This Vegan Philly Cheesesteak made with marinated portobello mushrooms, sautéed onions and peppers, and homemade vegan cheese sauce for a healthier spin on this classic sandwich.
Who else loves a good sandwich?
It’s that perfect mixture of savory meatiness, crunchy vegetables, and sweet and spicy sauces. So good! On My Darling Vegan, you’ll find a few vegan sandwich recipes. There is the Tempeh Rueben, my take on the BLT with Avocado Mayo, and of course, a Tofu Banh Mi.
And now there’s a new sandwich in town. It’s the Portobello Philly Cheesesteak. Made with marinated portobello steaks, sautéed onions and peppers, and INCREDIBLE cheese sauce, these vegan Philly Cheesesteaks are something worth getting excited about!
Intrigued? Let’s take a closer look.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
What is a Philly Cheesesteak?
A classic cheesesteak is a sandwich that originated in Philadelphia as popular fast food. The sandwich is made from thinly sliced pieces of beef stuffed inside a hoagie roll and slathered in cheese sauce. Commonly, sautéed onions and peppers are added to the sandwich as well. Since it’s development nearly 100 years ago, there have been many variations of the sandwich, and today I bring you one more – the Marinated Portobello Cheesesteak.
Despite the fact that cheesesteaks are typically made from beef and cheese, we’re not going to let that stop us from making a delicious vegan sandwich, are we?
No way!
Recommended Ingredients And Equipment
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Hoagie Rolls – You can use any type of sandwich roll or bun you’d like.
- Portobello – Portobello is one of the best whole food meat substitutes you can find. They have a rich juicy, deep meaty texture that, although will never be mistaken for meat, can be equally satisfying to vegans and omnivores alike.
- Cooking Oil – Use high heat oil like avocado or coconut.
- Vegetables – Traditionally Philly Cheesesteaks are topped with a combination of onions, green bell peppers, poblano peppers, and button mushrooms.
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce – Not all Worcestershire sauce is vegan. Most varieties use anchovies. Make sure to find one that is specifically marked vegan.
- Dijon Mustard
- Spices – You will need steak seasoning, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Vegan Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Non-Dairy Milk – Use any nuetral flavored unsweetened milk.
- Mozzarella Cutting Board Shreds – This is my favorite vegan cheese for this recipe. Read all about Daiya’s shreds below.
Recommended Equipment
You don’t need anything fancy for this recipe, just basic cooking equipment including a sauté pan, mixing bowls, and utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
Best Cheese Alternative to Philly CheeseSteak
Obviously, since we are making a Vegan Philly Cheesesteak we won’t be using traditional cheese. So what is the best plant-based cheese alternative?
Daiya! If you’ve been a plant-based eater for a while, then I’m sure you’re familiar with Daiya’s products. They make some of the best non-dairy cheeses, dressings, sauces, and yogurt alternatives, and more. When they came on the market about 10 years ago, their products were revolutionary.
One of the things I love most about Daiya is that they continue to improve their products. Recently they launched a Cutting Board Collection with new and improved slices and shreds. These new shreds taste even more like dairy cheese than ever before. With an improved melt and stretch, Daiya shreds are now the perfect cheese for pizza, pasta, and of course, vegan cheesesteak sandwiches.
Make sure to try out the new Cutting Board Collection and all their products by picking some up at a store near you. You won’t regret it!
How to Make Vegan Philly Cheesesteak
Step One – Prepare the Portobello Steaks
Clean the mushrooms with a damp kitchen towel to remove any soil that clings to the mushrooms. Destem the mushrooms, slice them into 1/2″ pieces and place them into a large ziplock bag. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Whisk them together and then pour them into the bag.
Seal the bag and shake it slightly so that the mushrooms are fully submerged. Let the mushrooms marinate while making the rest of the cheesesteaks. Alternatively, you can place the mushroom slices in a large casserole dish with the marinade. Take care to completely submerge them in the liquid.
Step Two – Make the Cheese Sauce
Once the mushrooms are marinating, it’s time to make the cheese sauce.
To do this, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour, whisking constantly, until a roux has formed. Next add the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Once thick, remove from heat and add the cheese, salt, and pepper.
Step Three – Sauté Veggies
To make the sautéed veggies, heat a tablespoon of oil up in a heavy-bottomed sautéed pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until they are fragrant and translucent. Add the peppers and button mushrooms and sauté for about 5 more minutes until they are cooked all the way through.
Once your veggies are done, transfer them onto a paper towel and wipe the skillet clean. Now it’s time to sauté the marinated portobellos. Add the portobello slices and the marinade to the sauté pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have reduced about 50% in size and are charred along the edges.
Step Four – Assemble the Sandwiches
We’re almost done! Now, all we need to do is assemble the sandwiches. To do this, grab four hoagie rolls and evenly divide the mushrooms between the rolls. Top with sautéed onions and peppers and finish with vegan cheese sauce.
Bake the assembled sandwiches at 400 F for about 5 minutes until the bread gets nice and crusty and the cheese sauce melts over all the veggies. Remove from oven and serve!
Serving and Storing
Serve the sandwich shortly after assembling. Otherwise, the bread will start to get soggy and the veggies will get cold.
Store uneaten mushrooms and cheese sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reuse, gently reheat over low heat.
Tips and Tricks
- Getting perfect chewy portobello is key. For a bolder flavor, marinate the mushrooms overnight. Cooked until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have reduced in size at least 50%.
- For the perfect vegan cheese sauce, make sure to use Daiya Mozzarella Cutting Board Shreds.
- Try making a Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Pizza! To do this, place a thin layer of cheese sauce on a pizza crust. Top with marinated portobellos and sautéed peppers and onions. Bake and enjoy!
More Vegan Sandwich Recipes
- Tempeh Reuben Sandwich
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich with Avocado Slaw
- Vegan Meatball Sub
- 10-Minute Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Ultimate BLT with Avocado Mayo
Vegan Philly Cheesecake
Ingredients
Philly Cheesesteaks
- 4 hoagie rolls
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil, divided
- 4 large portobellos
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Portobello Marinade
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. steak seasoning, salt-free
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 tbsp. vegan butter
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1/2 heaping cup Mozzarella Cutting Board Shreds
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Destem and wipe clean the portobellos. Cut them into 1/2" strips and set aside. Whisk together the ingredients for the portobello marinade. Transfer the marinade to a large ziplock bag. Add the portobello strips and shake the bag so that the portobellos are fully submerged. Let marinate while preparing the rest of the sandwiches.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Make the vegan cheese sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour, whisking constantly, until a roux has formed. Add milk, 1/4 cup at a time. Continue to whisk constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken – it should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add Mozzarella Cutting Board Shreds, salt, and pepper. Stir in until the cheese has melted. Set aside.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions are fragrant and translucent. Add peppers and button mushrooms and sauté for an additional 5 minutes until peppers cooked all the way through and slightly charred. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Wipe clean the skillet. Add the remaining oil and increase the heat to medium. Add the marinated portobellos along with the marinade and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes until the portobellos are crispy brown and charred on the outside.
- Assemble the sandwiches by placing 1/4th of the portobellos at the bottom of each hoagie roll. Top the onions/bell pepper mixture and a few dollops of vegan cheese sauce. Place on a baking sheet and bake 5 minutes until the bread is crispy and the cheese sauce is warm and melty. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Deb says
So so good!!! A must try for anyone who misses a great steak and cheese sub.
I dont know why I haven’t tried this before, but this will surely be in my weekly menu!
Linda says
This recipe is really tasty, though I found the marinade to be a little strong. I may cut back a little on the balsamic and Dijon next time. The poblanos are a wonderful addition, gives it just the right amount of kick!
Brad says
My sandwich was absolutely delicious. However, it was a little Dijon forward for me.
Brycee says
This recipe was the bomb!! Perfect comfort meal for a transitioning vegan. It was a little too much salt for me, but I’m low salt most time anyways. Very yummy. Only change was I used cashew milk instead of soy milk.
Emily says
I have made this sandwich numerous times and it is always a hit. Yum!!
Sheila says
Hello,
I made this sandwich today and it was delicious! I don’t like bell pepper so I left it off. And when I bought the Worcestershire sauce I didn’t check label till I got home only to find out it has anchovies in it. ? I found a vegan recipe online and it turned out great. I’m going to try cashew cheese and see how it goes next time. This was a great sandwich idea and I like having different vegan options. Thanks for this delicious vegan sandwich recipe! ?
Deidre says
Delicious! Honestly, I use any kind of mushroom with this- portobello, cremini, button! I use a combo of locally made vegan mozz and blue for the cheese sauce with a little garlic powder and nooch added in. OMG!! SO GOOD! Everyone eats this up in my house!!
Megan says
I find it a little ironic that there’s advertise for exterminators on a vegan website ?. And it calls for butter in the cheese sauce, I’m wondering if it’s supposed to go without saying that the butter is dairy free? I’m assuming it is, but I just wanted to make sure since it’s a vegan sauce.
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, vegan butter.
Linda says
Use an ad blocker and you won’t see it. And I’m sorry, but not every living thing belongs inside a home……like cockroaches, mice, or rats. No one is going to come to your house and trap them alive….smh.
Kaile says
Haven’t made this yet, but was wondering if rippled milk could be used in place of the soy milk for the cheese sauce? We don’t really like soy milk in or house so buying it for one recipe seems silly.
Sarah says
Yes, that would be fine.
Kaile says
Absolutely amazing!!!!!
Gloria says
I’ve already made these twice! My husband and I love this recipe, so tasty! I have to melt the Dayia cheese for quite a while and I add 1 tbs of nutritional yeast.
Angela says
I made this for my family today and it was magical hearing the compliments! Delicious recipe, thank you!
Linda says
This recipe looks great. One question, under the nutrition facts, how does a vegan food contain cholesterol? As far as I know that only comes from animal products?
Sarah says
Hmm… that’s curious. I’m sure that’s an error – I’ll look into it.
Megan says
Possibly because it says to use butter in the cheese sauce?
Sarah says
It’s vegan butter, which has no cholesterol.
Jessica says
The hoagie rolls have fat unless you find a vegan bread form. the recipe may not have been entered into calculation correctly since it does not designate vegan roll.