Vegan Tempeh Reuben Sandwich

This vegan tempeh Reuben is super quick and easy! Requiring only a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes of your time—you can whip up this lunch option in no time!

It’s layered with your favourite vegan cheese, sauerkraut, crunchy gherkins, marinated tempeh and finished with the perfect yet simple sandwich sauce. How good does that sound!?

I don’t know if it’s just here in Australia, but I hadn’t heard of a Reuben sandwich until my husband, and I did some travel through the US back in 2017.

Traditional Reuben’s usually have corned beef, Swiss cheese, and the lot. However, we were fortunate to find vegan versions in most cafes we visited.

I had it in a couple of different places and loved the combination of the tempeh with the sauerkraut and the sauce. I mean, how can you go wrong?

I love those flavour combinations, and after studying other recipes, with what I had tasted during my travels, I’ve created a vegan tempeh Reuben sandwich that I’m sure you’ll also love! 

The accessibility of these ingredients is certainly a true representation of how far the vegan movement has come along in the last few years. Vegan cheese actually tastes like cheese and plant-based mayonnaise that is identical but without the use of eggs.

Making your own marinated tempeh

If you don’t have access to pre-marinated tempeh, here’s a quick and easy recipe to make your own!

It’s the same recipe I used for my Vegan Crispy Shredded Tofu; just swap out the tofu for tempeh.

Follow the recipe below for slicing the tempeh first and then marinate it. Don’t shred it as you would with the tofu. Leave it to marinate an extra 10-15 minutes as the pieces of the protein are thicker than tofu.

Read more: 16 Tempeh Recipes That Prove It’s Not Bland

Some tips for making these vegan Reuben sandwiches

Even though these sandwiches are very easy and straightforward to make, I wanted to share some tips for troubleshooting or any questions you may have before you get started.

• If you don’t have access for pre-marinated tempeh, please use the recipe above.
• Vegan Swiss-style cheese is the most authentic type of cheese to use for this recipe, however, if like me, you don’t have access to it, you can use whatever other cheese you enjoy. I used Sheese because it also melts well.
• Rye bread is typically used in this sandwich, but again, if you don’t have access to rye bread or have another bread on hand, feel free to use that instead.
• Use an organic sriracha if you buy one that is produced in the US, as the one that is very accessible here is not vegan friendly because of the sugar that is used in the product. Most sugar made in the US is still produced using bone char. Crazy!

Tools needed to make these tempeh sanwiches

• Small bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Frying pan
• Knife – for sperading and cutting

That’s it!

You can enjoy this easy lunch with a side salad to add some extra nutritional value. Because let’s be honest, it’s not the healthiest sandwich you can make but darn it makes up for it with its deliciousness!

Everything in moderation, right?

Other recipes you’ll love:

1. Vegan Loaded Nachos with Cashew Cheese Sauce
2. Cauliflower Lentil Tacos (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
3. Mushroom Fajitas
4. Juicy Tofu Sandwich With Smoked Mayo
5. Vegan Falafel Wrap

If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest. 

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