Ground beef substitutes
Ground beef substitutes — 7 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called minced beef, beef mince, hamburger meat
Use Ground turkey
1 lb for every 1 lb ground beef
Ground turkey is the closest everyday swap: use 1 pound for 1 pound in tacos, chili, pasta sauce, meatballs and meatloaf. It is leaner and milder, so add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire or soy sauce per pound, and cook it to 165°F instead of the 160°F used for beef. For a vegetarian version, a plant-based ground swaps in pound for pound, or use 2 ½ cups of cooked brown lentils per pound in saucy dishes.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan for lean turkey and cook it to 165°F.
- Best for —
- tacos, chili and pasta sauce
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the ground beef doing?
Pick your caseIs the beef browned loose or shaped?
Any option on the page works. Ground turkey is the nearest, pound for pound, with 1 tablespoon of oil added to the pan. For no meat, use a plant-based ground, 2 ½ cups of cooked lentils per pound, or rehydrated textured vegetable protein.
Notes on ground turkey, plant-based ground, cooked lentils or textured vegetable protein
1 lb per 1 lb
Use another ground meat or a plant-based ground, which bind on their own. Turkey needs to reach 165°F and dries out past that, so pull it as soon as it gets there. Lentils, tofu and mushrooms need egg and breadcrumbs and will not survive a grill grate.
Notes on ground turkey, ground pork or plant-based ground
1 lb per 1 lb
Replace a quarter to half of the beef with the same weight of finely chopped, browned mushrooms. The dish stays beefy and juicy.
Notes on finely chopped mushrooms
Same amount by weight
A plant-based ground is the closest and the only one that makes a burger without a binder. Lentils and textured vegetable protein cost less and work in anything with a sauce.
Notes on plant-based ground, cooked lentils, textured vegetable protein or crumbled extra-firm tofu
Same amount by weight
Ground beef does two different jobs. Browned loose, it is savory crumbles: protein, fat and browned flavor spread through a sauce, a chili or a taco filling. Shaped raw, its sticky proteins and fat bind a burger, meatball or meatloaf so it holds together and stays juicy. Almost anything can stand in for the crumbles. Only another ground meat or a packaged plant-based ground binds on its own.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 lb ground beef| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 lb ground beef | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ground turkeytacos, chili and pasta sauce | 1 lbWorks | Works |
| 2 | Ground porkmeatballs and meatloaf | Same amount by weightWorks | Works |
| 3 | Plant-based groundburgers | Same amount by weightTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Cooked lentilspasta sauce and chili | 2 ½ cupsYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Textured vegetable proteintacos and chili | 1 cup dry + 1 cup hot brothTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Finely chopped mushroomsreplacing a quarter to half of the beef | Same amount by weightYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Crumbled extra-firm tofutaco filling | 14 oz blockYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Jackfruit | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Ground turkey
milder, less beefy
Browns, crumbles and shapes the same way as ground beef, with a milder flavor and usually less fat.
- Best for
- tacos, chili and pasta sauce, meatballs and meatloaf, burgers, casseroles
- Texture
- slightly softer and drier
- Prep
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan for lean turkey and cook it to 165°F.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- gluten-free
Most ground turkey is 93 percent lean, against 80 percent for regular ground beef, so it dries out faster in burgers and meatballs. Turkey labeled 85 percent lean behaves more like beef. The flavor is lighter; 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire or soy sauce per pound brings back some depth. Ground chicken works the same way and is milder still.
Ground pork
milder, slightly sweet
Fattier and a little sweeter than beef, so it stays juicy in anything shaped.
- Best for
- meatballs and meatloaf, dumpling and lettuce-wrap fillings, pasta sauce, burgers
- Texture
- softer and juicier
- Prep
- Cook it to 160°F and drain the extra fat after browning.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- gluten-free
Ground pork runs about 20 to 30 percent fat, so a pan of crumbles gives off more grease than lean beef; pour it off before adding sauce. The flavor is milder and sweeter. In chili or tacos the spices cover the difference. Plain ground pork is not sausage; sausage is already salted and seasoned.
Plant-based ground
savory, close to cooked beef
Packaged grounds such as Beyond Beef and Impossible, made from pea or soy protein and plant fat to brown and shape like raw ground beef.
- Best for
- burgers, tacos and chili, meatballs and meatloaf, pasta sauce
- Texture
- close; slightly softer patty
- Prep
- Check the package weight, since many are 12 ounces, and hold back some of the recipe's salt.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- soy or pea protein, depending on brand
The closest vegetarian match in flavor and the only one that forms a patty without a binder. It is already seasoned and salted. It releases less fat than beef, so there is little to drain. Cook it to the temperature on the package.
Cooked lentils
earthy, not meaty
Brown or green lentils cooked until just tender. They take the place of beef crumbles in saucy dishes, where the sauce holds everything together.
- Best for
- pasta sauce and chili, taco filling and sloppy joes, shepherd's pie, stuffed peppers
- Texture
- soft, no chew
- Prep
- Simmer 1 cup of dry brown or green lentils in about 3 cups of water for 20 to 25 minutes, drain, and add them where the browned beef would go.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
One cup of dry lentils cooks up to about 2 ½ cups. They do not brown and have almost no fat, so cook the onions in 1 tablespoon of extra oil and season more heavily. They will not hold a burger together without egg and breadcrumbs, and a lentil patty is too soft for a grill grate. Red lentils turn to puree; use brown or green.
Textured vegetable protein
neutral, takes on the seasoning
Dried, defatted soy flour in small granules, also sold as TVP or soy crumbles. Once rehydrated it has the size and chew of cooked ground beef.
- Best for
- tacos and chili, sloppy joes, pasta sauce, casseroles
- Texture
- chewy crumbles, close to cooked beef
- Prep
- Pour the hot broth over the dry granules, wait 5 to 10 minutes until it is absorbed, then fry it in 1 tablespoon of oil with the seasonings.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- soy
Treat the amount as a starting point; 1 cup of dry granules makes about 2 cups once rehydrated. It has no flavor of its own and no fat, so rehydrate it in broth, not water, and season it as you would the beef. It will not form a patty without a binder.
Finely chopped mushrooms
savory and earthy
Cremini or white mushrooms chopped to the size of beef crumbles. They carry more savory flavor than any other vegetable option and work best replacing part of the beef.
- Best for
- replacing a quarter to half of the beef, pasta sauce and tacos, blended burgers and meatloaf, stroganoff
- Texture
- softer, less dense
- Prep
- Pulse them in a food processor, then cook them in a wide pan for 8 to 10 minutes until the liquid is gone and they brown.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Mushrooms shrink to about half their raw volume and have very little protein. Swapped for all the beef they give a looser, lighter dish and cannot hold a patty. Swapped for a quarter to half of it, mixed into the raw beef after cooking and cooling, the result stays juicy and tastes meatier than the numbers suggest.
Crumbled extra-firm tofu
neutral, takes on the seasoning
A pressed block of extra-firm tofu broken into small crumbles and cooked until dry and browned.
- Best for
- taco filling, chili, fried rice and lettuce wraps
- Texture
- softer crumbles
- Prep
- Press the block for 20 minutes, crumble it by hand, and fry it in 2 tablespoons of oil for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned and chewy.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
- Contains
- soy
Tofu has no flavor of its own, so add the taco or chili seasoning plus 1 tablespoon of soy sauce while it browns. Underdone crumbles are soft and wet; cook them until the edges are golden. It does not form patties.
Jackfruit
neutral, slightly tangy
Canned young jackfruit is often suggested for any meat. It pulls into long strands, which suits pulled pork and not ground beef.
- Best for
- nothing that calls for ground beef
- Texture
- stringy and wet
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
Jackfruit shreds; it does not crumble. It stays wet, will not brown into crumbles, cannot be shaped into a burger or meatball, and has very little protein. Keep it for pulled barbecue sandwiches.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- SafetyA burger cooked pink in the middle, made with ground turkey, chicken or pork.Cook the patty through and check it with a thermometer. For juiciness, use 85 percent lean turkey and take it off the heat the moment it reaches temperature.
- Burgers on an open grill grate, made from lentils, tofu, mushrooms or textured vegetable protein.Use a plant-based ground, or bind the mixture with egg and breadcrumbs and cook the patties in a skillet or on a sheet pan.
Questions
6 questionsWhat is the best substitute for ground beef?
Ground turkey, 1 pound for 1 pound. It works in every ground beef recipe, crumbled or shaped. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan because it is leaner, season it a little more, and cook it to 165°F.
What is a vegetarian substitute for ground beef?
A packaged plant-based ground swaps in pound for pound and is the only vegetarian option that makes a burger without a binder. In saucy dishes, use 2 ½ cups of cooked brown or green lentils per pound, or 1 cup of dry textured vegetable protein soaked in 1 cup of hot broth.
How do I use lentils as a ground beef substitute?
Simmer 1 cup of dry brown or green lentils in about 3 cups of water for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender but not falling apart, and drain. That makes about 2 ½ cups, which replaces 1 pound of ground beef in tacos, chili, sloppy joes or pasta sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and season as you would the beef.
What is a leaner substitute for ground beef?
Ground turkey or chicken labeled 93 percent lean has less fat than regular 80/20 ground beef. Lentils have almost no fat. You can also keep the beef and replace a quarter to half of it with finely chopped, browned mushrooms.
Can I use ground pork instead of ground beef?
Yes, in the same weight. It is fattier and slightly sweeter, so drain the pan after browning. It is a good swap in meatballs and meatloaf, where the extra fat keeps them tender. Cook it to 160°F.
Can I make burgers with lentils or mushrooms?
Only with a binder. Mix the cooked lentils or mushrooms with egg and breadcrumbs, shape the patties, and cook them in a skillet or bake them. They are too soft to turn on a grill grate.
Tips for substituting ground beef
5 tips- Cook ground turkey and chicken to 165°F and ground beef and pork to 160°F, measured in the thickest part.
- Lean substitutes need fat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil per pound to the pan for 93 percent lean turkey, lentils or textured vegetable protein.
- Add back the beefy flavor: 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire or soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste per pound helps turkey, lentils and tofu taste fuller.
- For meatballs or meatloaf with lean turkey, keep the breadcrumbs and milk the recipe calls for; they hold the moisture the missing fat would have.
- Check the package weight. Plant-based grounds often come in 12-ounce packs, so a recipe written for 1 pound needs a pack and a third.