Meat substitutes
Meat substitutes — 7 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called plant-based meat, mock meat, meat analogue
Use Extra-firm tofu
1 lb for every 1 lb meat
For most recipes, extra-firm tofu is the easiest stand-in: use 1 pound of pressed tofu for each pound of meat, cut or torn to the size the recipe calls for, and brown it before it goes into a sauce. It takes on the flavor of whatever it cooks in but has no savory flavor of its own, so add soy sauce, tomato paste or mushrooms. For ground meat, a plant-based ground swaps in pound for pound, and for sliced or shredded meat seitan has the closest chew.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Press it for 20 to 30 minutes under a heavy pan, then brown it in oil on its own before it goes into the sauce.
- Best for —
- stir-fries and curries
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the meat doing?
Pick your caseWhat form is the meat in?
A plant-based ground is the direct swap, pound for pound, and the only one that shapes into a patty without help. In a sauce, 2 ½ cups of cooked brown lentils per pound works and costs far less; add 1 tablespoon of oil to make up for the missing fat.
Notes on plant-based ground, cooked lentils or tempeh
Same amount by weight
Use pressed extra-firm tofu, browned first, for quick-cooked dishes. For a stew that simmers longer than 20 minutes, seitan holds together where tofu breaks up.
Notes on extra-firm tofu, seitan or tempeh
1 lb per 1 lb
Young green jackfruit shreds into strands and carries the sauce. Shredded king oyster mushrooms do the same with more savory flavor. Neither adds much protein, so serve beans alongside.
Notes on young green jackfruit or mushrooms
2 cans (20 oz each), drained per 1 lb
Replace the flavor, not the bulk. Start with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or miso and ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika per quart of soup or beans, then taste. A few dried mushrooms simmered in the pot add depth.
Meat does four things in a dish. It is the main source of protein, it gives a firm, fibrous chew, its fat carries flavor and keeps the dish moist, and when it browns it makes the savory base the rest of the seasoning sits on. No single plant food covers all four, so the right substitute depends on the form the meat takes in the recipe: ground, in chunks, shredded, or as one whole piece.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 lb meat| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 lb meat | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extra-firm tofustir-fries and curries | 1 lbTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Seitansliced for sandwiches, gyros and fajitas | Same amount by weightTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Plant-based groundburgers, meatballs and meatloaf | Same amount by weightWorks | Works |
| 4 | Tempehcrumbled for tacos, chili and sloppy joes | Same amount by weightTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Cooked lentilspasta sauce and chili | 2 ½ cupsYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Mushroomsportobello caps as burgers | Same amount by weightYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Young green jackfruitbarbecue pulled sandwiches | 2 cans (20 oz each), drainedYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Silken tofu | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Extra-firm tofu
neutral, takes on the sauce
Pressed soybean curd that holds its shape in cubes, strips or crumbles and absorbs the sauce around it. The most widely sold meat stand-in and the most flexible.
- Best for
- stir-fries and curries, kebabs and sheet-pan dinners, crumbled into tacos and scrambles, breaded cutlets
- Texture
- softer, less chew
- Prep
- Press it for 20 to 30 minutes under a heavy pan, then brown it in oil on its own before it goes into the sauce.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
- Contains
- soy
Tofu brings almost no flavor and no fat, so the dish needs more seasoning than the meat version: soy sauce, miso, tomato paste or mushrooms cover the savory side. It has less protein than meat, weight for weight. Freezing the block and thawing it before pressing makes it chewier and more sponge-like. It cannot stand in for a long braise; add it in the last 20 minutes or it breaks up.
Seitan
mild, savory, slightly bready
Cooked wheat gluten, sold in chunks, strips or loaves. It has the closest chew to sliced or shredded meat of anything on this page and is high in protein.
- Best for
- sliced for sandwiches, gyros and fajitas, stir-fries, stews and braises, cutlets
- Texture
- chewy, close to sliced meat
- Prep
- It is already cooked, so sear it for 2 to 3 minutes a side and add it to a sauce near the end.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- wheat, gluten
Seitan is almost pure gluten, so it is not an option for anyone avoiding wheat or gluten. It holds together in a stew far better than tofu. The flavor is mild and slightly bready; most packaged seitan is already seasoned with soy sauce, so taste before adding salt.
Plant-based ground
savory, close to cooked ground beef
Packaged grounds such as Beyond Beef and Impossible, made from pea or soy protein and plant fat to brown, crumble and shape like raw ground meat.
- Best for
- burgers, meatballs and meatloaf, tacos and chili, pasta sauce, any recipe that starts with ground meat
- Texture
- close in crumbles and patties
- Prep
- Cook it to the temperature on the package and skip draining; it releases less fat than beef.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- soy or pea protein, depending on brand
This is the only option that replaces ground meat without changing the method. It is sold in 12-ounce and 16-ounce packs, so check the weight against the recipe. It is already seasoned and salted, so hold back some of the recipe's salt. It only replaces ground meat, not chunks or slices.
Tempeh
nutty and earthy
A firm cake of fermented whole soybeans, usually sold in 8-ounce packages. It is denser and nuttier than tofu and slices or crumbles without falling apart.
- Best for
- crumbled for tacos, chili and sloppy joes, sliced and pan-fried for sandwiches, stir-fries, marinated and grilled
- Texture
- firm and grainy
- Prep
- Steam or simmer it for 10 minutes first to take off the bitter edge, then marinate and brown it.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- soy
Tempeh tastes of itself: nutty, a little earthy and slightly bitter. It suits strong sauces such as barbecue, peanut and chili, and it shows through in a delicate one. It soaks up marinade slowly, so slice it thin or crumble it.
Cooked lentils
earthy, mild
Brown or green lentils cooked until tender. They replace ground meat in saucy dishes, where the sauce does the binding.
- 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 you have about 2 ½ cups.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Lentils do not brown or hold a shape on their own. For a burger or a loaf they need a binder such as egg and breadcrumbs, and the result is soft. Use brown or green lentils; red lentils cook down to a puree. Add 1 tablespoon of oil per pound replaced, because lentils have almost no fat.
Mushrooms
savory and earthy
The strongest savory flavor of the plant options. Portobello caps stand in for a burger or steak, chopped cremini for ground meat, and shredded king oyster mushrooms for pulled meat.
- Best for
- portobello caps as burgers, chopped into pasta sauce and tacos, stroganoff and stews, blended half and half with ground meat
- Texture
- tender, juicy, less dense
- Prep
- Cook them in a wide pan over medium-high heat until the liquid they release has boiled off and they brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Mushrooms are mostly water and shrink to about half their raw volume, so the dish will be less bulky; beans or grains make up the difference. They have very little protein, so they replace the flavor and some of the texture of meat and not its protein.
Young green jackfruit
neutral, slightly tangy from the brine
Unripe jackfruit, canned in brine or water, pulls apart into strands that look like pulled pork or shredded chicken.
- Best for
- barbecue pulled sandwiches, carnitas-style tacos, shredded fillings for enchiladas
- Texture
- stringy, soft
- Prep
- Rinse and drain it, cut off the hard core tips, shred it with two forks, then simmer it in the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Buy young green jackfruit in brine or water, not ripe jackfruit in syrup, which is sweet. A 20-ounce can drains to roughly 10 ounces, so treat the amount as a starting point. It has very little protein and no flavor of its own; it carries the sauce and the shredded look and nothing else.
Silken tofu
neutral taste · custard, falls apart
Often picked up by mistake because the label says tofu. Silken tofu is an unpressed custard and has nothing in common with meat in a pan.
- Best for
- nothing that calls for meat
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- soy
Silken and soft tofu break into wet curds the moment they are stirred, cannot be pressed, and will not brown. They are for smoothies, creamy sauces and desserts. For anything standing in for meat, buy the block labeled firm or extra-firm, sold in water in the refrigerated case.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- Stock or bone broth, where bones and connective tissue simmer for hours.Make a vegetable stock with dried mushrooms, kombu, onion and tomato paste for savory depth, and accept a thinner broth.
- A slow-cooker or braise recipe timed for 4 to 8 hours, with the substitute added at the start.Cook the sauce and vegetables as written and add the substitute for the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Questions
5 questionsWhat is the best vegetarian meat substitute?
It depends on the form of the meat. For ground meat, a plant-based ground swaps in pound for pound. For chunks and strips, use pressed extra-firm tofu or seitan. For pulled meat, use young green jackfruit. Tofu is the most widely sold and the most flexible, which is why it is the first pick here.
Which meat substitutes are vegan?
Tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, mushrooms and jackfruit are all vegan as sold plain. Packaged products vary: Beyond and Impossible grounds are vegan, but some veggie burgers and meatless crumbles contain egg white or milk protein, so read the ingredient list.
Which plant-based meat substitute has the most protein?
Seitan has the most, since it is concentrated wheat protein, followed by tempeh and extra-firm tofu. Lentils have a moderate amount. Mushrooms and jackfruit have very little, so pair them with beans, lentils or another protein.
How much tofu replaces a pound of meat?
Use about 1 pound of extra-firm tofu per pound of meat. Most blocks are 14 to 16 ounces, so one block replaces 1 pound. Press it first so it browns.
What is a meat substitute without soy?
Seitan, lentils, mushrooms and jackfruit contain no soy as plain ingredients, though packaged seitan is often seasoned with soy sauce. Among packaged grounds, Beyond Beef is made from pea protein; check the label of any product for soy.
Tips for substituting meat
5 tips- Brown the substitute on its own first. Tofu, tempeh, seitan and mushrooms all need direct contact with a hot pan for 3 to 5 minutes a side; added raw to a sauce they stay pale and soft.
- Add fat. Most plant options are far leaner than meat, so cook with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil per pound replaced or the dish tastes thin.
- Add savory flavor on purpose: 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, miso or tomato paste per pound replaced is a reasonable starting point.
- Press tofu for 20 to 30 minutes between towels under a heavy pan. Wet tofu steams instead of browning.
- Shorten the cooking time. Substitutes are already tender, so a stew that simmers meat for 2 hours needs only 20 to 30 minutes once the substitute goes in.