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Home » Vegan and Oil-free Recipes

Vegan Philly Cheesesteak

Published: May 26, 2020 · Modified: Aug 25, 2021 by 💚 Liz

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This easy Vegan Philly Cheesesteak recipe is ridiculously delicious and makes a fun lunch or dinner to share -- or not! Packed with melty, gooey vegan cheese, a realistic but healthy homemade meat substitute, and some yummy veggies, this is a truly satisfying seitan sandwich recipe.

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Hey Internet, you know how I posted a seitan recipe last week? Well, it wasn't just a one-off--I used it in this awesomely delicious vegan Philly cheesesteak!

I am not from Philadelphia. I've only been there once for a journalism conference during graduate school.

My point with that statement is to say that this is probably not a super authentic Philly cheesesteak recipe. It is, however, super delicious, super easy, and definitely super vegan.

This recipe features my easy Instant Pot Seitan, though I do provide instructions in that recipe for how to make it on the stove top if you don't have an Instant Pot (that said, I totally recommend them).

I also used my melty 6-minute vegan mozzarella but made a simple change to the spices and presto! It tastes like provolone!

I can't wait to share this recipe with you all… so why wait? Here we go! (I did not just imitate Mario, I swear)

What You'll Need

I kinda just gave it away, but you'll need approximately one batch of my vegan instant pot seitan.

However, if you don't have it or don't want to make it, I'd recommend at least 2 pounds of store prepared seitan. You could also try soy curls, tofu, or even just chickpeas, but please don't tell the Philadelphians.

Keep in mind though, those store bought dudes won't have the same flavoring, so add some low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and chili flakes (if desired).

You'll need some veg. From what I gather, onions and green bell peppers seem to be the most popular choices.

Mushrooms are usually also good in this (I've read competing accounts of whether they're authentic or not). Since they're also meaty and super flavorful, I highly recommend you add them but feel free to omit if you're not a mushroom fan.

I'd also highly recommend you slather this bad boy in vegan cheese--provolone, preferably. I mean, what would a vegan Philly cheesesteak recipe be without the cheese?!

What Vegan Cheese Should I Use?

When testing this I lamented over the fact that I didn't yet have a provolone recipe for the blog.

I'm actually working on a super secret new cheese for the blog, however if I told you, well…. I just won't tell you. Yet.

Anywho… I was just playing around so I decided to make my standard melty, stretchy, gooey vegan mozzarella but I was out of onion powder. On a whim I just added more garlic powder instead and LO AND BEHOLD… it tasted like provolone!

You can also use any prepared vegan cheese you like--Field Roast Chao might be pretty dang good in this, but I'm OBSESSED with my provolone concoction. Not that I'm biased, no, that would be wrong.

Finally, I serve up these delectable and savory treats in whole wheat sub rolls from my local bakery, but you could use any bread you like.

If you're not friends with carbs, try stuffing everything inside a pepper, or rolling it up in some lettuce. Still tasty!

Alright now that we know what we need, I think you know what comes next…

How to Make Vegan Philly Cheesesteaks

So these sandwiches come together pretty dang quickly after you're finished making the instant pot seitan. If you are making my recipe, I like to start the veggies and cheese while the pressure is releasing naturally from the pressure cooker (or if steaming on the stove top, during the last 10 minutes of the cooking process).

Start onions sauteing in a pan. You know the drill with me, I cook without oil so I just add a splash of water when things start to stick, just to deglaze the pan. If you use oil, you can start with a splash of that.

After the onions have become fairly translucent, I add the peppers and mushrooms. Let those cook down a bit.

I add a splash of reduced sodium soy sauce (or Bragg's liquid aminos* if avoiding soy) during the cooking process. There shouldn't be any need to add anymore liquid as the mushrooms release some of their own.

Whenever the seitan is done, it needs to be rested for 10 minutes. Just tastes better and juicier that way! Continue to cook the veggies over medium heat. If you like them crunchier, turn off the heat for a bit.

Toast your bread if you want to.

After the seitan has rested enough, slice it into quarter inch thick slices and cut those pieces in half lengthwise. Throw all this delicious stuff in the pan with the veggies over medium heat and toss in a little extra reduced sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos.

Alright, time to assemble this deliciousness.

Add a couple scoops of seitan and veg to your sub roll, then add a healthy dollop of my vegan cheese or a couple slices of store bought if that's how you roll.

Then add some more seitan and veggies. Finally, make your best attempt to close it up, grab a napkin, and enjoy!

What to Serve with Vegan Philly Cheesesteak

Most traditionally, french fries are served with Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. I give a good tutorial on two ways to make french fries without oil (so not technically fried, but still yummy) in my Nacho Fries recipe.

You could also just serve it with a side salad, some soup, or just the sandwich--or two--because they're that dang good.

Other High Protein Recipes

While I easily and consistently get more than my recommended daily protein so I never think about it much, I've got a lot of other high protein vegan recipes if you're interested:

  • Vegan Orange Chicken
  • Chili Cheese Pot Pies
  • Tofu Eggs Benedict
  • Cheesy Grits with Crunchy Chickpeas and Garlicky Collard Greens
  • Spanish Paella
  • Easy Tofu Scramble

Anything Else?

As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too. I gauge how good recipes are during the testing process based on his reaction.

If, during the first test, his eyelids close and he eats slowly--and then quickly--it means I've got a dang good recipe and that's exactly what he did with this seitan sandwich recipe. I won't even mention the sound he made because I don't want to embarrass him ;)

These vegan Philly cheesesteak sandwiches are:

  • Savory
  • "Meaty" (hold the cruelty)
  • Chewy yet tender
  • Satisfying
  • and great for anyone in your life that either isn't vegan or vegetarian yet and needs to be convinced or is already and just kinda misses the taste and mouthfeel of meat.

I highly recommend these sandwiches, and they make for a 20 minute dinner if you've already got the seitan made.

The best thing about my seitan recipe is that you can make it ahead of time so you have minimal work to do when it actually comes time to make dinner.

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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Hand holding a vegan philly cheesesteak

Vegan Philly Cheesesteak


★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Liz Madsen
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Sandwiches 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This easy Vegan Philly Cheesesteak recipe is ridiculously delicious and makes a fun lunch or dinner to share -- or not! A satisfying seitan sandwich recipe.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 batch Zardyplants seitan or store bought, see note 1
  • 1 batch Zardyplants provolone, see note 2
  • 2 medium white onions, sliced thinly
  • 2 green bell peppers, sliced thinly
  • ÂĽ cup reduced sodium soy sauce, divided
  • Sub rolls or other bread/lettuce wraps
  • 16 oz of white button mushrooms, optional

Instructions

  1. If you are making my recipe, I like to start the veggies and cheese while the pressure is releasing naturally from the pressure cooker (or if steaming on the stove top, during the last 10 minutes of the cooking process).
  2. Start onions sauteing in a pan over medium high heat. You know the drill with me, I cook without oil so I just add a splash of water when things start to stick, just to deglaze the pan. If you use oil, you can start with a splash of that.
  3. After the onions have become fairly translucent, add the peppers and mushrooms. Let those cook down for about 10 minutes and turn down the heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or Bragg's liquid aminos * if avoiding soy) during the cooking process. There shouldn't be any need to add anymore liquid as the mushrooms release some of their own.
  4. Whenever the seitan is done, it needs to be rested for 10 minutes. Just tastes better and juicier that way! Continue to cook the veggies if you like, over low heat. If you like them crunchier, turn off the heat for a bit.
  5. Toast your bread if you want to.
  6. After the seitan has rested enough, slice it into quarter inch thick slices and cut those pieces in half lengthwise. Throw all this delicious stuff in the pan with the veggies over medium heat and toss in the other 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos.
  7. Alright, time to assemble this deliciousness. Add a couple scoops of seitan and veg to your sub roll, then add a healthy dollop of my vegan cheese or a couple slices of store bought if that's how you roll. Then add some more seitan and veggies. Finally, make your best attempt to close it up, grab a napkin, and enjoy!
  8. Note on leftovers: only make as many sandwiches as you'd like to eat--this will keep the bread from getting tough in the fridge. Refrigerate leftover seitan and veg separately from leftover cheese. Both will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • Note 1: You'll need approximately one batch of my vegan instant pot seitan. However, if you don't have it or don't want to make it, I'd recommend at least 2 pounds of store prepared seitan. You could also try soy curls, tofu, or even just chickpeas, but please don't tell the Philadelphians. Keep in mind though, those store bought dudes won't have the same flavoring, so add some low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and chili flakes (if desired).
  • Note 2: I made a standard batch of my vegan melty mozzarella for this recipe but I omitted the onion powder and increased the garlic powder to a full tablespoon instead. Very provolone-y!  You can also use any prepared vegan cheese you like--Field Roast Chao might be pretty dang good in this, but I'm OBSESSED with my provolone concoction. Not that I'm biased, no, that would be wrong.
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Lunch, Entree, Sandwich
  • Method: Pressure Cooker, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Can be Soy-Free, Seitan, Vegan Philly Cheesesteak, Vegan Seitan Sandwich

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Filed Under: Entrees, Vegan and Oil-free Recipes

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Comments

  1. Maggie

    May 28, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    Made this today and it was so easy! I am super new at seitan so I was a little worried but the steps were so easy and it came out amazing. It was so good my husband ate 2 whole sandwiches for dinner!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Susan Kowalsky

    June 18, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    Can't wait to try this! It looks and sounds amazing. Your photos are so appetizing!

    Reply
  3. Celeste Stoneman

    June 19, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Really luscious! Haven't had one of these since I was in college in Philly 30 years ago!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Tammy

    July 16, 2020 at 6:08 pm

    These sandwiches turned out great! It was my first time making seitan and it was easy and delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Carol K. Howell

    September 10, 2020 at 11:32 am

    Haven't had one of these since I was a freshman at Temple U. in Philly! Wonderful!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Bonnie Lyon

    February 25, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    I love seitan but, I’m in a location I can’t get it . So to learn how to make it so that it tastes great and can be made simply in my instant pot is all mind blowing for me ! Cannot wait to try this for a versital meat ! Of course all thease other recipes zardyplants offers look amazing as well . You rock Liz !

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Vee

    May 23, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    This was so freaking good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Nakita Martin

    October 20, 2021 at 4:14 am

    This was delightful. I did use store bought setain and vegan provolone. It was so good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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About Liz

Paul and Liz holding a small black dog standing in front of Lake Michigan
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Hi, I'm Liz!

I develop plant-based comfort food recipes that are delicious, easy, and budget-friendly. My husband Paul and I created Zardyplants to share our fun, delicious food with the world. But what does the name Zardyplants even mean?

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