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Close up overhead photo of a pile of vegetarian ground beef with a spoon digging into it

Vegetarian Ground Beef Substitute

Brittany Roche
This easy homemade vegan ground beef substitute is made with TVP and is a perfectly meaty sub for your favorite vegan ground meat. A great copycat recipe for all your favorite recipes you would usually use store bought ground or minced meat in. Use it to veganize any recipe calling for ground beef - from the best plant based lasagnas to tacos and everything in between.
4.58 from 7 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Vegan TVP Recipes
Cuisine American
Calories 262 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup melted refined coconut oil
  • 1 small onion finely minced
  • 6 large cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 1/4 cup dry TVP crumbles textured vegetable protein
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp beet powder optional, for color
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp white miso paste

Instructions
 

  • Saute the veggies: Add the refined coconut oil to a large deep non stick pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the minced onions and garlic, stir. Then, add the chili powder, black pepper, cumin, and ground mustard. Stir again until everything is well-coated and continue sauteing for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
  • Rehydrate the TVP: Next, add your TVP, water, beet powder, soy sauce, and miso paste. Stir thoroughly to incorporate everything (especially the miso paste). Then, turn the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10, stirring often.
  • Brown the meat (optional): If you want to brown this vegan ground beef (it depends on what you’re doing with it!), turn the heat to medium high and flatten the ground beef out in the pan. Let it cook, without touching it, for 1 full minute. Then, stir it up. If you want more of a char, repeat this process until it’s cooked to your liking.
  • Serve: Use it to veganize all your favorite recipes that call for ground beef! It can be used in lasagna, tacos, nachos, potstickers, meat pies, stuffed peppers, and even casseroles. Here are some of our own recipes where you can use this vegan ground beef: Veggie Zucchini Lasagna, Vegan Cottage Pie Cupcakes, Homemade Vegan Ravioli, Copycat Vegan Crunchwrap.
  • Store: This makes great leftovers! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, let the vegan ground cool completely before transferring to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. Stored like this, it will be good for up to 3 months. We like to freeze this Vegan Ground Beef in our 1/2 cup or 1 cup Souper Cubes, so we can defrost only what we need.

Notes

Substitution Options

For the miso paste: This adds such a great flavor, so I’d try not to skip it if you can help it. But I know it can be harder to find / order than some of the other ingredients. If this is the case, you can try subbing tomato paste! You may also need to add a little salt to the beef, but wait until the end to taste it and see.
For the beet powder: You can skip the beet powder or use 1-2 Tbsp beet puree. 1/2 Tbsp paprika could also work and would add some color as well as flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup vegan meatCalories: 262kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 18gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 788mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6g
Keyword how to make vegetarian meat from scratch, plant based ground beef, vegan ground beef, vegan ground beef recipe, vegan ground beef substitute, vegetarian ground beef crumbles recipe, vegetarian ground beef substitute
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