Truly the Best Vegan BBQ Sandwich, made with soy curls and ready in just 20 minutes. If you haven’t cooked with soy curls before, you’re missing out! Soy curls are made from whole soybeans, are non-GMO and have 10 grams of protein per serving. Perfect for potlucks, bbq’s or game day!
Have you tried soy curls yet?
I’ve had them at various vegan restaurants before but only recently started playing with them at home, and let me tell you, I am impressed! I think they are one of the best meat alternatives around.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the vegan meats out there, and I only eat them occasionally. I much prefer beans, tofu or tempeh. But I think these soy curls will have a regular place in our menu, and I’m excited to create more recipes with them!
Soy curls are made by Butler Foods. They are much cheaper if you buy several bags at once, and at my local health food store I can buy them in bulk for a really great deal, so make sure to check your stores to see if you can find them at a decent price. (I’m not being sponsored to write this post or anything, I just like soy curls!)
These Vegan BBQ Sandwiches with Soy Curls couldn’t be easier. First, you have to re-hydrate the soy curls by soaking them in warm water for about 10 minutes.
Drain them, pull them apart a bit if desired, and add to a large pan, along with most of the bbq sauce. You can make my Quick and Easy Vegan Barbecue Sauce (I highly recommend it!), or use your favorite brand from the store.
Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and then serve on buns or rolls with Classic Vegan Coleslaw. Delish!
Are soy curls healthy?
Well, you can decide for yourself, but I feel perfectly good about including them every so often in my plant based diet.
They only have 1 ingredient, which is whole soybeans, so they aren’t that highly processed soy protein isolate, which a lot of the vegan meats out there are made of. I put them in the category of tofu or tempeh, which I also like to enjoy occasionally.
This is the nutritional breakdown of Butler Soy Curls. As you can see, they’re a high protein and pretty low calorie food.
What do soy curls taste like?
Soy curls are so good! They are chewy and they really soak up the flavor of whatever you cook them in. These BBQ soy curls are chewy, juicy and have a great mouth feel. They will satisfy any bbq craving you have!
BONUS: My kids love them!
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it & leave a comment below. Enjoy!
The Best Vegan BBQ Sandwich with Soy Curls
Ingredients
- (1) 8-ounce Bag Soy Curls
- 1 recipe Quick and Easy Vegan Barbecue Sauce OR 18-20 ounces your favorite bbq sauce
- 4-6 buns or rolls (1 for each person)
- Optional: 1 recipe Classic Vegan Coleslaw
Instructions
- Add the entire bag of soy curls to a large bowl, and cover with warm water. Let soak for 10 minutes to re-hydrate, and then drain the excess water.
- While the soy curls are soaking, make the Quick and Easy Vegan Barbecue Sauce, if using.
- Once drained, put them back in the large bowl and pull them apart with your hands to create a more "pulled meat", if desired. This step is not completely necessary, but I like them a bit smaller and pulled.
- Now, place the soy curls in a large frying pan. Add 3/4 of the barbecue sauce and cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat, and serve on buns or rolls with Classic Vegan Coleslaw, if desired.
This was so delicious! It was like a vegan version of BBQ pulled pork. Love seeing high protein meals like this. Will definitely make again.
Hi Leah. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the vegan barbecue sandwich! Thank you for sharing your awesome review and comments! Happy cooking!
This was my first time trying soy curls, and I am now a believer! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes made with soy curls.I followed your recipe exactly, pulling the soy curls apart after rehydrating them, and I also made your recipe for the barbecue sauce and the coleslaw. Spoiler Alert: Your coleslaw recipe has been my go-to for coleslaw for the past couple of years, and I’ve made it with broccoli slaw, as well. Thanks, Nora! This was a great, simple dinner for a weekend when I don’t want to cook and would be a great easy weekday meal, as well!
Hi Jan. I’m glad you experimented with something new, and that you loved the soy curls! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! I am thrilled that you loved the recipe! Thank you for using and loving my recipes! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Delicious! Thanks for a great (and extremely quick and easy) idea. I made both the soy curls and coleslaw. For everyone who has struggled with this recipe, Nora’s recipes are amazing and I’ve never had one fail. I think the true challenge might be in not knowing how to work with soy curls. If you want them to have more flavor, soak them in broth instead of water. I like to heat water in my kettle, then pour it over them, then pour in (just eyeball, no measurement) some vegan chicken seasoning, such as the Butler’s one that you can buy in powder form. It adds a lot of flavor. Then, when you drain them, make sure you squeeze out all the excess liquid so they won’t be waterlogged. Then fry them in the pan on their own first until they start to crisp up and turn brown. Then, add your sauce a little at a time until they are well coated, but not overloaded. Following this process will give you flavorful, chewy, and delicious soy curls! It also works with lots of other sauces. I love General Tsos and Teriyaki this way as well!
Love your page – going to try to do a combo jackfruit/soy curl BBQ (jackfruit for the great texture, soy curls for the nutrition)
Just a note for anyone else who has this issue – soy curls would give me horrible gas the next day, actual cramping from it. I mixed a little baking soda in with the soak water and that took care of the issue.
Hi Mark. Thank you for your great feedback and support! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes! Thank you for sharing your tips and ideas! Wishing you happy cooking.
Did not turn out so great. While the BBQ sauce recipe was great, it did not cling to the soy curls that great. So the curls tasted bland and like water. I think next time, I will soak the curls in the BBQ sauce so they really pick up the flavor and then I’ll fry them. Afterwards I’ll put more of the BBQ sauce after the curls are on the bun.
Just a thought – did you squeeze all the water out of the soy curls after rehydrating? I try to get as much water out as possible so they soak up the sauce instead
Delicious. Made it with some broccoli/kale slaw and air fried carrot fries. YUMMMM
I love BBQ and coleslaw and this makes a great sandwich! Thanks for the recipe,
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe! Thanks for your fabulous review!
This is absolutely a winner! Will be making again. Thanks for introducing us to soy curls!
I’m thrilled you loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review! Happy cooking!
Btw we would love to see more soy curl recipes…especially fajitas. 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipes!
You are welcome! Thanks for your suggestion!
Great recipe Nora. I’ve made it a couple of times and I and everyone in my family loved it. Do you think it could be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated before serving? Thanks so much!
That’s wonderful! Yes, I think it would be fine if made 1 or 2 days in advance.
Excellent BBQ sandwiches The texture of the soy curls is “meaty” which I like. And it held me well, a little more substantial than jackfruit. And so easy to make. I used your cole slaw recipe which was 5 stars as well. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Gary. You are so welcome! I’m glad that you loved the BBQ and coleslaw! Thanks for your fantastic feedback!
What do you do with the other quarter of the bbq sauce?
The BBQ sauce recipe makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce, so you can keep the remainders in the fridge for later or use the extras as a topping on the sandwiches.
Yummy!
Thanks for sharing!
We had this last night and it was delicious! Both my husband and son had 2 servings, so it’s definitely a keeper. It was my second time using soy curls! I look forward to seeing you create more recipes with soy curls!
I’m glad the BBQ sandwich was a hit! Thanks for sharing your great review!
So delicious! This recipe was so easy and quick to make! I added some herbs, brown sugar, and smokey salt to make this next-level good. Gonna be a staple recipe for me ??
I’m glad you found the BBQ sandwich delicious! Thank you for sharing your review!
so easy with the store bought coleclow veggies.
Quick and delicious.
I made this for 4th of July and it was a big hit. I added liquid smoke and minced fresh ginger to the sauce. I made the cole slaw too.
Perfect sandwich for the 4th! So glad you enjoyed it.
This is our second go round with this absolutely wonderful recipe. I make the bbq sauce and the cole slaw the day before and both are excellent! Bought the Butler Soy Curls and received a free Chipotle tofu crumbs package which we’ve enjoyed several times with our tacos, again great. This is one of all time favorites and never lets us down (served with pickles of choice). Cannot wait to dive into yet another one of your fantastic recipes. Thanks for all of your hard work! It’s much appreciated…
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you love this recipe!
This was AWESOME! I don’t like bbq jackfruit, so this was the first time in over a year of being vegetarian that I’ve had a sandwich like this. This was also my first attempt at soy curls. This recipe is so easy and so delicious, I will definitely make this again!
Thanks so much!! So glad you enjoyed it!!
These were absolutely yummy!! My teenager is vegan, so I’m always looking for recipes for her. I made these, and she ate two heaping sandwiches and requested the leftovers for lunch the next day. I’m not vegan, and I, too, absolutely loved these!! They are so delicious and even my husband (a diehard carnivore) remarked on how fabulous the kitchen smelled when I was making them. I will definitely be making these again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! My pre-teens love this sandwich so much, and so do I. I’m glad you found a vegan recipe the whole family can enjoy.
Got my soy curls today . I’m allergic to chicken so seasoned the curls with McCormick’s Grill mates Chicken seasoning as I was browning them. Then added your BBQ sauce. Yummy. It may not be chicken, but it tastes great. But next time I get the curls I’ll go straight to Butler Foods and get the 12 pound box and maybe a bag of taco crumbles. Oh the possibilities. Thanks so much for posting this recipe with the great info.
So glad you enjoyed the soy curls! Thanks for sharing. Taco crumbles would be great! I’ve also made sausage crumbles for pizza, yum.
I ordered the soy curls. As soon as they arrived, I made the recipe. Sooooo good! Thanks.
Great! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, soy curls are my new love!