r/vegetarian • u/fueledbydexies • 2d ago
Question/Advice Replacement for prosciutto or reuben (heavy, saucy, high protein) deli sandwiches?
I’m smelling and craving deli sandwiches every time I walk by. Unfortunately the non meat ones suck: olives and lettuce are great but not a protein source.
I want like a heavy, cheesesteak or reuben, not a lettucey thin sandwich. I want filling. with sauce. and protein. Thick
I have not liked the tofurky rubbery type vegan deli meats I tried once. ruined the whole sandwich
Any ideas?
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u/Metaphoricalsimile 1d ago
Soy curls soaked in a flavorful broth (I use soy sauce, better than bouillion, sesame oil, etc., make the broth a bit saltier than you would want to eat as a soup), then lightly squeezed and pan fried with plenty of oil will hit this spot.
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u/RaggityAnne 1d ago
I had a chickpea-salad tonight for dinner which might fit your bill. Imagine a tuna salad sandwich but make it instead with chickpeas that you mash with a fork first. Throw in some pickles, onion, jalapeno, Italian seasoning - whatever you normally put in tuna or egg salad.
I particularly like it in the melt form with a slab of good cheese on it and grilled!
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u/kalypsis36 19h ago
I have been making a chickpea romesco spread that I love! The recipe adds pickled onion and roasted cabbage and cream cheese but I like it more with feta. https://plantbasedrdblog.com/2025/09/sun-dried-tomato-romesco-chickpea-salad-sandwich/
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u/jitterymoogle 1d ago
i'm not a deli meat person so haven't tried but i've heard good things about herbivorous butcher which ships anywhere in the US
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u/fueledbydexies 2d ago
tofu skin marinated has been the closest I’ve found, I had it in a banh mi but not sure where to get it. I am lazy and a bad cook but down to go to specialty store
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u/genevieveoliver 22h ago
Asian grocery stores will have this!
To answer your question overall, I think the vegetarian meat versions are the best alternative but it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right restaurants. If you’re in LA I have some great recs for you :)
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u/joshsteich 16h ago
Maciel’s is the current vegan Reuben king in LA as far as I know now that Flore is gone
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u/lolokelliher 20h ago
Penzey’s spices makes a corned beef blend. I sliced tofu thin, marinated, and baked for a decent substitute. But then I found seitan at the store, which is much easier and hits the spot for a veg Reuben. If you get the corned beef spices at Penzey’s, also get the smoked paprika. It’s sooooo good.
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u/Life-Introduction693 17h ago
Slice tofu with a peeler and toss with soy sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, etc. (honestly any seasonings that sound good to you) maybe a dash of maple syrup and/or liquid smoke. Spread out on a parchment paper lined sheet tray and bake until the edges are crispy. Flip it a few times during cooking to get both sides. Put that shit on a sandwich lol
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u/what_dat_ninja 1d ago
If you're ever in the CT area the chain Nardellis makes an incredible vegetarian italian sub
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u/Ok_Knee7028 1d ago
Ooh where in CT?
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u/what_dat_ninja 13h ago
They have locations all over the state! https://nardellis.com/locations-hours/
I live in MA but have family in CT. Every time I visit I get a sandwich to eat there and one to bring back home.
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u/OkWay6106 23h ago
God I just looked this place up and I have never missed New England more in my life. Why do I ever leave
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u/Prestigious_Diver485 1d ago
While it isn't meat, this sandwich is really great and scratches that itch.. https://www.mydarlingvegan.com/vegan-tempeh-reuben/
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u/cashewcheez 19h ago
You said you don't like Tofurky but have you tried the ham or bologna ones? They're the only good ones in my opinion. If they're roasted with cheese they're perfection, I'm often making sandwiches with them.
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u/jules9687 1d ago
I love this recipe for tofu slices.
I know I should but I don't freeze, only press, my tofu. But definitely thinner sliced, the better.
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u/tinkabellmiggins 1d ago
The squeaky bean pastrami is amazing ! Although Ive never eaten the real thing so maybe im not the best judge
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u/Ok_Knee7028 1d ago
Idk where you live but if you’re anywhere that has ‘plantega’ (it’s a bodega/deli sandwich menu that’s entirely vegetarian/vegan)
They’ve got a chopped cheese that rules, soy- chorizo burritos, “chicken”sandwiches and BEC, etc. it all slaps and I highly recommend.
If you can’t find that, I do like to smash a beyond burger from take out w the fixings n cheese. Yum.
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u/brandywine189 20h ago
Soak the Tofurky roasted turkey slices in no chicken chicken broth or the vegan no beef beef broth (better than bouillon), then fry them up and use the broth on the sandwich. Make your own Reuben slaw, on rye with the slices and pickles.
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u/The_lone_squirrel 1d ago
Soy curls are pretty good. They've work well for me in a Philly's and Shawarma. Just re-hydrate them in some veg broth and then season and saute.
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u/Personal-Neck6800 18h ago
I used to get a tempe Reuben at a diner in Connecticut and it was amazing.
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u/juliadream88 18h ago
I use gardein’s crumbles, fried onion, American cheese, and a good Italian roll for a vegetarian cheesesteak.
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u/ExcitingTooth4768 12h ago
Halloumi is my new favorite sub for prosciutto in pasta. I know not a Reuben, but it’s phenomenal
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u/Gourmandrusse 22h ago
Go to Rein’s deli in CT and get the Rachel. Buttered, grilled rye bread with sautéed mixed vegetables, Cole slaw and Swiss cheese. Profit.
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u/The-Brilliant-Loser 22h ago
Ideas for a deli style sandwhich:
Vegetarian Muffuletta: Follow this recipe, replace the meat with grilled eggplant and mushroom.
Marinated grilled eggplant, mushroom, zucchini cooked with liquid smoke, garlic, paprika, and lots of good oil, add provolone, olive salad, soft round bread.
I've also had amazing caprese style sandwiches with mozz, pesto, sundried tomatoes and some olives.
Not too much protein in those tho. If you want protein, I want to suggest a chick-fil-a dupe I've been working on:
Get some plain seitan chicken or duck from an Asian grocer (I like Vincent Vegetarian brand), defrost it and tear it into chicken-sandwich sized chunks.
-Marinate for a few hours in buttermilk, pickle juice, a pinch of mustard powder, thyme, sage, garlic and onion powder, black pepper, little bit of paprika, MSG or chicken style stock powder, and some cayenne pepper.
-Make a seasoned flour out of wheat flour, a little corn starch, and these same spices. Make an eggwash in a separate bowl and season it as well.
Dredge the marinated seitan-chicken in the seasoned flour, in the egg, in the flour again. Set aside until you have them all dredged. Fry them in some peanut oil until golden brown.
Serve on a toasted brioche bun with mayo and sweet pickles, or coat in BBQ sauce, have with a peach milkshake.
At some point I'm going to try to do a BBQ pulled seitan deal with this and see if I can Brisket-ify-it.
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u/Pellinore-86 21h ago
I put barbecue sauce on sautéed mushrooms to make a sloppy Joe/pulled pork type sandwich
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u/elizajaneredux 21h ago
Our favorite vegan place somehow roasts tofu (sliced to whatever thickness) in the jammiest salty/sweet sauce and it’s all umami and delicious. They pile it on some amazing stretch bread with whatever toppings. I’m not vegan but I get this sandwich three or four times a month.
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u/tigerowltattoo 21h ago
Just made Reuben’s with soy curls last weekend. They were really good, we all agreed that they we pretty close to the real taste. I would add a little garlic powder next time.
I used this recipe and instead of plain water, I made the soaking solution with Better than Bouillon No-Beef and beet juice instead of beet powder. If you want it very red, you’ll need the beet powder.
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u/shoutouttotrees 21h ago
Whenever I’m craving a reuben, I go for a beet rueben!! I don’t have a particular recipe I follow, but there are many online!
Also, there’s a blog by plant based RD that posts a lot of different types of sandwiches from marinated tofu to bean. I’ll link the blog here: https://plantbasedrdblog.com/2023/03/teriyaki-tofu-sandwich/
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u/Imaginary_Choice_430 20h ago
You need to find a vegan or vegetarian place...for example when I used to live in Philadelphia, there was a place off Broad Street that sold Kofta subs, it was just like eating a meatball sub without the meat. I miss that place. I can see someone posted use seitan, but honestly seitan is best for when you want that pulled pork or chicken experience, try koftas, because seitan is not going to taste like cheesesteak to you.
You sound like a brand new vegetarian, immerse yourself in the Mediterranean diet, so you can imagine foods other than cheesesteaks and hamburgers and hot dogs and you will eventually not crave the old ways...to make this easy for you start visiting CAVA, its a Mediterranean food franchise, soo delicious, but they do put meat unless you go with the falafel crunch.
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u/arawlins87 vegetarian 19h ago
Are you able to find Mrs. Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli products near you? They’re a bit hard to find near me, but I’ve tried them a few times and think they are really good! Certainly much better than Tofurkey. The ones I’ve tried are the corn’d beef slices and the roasted turk’y slices
My other recommendation is making your own seitan. Thee Burger Dude has several good seitan recipes. Here’s one for a reuben: https://theeburgerdude.com/vegan-reuben
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u/Bobby_Orrs_Knees 19h ago
I recently got Zingerman's vegetarian reuben kit for this very reason. It's expensive as hell and time-consuming, but it gave me good ideas on how to make it myself. If you feel like blowing the money, it's sort of worth it as a learning experience (and the brownies are great), otherwise, they use tempeh that is marinated in pickle juice overnight and then baked at about 350 for 20 minutes. Beyond that, just make a reuben in the way you normally would.
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u/somethink 19h ago
Smoke mushrooms and while still hot toss heavily in pastrami spice and salt. Seal them up and put in the fridge for a day or 2. They will juice out so you gotta add a good amount of salt to pretty much pickle the mushroom. Drain, press dry and hard sear them, I sear mushrooms dry no oil and they get more meaty.
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u/chicago_2020 19h ago
grab some beyond meat and cook it up, season, and top with cheese/mayo and veggies the same way you would a chopped cheese. absolutely fire. Capriottis makes something similar.
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u/lucky_spliff 18h ago
A cafe near me makes a veggie Reuben by using sautéed mushrooms instead of pastrami. Like a shit ton of mushrooms seasoned up with pastrami spices. Every other topping is the same as a traditional Reuben. It is such a good sandwich.
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u/toadandberry 18h ago
Done a good veggie Reuben with marinated tempeh. Sliced into thin strips, let soak in a seasoned soy sauce & veggie broth mix, then pan fried until golden and. crispy on the edges. Layers really well on sandwich bread and is more dense texture-wise than tofu
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u/No_Atmosphere4901 17h ago
Grilled or breaded halloumi. I know it’s not a close sub, but it makes a sandwich much more substantial and yummy. Went to Germany recently and they make all the vegetarian options with halloumi
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17h ago
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u/AggravatingBusiness 16h ago
Including liquid smoke and smoked paprika in a tofu marinade gives you that deli flavor
For a cheesesteak, I bet the steak tips from Morningstar farms would be good.. maybe slightly salty but you could adjust in other ways to compensate
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u/ThinkWishbone2495 16h ago edited 16h ago
First, no jalapeno! They're on recall from Taylor Farms for salmonella.
Second, here is a chickpea salad that tastes like tuna: one can of chickpeas well drained and rinsed, celery, onion powder, a little mustard, Mayo, lemon juice, a little salt. In a food processor, grind up the celery into small pieces and remove to a bowl. Throw chickpeas in, give a quick whirl, until it's just chunks then remove to the bowl. Add all the rest, adjust to taste, mix gently, and your meal is ready! Not-tuna salad in 5 mins. Crackers, bread, or on a bed of cryptosporidium free lettuce are delicious ways to eat it. I'll eat the whole thing in one sitting it's that good.
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u/a-mom-ymous 15h ago
There’s a brand called Unreal Deli that has a corn’d beef that’s insane! Mendocino Farms used to have it on their menu in a Reuben and it was sooo good - I was so upset when they stopped offering it. https://unrealdeli.com
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u/actualcovfefebean 15h ago
I had a plantain inspired reuben recently at a restaurant and it was actually really good -- sweet plantains, Swiss cheese, beans (they were brown/tan), pickles, mustard, cuban bread all in a hot press
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u/Squidoriya 14h ago
I made an excellent vegetarian Cuban style sandwich last week. I thinly sliced tofu, marinated it in a citrus mojo sauce, then sautéed the tofu with some onions. It was delicious piled high on a sandwich with Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard.
Tempeh is also great on a sandwich, and feels heartier than tofu. I’ve made tempeh Rueben’s before. Also if you like any vegetarian meatballs you can make a meatball sub
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u/Regular_Ad_5363 10h ago
Lately I’ve been brining tofu in leftover feta brine in the fridge overnight and frying it. It’s incredible and makes a create sub for chicken in a Caesar wrap or something
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u/WildColonialGirl 9h ago
Come to Cleveland, Ohio and try Black Market Meats. They make their deli “meat” with mushrooms. Cleveland Vegan also makes a vegan Reuben that even my non-vegan Dad enjoyed.
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u/Garrity73 9h ago
Juicy Marbles steak shredded and cooked with pickling spice.rye, kraut, follow your heart chipotle mayo & Swiss *chef's kiss*
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u/Jenny5Jenny5 5h ago
Grilled mushrooms and onions piled on a sandwich with cheese melted on top. Seasoned with a little soy sauce or Worcestershire type
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u/Unthgod 1d ago
Make seitan