Cooking With Plants Recipe by Anja Cass

11 December 2025

If you’re looking for a healthy, budget-friendly alternative to ground beef, these Vegan Meatless Crumbles are an excellent option. They offer a savoury, chewy texture and a neutral flavour that absorbs seasonings beautifully. Use them in any recipe where you would traditionally use minced meat, from lasagne to bolognese, tacos, pizza, and more.

This recipe is completely whole-food, oil-free, and easy to batch cook for the week.

Vegan Meatless Crumbles (Ground Beef Replacement)

Ingredients

(Metric and imperial conversions included)

• 750 g cauliflower (about 1 medium head, 1.6 lb)

• 100 g walnuts (1 metric cup, 3.5 oz)

• 140 g tomato paste (½ cup, 5 oz)

• 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce or Bragg aminos)

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (or to taste)

• ¼ teaspoon white or black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the mixture

1. Add cauliflower, walnuts, tomato paste, tamari, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and chilli flakes to a food processor.

2. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse ground beef. Do not purée.

3. Scrape down the sides if needed and pulse again.

(If you do not have a food processor, finely chop the cauliflower and walnuts by hand and mix everything in a bowl.)

2. Bake into crumbles

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).

2. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

3. Spread the mixture evenly across the tray. A thinner layer cooks faster.

4. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove from oven, stir, and break up any soft sections.

6. Return to the oven and continue baking in 10–15 minute intervals, stirring each time, until the mixture has dried into firm crumbles.

Total baking time is usually 45–60 minutes, depending on your oven and how thickly you spread the mixture.

3. Cool and store

Allow the crumbles to cool completely before storing.

• Refrigerator: up to 5 days

• Freezer: up to 2 months

One full batch yields approximately the same volume as 600 g (1.3 lb) of cooked ground beef.

How to Use as a Ground Beef Substitute

These Vegan Meatless Crumbles can replace ground beef in a 1:1 volume ratio.

Examples:

• 500 g cooked ground beef = about 3 cups Vegan Crumbles

• Use in bolognese, tacos, lasagne, pizza, chilli, shepherd’s pie, burritos, stuffed vegetables or pasta sauces.

Season after baking to match any cuisine style.

Optional Variations

Neutral “beef-style” seasoning

Add after pulsing:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon Italian herbs

Taco-style crumbles

Toss with 2 teaspoons taco seasoning after baking.

Barbecue-style crumbles

Stir through 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce in a pan after baking and heat briefly.

Final Notes

These Vegan Meatless Crumbles are one of the most versatile and economical whole-food replacements for mince. They allow you to create hearty, satisfying meals while keeping ingredients simple and health focused. The flavour-neutral base means you can adapt them to a wide range of recipes.

If you try them, feel free to share your results. I always enjoy seeing your creations and how you use these crumbles in your meals.