Vegan California Cheesesteak
Vegan Carne Asada, Sour Cream, Avocado, Pico de Gallo and of course, seasoned French Fries on a hoagie roll for a California Cheesesteak!
I love California Burritos! They might even be my favorite Burrito of all time. On day I was making one, and then realized I didn’t have tortillas. I had some Hoagie Rolls, and since I wasn’t in the mood to drive to the store or make some tortillas, I decided to load up that roll and thus a California Cheesesteak!
Now of course, this could be a Torta, but I would suggest using the proper roll such as a Bolillo or Telera for that. But in this case a good old fashioned Hoagie Roll will do!
ingredients for a vegan california cheesesteak
THE MEAT – For this sandwich, I’m using my Soy Curl Carne Asada recipe (which I’ve also provided below). That said, you can use whatever vegan protein you like! It’s super customizable!
You could use my Tofu Ground Beef, Tofu Taco Meat, or Seitan Asada, Tofu Grilled Chick’n, literally anything will work! Season it with my Taco Seasoning and add a bit of lime juice and orange juice and you’re good.
THE FRIES – As per usual, I’m gonna recommend using your favorite frozen fries for this. Sure, you can make fries from scratch. But in my book, the time spent is not worth it. So I opt for the frozen fries!
I recommend seasoning them with my Taco Seasoning as well!
SOUR CREAM – Use your favorite Vegan Sour Cream! I like Kite Hill, Forager and Only Plant Based. I also have a recipe for some on my Chipotle Burrito Recipe!
VEGAN CHEESE – Use your favorite vegan cheese shreds! I like Follow Your Heart the best these days! If you want to make it saucy, simply melt the cheese in a saucepan. Add as much unsweetened plant milk as you need to get the desired consistency.
Or make the Cheese Sauce from my Cheesesteak Recipe!
PICO DE GALLO / GUACAMOLE – I’ve had California Burritos with just meat, fries, cheese and sour cream. Some places add some guacamole and pico de gallo. I personally love it all ways, but today I added some freshly made pico and guacamole!
THE ROLL – You could use an Amoroso Roll, or a French Roll. As long as it’s soft on the inside and a little chewy on the outside you should be good!
HOW TO MAKE a Vegan California cheesesteak
This couldn’t be easier! First rehydrate the soy curls in some water for about 10 minutes.
Then squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Make the marinade by combining everything.
Toast the Soy Curls in a pan to dry them out a bit more, then pour over the marinade.
You can add a tablespoon of something like Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet for some color.
Next we just need to reduce the marinade down until it’s mostly absorbed. This will take some time, about 45 minutes or so.
Then you simply need to load up your roll with some vegan sour cream and guacamole, fries, asada, cheese sauce, and pico de gallo, and dig in!
storage
The Asada and Pico de Gallo can be stored in the fridge and eat within 3 – 5 days. Fries and Guacamole are best as fresh as possible. If you have extra of those just have some on the side, or make another sandwich for your neighbor!
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Vegan California Cheesesteak
Ingredients
Sandwich
- 4 Hoagie Rolls
- 2 cups Shredded Vegan Cheese *
- 1/2 – 1 cup Vegan Sour Cream
Soy Curl Asada
- 8 oz Dried Soy Curls (1 bag)
Marinade
- 2 cups Beefless Broth (or veggie broth)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire (vegan)
- 2 Tbsp Mushroom Seasoning (I used Imperial Taste Brand) (or 2 tsp Miso Paste)
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses (optional)
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Tbsp Diced Chipotle in Adobo
- 1/4 cup White Vinegar
- 6 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 6 Tbsp Orange Juice
- 4 – 6 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 -2 Jalapeños (small dice)
- 1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne
Pico de Gallo
- 2 Medium Tomatoes (diced)
- 1 Jalapeño (diced)
- 1/2 Medium Onion (diced)
- Juice of 1/2 – 1 Lime
- 1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
- Salt to taste
Guacamole
- 3 Avocados (mashed)
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Diced Jalapeños
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Cilantro
- Salt, Cayenne, Cumin (to taste)
Instructions
Soy Curl Asada
- Rehydrate the soy curls by covering them in some water for about 10 minutes.
- While soy curls are hydrating, prepare the marinade by adding the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Strain your soy curls, and using your bare hands, squeeze out the excess water. You want them to be as dry as possible.
- Sauté your soy curls in a pan over medium heat in a bit of oil for about 6 minutes or so, until slightly browned.
- Add in the marinade and reduce down to your desired consistency, should take about 30 – 45 minutes. Keep warm on low.
PICO DE GALLO
- Combine everything in a bowl and season to taste.
GUACAMOLE
- Mash the avocado and combine everything in a bowl and season to taste.
Fries
- Bake or Air Fry your Frozen Fries according to the instructions. Season with Taco Seasoning! You can also Deep Fry them if you wish. Bring a pot of neutral oil (like Vegetable, Peanut or Canola) up to 375 F. Carefully add the fries in batches and fry until golden brown. Remove and season immediately with the Taco Seasoning. Let them rest on a wire rack.
Sandwich
- Split your roll in half, leaving a hinge. You can hollow it out a bit if desired. Then layer vegan sour cream on one side, and the guacamole on the other, then add fries, asada, cheese (sauce), and pico de gall. Roll up the sandwich in deli paper if desired. Enjoy!
I just made a hybrid version of this (Tofu/California Cheesesteak because I don’t love soy curls) and it was epic. The tofu is so well seasoned. I forgot to add fries to it so that’s something to look forward to later when I make another one with what I’ve got left over.
This dish looks so good that I can’t even believe how simple it is!