Vegetarian Reuben Sandwich Recipe (2024)

I’ve been making these for decades, and I love them! I add a touch of horseradish to the sauce to give it some kick, and the sauce goes on at the end to avoid sogginess.

For anyone who misses the meat of a traditional Reuben or who just wants to enhance the umami component, sub out one of the Swiss cheese slices for a slice of smoked cheese. Same basic sandwich with a bit of a twist. Delicious.

We’ve been making these sandwiches for years (w/o this recipe). My favorite addition is a summertime heirloom tomato. It brings some real substance to the sandwich and complements the flavors nicely.

This was a great idea for those who enjoy Ruben sandwiches, but who are reducing their meat consumption. We have thoroughly enjoyed these sandwiches.

I'd get some mushrooms in there as a meat sub, maybe a bit of smoked paprika in the sauce.

My version is Reuben-esque: smoked cheddar, and coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. It’s a different thing but I dig it.

Make it vegan with Violife slices (provolone melts beautifully) or another vegan cheese substitute.

Unreal deli makes a delicious vegan corned beef! I use Violife provolone like Susan. And a Reuben with coleslaw instead of kraut is typically called a Rachel...

uh, isn't this just a swiss cheese sandwich on rye? sacrilegious to call it a reuben without a meaty substitute for the corned beef in the original, such as seitan, tempeh etc.

You can’t go wrong using Siracha for the hot sauce and adding a slice of roasted red beet in place of the corned beef. A delicious sandwich.

I've used either harissa roasted carrots or roasted beets to sub for meat in this Rueben sandwich. New favorite sandwich at our house.

We make these at home all the time using Tofurkey brand hickory smoked turkey slices, so that there is some kind of other item inside of the sandwich. We also tend to use a refrigerated brand of thousand island dressing rather than making it from scratch.

Love this. Sometimes I'll sauté thinly sliced mushrooms with coriander, pepper, and dry mustard or mustard seeds and add those. Great without, but a really hearty and tasty addition.

Marinate some tempeh slices in liquid smoke, soy sauce, and a hint of brown sugar and then saute. Slip this into the sandwich for a satisfying mouthfeel, protein, and umami bomb. This is on steady rotation in our veggie home.

I thought this was delicious. I only had baby Swiss and slices of French bread and I did not cover the pan during browning of the bread - I was afraid that would take away from crispness of the bread. But otherwise, followed as presented. Delicious!

This was delicious. I made it twice already. The mayo seemed a bit rich so I reduced it and the ketchup to 1 teaspoon each. The hot sauce adds a nice kick.

There's no reason not to add corned beef or pastrami. A simple way to accommodate different dietary regimes at one table.

If you miss the protein: Marinate tempeh with a dash or two of as many of these as you have in the house: water, soy sauce, Worcestershire, maggi, cider vinegar, sesame oil, crushed garlic, Montreal steak spice and smoked paprika. Sauté tempeh, and then braise in rest of marinade till cooked down.

Is anyone confused why this says four servings???

Sounds a bit crazy, but it works with a slice of jarred roasted red pepper (for flashiness) and a faint schmear of unsweetened peanut butter.

I used to work at a restaurant that made this with tofu. Delicious!

Delicious and satisfying vegetarian/vegan TEMPEH Reubens have been available at certian delightful restaurants, cafés, and delis for 50+ years now. WHERE IS THE TEMPEH?!! I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable. Why did you think the tempeh was "not needed"? You think we don't need protein? Even a tiny, sedentary person needs like 80 grams of protein a day!!

Great sandwich, but why oh why does the nutritional information say it's four servings? It's one sandwich! Who is cutting a sandwich in fourths? It's not the type of sandwich that saves well so it's not like you'd save the rest for later. Just let the sandwich be one serving. It's 460 calories.

For a meal with a little more substance, I enjoy adding pickled beets before grilling. I heat them first to ensure they are warm throughout.

I love this recipe. I never thought I would like it as much as I do. I often don’t cook recipes to a T, however this one I’ve made over a dozen times and always cook it exactly as directed. You will not miss the meat in this. I am not vegetarian, and I may make it with added blackened salmon next. I think that the steps taken in this are what is successful. I love it

I make a similar sandwich with tempeh. I just slice the tempeh into 4 pieces and then slice those 4 pieces in half while laying them flat. I put those slices in tamari for a couple of minutes. Then cook them in olive oil in a pan. I either have those with sauerkraut and mustard or home made coleslaw and ketchup and mayonnaise.

Notes are helpful, especially the addition of tempeh. I specifically sought out a vegetarian version of a Rueben because one of our favorite brew pubs makes this with tempeh and it’s fabulous, so we want to see how close we can come to recreating.

Add steamed broccoli and sliced cooked beets

I'm not sure I would call this a Reuben. I use sliced yellow squash and zucchini, a red pepper slice, and thin tomato slices as filling. Much better

I make this all the time but sub out the corned beef with bacon or brisket and instead of sauerkraut I use ham.