Crispy, saucy, and packed with tangy flavor, this vegan ginger beef recipe will satisfy your takeout craving with plant-based foods. Soy curls make for remarkably convincing vegan beef strips. When covered in this tangy, savory sauce, they just might become your new favorite easy recipe.
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You Will Love This Recipe
1. It's simple: Basically, we're cooking some vegan beef and simmering a sauce. The vegan beef gets wonderfully crisp in the oven or air fryer, so no need for messy pan or deep frying.
2. It's versatile: Serve these vegan ginger beef strips over rice, noodles, or in a stir-fry with your favorite veggies. The options are endless, making it a great dish to tailor to your preferences.
3. It's quick: Forget about marinating or complicated prep work. In less than 15 minutes of prep, you'll have this savory dish ready to satisfy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Soy curls: The main ingredient of this dish, providing a chewy and meaty texture. You can also try other plant-based proteins like seitan strips, soy chunks, super firm tofu, or vegan beef alternatives.
- No beef base: I love keeping no beef and no chicken base on hand for easy flavor enhancers. Substitute with veggie broth or stock and a couple of Tablespoons of soy sauce for a similar flavor.
- Cornstarch: Creates a crispy texture for the soy curls. Tapioca starch also works perfectly here.
- Olive oil: Use your preferred cooking oil.
- Toasted sesame oil: Enhances the savory taste. Without sesame oil, any neutral-flavored oil, such as avocado or vegetable oil, will do.
- Fresh ginger: Adds a punch of flavor. Don't skip this ingredient; it's the secret to the dish's bright depth of flavor.
- Garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper: Lend pungent flavor and heat to the dish. Fresh garlic is also great. The red pepper flakes add medium heat. Feel free to adjust or omit them entirely if you're not a fan of spicy foods.
- Shredded carrots: Add some texture and a gently sweet flavor. You can grate or shred other veggies on hand to use them up too, though the flavor may be a touch less sweet.
- Low sodium soy sauce: For that umami goodness. Use low-sodium tamari for a gluten-free alternative.
- Brown sugar: Balances the flavors with a touch of sweetness. Other sweeteners will also work, but consider starting with a bit less if you use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey.
- Rice vinegar: Adds a subtle tanginess. Substitute with any vinegar, though milder kinds of vinegar, such as white wine or apple cider vinegar, are best.
- Green onions and sesame seeds: For garnish and added savory and vegetal flavors. Feel free to omit or add another garnish of your own!
Instructions
1. Soak the curls: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) or the air-fryer to 390°F (200°C). Heat 4 cups of water to boiling. Add the water and bouillon to a large mixing bowl and stir until the bouillon dissolves in the water. Add the soy curls and allow them to soak for about 10 minutes.
2. Start the sauce: Mix 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch into ¾ cup water.
3. Heat the sauce: Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Allow the spices to heat for about one minute or until fragrant.
4. Simmer the sauce: Add the rest of the ginger sauce ingredients, including the cornstarch water, to the saucepan and stir. Add a lid to the saucepan and turn down the heat to medium-low.
5. Prepare the curls: Strain and gently squeeze the soy curls to remove excess liquid. Add the soy curls to a sheet pan or basket of an air fryer, sprinkle with cornstarch, and toss. Add the oil and toss the curls again.
6. Bake or air fry the curls:
- To bake: Spread the soy curls into an even layer and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25-30 minutes, pausing once to flip the curls.
- To air-fry: Shake the curls into an even layer and air-fry at 390°F (200°C) for 8-10 minutes, pausing once or twice to shake the air fryer basket.
7. Check the sauce: While the soy curls cook, continue to simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the carrots have softened. Turn down the heat to low to keep the sauce warm. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water to thin it out.
8. Serve 'em up: When the curls have finished cooking, toss them in the sauce, plate up, and garnish with a handful of green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to serve. These soy curls are delicious with broccoli and rice.
Variations
- Soy Curl Stir-Fry: Add your favorite vegetables like broccoli, red bell pepper, or bok choy while the sauce simmers for a veggie-packed meal.
- Spicy Ginger Beef: Increase the heat by adding more red chili flakes or hot sauce to the sauce mixture.
- Gluten-free Vegan Ginger Beef: Replace the bouillon with gluten-free veggie broth plus 2 Tablespoons of tamari and the soy sauce with tamari.
- Oil-free Vegan Ginger Beef: Omit the oil for slightly less crispy but otherwise delicious vegan beef.
Storage
- Make-Ahead: Prepare the sauce 2-3 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then, simply air-fry or bake your curls and heat the sauce in the microwave before coating the curls to serve.
- Store: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Keep the sauce separate from the soy curls to maintain the crispy texture.
- Reheat: The best way to keep the curls crispy is to reheat them in the oven or air fryer. Heat them in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 5-10 minutes or in the air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 3-5 minutes. Microwave the sauce for about 30 seconds before tossing the curls in the sauce and digging into a reheated meal that tastes fresh!
Tips
- Double the ginger sauce recipe to use as a dipping or stir-fry sauce throughout the week.
- Add the sauce to the soy curls just before serving to keep them crispy.
- Be sure to gently squeeze or press the soy curls after soaking so they don't have too much moisture and end up sticking to each other while cooking.
- While delicious, this takeout-inspired recipe is not authentic Chinese food. For that, check out Maggie's vegetarian recipes. Born and raised in Beijing, she clearly knows a thing or two about Chinese cuisine!
- Eco tip: Roast your favorite veggies on another pan at the same time as the soy curls for a sheet pan meal that saves energy.
- Thinking about trying soy curls but concerned about ordering a multi-pack? While you may end up making these crispy curls on repeat, you can also try my vegan pot pie soup for a very different, but equally delicious, soy curl meal!
FAQs
This dish complements a variety of sides, including brown rice, roasted broccoli or green beans, lo mein or ramen noodles, or a mix of stir-fried vegetables. Experiment with different combinations to find your perfect match!
Instead of soaking the curls in water as the package directs, soak them in broth, stock, or a custom marinade for more flavor in your soy curls.
Definitely! Feel free to experiment with soy chunks, store-bought or homemade seitan, extra or super-firm tofu, or a plant-based beef alternative. They may not all visually resemble strips of beef in the way soy curls do, but they will still be delicious!
Recipe
Easy Vegan Ginger Beef with Soy Curls
Ingredients
Vegan "Beef"
- 1 (8 ounce) bag soy curls
- 4 cups water (or vegetable broth + 2 Tablespoons soy sauce)
- 4 teaspoons better than bouillon no beef base (omit if using vegetable broth and soy sauce)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or preferred neutral oil)
Ginger Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 4 cloves fresh garlic, grated, minced, or pressed)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or ¼ teaspoon for mild, omit for no heat)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce (or reduced sodium tamari)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
Garnish
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) or the air-fryer to 390°F (200°C). Heat 4 cups of water to boiling. Add the water and bouillon to a large mixing bowl and stir until the bouillon dissolves in the water. Add the soy curls and allow them to soak for about 10 minutes.
- While the soy curls soak, start the ginger sauce. Mix 2 Tablespoons of corn starch into ¾ of cup of water.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Allow the spices to heat for about one minute or until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the ginger sauce ingredients, including the corn starch in water, to the saucepan and stir. Add a lid to the saucepan and turn down the heat to medium-low.
- Strain and gently squeeze the soy curls to remove excess liquid. Add the soy curls to a sheet pan or basket of an air fryer, sprinkle with cornstarch, and toss. Add the oil and toss the curls again.
- To bake: Spread the soy curls into an even layer and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25-30 minutes, pausing once to flip the curls. To air-fry: Shake the curls into an even layer and air-fry at 390°F (200°C) for 8-10 minutes, pausing once or twice to shake the air fryer basket.
- While the soy curls cook, continue to simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the carrots have softened. Turn down the heat to low to keep the sauce warm.
- When the curls have finished cooking, toss them in the sauce, garnish with a handful of green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and serve. These soy curls are delicious with broccoli and rice.
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