Vegetarian Substitute for Brisket (5 Alternatives That Taste Just Like Brisket)

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Do you love brisket but want to reduce your meat intake? Fortunately, there are delicious vegetarian alternatives!

Some alternatives can be good and some bad!  Make sure you see my recommendations for choosing a vegetarian brisket substitute.

Why Eat Vegetarian Brisket?

You might seek a vegetarian substitute for brisket for many reasons. Maybe you want to cut back on meat for health reasons, or perhaps you’ve read about the beef industry’s high carbon footprint.

Or maybe you empathize with animals and don’t want to eat animals that have been slaughtered. If you’ve eaten brisket in the past, it might be hard to give it up.

Fortunately, you can make any dish vegan or vegetarian.

Our 5 Favorite Vegetarian Alternatives For Brisket

See our 5 top substitutes for brisket below. No more missing out for you

Seitan

Seitan is one of the more popular vegan brisket options. Made of vital wheat gluten, cooked seitan has a similar texture to meat. 

You can add different flavors and seasonings to raw seitan so that it also tastes like meat. For example, you can mix meaty flavors like paprika, liquid smoke, or Worcestershire sauce with raw seitan.This will create a dish that tastes like smoked brisket.

Make a seitan loaf and place it in a casserole dish. Cover it with a braising sauce and cook it in the oven.

When fully cooked, rub your favorite spice rub on the outside and grill it for a little extra flavor. You may even smoke it for a few minutes to add a smoky flavor.

Jackfruit

While jackfruit is a popular pulled pork substitute, it may also be used for beef brisket.

Cooked jackfruit has a meaty texture; it also has a nutty flavor that reminds many people of the hearty taste meat has.

For a quick summary of popular jackfruit brisket recipes, keep reading.

The first step is to shred the jackfruit in a food processor.

Then mix it with the other ingredients in a medium bowl.

It can be nice to add some sweet ingredients, like maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey.

You will want to add some meaty ingredients, like apple cider vinegar, vital wheat gluten, or dark beer.

Form it into a loaf and add a spice rub of your choice. Then you can cook it in the oven and add your favorite sauce before serving. 

Tempeh And Tofu

Tempeh and tofu are both made from soybeans.

They are very popular vegetarian meat substitutes.

They are made through slightly different processes but can be used in very similar ways.

Season it with onion, chili powder, nutritional yeast, or other meaty flavors.

Then use your preferred cooking method.

You can do a pulled pork brisket by shredding it and cooking it over medium heat on the stovetop.

You can do a more traditional meatloaf by shaping the ingredients and cooking it in the oven.

Some people even smoke and grill tofu.

Be sure to use the ingredients of popular spice rubs and barbecue sauces to add some of that extra flavor! 

Vegan Beef

You can find vegan beef and alternative meats at most grocery stores.

This may not be the best substitute for brisket, but it may be the most accessible.

Since vegan meat is pre-made, you only need to worry about cooking it.

I still recommend adding more spices and sauces. This will ensure that it tastes more like Texas barbecue than lean meat.

Watermelon Ham

While watermelon ham may not look like brisket if you smoke and cure it correctly you can impart the same types of flavors you would get with a brisket.

See the recipe for vegan watermelon ham here

Mushrooms

This might not scratch the itch for brisket. However, many people love eating mushrooms when they crave meat.

Slow roasting mushrooms can result in caramelized veggies that resemble meat. Add some barbecue sauce or nutritional yeast for an even meatier flavor.

Mushrooms are cheaper than processed vegan foods.

This makes mushrooms an affordable substitute for brisket.

What Is Brisket?

Brisket is the cut of meat that comes from a cow’s chest. 

It is one of the more popular primal cuts of beef. Because of the plentiful connective tissue, it becomes very tender when smoked or slow-cooked. 

Traditional brisket is the ultimate comfort food for many meat-eaters!

Now that you know about different vegetarian meat replacements, you can start cooking!

When you crave a delicious piece of meat, maybe you can opt for a vegetarian dish instead.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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