Beyond Beef Vegan Patty Melt

This vegan patty melt offers all of the palate pleasure of the animal-based classic, with none of the negative physical after effects. It is a must try, especially for vegan skeptics. You will be amazed that a meal this indulgent can be 100% vegan.

The instant I went vegan, I began craving a patty melt. I thought about Matchups, my local bar and pool hall, where I used to play poker with my ex-boyfriend and eat patty melts and bacon cheeseburgers on the regular. One of the cooks there, Nick, was phenomenal, and I would always order one of those two menu items while he was on shift. His cooking got me hooked on patty melts, and his bacon cheeseburger was the best I’d ever had.

A sense of panic set in as I reflected on the possibility that, as a vegan consumer, I may not ever be able to enjoy the meals I once indulged in. Patty melts, bacon cheeseburgers, pizza, and mac n cheese rushed to the forefront of my mind — how could I possibly give those foods up? I was already sold on plant based cooking and eating, both based on flavor and the effects on my body, but the prospect of committing completely to the vegan lifestyle for ethical and environmental reasons intimidated me. I love meals that do not include cheese, but eliminating this food group from my diet felt daunting.

As much as I loved these animal based foods, they didn’t make me feel very good (there are solid reasons for that, which I won’t get into here). I remember one week in particular, I laid on my ex-boyfriend’s bed feeling disgusting, having consumed a bacon cheeseburger along with a few pints of beer for the second night in a row. I was gaining weight. I felt sluggish and gross. The palate pleasure was not worth the onslaught of unpleasant physical symptoms I experienced as a result of my indulgence.

I knew that to sell myself and others on veganism, I had to recreate these cherished, comforting dishes — particularly those loaded with cheese. So, I took to the internet and identified the key patty melt ingredients consistent across recipes. I built my own, vegan version, with an easy sauce to enhance the flavor beyond the cheese and mayo vegan substitutes.

The picture you see in this recipe post is the result I achieved on the first try. Every bite was an explosion of flavor, and while I cannot compete with Nick’s talent, this patty melt was phenomenal in its own right. I have since eaten 2 more sandwiches in a 2 week time frame, and for someone who is rarely interested in cooking the same meal twice, that is a big deal. I could eat this once a week, as I did with the more expensive animal-based version at Matchups, and likely not tire of it for months.

While this meal is vegan, it is certainly not a health food. After my first mind-blowing sandwich, I paid acute attention to my GI reaction, waiting for the familiar, negative effects to set in. They never did.

I hope you will enjoy this vegan patty melt as much as I did, and rest assured that vegan eating does not equate to giving up your favorite foods. If you substituted other vegan ingredients and achieved a delicious result, I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Storing and Reheating Tips:

If you plan to prepare one or two sandwiches instead of four at one time, I recommend that:

• You cook all four patties right away as instructed here (due to quick perishability of raw Beyond Beef), and store any you won’t eat yet in a well sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
• Make the sauce and caramelized onions as instructed, and store what you don’t use separately in the fridge until you are ready to use them. They should keep well for 3 to 5 days.

When ready to cook remaining sandwiches:

• Remove the patties you need from the fridge along with the onions and sauce. Leave the sauce to sit at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Reheat the cooked patties on the middle rack for 7 minutes.
• When ready to cook, heat the onions in the microwave for 30 seconds.
• Proceed with step 3 of the recipe below, and then jump to steps 8-11.

Hungry for more Beyond burgers? Try these recipes:

• Caramelized mushroom cheeseburger
• Bacon pizza burger
• Beyond Beef tacos

Love cheesy vegan sandwiches? Try these recipes:

• Spicy veggie grilled cheese
• Spicy apple avocado grilled cheese
• Grilled tempeh melt with caramelized onions

Beyond Beef Vegan Patty Melt

Sauté Queen

This sandwich offers all of the palate pleasure of an animal-based patty melt, with none of the negative physical after effects. It is a must try, especially for vegan skeptics. You will be amazed that a meal this indulgent can be 100% vegan.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Equipment

• Spatula
• Cast iron skillet (ideally 12 inch)
• Small mixing bowl
• Large plate
• Small plate or bowl
• Small heat safe jar
• Weighted pan

Ingredients

  

For the sandwich

• 1 tbsp olive oil, vegan butter, or combination*
• 1 large yellow onion sliced and caramelized
• 8 slices rye bread*
• Vegan mayo* for spreading
• 1 lb package ground Beyond Beef separated into 4 patties
• 4 slices Daiya cheddar style vegan cheese*
• 4 slices Daiya swiss style vegan cheese

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp vegan mayo
• 2 tsp A1 sauce
• 2 tsp ketchup
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions

 

• Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add the oil, vegan butter, or combination of the two once skillet is hot.
• Meanwhile, slice the yellow onion. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onion to the skillet, and toss to coat in oil/butter. Allow to cook for up to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and lowering the heat if you notice any of the pieces burning. Transfer to a small plate or bowl and set aside once the onions are nicely browned and caramelized, as shown here.
  
• Meanwhile, spread a thin layer of vegan mayo on half of the bread slices. The other half will receive the spread later during the cooking process.
• Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or jar. The A1 flavor is strong here but works wonderfully on the sandwich – feel free to adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your taste.
• On a large plate, divide the ground beyond beef into 4 patties, shaping them to the size of your bread. Keep in mind that unlike ground beef, the beyond beef will maintain this exact shape and thickness throughout the cooking process.
• Place the 4 beyond beef patties into the same skillet the onions cooked in (be sure the skillet is still hot and you hear a sizzle upon contact), and cook according to package instructions. They will cook about 4-5 minutes per side and become nicely browned.
• While the patties are cooking, wash and dry the plate you used for the raw meat. Transfer the patties to this now clean plate once they are done cooking. Drain off the excess liquid that the patties released into a heat safe jar and dispose of later once it has cooled.
• Adjust the heat to medium or medium low if your range is on the more powerful side, and place the 4 mayo coated bread slices into the pan, mayo side down. Top each bread slice with one slice of cheddar style vegan cheese, followed by the patty, followed by one slice of swiss style vegan cheese.
• Divide the caramelized onions, followed by the sauce, between the 4 sandwiches. Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on top, and place a weighted pan (such as a cast iron dutch oven or casserole pan) on top of all 4 sandwiches. Allow to cook, checking on the bottom of the sandwiches after about 3 minutes.
• Once the bottom of the sandwiches are golden brown, spread a thin layer of mayo across the top pieces of bread, and flip each sandwich. Place the weighted pan on top again, allowing to cook 3-4 minutes, keeping in mind how long the first side took to reach doneness. At this point, you will notice the cheese melting – yum!
• Once the face-down sides are golden brown, divide the sandwiches between 4 plates, flipping them again so the carmelized onions and sauce are the top ingredients in the sandwich. Cut the sandwiches in half, and enjoy!!

Notes

* “California Olive Ranch” is widely voted as the highest quality extra-virgin olive oil on the market, and it is what I use in all of my cooking. I also love the brand “Earth Balance” for vegan butter. 

* I could not find rye bread at my grocery store, and used sourdough instead. Different flavor, but delicious nonetheless.

* I used the brand “Vegenaise” for the mayo and was very pleased with its similarity to egg-based mayo. 

* I used the brand “Daiya” for the vegan cheese. I was super impressed with both the flavor and the way it melted — both aspects highly similar to dairy cheese. I have been told there are more flavorful, though more expensive brands of vegan cheese, but I feel no desire to switch it up in this recipe. 

Keyword american, beyond beef, comfort, easy, patty melt, vegan