My Top 10 Healthy Whole Food Plant-Based Meat Substitutes that are Tofu and Gluten Free!

There are so many exciting plant-based meat substitutes these days! I want to showcase my top 10 whole food plantbased meat substitutes that are 100% tofu and gluten-free! Believe it or not, done right, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, and portobello are mind-blowing vegan meat replacements! I've been enjoying vegan pulled pork, vegan steak, and vegan chicken fajita thanks to these!

A lot of people start wondering about tofu-free and gluten-free meat alternatives at some point in their plant-based journey. There are many reasons one might wonder about these things.

There is always a general fear that eating too many highly processed plant-based meats isn’t the best choice when it comes to nutrition. I’d agree that generally, it is always better to eat foods that are as processed as little as possible.

On top of that, these more highly processed foods cost more! When someone who is plant-based/ vegan wants to save money, an easy way to cut huge expenses is by not buying processed meat substitutes.

So then let’s say you chose to cut out or dial back the processed fake meat options from your diet, or you’re just too scared of ‘fake meat’ to even try it, there seems to be a dilemma! How are people who are plant-based supposed to enjoy some of those meaty classic comforts?

All this leaves people wondering…

What is a realistic vegan meat alternative that is not processed and does not have gluten or tofu?

That is why I have developed this list of my favorite whole food plant-based meat substitutes that are tofu and gluten-free! You don’t have to buy processed fake meats to enjoy all the meaty flavors. You don’t need to spend a lot of money or worry about the ingredient list of your fake meat hot-dog! They can be recreated using specific foods and cooking methods, all without gluten or tofu.

I will show you 10 different whole food plant-based meat substitutes you can make with the following 4 vegetables:

1. King Oyster Mushrooms

2. Portobello Mushrooms

3. Carrot

4. Oyster Mushroom

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King Oyster Mushroom Plant-Based Meat Substitutes!

With King Oyster Mushrooms, you can make the following plant-based meat substitutes that are tofu free and gluten-free.

1. Vegan Pulled Pork

2. Vegan Pulled Hoisin Duck

3. Vegan Chicken Fajita Shreds

4. Vegan Scallops

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#1 - #3: Vegan Pulled-Meat Substitutes Using King Oyster Mushroom

For vegan pulled pork, hoisin duck, and chicken fajita shreds, the method is pretty much the same but each time you will be using different seasonings.

Vegan Pulled-Meat Method:

1. Take each mushroom and cut off any ugly stem/root pieces.

2. With a fork, run the prongs of the fork along the full stem of the king oyster mushroom making sure to lightly puncture the surface. As you go along, shreds of the mushroom will fall away. It looks incredibly chicken like!

3. Add your dry spices and herbs at this point ONLY.

   1. Pulled Pork - BBQ rub, Pork seasoning (store-bought mix), garlic granules, salt, and cracked black pepper.

   2. Chicken Fajita - Store-bought fajita spices or your own compilation of fajita spices.

   3. Hoisin Duck - I use some salt, garlic granules, onion granules, and cracked black pepper.

4. Now that your pulled king oyster mushroom has been seasoned it is time to begin cooking!

5. Make sure you use a cast-iron pan.

6. This is where we add the fat! I recommend using vegan butter, but you can use some kind of oil as well. Get your cast iron nice and hot on medium-high/ high.

7. When the cast-iron is hot, throw your seasoned pulled king oyster mushroom on the cast iron and coat it thoroughly in the fat.

8. After your mushrooms have been tossed around a bit, it’s time to let them sit and not move them around AT ALL. Let them sear on the pan for 6-8 minutes before flipping them over to sear for about 6-8 minutes. We want that meaty seared, browning effect. This is why spices and fat are important.

9. In order to further tenderize the mushrooms and help them keep their meaty texture, the next step is highly recommended. Cook them in the oven for about 8-12 minutes at around 400 F.

   1. Vegan Pulled Pork - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss your cooked mushroom in a bowl with your favorite BBQ sauce until it is thoroughly coated. Cook in the oven for 8-12 minutes flipping halfway through. Top with more sauce if you like when done!

   2. Vegan Hoisin Duck - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss your cooked mushrooms in a bowl with your favorite vegan Hoisin sauce and a touch of garlic chili (optional). Cook in the oven for 8-12 minutes flipping half-way through. Top with more sauce if you like when done!

   3. Vegan Fajita Chicken - This step is mainly important for vegan meat substitutes that you want to cover in sauce. I still bake my fajita pulled chicken, but I only through it in for 5-6 minutes.

#4 - Vegan Scallop Substitute Using King Oyster Mushroom

It’s pretty crazy how many varieties of vegan meat substitute one can make with one king oyster mushroom! I highly recommend saving this recipe. I have used vegan scallops for a lot of different seafood bowls and wraps. They are absolutely delicious.

Portobello Mushrooms Meat replacement!

Portobello Steaks

Everyone needs a basic whole foods, plant-based steak replacement. This recipe is juicy, steaky, and so easy to whip up. ENJOY!

CREATIVE WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR EASY VEGAN PORTOBELLO STEAKS:

1. As a classic steak, potatoes, gravy, and asparagus meal!

2. Seasoned with fajita spices, Spanish rice, refried beans, diced white onions and cilantro, fajita fried veggies, salsa, and vegan sour cream. This is honestly one of my favorite ways. Add a side of corn tortillas and you are good to go!

3. Steak and fries (fries). Look at you, so French! I would highly recommend having some vegan mayonnaise to dip your fries in. So European!

4. Surf and Turf meal with vegan king oyster mushroom scallops, baked nugget potatoes, and vegan Caesar salad on the side.

5. With gyro seasoning in a gyro wrap with vegan tzatziki, french fries, finely sliced red onion, and some fresh juicy red tomatoes.

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Carrot Whole Food Plant-Based Meat Substitutes

1. Plant-based smoked salmon substitute

2. Plant-based hot dog substitute

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#1 - Plant-based Smoked Salmon Substitute

Carrot can be used to make an incredible smoked-salmon replacement! I love using this recipe for a vegan cream cheese, whole grain, toasted vegan seafood snack any time of the day.

#2 - Plant-based Hot Dog Substitute

For full disclosure, I have yet to try this myself, I just think it looks so cool and weird. I would never have assumed I could use a carrot as a replacement for a hot dog, but there we are! If you try it let me know. I’m going to try it soon for sure.

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Oyster Mushroom Plant-Based Meat Substitute

1. Oyster Mushroom Calamari

2. Oyster Mushroom Gyro Meat

3. Oyster Mushroom Philly Cheesesteak Meat

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#1 - Oyster Mushroom Calamari Plant-based Meat Substitute

These are very simple and delicious! If you ever want a calamari snack, whip this up and enjoy a crispy amazing vegan seafood replacement. These are mouth watering, binge worthy treats.

#2 - Oyster Mushroom gyro Meat Substitute

This is absolutely the best version of whole food plant-based gyro meat I have ever had. The gyro flavor and texture is spot on. When it comes to meaty texture, I prefer these compared to my Beyond Meat Vegan Keftedes recipe over here.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 2- 3 packages of Oyster Mushroom

• 4 tbsp. olive oil (divided)

• 1 medium red onion, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp dry oregano

• ½ tsp chili powder, adjust to taste

• 2 tbsp. tomato paste

• 4 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari

• 2 tbsp. maple syrup or agave

• ¼ tsp white pepper (black is okay too)

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Take oyster mushrooms and pull them apart and cut them up into bite-sized pieces.

3. Cover them lightly in some salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and BBQ/ Steak rub.

4. Using a cast-iron pan, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and throw in your onions. Cook until tender and translucent.

5. Add minced garlic cloves and stir around for 30 seconds.

6. Add in cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and oregano and mix well.

7. Add in the tomato paste.

8. Now ensure your heat is still medium heat or a little bit higher and add the rest of your olive oil, tamari (or soy sauce), maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar.

9. Throw in your seasoned mushrooms and coat them well in your mixture/olive oil. After they have been well coated and mixed, let them sear on one side (don’t move them around) for about 5-6 minutes. Feel free to press down on them to help them lose moisture. Then flip around and sear on the other side for 5-6 minutes, pressing down occasionally to get their water out.

10. Now that your mushrooms are flavored and seared, put them on the baking sheet and cook them for about 10-15 minutes, flipping around half-way through.

#3 - Oyster Mushroom Philly Cheesesteak Meat Substitute

Man these are so dang good. They taste so meaty and simple to cook up for a plant-based meat substitute.

Cooking Method:

• I recommend buying 2 packs of oyster mushrooms because this stuff is yummy!

• Pre-chop the oyster mushrooms and season them with some BBQ rub or Steak rub, salt, pepper, and garlic granules. This way they are ready to go whenever you want to cook them up in your cast iron.

• When it comes time to cook these, get your cast iron to medium-high heat.

• Don’t move the mushrooms around as they fry on the pan, this allows for better caramelization (browning). Press down periodically to get the water out.

• Cook on both sides for about 6-8 minutes.

• Tenderize further in the oven at 350 for about 10-12 minutes!

• Boom!