Easy Vegan Tofu Pastrami Deli Slices for Sandwiches

Perk up your sandwiches with this lip-smackingly delicious vegan tofu pastrami. Easy homemade deli slices.

You don't have to miss out on deli slices (deli meat) and deli sandwiches when you eat a plant-based diet.

In fact, this easy vegan tofu pastrami has all the spices and flavours of pastrami, but it's also healthier than any shop-bought deli slices.

It's the perfect filling for sandwiches, although it's hard not to nibble your way through a batch, it's so tasty!

Jump to:

• 🥓 Homemade deli slices
• 💭 Which type of tofu?
• 🔪 Peel that tofu
• ⏲️ Give the tofu time to marinate
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Keep the nubbly bits
• 📋 What you need to make plant-based pastrami slices
• 🥪 Serving tofu pastrami
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Storing homemade deli slices
• 💭 Top Tip
• 📋 Related recipes
• ⭐ Sign up for a free recipe sent to your inbox every morning
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Easy sandwich ideas
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make easy vegan pastrami with tofu
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

🥓 Homemade deli slices

Tofu pastrami is so easy to make and can be baked in the air fryer or oven.

If you're using the air fryer, remember it cooks more quickly, so keep an eye on it.

Make a batch and keep it in the fridge to add to sandwiches for a high-protein filling that tastes delicious.

💭 Which type of tofu?

You need firm or extra-firm tofu to make this easy vegan deli meat.

DO NOT use silken tofu, as it's a creamy tofu used for sauces and desserts and is the wrong texture for pastrami slices.

If you are using firm tofu, you will have to press it first to remove the excess water.

You can do this with a tofu press (if you have one).

Or dry the excess water from it with kitchen roll (kitchen paper), then wrap in more kitchen roll and a tea towel, then pile heavy cookbooks on top.

One heavy cookbook and a few cans (think canned tinned tomatoes, soup or lentils) work well too.

It will do the job just as nicely as a shop-bought tofu press.

Extra firm tofu is pre-pressed, so very convenient, but it does tend to cost more, so buy to suit your budget.

🔪 Peel that tofu

For this recipe, I use a potato peeler to peel thin slices of tofu.

Of course, you could slice it thinly with a sharp knife.

It's up to you!

I like the crispy bits on the edges of the vegan tofu pastrami when it's peeled instead of chopped.

⏲️ Give the tofu time to marinate

The secret to getting all the flavour into tofu deli slices is to give them time to sit in the tasty marinade.

Just make up the marinade in a tub (the beautiful colour comes from beet juice), then add your tofu slices.

Add the lid and give it a good toss in the marinade by turning the tub a few times, then leave it to sit.

Turn it again before laying the slices on a lined baking tray and cooking.

It doesn't need long to soak up all the colour and flavour, just 10-15 minutes, or you can pop it in the fridge to cook later.

👩🏻‍🍳 Keep the nubbly bits

You'll find you have bits of tofu that drop off as you are slicing or end bits that are too small to peel or slice.

Crumble them, then set them aside, then toss them in leftover marinade, once your slices are cooking.

Bake them spread out on a lined sheet pan (baking tray) and use this crumbled tofu to add to a wrap or two with mustard, salad leaves & slices of cucumber.

This is a no-waste recipe.

📋 What you need to make plant-based pastrami slices

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make these simple spiced deli slices.

• Tofu - firm tofu (press it yourself) or extra firm tofu (or super firm tofu, which is pre-pressed and ready to slice)
• Beet juice - the vinegar from a jar of pickled beetroot for that colour and to replace the brine in the process of making regular pastrami
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Water
• Paprika
• Brown sugar - or demerara sugar
• Ground coriander
• Mustard powder - I use English mustard powder, but you could use dijon mustard or yellow American mustard instead
• Onion salt - or a mixture of onion powder (onion granules) and salt
• Garlic powder - garlic granules or fresh garlic crushed
• Salt and black pepper - to season

The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this page under the step-by-step photos. Keep reading, scroll down or use the recipe button in the index under the first paragraph.

🥪 Serving tofu pastrami

Other than just nibbling on it as a snack, here are some ideas for serving these tasty tofu slices.

• Breakfast- serve as part of a cooked breakfast in place of bacon (check out my gochujang tofu bacon too)
• BLT - add it to a vegan BLT (bacon, lettuce & tomato sandwich).
• Deli sandwich - layer it up with cheese, salad, gherkins (dill pickles) and mustard for a bangin' sandwich (also check out my vegan New York Deli Sandwich)
• Cheese deli board - add these pastrami slices to a deli board with slices of vegan cheese, olives, pickles, oatcakes or crackers and grapes for a picky dinner (or shall we call it 'girl dinner', which was big on Tiktok for a while)
• Pizza topping - in place of pepperoni, but as I say with my easy vegan pepperoni, if you are making some of these deli slices to add to pizza, undercook them as it will cook again on the pizza, so only cook for 5 or 6 minutes

I'm sure you will have some good ideas too, but you do have to nibble some, for quality control, of course.

Although, try not to quality-control the whole batch!

👩🏻‍🍳 Storing homemade deli slices

You can keep these pastrami deli slices in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

It will lose some of the crispness, but will still be very tasty.

📋 Related recipes

Looking for other sandwich fillings similar to this? Try these:

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👩🏻‍🍳 Easy sandwich ideas

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make easy vegan pastrami with tofu

These step-by-step photos will show you how to make these delectable deli slices. The full printable recipe is below these photos.

Step 1

• Add the beet juice (vinegar from a jar of pickled beetroot) to an airtight container.
• Make sure it is big enough to marinate a batch of tofu slices and that it has a tight-fitting lid.
• Start to add the flavourings (full recipe card below).

Step 2

• Add the rest of the flavourings and mix the marinade well.
• Cut the pressed tofu (firm tofu will need to be pressed first, extra firm tofu can be used after it is patted dry) into two thinner chunks, then peel it into thin slices or slice thinly with a sharp knife.
• Don't throw away any nubbly bits (pieces of tofu that crumble off while you are peeling or cutting, or leftover bits), set them aside.

Step 3

• Place your thin slices of tofu in the marinade, add the lid (making sure it is one firmly) and turn the tub a few times to allow the marinade to coat the tofu.
• Leave to sit for 10-15 minutes, then give another couple of turns.
• Place the slices on a lined baking sheet (sheet pan or baking tray), with space between them (I bake them in 2 batches).
• Bake until crisp at the edges.
• Toss the nubbly bits (crumbled tofu) in the remaining marinade and bake to use in wraps.
• Nibble on some for quality control, then use the rest for sandwiches.
• Enjoy!

📖 Recipe