How to Make the Best Steak Frites—No Beef Required

In France and Belgium, steak frites is a popular dinner choice. But the simple meal (which, as you may have guessed, is essentially steak and French fries) is also a global favorite, found in Belgian-style and French-style bistros all over the world. One-half of steak frites is already plant-based (the fries, of course) but if you want the juicy, tender texture of steak without the actual steak, here are some of our favorite ways to achieve just that. 

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What is steak frites?

Steak frites consists of two core elements: steak and fries. But it’s not as simple as slapping them both on a plate. The steak is usually seared or grilled, while the French fries (or pommes frites, as they’re known in France) should be deep-fried until perfectly crispy. The steak can be a number of different cuts, from rump to rib-eye, but it should always be seasoned well with salt, pepper, and herbs. Often, béarnaise is served on the side, which is a creamy French sauce usually made with egg yolks, butter, white wine vinegar, shallots, and herbs.

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How to make plant-based steak frites

All of the key elements of steak frites can be made with plant-based ingredients. Instead of beef fat, French fries can be deep-fried in vegetable or olive oil, for example. There are also several vegan béarnaise sauce recipes out there. This one from Culinary Witch, for example, combines ingredients like avocado mayonnaise and coconut cream to achieve the same consistency and texture. 

And then there’s the steak. Thanks to ingredients like seitan, mushrooms, beans, lentils, and tofu, you can achieve the same tender texture and juicy taste of steak without any animal products. 

The best vegan steak recipes for steak frites

Intrigued? Check out some of our favorite vegan steak recipes, perfect for steak frites, below.

Rabbit and Wolves

1 Vegan Portobello Steak Frites

In this vegan steak frites recipe, Lauren Hartmann of Rabbit and Wolves swaps the usual beef for juicy marinated portobello mushrooms with delicious results. The key is to season the mushrooms with umami-rich ingredients like liquid smoke, vegan steak sauce, and soy sauce, before leaving them to marinate overnight and baking them in the oven for up to 25 minutes. On the side, Hartmann opts for roasted red pepper chimichurri. “These mushroom steaks get so crazy yummy in the oven after being marinated,” writes Hartmann. “I like to marinate them overnight. Which makes this the quickest, easiest recipe ever.”
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The Cheeky Chickpea

2 Seitan Vegan Steak

If you want a seriously meaty steak, seitan is your best bet. This is because the plant-based protein, which is made with wheat gluten, has a naturally chewy, tender texture similar to steak. Again, the key to the flavor is all in the marinade. In this recipe, Vera Morgan of The Cheeky Chickpea opts for ingredients like vegan beef stock, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, and tamari. “A crazy good protein-rich meal for vegetarians, and if you want to impress meat eaters, serve them this,” says Morgan. “It’ll blow their mind!”
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School Night Vegan

3 Cannellini Bean Vegan Steak

As well as seitan, the not-so-secret ingredient in this “succulent vegan steak” from School Night Vegan is cannellini beans, which provide protein, a good dose of fiber, and help achieve that juicy, meaty texture. A key contributor to the essential umami taste is Marmite (also known as yeast extract). Recipe developer Richard Makin describes this steak as having “100 percent the meatiest flavor I’ve ever managed to conjure up.”
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Plantifully Based

4 Vegan Tofu Steak

When fried or grilled, extra-firm tofu can have a deliciously meaty texture, similar to steak. In this recipe from Plantifully Based, the dark steak-like color and umami flavor come from the marinade, which consists of just four ingredients: pomegranate juice, steak seasoning, vegan steak sauce, and soy sauce.
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Loving It Vegan

5 Seitan Chickpea Vegan Steak

Again, this juicy vegan steak recipe from Loving It Vegan comes together with the help of seitan and an umami-rich marinade, but it also features chickpeas for some added plant-based protein. According to recipe developer Alison Andrews, all of this helps to create a steak-free steak that is “perfection.” She added: “They are massively filling, too. I served myself a plate with one of these steaks and a few sides. I ate one of the steaks and couldn’t eat any of the sides, I was so full.”
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