Slow-Cooker Vegan Corned Beef

Make this vegan corned beef for your St Patrick’s Day feast, or any time! Serve it with cabbage and potatoes any time you want a good hearty main dish for dinner! (It also makes amazing vegan corned beef reuben sandwiches!) This meaty homemade seitan recipe – with beets for that bright pink color – is made in your slow cooker before being baked with a black pepper crust. The result is 100% worth the time that goes into it!


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Let’s get in the kitchen, pour ourselves a drink, and turn up the Irish music. We’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day vegan-style with this delicious recipe for Vegan Corned Beef!

For those of you who aren’t already familiar, corned beef & cabbage with boiled or mashed potatoes is a dish many Irish-Americans see as a quintessential component of their St Patrick’s Day traditions. 

During the weeks leading up to the feast day, we see this dish listed as a special at almost every Irish pub in Philly. So obviously, we had to make our own! And friend, it is the real deal.

How to Make Traditional Corned Beef Vegan

Traditionally, corned beef is made by taking a fatty piece of beef and soaking it in a salty / vinegary brine for several days. Because this brine often contains nitrites, the meat has a bright pink color for which it’s known. 

It’s then often glazed or rubbed with some fresh black pepper and pickling spice blend and baked low & slow. All this results in a tender roast with an incredible flavor. It’s like the Irish version of beef brisket.

For our corned beef meat alternative, we kept a lot of the methods and flavor of the traditional way but updated the ingredients. Once again, this recipe is the real thing and proves that one need not surrender one’s ethics in favor of one’s traditions. 

Also, leftovers are perfect the next day on some rye bread with a little vegan Swiss cheese and vegan Russian dressing for an amazing Reuben! Possibly my favorite sandwich. I also think it would make an amazing vegan meat substitute for corned beef hash.

Vegan Corned Beef that is as meaty and flavorful as any non-vegan version we've ever had but made from seitan in the slow-cooker! The gorgeous color comes from beet puree, a much healthier alternative that still kicks ass. #vegan #seitan #plantbased #crockpot

Ingredients for Vegan Corned Beef

The ingredients list for this seitan corned beef may look long, but a lot of it is spices and simple stuff, so don’t let yourself get overwhelmed too quickly! 

I’ll walk you through an overview of what you need for each component of the recipe. But remember the full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below!

For the beet puree, you’ll need: A can of sliced or whole beets. Make sure you don’t get candied beets!

To make the seitan itself, you’ll need:

  • Vital wheat gluten – This is a key ingredient in all seitan recipes! You can sometimes find this at the grocery store in either the “natural foods” section or with the flour and other baking ingredients. We usually order it in bulk online. Popular brands we use: Bob’s Red Mill and Anthony’s Goods.
  • All-purpose flour – Instead of chickpea flour or nutritional yeast, try adding some all-purpose flour to your seitan dough. It sounds totally weird, but it improves the texture by leaps and bounds. No more chewy, tough seitan! We got this tip from Connie’s Rawsome Kitchen on Youtube and highly reccomend following her if you want to get better at making seitan!
  • Brown sugar – Feel free to reduce or cut this if you want, but I like the slightly sweet balance it adds.
  • Seasonings: sea salt, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, and ground mustard
  • Refined coconut oil – Melted. Make sure you get a coconut oil lableed “refined” and not one labeled “unrefined” or “virgin”. If your seitan tastes like coconuts, this is where you went wrong!

For the spice rub, you’ll need: Ground black pepper, sea salt, ground mustard, ground allspice

For the brine, you’ll need:

  • Reserved water from canned beets – Reserve that canned beet water! Adding this to the crockpot when you cook your roast will help amp up the color (which will fade when it cooks)
  • Water
  • Beet puree
  • Mushrooms – These are optional. They just add a nice earthy flavor to our vegan meat!
  • Garlic cloves – Crushed. No need to chop, these are just for flavor!
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Ground black pepper and sea salt
  • Allspice berries (whole spices)
  • Ground mustard

A Note for Beet-Haters

But for my beet-haters out there, I feel it’s important to let you know that the end result does not at all taste like a beet. 

Trust me. I’m someone who has to hold her nose when cooking beets because the five-year-old picky eater in me just simply cannot. 

But I do know how healthy they are, so I’m super pumped I found a way to make them virtually unrecognizable but still attain some of the awesome health benefits. Always a score with that one!

How to Make Vegan Corned Beef

This recipe definitely takes some time and planning ahead, but I can say from experience it is worth it!

A grid with three photos showing the process of blending beets to make beet puree

Step 1: Make the beet puree.

First, get your beet puree ready: Open your cans and drain the water out of each of them, reserving it in a bowl for the brine. Then, add all the sliced beets to your food processor and blend until a puree is formed. Set this aside for now.

A grid with three photos showing the process of making corned beef seitan dough

Step 2: Make the seitan dough.

Next, you’ll make the seitan dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten, flour, and all the spices. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in your melted refined coconut oil and 2/3 cup of the beet puree. Stir until combined. Then, get in there and knead the dough with your hands for about a minute.

A grid with three photos showing the process of adding a spice rub to a seitan roast and wrapping it in plaastic

Step 3: Add the rub.

Add the rub: ​Cut a piece of plastic wrap into a large rectangle and sprinkle on a pinch of black pepper, ground mustard, ground allspice, and sea salt. Place the seitan dough on top of the seasonings and sprinkle the spices again on top of the loaf. 

Then, wrap the seitan dough tightly and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. I know this extra step makes the process that much longer, but a little planning ahead can go a long way. After we tried this tip, our seitan texture rocked.

A grid with three photos showing the process of cooking a vegan corned beef roast in a slow cooker

Step 4: Slow cook the vegan corned beef.

Slow-Cooker: While your dough rests, get your brine ready by adding all the ingredients to your slow cooker and turn it on low. 

When time’s up, take your seitan out of the fridge, unwrap it, and add it to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 hours, then flip and cook on high for another 2 hours.

A grid with three photos showing the process of crusting a seitan roast with black pepper in a baking dish

Step 5: Prep the seitan corned beef for baking.

Prep for the oven: When the seitan has about 15 minutes left in the slow cooker, preheat your oven to 275F and grease a 9×9 casserole dish. 

Sprinkle 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt into the bottom of the baking dish and carefully place your roast on top of it. Take about 1/4 cup of liquid from the slow cooker and pour it on top of the roast. Then, sprinkle it with another 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt.

Step 6: Bake the seitan.

Bake the corned beef seitan: Pop that baby in the oven and bake at 275F for 45 minutes. Then, use a spatula to carefully flip the roast, pour another 1/4 cup of liquid from the slow cooker on top, and once again sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for another 45 minutes.

Step 7: Finish and enjoy!

Finishing Touches: When the time is up, allow your roast to cool at room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before you slice it. 

Serve with cabbage & boiled potatoes for an awesome traditional meal. Enjoy!

Head on photo of a partially sliced vegan corned beef seitan roast on a wood cutting board

Seitan Corned Beef Tips and Tricks

This seitan recipe is a bit different from ones we have posted in the past, thanks in part to the AMAZING Connie from Connie’s RAWsome Kitchen on YouTube.

If you’re looking for some serious outside-the-box cooking inspiration, she’s totally your girl!

Here’s what we learned from Connie that helped make this dish incredible:

  • Once your seitan dough is made, wrap it in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least an hour. I knowww this makes the process that much longer, but a little planning ahead can go a long way. After we tried this tip, our seitan texture rocked.
  • Have FUN with it! Sometimes, especially when developing recipes starts to become your actual job , you forget that cooking is supposed to be fun and experimental. Mistakes and miracles are both going to happen when you pursue anything remotely creative (and I 100% believe cooking is a creative endeavor). But you can’t be so afraid of the mistakes that you stop trying new things. If you do that, you’ll never get to the miracles. And this vegan corned beef recipe is one of the miracles, btw. 
  • Embrace the beet! Connie also uses beets in many of her seitan recipes like we did in this seitan ham roast. That’s something I knew I definitely wanted to do for this corned beef. It’s the perfect way to add that iconic bright pink color to your vegan corned beef, sans the terrifying effects of nitrites. Seriously, Google search that stuff. It’s pretty frightening.

More Vegan Seitan Recipes

If you try this recipe for St Patrick’s Day or anytime, we would LOVE to know how it went and see your beautiful creations!

You can rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in your drool-worthy photos on Instagram. If you’re not already following, we’re @theplantpowercouple, with the ‘the’. 

We hope you enjoy this vegan corned beef recipe as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Happy St Patrick’s Day, friends!

Yield: 6 servings

Vegan Corned Beef Seitan

Overhead photo of a vegan corned beef roast with slices arranged to the side of it on a wood cutting board

Make this vegan corned beef for your Saint Patrick's Day feast served with cabbage and potatoes or any time you want a good hearty main dish for dinner! (It also makes amazing vegan reuben sandwiches!) This meaty homemade seitan recipe - with beets for that bright pink color -  is made in your slow cooker before being baked with a black pepper crust. The result is 100% worth the time that goes into it!

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the beet puree:

  • 2 (15 oz) cans sliced beets

For the seitan:

  • 1 cup + 2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/8 tsp ground mustard
  • 2/3 cup beet puree
  • 1/3 cup refined coconut oil , melted*

For the rub:

  • Ground black pepper
  • sea salt
  • ground mustard
  • ground allspice

For the brine:

  • reserved water from canned beets
  • 1 cup water
  • 2/3 cup beet puree
  • 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped (optional)
  • 2 - 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp allspice berries
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard

Instructions

  1. First, get your beet puree ready: Open your cans and drain the water out of each of them, reserving it in a bowl for the brine. Then, add all the sliced beets to your food processor and blend until a puree is formed. Set this aside for now.
  2. Next, make your seitan dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten, flour, and all the spices. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in your melted refined coconut oil and 2/3 cup of the beet puree. Stir until combined. Then, get in there and knead the dough with your hands for about a minute.
  3. Add the rub: Cut a piece of plastic wrap into a large rectangle and sprinkle on a pinch of black pepper, ground mustard, ground allspice, and sea salt. Place the seitan dough on top of the seasonings and sprinkle the spices again on top of the loaf. Then, wrap the seitan dough tightly and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
  4. Slow cook: While your dough rests, get your brine ready by adding all the ingredients to your slow cooker and turn it on low. When time's up, take your seitan out of the fridge, unwrap it, and add it to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 hours, then flip and cook on high for another 2 hours.
  5. Transfer to oven: When the seitan has about 15 minutes left in the slow cooker, preheat your oven to 275F and grease a 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt into the bottom of the baking dish and carefully place your roast on top of it. Take about 1/4 cup of liquid from the slow cooker and pour it on top of the roast. Then, sprinkle it with another 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt.
  6. Bake: Pop that baby in the oven and bake at 275F for 45 minutes. Then, use a spatula to carefully flip the roast, pour another 1/4 cup of liquid from the slow cooker on top, and once again sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for another 45 minutes.
  7. When the time is up, allow your roast to cool for at least 20-30 minutes before you slice it. Serve with cabbage & boiled potatoes for an awesome traditional meal. Enjoy!

Notes

*It's super important here to use coconut oil labeled "refined" and NOT one labeled "unrefined" or "virgin". Refined coconut oil has none of the coconut taste. Also be sure to melt your coconut oil carefully on the stove or microwave before you measure it.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 6 weeks!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/6 the roast

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 203Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 966mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not always be accurate.

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113 Comments

  1. What are you thoughts about pressure cooking vs. slow cooking on this recipe? Yes I'm making it today LOL
    1. Hey, Amanda! We haven't tested the recipe in a pressure cooker and don't know much about them to be honest. But I know so many people who swear by making seitan in their Instant Pots, so I can see it being awesome! Let us know how it goes/went! :)
    2. Here is how I pressure cooked mine, I made it several times this way and it always came out perfectly: Put the roast in the pressure cooker and cover with the brine, pressure cook on high for 25 minutes then roast as directed in the notes.
  2. I can't believe how good this is! Mine did not turn out pink despite using beet puree and liquid but I dont care. The flavor and texture are wonderful! I'm looking forward to using leftovers in a reuben!
    1. Yay!! I am jumping for joy reading this. So happy you enjoyed the recipe as much as we did! The pink color is so hit or miss, some people get no color and others have a REALLY BRIGHT pink. That's definitely a mystery we'll be working on in the future! :) But super pumped to hear you enjoyed the flavor and texture regardless.
    2. Trying this today for the first time! It smells right so far! Any thoughts on when to add potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and onions? I'm debating whether adding more liquid and roasting them in the oven step would be right (1.5hrs at 275), or putting the veg in the crockpot on high while the loaf is in the oven for 1.5 hours?
  3. I did not like this recipe. It smelled so good and looks amazing. It really looks like meat. However it’s sweet and does not taste at all like the essence of corned beef. I see the point of the coconut oil because it looks like marbled fat in the loaf but that with the sugar made it taste like a dessert loaf and I think made it veer farthest from what I wanted. I’m also probably extra salty because it took so many hours to create! I cooked it right next to actual corned beef so I could tell at that point when mine smelled sweet and his smelled salty/sour it’d be off. I realllly want someone to create a loaf that tastes like the real thing cause it was one of my faves back in the meat eating days. PS I think this would make an excellent start for a tri tip or roast because of the look and texture, if you added beef seasonings and nixed the sugar!
    1. Hi, Shannon! Glad to hear you dug the smell and texture but sorry the flavor wasn't what you had hoped. That's the awesome thing about seitan recipes though - you can use the base recipe and adjust what you want more or less of. Hope you find your perfect vegan corned beef soon! Also, and I don't know if this is the case for your situation or not, but always be sure to use refined coconut oil for savory recipes like this, as unrefined will definitely give it that strong coconut / dessert-like quality. Good luck with your future seitan endeavors!
      1. This was delicious, but I will cut back on the salt and pepper, just slightly! Thanks!!!
    2. Shannon, I've been a vegetarian all my life and I've only had one type of vegan corned beef, made by Worthington Foods. My husband and I absolutely love making reubens with it, but it's difficult to find these days. I've been looking for a good vegan recipe, so I look forward to trying this one.
    1. Coconut oil naturally hardens at low temperatures. For this recipe, unless it's warm enough where you are that the oil is already in a liquid state, you want to melt your coconut oil before measuring it by heating it in the microwave or carefully on a stove. :)
  4. I tried making this for my meat-eating parents and vegan husband. I doubled the recipe. I liked it quite a lot. Parents hated it. Husband picked up on the cinnamon and thought it tasted like a pancake. It was not a hit. Perhaps if I ever try making this again I won't use cinnamon or sugar-- I found it to be too sweet.
    1. Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear this. :( I had another comment saying it was too sweet as well, which is strange because every time I've made it, I didn't have that problem. Did you use refined coconut oil or unrefined? I could totally see it being weirdly sweet with the unrefined coconut oil!
  5. I am going to try this recipe this week! I read the reviews and I believe they did use unrefined coconut oil, which would not be good in this recipe! I also read that it was made for a carnivore! I have found carnivores do not like faux meat unless it's in a chili or smothered in sauce. When I became a vegetarian (now vegan) I did not like faux meat, because it simply isn't the same. It's important that people realize this is NOT going to be just like the meat they are used to, just like vegan cheese will not taste like dairy cheese, They simply are not the same! I have become a big fan of seitan since I became vegan. Since I have not had meat in 6 years, seitan is amazing to me! I am giving you 5 stars for effort, and for being kind. I will rate the recipe again after I try it. It sounds delicious!
  6. Hello I want to try this for Xmas and I'm wondering if I can substitute refined coconut oil for any other vegetable oil... Thanks in advance
    1. Hi, Nancy! The refined coconut oil is pretty critical for the texture of this roast. I haven't tested it with anything else; it could work, but the texture will definitely be a little different.
  7. I made this for Thanksgiving and even the meat eaters liked it. I'm making it again for Christmas. Do you think it can be made ahead and froze until Christmas?
    1. Yay! So happy to hear this, Kristen! You can definitely make and freeze it ahead of time. I'd let it thaw completely and then reheat it in the oven, wrapped in foil, at 300F for about 20 minutes. Hope it's a big hit again at Christmas!
    2. Hello. Do you know how much this weighs after its cooked? Trying to make for a group of people, need to make a large amount . Love this recipe btw, thank you!
      1. Hi, Erica. While we've never actually weighed it, we believe it should serve four-five people. If you're looking to feed more than that, I'd suggest doubling the recipe and cutting it into two loaves. Also, if your crockpot is large enough to hold both simultaneously, you'll want to increase the liquid content as well. Sorry we can't be more specific, but hope this helps.
  8. Hey! Happy New Year! Mine turned out great although I didn’t have the allspice. I used some Tuscan seasoning but it looks like yours and tasted good. For the people who said theirs turned out too sweet, i wonder if they used pickled beets instead of plain?
  9. I made this today, one of the best seitan recipes so far. High points on texture, color and taste, I will make it again! I had it with cabbage and potatoes :)
  10. I'm used to having corned beef out of a slow cooker in the broth (made with the corning spices packet that usually comes with the corned beef from the supermarket) with my cabbage, potatoes, etc. After baking this would it hold up if I put in a slow cooker broth with veggies to get the same effect?
    1. Hi, Will! I'd suggest cooking the cabbage and potatoes as you normally would and then pouring that liquid over the sliced roast, rather than adding it to the slow-cooker again which could negatively affect the texture. You could also try baking the finished slices in the oven to dry them out a bit before adding the seitan to your slow-cooker. Either way, I wouldn't leave it in the liquid for a long period of time!
    1. Hi, Ellen! It serves about 4-6 people depending on how you're slicing / using it. We can get about 6 sandwiches out of it or 4 servings when sliced thick and served with cabbage and potatoes.
    2. Currently resting in the fridge . Crockpot is ready with the brine. Looking rd to end result. And making some ruebens tomorrow. I will post the results tomorrow. I'm confident it will be awesome.
  11. I’m so excited to make this recipe! If I was to speed up the cook time a little, how would you suggest doing that? Thank you!
    1. Yay, Suzie! We're so excited for you! :) We have not tried to speed up the cooking time on this one because we wanted it to be as close to the original process as possible - which takes a loooong time but is so worth it in the resulting taste and texture. You can totally cut the fridge time down to 30-60 minutes and mayyybe cook the roast on high in the slow cooker to shave an hour or so off, but be careful because we found even the slightest change in cooking time / temp can result in a major change in texture. If you try any changes, be sure to keep an eye on it and check the texture regularly!
  12. Wow!!!! Just absolutely wow!!I haven’t had a Reuben sandwich (my favourite) in 14 years and this was so authentic, delicious and even all the non-vegetarians at the table said it was incredibly like a Reuben. I got some great pictures but I can’t see a way to post them here. Definitely being added to my favourites in my recipe box thank you so much for this!!
  13. I'm planning to make this for St.PD. Can I make it ahead and store in the fridge? How would you reheat it? Thanks, Jenny
    1. Hi, Jenny! You can totally make it ahead of time. We suggest saving the roasting portion for day-of, but if you want to pre-roast it a bit and just finish it off the day of, that should work too. For leftovers, we'd reheat at 350F wrapped in foil or in a covered baking dish for 15-20 minutes or until just heated through. Hope you enjoy it!
  14. How well does this keep? I’m considering making it for an event but would need to prepare it the night before.
    1. Hi, Chelsie! If you're preparing it the night before, I'd suggest storing it in the fridge in an air-tight container after you take it out of the slow-cooker and do the roasting portion the day-of. You can also partially roast it the night before and just finish it off in the oven the next day. We've had good results with both!
    1. Hi, Joanne! Unfortunately, it can be tough to make a good gluten-free seitan, but there are quite a few recipes out there if you'd like to experiment with it a bit! Just type "gluten-free seitan recipe" into Google. You may also want to look up Skye Michael Conroy's book on seitan because I believe he includes quite a few soy-based vegan meat recipes that don't include gluten. I hope that helps! :)
  15. Thank you Brittany! Sounds good! I'm making 2 of them 1 today another tomorrow. Gotta have leftovers for a vegan Reuben! Jenny
  16. Thanks for very tasty, easy recipe! Turns out good each time. For today, I left it on low in slow cooker overnight, just to try it, so maybe 6 hours total. Then baked as directed. Less marinade to spoon over while baking, yet still moist, & flavorful.
    1. Yay, Bernadette! I'm so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for sharing the tip about cooking it overnight! SO helpful, especially for a busy week.
  17. I'm in the crockpot stage right now! I only have an 8x8 dish. Do you think it's going to make a difference? Should I put less liquid in just to be safe?
  18. This was great! Definitely the best texture of any seitan I’ve ever made! Only change I’d make would be leaving out the brown sugar and maybe adding a little soy sauce to make it a bit more savory. Other than that, I loved it!
  19. Made this today for St. PD and it was a hit!! It was my first time making seitan and this was a super easy recipe to follow! After reading some comments I added a little less cinnamon than you called for...I have to admit to me it didn’t have a strong corned beef taste, but I think I may have also gone a little too shy on the mustard and allspice! Loved the taste and texture so much however! Thanks for sharing it 😊
    1. CONGRATS on making your first seitan, Tara! I'm pumped to hear how well it went for you. Feel free to play around with the spices a bit and let us know if you come up with something cool. We love hearing new ideas!
  20. Thanks so much for this kickass recipe! It was super easy and turned out amazing! I have a pic but cant seem to post it
    1. You are so welcome, Nancy! I'm so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe; it's possibly my favorite. :) If you use Instagram, tag @theplantpowercouple in the photo or send it via DM. I'd love to see it!
  21. I was so excited to try this recipe. My mom has made corned beef every year for St. Patrick’s day for as long as I can remember. I was super excited when I made the dough and it looked like it would turn out just like corned beef. I think I hyped myself up too much though, because in the end, I sort of felt like I was eating a veggie dog with a little bit of corned beef seasoning. I feel that way with a lot of seitan recipes I’ve tried though. I guess I have too strong of an association between seitan flavor and commercial veggie dogs. I did use an instant pot for 30 minutes on high with quick release instead of slow cooking, and that fully cooked it, but I’m not sure how it affected the texture because I haven’t tried it any other way. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m not sure I’ll make it again, but I definitely want to incorporate features from this into other vegan meat attempts.
  22. How do you think this would hold up in a soup? I saw a corned beef soup recipe and looked for a vegan corned 'beef' to try this winter. I love Reubens and look forward to giving it a try!
    1. Oooh, LOVE the idea of a corned beef soup. The only potential problem I can think of is the salt + pepper crust might fall off the seitan and affect the flavor of the soup. That may not be a bad thing but definitely something to keep in mind!
  23. Delicious! I'm a long time vegetarian, so I've made my own seitan for many years. I never actually ate corned beef in my carnivore days. But recently we tried a commerically made vegan corned beef and it was pretty tasty. Naturally, that sent me on a quest for a recipe to make my own. In my experience secret to soft seitan is cooking for a long time at a low temp- boiling makes it rubbery. Your idea to slow roast it at a low temp really put the texture on this over the top! And it smelled amazing while cooking! Thank you!
  24. Hi, Fresh beetroot is much easier to come by than canned where I am- do you think it would work for this recipe? Was thinking I could boil and then blend
    1. I don't know if I have enough experience cooking with fresh beetroot to answer this. My first thought is I would worry it could throw off the wet / dry ingredient ratio, but if you don't mind playing around with it, I say give it a try! And let us know if you do! :)
  25. Just curious. I've got a big jar of pickled beets, and I'm wondering if they would work, since some of the spices are the same. Pickled beets aren't the same as candied beets, right?
    1. Hi, Wanda! I've never tried this recipe with pickled beets, nor do I know too much about cooking with them, but I would worry the added spices in them might make the flavor too intense. You could, of course, play around with adjusting the seasonings in the recipe (let us know if you do!). But I would stick with the canned beets if you want to be safe!
  26. This looks interesting, thanks for posting. I'm considering doing this but with a minor tweak. I have some brine fermented beets , and would like to use those. Do you happen to know about how much volume or weight of the reserved canned beet water adds up to?
    1. Hi, James! The reserved water in the simmering broth is really just for added color, so if you don't mind a less intense color, you can just replace it with an extra 3/4 cup water. Let us know if you try it and how the fermented beets worked. We've never tried this recipe with fermented beets, so I honestly can't say how it will affect the flavor!
  27. Any thoughts on doubling the brine and cooking potatoes, carrots and cabbage in the slowcooker with the seitan?
  28. Made this amazing recipe couple of days ago n then created the best reubens I've ever had. Wow, now just tripled the recipe n making reubens for all my fellow volunteers up at the animal Sanctuary tomorrow. I've made many seitan dishes but this corned "beef" is by far the best. Thank you❣🌱🙏🏽
  29. Absolutely wonderful! Thank you! Prepped sriram night before. Added about a tablespoon of vegan worcestershire sauce. Also added about a tablespoon of homemade chicken “picking spice” Only did one hour on high in the slow cooker and 35 min each side in oven. And 10 minute rest before eat. Also turned up the oven at the end to finish off potatoes. Delicious! Wish I could post a pic!
  30. I made this yesterday for St Pat's, it was very good. I didn't have canned beets so i used fresh. It worked out very well, mine was much pinker than your pics. I boiled the beets then peeled and pureed them. I have made other things with seitan, I have long thought what most recipes are missing is sugar and fat, in terms of mimicking meat. I will be making this again, thanks! Also I had leftover sauteed mushrooms, which i pureed and added to the brine, fwiw.
    1. I'm so happy to hear it worked well with fresh beets, Robert. Thank you!! And I am 100% with you on the missing sugar and fat (and salt!) in a lot of seitan recipes. Glad you enjoyed our recipe! :)
  31. I already posted but I read some of the other reviews, one other thing I did was I didn't have ground allspice or mustard, so I ground up mustard seed and allspice for this recipe. It makes a huge difference because pre-ground spices dry out over time, if anything the allspice stood out above everything else, next time i make it I might omit from the rub, or just use one berry for the rub since its also in the roast and the brine.
  32. Great Recipe and fun to make! I made this yesterday and it was incredible! I used olive oil because that’s what I had and I cooked it in the brine in my instant pot for 30 min each side for anyone wanting to know if that works...it cuts 3 hours off cook time.
  33. Very first time I made and it was champ! Very good it so took long hours wait for ready meal, it was worth it! Want to share what I made, thank you so happy more vegan food!
  34. Made this today and it was the best Seitan I have ever made. Takes forever but it's totally worth it!
  35. Hello Brittany, I have a question: Do you think instead of making the seitan I could follow the rest of this recipe and sub tofu? Meaning, make the marinade and rub but use it on extra firm tofu rather than the seitan? I tried another corned beef recipe with tofu and I LOVE the texture but the brine that went with it just made it taste really salty, no other flavor. I'm very into textures lol and seitan has just never really been my thing but your recipe looks really good and I'd love to try it in some way.
    1. Hi, Gretchen, T here. Sorry for the delay in responding, but we really wanted to give this some thought before answering. Obviously, as I'm sure you're already aware, amounts and cook-times would need to be adjusted for the tofu, but honestly, I can't think of why it wouldn't work. If texture is your issue, I completely understand; but this recipe does make a very dense, nicely textured seitan that's not too rubbery or chewy like some others. You may want to half the recipe and give it a shot if you think it might be worth trying. Who knows? You might be pleasantly surprised. If you do go the tofu route, we'd be VERY interested in hearing how it works out. Could be a great option for GF folks. Thanks and have a great day!
  36. Made this today. It turned out great. Many compliments from my wife and even the kids enjoyed it. Thanks Eddie
  37. Thanks for reaching out to let us know, Eddie! We are so glad to hear you all liked it! Kids are always the toughest but most honest critics, so we're super happy to hear that as well!
  38. Can I cook my own beets for this rather than canned? I get a CSA box of veggies weekly and have beets to spare!! Thanks
      1. I steamed my fresh beets, peeled and chopped them, then cooked them for a little in what I thought would be about the amount of water in a can of beets. They pureed up nicely. It worked great. I finished the recipe today and just tested it. It is a bit too salty, (and I love salt) but I think with added potatoes and cabbage it will be alright. My son is eager to try it with sauerkraut for a reuben. Happy Paddy's day!
          1. This is easily the most delicious, tender seitan I've ever made. The time and effort is 100% worth it. I used the leftover brine as a gravy after reducing it down a bit.
  39. Can I make this on a stove top? I don’t have a pressure cooker, InstaPot or crockpot. If yea, how long do you think I should cook it for? Thanks
    1. Hi, Caroline. We haven't made this particular recipe on the stovetop, so I'm a little hesitant to say for sure it would work. I'm going to attach the recipe for our seitan ham, which is steamed then baked. I think the process used for the ham should be okay to use with the corned beef. If you end up making it using this method, I'd love to hear how it turned out. --- T https://www.plantpowercouple.com/recipes/vegan-ham/
  40. This was my first attempt at making a seitan roast. The texture was perfect, it was moist and very flavorful, but it was a tad peppery for my taste - perhaps I was too heavy on my sprinkles! Regardless, it was delicious. I served it with a homemade mustard sauce and colcannon potatoes on the side, using veggie bacon. I will definitely make this roast again and really enjoyed a new creative kitchen experience! Thank you for this great recipe :)
  41. 5 Star GOODNESS! I should have made two . . delicious warm and cold! Nailed the brine! Great flavor! Thank you for this great recipe!
  42. This was fantastic! It was a more involved seitan than others I have made but it was worth it. It was slightly drier than I wish, but it was fantastic with mashed potatoes. I made a few adjustments but it worked really well. Instead of canned beets, I steamed three medium beets and then pureed. It was right around the right amount. I saved the steaming liquid (though there wasn't much left, so next time, I'll use a bigger pot and more liquid). I used veg broth instead of water. I used olive oil instead of coconut because I only had virgin coconut oil, not refined. And I adjusted some of the spices based on what I had (mustard seeds instead of ground mustard, couldn't find my pestle; used some nutmeg because I didn't have allspice; maybe a few other things, can't remember). It was really good. Partner and oldest daughter (9) loved it!
  43. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have made it twice. It's sooooo worth all the time and effort. Also, it freezes well. I live alone, so, I cut into fourths and thaw as needed. I am wondering if I could play around and make other "flavors" using this method. For example, BBQ Beef or Rosemary Garlic Roast Beef. If so, I would you recommend I adapt? Should I add the ingredients and brine the same way?
    1. Hi there! Thank you so much for the compliments! Really appreciate it! You can definitely play around with associative flavors for a variety of dishes. The basic gist will still be the same, but you may find you simply need to tweak things here and there to your personal tastes. Hope this helps!
    1. Great question, Jeff! For the dressing, we make our own and use a vegan mayo for the base. (But I believe there may be DF versions on the market.) As for the cheese, there are multiple companies currently making plant-based Swiss (and some comparable to Swiss in taste and texture, like Chao Creamy Original) that are fantastic on the Reuben! Hope this answers your question! Thanks for reaching out!
  44. I agree 100%! People expect vegan "meat" to taste like the real thing. It doesn't! But that doesn't mean it's not delicious.
  45. I have made this several times, I use my instant pot to shorten the cooking time of a slow cooker. It so good that I now make two at a time twice a year for St Patty's Day and Easter. It is delicious cold too! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
    1. I'm so glad you like it! And I bet the time is shortened with that InstaPot... We just got one a little while ago, but have yet to use it. Very soon though! Anyway, thank you so much for reaching out, and I'm so very happy you enjoy it!
  46. Finally made this for st. Patrick's day this year and absolutely loved it. My boyfriend and I could have eaten the whole loaf in one sitting it was that good! Texture was scary perfect. I used a little less sugar and more tamari based on previous comments just to make sure it was savory and I'm pretty sure that wasn't necessary. I can't wait to try your pineapple ham seitan next!
  47. First, it is just plain delicious! Closest to corned beef I have tasted, though also somewhat reminiscent of pastrami, too. Texture is great, though honestly all good seitan still has a hint of rubber compared with meat – which is fine, better than eating meat! Will definitely make it again. Second, it is clear you two have put a lot of thought into crafting this recipe. The beets, flour, the oil, and tomato sauce – everything is there for a reason. The low+slow cooking . . .this is a very intelligently-designed recipe that results in a great final product. I tried two other corned beef recipes from the web (one of them I made a second time with tweaks) and they could not hold a candle to yours. Third, to compare cooking methods, I made this twice. First time, I cooked it exactly as written. The second time, I cooked it in the Instant Pot prior to baking (manual 25 minutes per side, in the brine, no trivet, rapid release). The slow-cooker method was maybe 10% better texture than the IP method. And for those who are still skeptical . . .not even a *hint*of beet in the final product :)
    1. Thank you so much for the thoughtful compliments, Eric. We're both so happy you enjoyed this so much! I'm also very grateful for your IP method. I'm sure many of our other readers had wondered about that, and I love how detailed and helpful your instructions will be for them. Again, just thank you for the very kind words. It's really appreciated. I hope you have a great day!

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