dig

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

Vegan Arby’s Beef n’ Cheddar

Thee Burger Dude

5 from 10 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)

Cheese Sauce

• 12 oz Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup Plant Milk (Unsweetened)
• OR Cheese Sauce (from my Cheesesteak Recipe)

Red Ranch

• 1 cup Ketchup
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar

Instructions

 

Red Ranch

• Simply combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 10 – 12 minutes. Store in the fridge for an hour.

Cheese Sauce

• For the cheese sauce, I recommend grating your vegan cheese by hand, but either way, simply melt your cheese and add in your plant milk as it melts. Depending on the consistency you want, you'll wanna add in more or less plant milk. I ended up using 12 oz of cheese to 1 cup of plant milk.

  You can also make the Cheese Sauce from my CHEESESTEAK RECIPE!

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 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 Onion Roll (or Hamburger Bun) slather on as much of the Red Ranch Sauce that you want, pile on that Roast Beef, then douse it in the Cheese sauce!
• 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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