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vegan reuben sandwich sliced in half with sauerkraut and russian dressing leaking out
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5 stars (7 ratings)

Tempeh Reuben

Homemade Russian dressing, sautéed tempeh, and vegan Swiss cheese are sandwiched between slices of rye bread to make this Vegan Tempeh Reuben. It’s comforting, smoky, and delicious!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Calories: 665kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

Melty Swiss Cheese*

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine optional
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons white miso paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons tapioca starch

Tempeh

  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely diced about 3 cups
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • (2) 8-ounce packages tempeh, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Russian dressing

The rest

  • 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut, warmed
  • 8 slices rye bread
  • vegan butter, for toasting bread
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Swiss cheese

  • Boil 2 cups of water and soak the cashews in it for at least 5 minutes. Discard the soaking water and add the cashews to a high powered blender along with 1 cup fresh water, wine, lemon juice, miso paste, salt and tapioca starch. Blend until very smooth.
  • Pour the mixture into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it starts to clump. Keep stirring until suddenly it becomes one melty mass of cheese. Remove from heat immediately and cover until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

Make the tempeh

  • In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil then add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the tempeh pieces and continue to cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Now add the soy sauce and paprika and stir to coat. Remove from heat.

Make the Russian dressing

  • Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.

Assemble sandwiches

  • Lightly butter one side of each piece of bread and toast for 1-2 minutes in a pan, until lightly golden brown.
  • Using the toasted bread, assemble each sandwich. Spread on some Russian dressing, top with tempeh mixture, then cheese and sauerkraut. Place another piece of bread on top, toasted side up. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Notes

  1. To make the recipe easier, skip the homemade Swiss cheese and use store bought vegan Swiss or provolone slices. 
  2. You may prepare the cheese, tempeh and Russian dressing ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. 
  3. To make the sandwich gluten free, use gluten free bread, tamari instead of soy sauce and gluten free tempeh. 
  4. For oil free, omit the oil and use vegetable broth to sauté the tempeh, and use my homemade vegan mayo OR unsweetened vegan yogurt for the Russian dressing. And you can toast the bread dry in a pan instead of using vegan butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 4 servings | Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 1430mg | Potassium: 578mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 763IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 5mg