You’ll love every bite of this Vegan Reuben sandwich. Layers of homemade vegan corned beef, Russian dressing, vegan Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut are piled on rye bread and grilled to golden brown perfection. Yum!
Making your own vegan meat from seitan is a real game-changer as a vegan. It’s amazing how you can make realistic vegan chicken, steak, ham, and more using simple seasonings and vital wheat gluten. When I learned how to make vegan corned beef at home, I just knew I had to pile the slices in a Vegan Reuben!
A reuben sandwich is a popular grilled sandwich made from corned beef, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut on rye bread. Veganizing this deli sandwich isn’t hard; all you need is a flavorful and rich replacement for the meat, which is where leftover vegan corned beef, pan-fried tempeh or tofu, or mushrooms come in handy.
Every bite of this sandwich is loaded with rich, tangy, and creamy flavors. Finish it off on the grill or in a panini press to really help the vegan cheese become ooey gooey. When it’s ready to go, serve the sandwiches next to potato chips, french fries, or broccoli salad and dig in!
Jump to:
What is a vegan reuben sandwich made of?
- Vegan corned beef - Regular corned beef is made from salt-cured brisket and is the go-to when making a traditional reuben sandwich (unless you’re from Montreal, where smoked meat is the #1 choice). Using my vegan corned beef recipe (made from seitan and tofu), the “meat” in this reuben recipe is lightened up and loaded with protein. If you don’t want to make your own vegan corned beef, you can use pan-fried tempeh, marinated tofu, or cooked mushrooms.
- Vegan Swiss cheese - Try to find sliced vegan Swiss cheese or use vegan mozzarella or provolone instead.
- Sauerkraut - This is made from fermented cabbage and has a strong tangy flavor.
- Vegan Russian dressing - This is the secret to an as-close-to-authentic-as-possible vegan reuben sandwich. You’ll need vegan mayonnaise, chili sauce (I like Heinz chili sauce), creamy horseradish, and hot sauce.
- Rye bread - Layers of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing are almost always sandwiched between dark or light rye bread. Seeded rye bread is one of my favorites!
How to make a vegan reuben sandwich
All of the layers in this sandwich are out-of-this-world, but finishing it off on the grill will melt the cheese and take every bite to the next level. Here’s how it’s done:
- Make the vegan corned beef: Make the corned “beef” according to the recipe instructions. Try to make it a day or two ahead of time as the texture improves with time.
- Make the dressing: Stir all of the vegan Russian dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Assemble the sandwich: Butter the outside of a rye bread slice. Flip and add some dressing to the other side. Layer the cheese, sauerkraut, sliced corned “beef”, and one more slice of bread on top.
- Grill the reuben: Using a skillet, grill pan, or panini press, grill the assembled sandwich on each side until golden brown. Slice it in half and serve! For full ingredients and instructions see the printable recipe card below.
Tips for success
- I recommend making the vegan corned beef and Russian dressing at least 1 day ahead of time.
- Don’t mistake the chili sauce in the Russian dressing for chili garlic sauce as the flavors are totally different.
- I like to grill the sandwich after it’s assembled to help melt the vegan cheese. If your cheese didn’t melt, pop the sandwich in the microwave for 20 seconds!
- Toast the bread lightly first if you’d prefer not to grill the sandwich.
- Serve your reuben sandwich with homemade french fries, potato chips, vegan caesar salad, or potato salad.
Storing
Eat the sandwiches as soon as they’re assembled and grilled.
Vegan Russian dressing will store well in the fridge for up to 1 week. The corned “beef” can also be kept in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Looking for more vegan sandwich recipes?
Enjoy everyone! Happy Day! Please feel free to comment below and give this recipe a rating. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
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Print
Vegan Reuben
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 sandwiches 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
You’ll love every bite of this Vegan Reuben sandwich. Layers of homemade vegan corned beef, Russian dressing, vegan Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut are piled on rye bread and grilled to golden brown perfection. Yum!
Ingredients
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4 slices of dark or light rye bread (I like it with caraway seeds)
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Vegan butter
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Russian dressing (recipe below)
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4 slices of vegan swiss cheese, mozzarella or provolone (totally optional!)
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½ cup sauerkraut, drained and warmed
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Sliced vegan corned beef, warmed in the au jus/gravy (enough for 2 sandwiches)
Russian dressing
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
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⅓ cup chili sauce, I use Heinz chili sauce*
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2 teaspoons creamy horseradish (optional)
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1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Make the vegan corned beef according to instructions. I suggest making the seitan the day before as the texture will improve. Make the russian dressing set in the fridge until needed.
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Lay out the bread slices and butter each slice on one side only (this will be the outside of the sandwich that gets fried). Flip over the bread and add some russian dressing to the other side of each piece. Now build the sandwich: to one piece of bread from each sandwich add a slice of cheese followed by some sauerkraut and corned beef seitan slices. Add the top piece of bread
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Heat a non-stick skillet, grill pan, or well seasoned cast iron pan (or use a panini press) over medium heat or medium-low and fry the sandwich for a couple minutes on each side until the cheese is melty and the sandwich is golden brown and crispy. Slice in half, serve and enjoy. For step by step photos, Tips and more see above post.
Notes
- Sometimes vegan cheese doesn't melt that easily so here's a tip - once the sandwich is grilled if cheese is not melted, microwave the sandwich for 20 seconds!
- Chili sauce: do not mistake this for chili garlic sauce that is totally different. This is like a slightly spicy ketchup.
- The recipe is easily doubled as you will have extra dressing.
- Prep time does not include making the vegan corned beef
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: grill or pan fry
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
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