This is a 100% plant based vegan meat substitute that you can use as taco meat, pizza topping, in Bolognese sauce, in lasagna and many more recipes.
If you are looking for a great mince meat alternative that is soy free, then this tasty cauliflower and walnut mixture is perfect.
100% plant based and cholesterol free – this is the ultimate in healthy cooking that tastes amazing!
Vegan Ground Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 750 Grams Cauliflower ( 1 medium sized cauliflower ) chopped into large chunks including the core.
- 100 grams Walnuts ( 1 cup )
- 140 grams Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Tamari (Soy sauce or Braggs amino also work fine)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt or to your taste
- 1/8 tsp White Pepper or to your taste
- 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes
Servings: Servings
Units:
Instructions
- To get started with this recipe you will need either a food processor or good chopping knife and board. You will also need a mixing spoon and a lined baking tray.
- Put all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse to a coarse blend (or chop finely by hand).
- Turn your oven on to 175 ° C / 350 ° F to preheat, then get your lined baking tray and spread the mixture evenly over the tray.
- Pop the mixture in the oven for 30 minutes, then take it out and stir the mixture before baking again for 15 minutes. Take it out and check again. In my case it needed a further 10 minutes before the crumble was cooked through and the mixture was dry enough. You can cook this much quicker if you spread the mixture over a couple of trays rather than just one. Adjust according to your oven settings and quantity being made.
- Once cooked you can now store this crumble in the fridge ready to make pasta sauces, lasagne, taco meat, pizza toppings and much more! So easy and so Yummy!
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Looks like you can make a big batch easily. Would there be any problem freezing this?
I have never tried freezing it because I always end up using it all within a day or two. It should work but you would need to heat it again to get the moisture out. Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
Great sounding recipe Anja. Thank you for sharing, I will make the lasagne tomorrow.
Glad you like it 🙂 Let me know how the lasagne goes 🙂
Awsome recipe. This is the second time I made it. I added a couple of more spices, garlic powder and cumin this time. I frozed the leftover of my first batch and it holds flavor and texture as recently made. I used it for tacos, Moussaka, and shepper’s pie. The sky is the limit. Great recipe Anya, Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad you like the recipe Gracie 🙂 I have frozen a few batches too… and it is great that you can adapt any flavor you like 🙂
Hello, I am going to try this recipe, it seems really good. Just a question here. I am allergic to tomatoes, so wondering with what I could replace tomatoe paste? Also I don’t think we have amino braggs in Germany (where I live). Could I replace with something else (no soy, tamari ecc)? Thanks a million!
Maybe use some Ajvar 🙂
Hello Anya,
I’m wondering what brand your food processor is?
Thanks,
Ellen
Hi Ellen. This is the one I use: http://amzn.to/1T9eUPd
Yours has a double s blade where did you get that
You can see exactly which food processor I use by following my amazon affiliate link: Breville Food Processor
Hello Anja, I made this receipe today it is DELICIOUS I’m transitioning to vegan and this was very helpful! Thank you for sharing! Pleeeease continue ur channel I need it! Lol
Fantastic 🙂 So glad the recipes are helping you.
Love your channel. I want to try this recipe but can’t use the walnuts because my son is allergic to tree nuts. Can I substitute with chick peas?
Just use all cauliflower 🙂
Anja , this looks great but what can I use instead of walnuts do you think ? Chickpeas and a little sesame oil maybe ?
Sorry just saw your answer to this question already . I am very sorry .
No probs 🙂 Enjoy!!
Just use all cauliflower.
Trying to get all recipes together to make potato lasagna sounds so good I am so excited to make it
Am I right that I cannot print the vegan ground meat and cheese sauce so that I have then in front of me Is that not possible No worries I can work it out but I will need to write everything down Seems there is an easier way xoxooxoxoxoxox
You can print the recipe using the print button underneath the stars rating section of the recipe 🙂
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I have used it now to make tacos and chilli with red kidney beans. It works so well.
Can’t wait to try it for bolognese.
I am really grateful to be able to eat these meals again without the bloating that soy-based vegan minces gave me.
Fantastic Liz… so glad you like the recipe and that you are using it in so many different dishes. Plus, awesome that you are feeling better for it too!
Hello i was looking for a rescipe and came across this one wow ground vagun made it like you making beef had it with ricearoni. Good stuff
So glad you like it 🙂
[…] can use soy crumbles, but I use the cauliflower ground beef recipe that I got from CookingWithPlants.com. It’s much less processed than a packaged soy-based substitute, tastes better, and is much […]
I am making the switch to vegan and my 2 toddlers loved this. I am planning to make this a few different ways but tonight i did it as a cornbread topped skillet chili. It was so awesome. Thank you for posting easy vegan alternatives like this. I cant wait to try out the cheeses.
Congratulations on switching to a vegan lifestyle… and I’m so glad your toddlers are enjoying the food too 🙂 x
Hi Anja, I have been eyeballing this recipe for a few months now in my favorites, and I am getting ready to finally make some vegan meat using it. I love chorizo, so I am also thinking about making chorizo with it, too. I am sooooooo excited about this! Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful recipes. I follow a plant-based lifestyle and I am ALWAYS looking for ways to eat exciting meals.
It’s easy to make. You’ll love it 🙂
Hi Anja, I made it!!!!! It was totally awesome. Only I didn’t put it in the oven, I used a dry skillet on top of the stove, because I wanted to hurry up and eat it, but for the time that I cooked it, I could have just put it in the oven and been done with it. I love seasonings and spices, so that’s what I did added seasonings and spices. It turned out looking more like ground turkey burger than ground beef, but I loved it!!! A friend came over and I showed it to her, she couldn’t believe it wasn’t meat, she wanted to taste it, and then she asked for some. I had some tortillas and so that is how I prepared it for her. She was all smiles. She left our house to go home and prepare it for her husband and kids. She said it was seasoned very well and that the more she talked to me about my way of eating the more she was becoming convinced that she could change her diet and her family’s to plant based. Thanks sooooooo much for this awesome recipe!!!!!
That’s fantastic Yvie 🙂 I love stories like this… you have made my day!!! x
How walnutty does it taste? I don’t like walnuts – if you use all cauliflower, won’t it be mostly white…and then be visually…not hamburger? Have you ever substituted almonds or pecans for the walnuts? Sorry to be a baby. 🙂
Not walnutty at all, I just made it. I added a few extra things but baked as noted. I added to it Portobello Mushrooms, sun dried tomatos instead of tomato paste, carrot, onion, garlic. No spices just soy sauce so I can season it when I make a dish. Even just the veggie baked crumble was amazing.
Thank you for this substitute!
So glad you liked it and your additions sound fabulous 🙂
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I’ve been looking for a good substitute that had no soy and gluten! I know tamari is in this and that’s soy, but could you even substitute that? I’ve read different things on soy and fermented soy is actually suppose to be ” healthy”. Another search said that Tamari was under fermented soy so I’ve still been using it. Either way this is a lifesaver recipe so I appreciate you greatly! Take care!
You could use coconut aminos instead of tamari. As for soy, I eat it. Here is some information you can look through on soy: https://nutritionfacts.org/?fwp_search=soy&fwp_content_type=video
I used some of your ingredients and added processed mushroom paste instead of tomatoe pasteto a batch along with pecans in addition to the walnuts.. it came out really good for a first attempt and I think it tastes closed to groung beef. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Just made this and it’s awesome. Now to play with using it – lasagne and bolognaise as you’ve suggested, stuffed vegies, over jacket potato with humus or some not cheese. Through some curried yellow rice,…..wow! Thanks
So glad you like my recipe 🙂
not sure if you are still answering questions posted for this recipe but I’ll post anyway and hope you get it. My mom has stage four lung cancer and she is on an all vegan diet, but she can’t use Bragg’s or soy sauce or tahini, etc. Does the recipe have to have these added?
I would love to surprise her with this addition to her diet. Thank you in advance.
The braggs adds saltiness to the dish but you can leave it out if she cannot eat it. Same with the tahini. Give your mom my best. x
Would it be OK to leave out the walnuts? My dear hubbie is vegan, he can’t eat any nuts.
Wow! I made this fantastic recipe for ground ‘meat’ at the weekend and I layered it with aubergine, roasted cauliflower, courgette and a cheese sauce made with potato & carrots and then I topped it off with panko breadcrumbs and it was absolutely delicious – the cauliflower and walnut mince was to die for – thank you for your fab videos and website, you truly are inspirational.
So glad that you used it in such a wonderful sounding creation Helen… well done 🙂
Hi Helen that sounds fab do you have a recipe for your dish? Thanks
Hi Anja do you know when you are returning with more recipe ideas and videos yet? Thanks
I’m filming and editing at the moment. Very soon x
I plan to use my first batch in chili. Do you recommend adding the “Beef” at the beginning of the cooking of the chili, or toward the end? Thanks.
I would put it at the end
If I wanted to make these mexican for tacos would I add the taco seasoning to the mix before I cooked it in the oven or afterwards in a fry pan like traditional meat?
Thanks
I would add it towards the end or afterwards so that the spices don’t burn.
Would this work well in things that you would cook with it in such as chilli? Or should it just be added at the end?
I would add it at the end. Otherwise it might go too mushy.
Hi Anja, thank you for sharing this! This is a very useful recipe. Are there any vegetables I can replace cauliflower with? I have a problem digesting cauliflower, that’s why as much as possible I avoid eating them.
This is the third or fourth recipe I’ve looked at that claims to be soy free yet lists Tamari as an ingredient. Am I missing something??? Last I checked Tamari is still soy sauce!
Yes tamari is soy… you can use coconut aminos. Thank you for your comment.
is there something I can replace the walnuts with? My daughter is allergic to nuts but I’m really needing a recipe like this one.
You could try pecan or brazil nuts… or use all cauliflower.
Do you have the nutrition facts on this recipe?
Thank you!
No sorry.
Hi there! I made this for dinner last night (For taco salad) and it was a success. I’m just wondering if you think it could be “dried” in a food dehydrator?
Thank yo so much for all your amazing recipes. I’ve tried a few others on your site and plan to try even more. 🙂
So glad you are enjoying my recipes 🙂 I haven’t tried using a dehydrator for this. If you try it please let me know how it turns out.
Hi my name is Michelle and I have a question about your vegan ground meat recipe it calls for either grams or answers the only one that I am questioning because under the cauliflower you would put one medium-size cauliflower thank you for doing that and under the walnuts you put one cup so thank you for doing that as well my question is is how much tomato paste I went to look at says 140 g or 4.94 ounce I’m not quite sure how much you’re putting in their tablespoon wise or cup size if you could help that be greatly appreciated
About 7 tablespoons worth.
Hi. I love your food processor. What brand is it?
https://cookingwithplants.com/kitchen-gadgets/
I’m definitely going to try this. I really like your chickpea omelette recipe. I make it all the time. Thanks for sharing your recipes 🙂
Anja
This looks and sounds delicious, I am going to try it tomorrow when I go shopping! I was wondering if I didn’t bake it pass 30 minutes would I be Abe to leave in the oven for baked foods or should I bake it all the way, you know the “commercial” crumbles only give you 5 minutes.
Gail
Hi Gail… I would bake it all the way through 🙂