Cure Your Steak Craving With These Vegan Steaks

There's a vegan alternative to pretty much any and every animal product these days — steak included. A number of vegan steak products have hit the market in recent years, helping meat-eaters make the transition to plant-based lifestyles.

Here's a look into a few of the brands making exciting vegan steak products.

Juicy Marbles' 2x Thick-Cut Filets, which are plant-based tender steaks, have been blowing vegans away ever since they hit the market in 2022. As described by the brand, the filet is "by far the most tender piece of plant meat you can get," with marbling that seriously resembles a real piece of raw steak. The product can also be cooked on the stove just like you would with conventional steak.

The steaks are truly plant-based, as they are made primarily from 70 percent soy protein isolate and wheat protein isolate; other ingredients include sunflower oil, beetroot powder, iron, yeast extract, and vitamin B12. Like meat, they are high in protein; unlike real meat, they are high in fiber, and low in saturated fat.

As of publication in January 2023, the steaks are sold out on the Juicy Marbles website, but should be restocked soon. In the meantime, Juicy Marbles also makes a Whole-Cut Loin, which is meant to resemble tender thick-cut muscles. Beware of Juicy Marbles' prices: $60 per loin.

Beyond Meat is best known for its Beyond Burger, which closely resembles a beef burger — and in 2022, the vegan company launched Beyond Steak.

The product is not a whole-cut steak; rather, it's plant-based seared steak tips, that look and taste like animal-based steak tips. They are primarily made from wheat gluten and faba bean protein, with other ingredients including canola oil, spices, and yeast extract.

Beyond Meat recommends cooking the Steak Tips up in a skillet or in an air fryer, and not in the oven or microwave. TIME even put Beyond Steak on its list of The 200 Best Inventions of 2022.

Find the product in grocery stores across the U.S.

The Very Good Butchers makes a number of vegan meat and cheese products, including The Very Good Steak. The pack of two plant-based steaks has "a bite so juicy and texture so meaty, it could easily be mi-steak-en for you know what."

Interestingly, this product is made primarily from jackfruit and wheat gluten, and flavored with various mushrooms and spices to create a delicious flavor. You can cook it on a barbecue, in the oven, or in a pan.

As of publication, The Very Good Steak is sold out on the company's website, but you may be able to find it locally via Instacart.

Plant-based company Chunk Foods makes Chunk steak, which is "a delicious, succulent and tender piece of meat." A Chunk steak is made using fermentation; it is a whole-cut steak, designed to look and taste similar to a cow-based steak; and one serving contains 25 grams of protein.

In April 2023, Chunk Foods announced that it raised $15 million in seed funding, with Robert Downey Jr.'s FootPrint Coalition as one of the investors. As of publication, Chunk steaks are on the menu at a few restaurants in New York and Los Angeles, and the brand has big plans to grow.

If you have some skills in the kitchen, consider making your own vegan steak from plant-based ingredients.

A recipe for Vegan Steak from the blog Thank You Berry Much uses vital wheat gluten, made flavorful and colorful with raw beets, red wine, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and more.

Another Vegan Steak recipe, from School Night Vegan, uses vital wheat gluten, a can of cannellini beans, vegan gravy granules, and many other flavorful ingredients.

And if you are looking for a gluten-free option, check out this unique Vegan Steak recipe by the blog Gourmandelle, which uses at base of corn-based gluten-free pasta. Seriously.

In honor of Veganuary 2023, Subway U.K. rolled out the Plant-based Teriyaki Steak Sub, which is made with vegan steak created with The Vegetarian Butcher, teriyaki sauce, cheese, and veggies. According to Vegan Food & Living, you can order this Subway sandwich with vegan cheese to make it fully vegan.

Hopefully this will come to U.S. Subway locations sometime soon.

This article, originally published on January 19, 2023, has been updated to include Chunk Foods.