Meatless Veggie Crumbles
Meatless Veggie Crumbles can be used to enhance so many plant-based dishes! With only 4 simple ingredients, they’re so easy to make and are way tastier than anything you can buy at the store.
You’ll Never Miss Eating Meat Once You Try These Veggie Crumbles!
These meatless crumbles have that rich umami flavor you normally find in ground meat. You can enjoy them just the way we make it or doctor up the seasonings however you like (I’ve provided some ideas in the blog post below!).
Here’s why you need to make a batch of these crumbles:
- Great for meal prep: One of my favorite things about these veggie crumbles is that they freeze unbelievably well. I like to keep plenty in my freezer, ready to add to recipes when it is needed.
- Versatile: Add these crumbles to your favorite vegan lasagna, tacos, pizza, burritos, and pasta sauces. The options are limitless!
- Easy to customize: I kept the flavor of these crumbles mild so that you can customize the taste to your liking. I like to add herbs such as parsley, rosemary, and thyme for recipes that would normally use chicken or pork. For beef, I prefer adding paprika and cumin.
The 4 Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vital Wheat Gluten: A fantastic ingredient for making mock meat. It’s almost tasteless, which gives you a lot of options for flavor combinations. I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand, which you can find in the health food section of most grocery stores, but I also buy vital wheat gluten in bulk to save money.
- All-Purpose Flour: Adding a little flour improves the consistency and flavor of the meatless crumbles.
- Vegetable stock: My preferred liquid for this recipe. You can substitute the vegetable stock with water and add in a little vegetable bouillon if you prefer, but vegetable stock makes it really easy.
- Braggs Liquid Aminos: A vegan soy sauce alternative that you can find in the health food section of most grocery stores.
Gluten-free option: Replace the vital wheat gluten and all-purpose flour with chopped walnuts or chopped soy curls.
How to Make Your Own Veggie Crumbles
- Mix together the ingredients. I always whisk together the dry ingredients before incorporating the wet.
- Knead for several minutes. This activates the gluten and gives your mock meat a nice chewiness.
- Wrap in cheesecloth. Be sure to spray the cheesecloth with non-stick spray first so the mock meat doesn’t stick to it.
- Steam for 45 minutes. The easiest way to do this is to place a steamer basket in the bottom of a stockpot, bring the water to a simmer, and then place the cheesecloth-wrapped “meat” in the pot to cook.
- Cool completely before crumbling. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do the crumbling with your hands or a handheld mixer. I just love the food processor because it creates the crumbles in less than a minute!
Seasoning Ideas
You can take these crumbles in so many different directions! Here are just a few flavor profiles I like.
- Asian-style: Season to taste with ground ginger, coriander, and lemon
- Mexican-style: Use ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and Mexican oregano
- Italian-style: Add your favorite Italian herb mix, oregano, rosemary, and marjoram
- All-purpose seasoning: Incorporate garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, and paprika
- Mediterranean-style: Use za’atar, dill, garlic powder, and fennel
Don’t feel the need to limit yourself to just these lists. I don’t follow these to the letter when I cook, either! Think of these not as rules, but as ideas and inspirations to launch your own delicious meals.
Ways to Use These Veggie Meat Crumbles
One of the best things about these meatless crumbles is how versatile they are! You can use them in as many dishes as you can imagine.
- As a topper for stir-fried veggies
- In lettuce cups
- In vegan sloppy joes
- In shepherd’s pie
- Mixed into a plant-based chili
- Added to vegan stuffed peppers
- Tossed in a vegan taco salad
- In vegan tacos, nachos, and burritos
More Vegan Meat Alternatives You Can Make
Veggie Crumbles Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
With 4 simple ingredients, veggie crumbles are so easy to make and way tastier than anything you can buy at the store!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together vital wheat gluten and flour. Make a well in the center and add the vegetable stock and Braggs Liquid Aminos. Stir to combine.
- Knead for a couple of minutes by hand.
- Spray a piece of cheesecloth with oil. Wrap the dough tightly into a roll, and tie the ends with a string. Set aside and let rest.
- In a large stockpot add a steamer basket, fill the pot with water until it reaches the steamer basket. Bring to a boil.
- Place the wrapped dough in the steamer basket, cover with lid, and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Check halfway through to make sure there is water in the bottom of the pot.
- Remove from basket and let cool before unwrapping. I like to crumble my substitute meat in a food processor; it is done in less than a minute.
Notes
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container or bag for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat: The most important thing to remember is that your crumbles can dry out fast. For that reason, I usually don’t reheat my crumbles before adding them to a dish. Whether I’m making pasta sauce or chili, I like to add them straight from the fridge. If the crumbles are most of what you’re eating, though, I suggest adding them to a pan on low heat for a few minutes. This works for taco filling and other meals where the components stay separate until the moment you eat.
I’m gonna try your version today!!! I think I will use my rice cooker and steamer basket for cooking. Love your recipes! Thank you!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for the 5-star review as well! It really helps me out!