A veggie- and protein-packed vegan club sandwich is the perfect summer lunch or dinner! The homemade tofu deli meat is easy to make and full of flavor.
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This is THE Summer Sandwich! It is easy and refreshing with lots of fresh, crunchy veggies — lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers — and a quick tofu deli meat which has a ton of flavor. It is super simple.
You just slice up your tofu, make this delicious marinade, brush all over, and bake. Meanwhile, chop up all of the veggies that you want in your vegan club sandwich.
Make a super quick vinaigrette to drizzle over the crunchy veggies, then just layer the tofu meat and all of those veggies with the vinaigrette and serve on toasted bread or sourdough.
That’s it! It’s truly an amazing sandwich.
It’s crunchy and satisfies that summer craving for fresh, fresh veggies. You can make the tofu meat ahead to use whenever you crave a sandwich! The veggies with the vinaigrette are so good that I often make snack sandwiches with just the veggies!
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Club Sandwich
- tons of crunchy veggies and plant-based protein!
- Perfect for lunches, carry out or quick summer meals
- flavorful tofu deli meat bakes quickly in the oven and can be made ahead and stored refrigerated ahead of time
- nut-free recipe, and options for Soyfree and gluten-free
More Vegan Sandwiches
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Miso Chili Garlic Tofu Sandwich
- Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Spread
Recipe Card
Vegan Club Sandwich with homemade Tofu deli meat
Ingredients
For the Tofu Meat:
- 14 ounces (396.89 g) extra firm or super firm tofu pressed and sliced into 1/8 inch or thinner slices
For the Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- a few drops of liquid smoke optional
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oil
For the Vegetables
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) thinly sliced bell peppers, I use a mix of red and green
- 1/2 cup (80 g) thinly sliced red onion
- half of a cucumber thinly sliced or use zucchini
- a few fresh leaves of lettuce
- 1 tomato thinly sliced, as needed
For the Vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
For the sandwich
- 4 slices sandwich bread or sourdough bread
- 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
- vegan cheese slices , optional
Instructions
Make the tofu meat.
- Press and slice the tofu, if you haven't already, drizzle a teaspoon of oil in baking dish that will fit the tofu or line the baking dish with parchment paper. Place the slices in the baking dish, almost touching each other.
- In a bowl, add all of the marinade ingredients and mix really well. Add 1 teaspoon or so of water if needed and mix, add enough so the marinade is brushable. Using a brush, brush the marinade all of the tofu slices generously. The marinade is easily doubled or tripled for larger batch tofu slices!
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C) and then bake the tofu for 15-20 minutes or longer until all of the marinade on top is somewhat dry. Bake longer for chewier result. I like mine somewhat moist.
- Remove the tofu meat from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before transferring it out of the baking dish. You can now refrigerate this meat for upto 3 days and use as needed.
Meanwhile, prep everything else.
- Wash and thinly slice the vegetables, as needed. Toast up your bread or sourdough, with or without vegan butter. Toasting is optional
- Make the vinaigrette by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Assemble the sandwich.
- Now it's time to layer. Spread a good layer of mayo onto your bread slices. Add the cheese if using. Add half of the lettuce, peppers, onions, cucumber, and tomato onto the bread in whichever order that you like. Add a good layer of the tofu deli slices, then layer on the remaining veggies. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the fresh veggies. (You can also toss the veggies with the vinaigrette in a bowl and then layer them). Sprinkle some additional black pepper if you like, then top it with another bread slice.
- Slice the sandwich by holding it snugly and using a sharp knife and serve.
- Storage: you can make the tofu ahead and store in a closed container refrigerated for upto 3 days. Slice and assemble just before serving for the freshest crunch
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
- tofu – This is the base for your homemade deli meat. See recipe notes for Soyfree option
- Worcestershire sauce – Vegan Worcestershire sauce is easy to find! Just check the label for anchovies.
- salt, pepper, and spices – Poultry seasoning, garlic and onion powders, and smoked paprika give the tofu meat an amazing flavor!
- oil – Gives the baked tofu meat a rich flavor and balances the vinaigrette.
- veggies – Bell pepper, onion, cucumber, and lettuce add crunch, and sliced tomato gives your vegan club sandwich great umami flavor. You can use zucchini in place of cucumber, if you like.
- vinaigrette ingredients – This is a refreshing vinaigrette, that uses apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and thyme.
- bread – Use good sandwich or sourdough bread. You can use gluten-free bread for a fully gluten-free vegan club.
- vegan mayo – For spreading onto the bread.
Tips
- Don’t skip pressing the tofu! Not only will pressing give it a better texture, but it makes it easier to slice thinly, which is crucial for this recipe.
- Brush that marinade on generously! It’s what will make your tofu deli meat so flavorful.
- make the tofu meat ahead and refrigerate for upto 3 days in a closed container. Use when needed.
- Be careful when slicing the sandwich, and make sure you hold it really firmly. This is a big sandwich, and it can fall apart when slicing, if you’re not careful.
How to Make a Vegan Club
First, make the tofu meat.
Press and slice the tofu, if you haven’t already. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil in baking dish that will fit the tofu or line the baking dish with parchment paper. Place the slices in the baking dish, almost touching each other.
In a bowl, add all of the marinade ingredients and mix really well. If the mixture is too thick, add a teaspoon or so of water, so that it is brushable.
Using a brush, brush the marinade all of the tofu slices generously.
Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C) and then bake the tofu for 15 minutes or longer until all of the marinade on top is somewhat dry. Bake longer for chewier result. I like mine somewhat moist.
Remove the tofu meat mixture from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before transferring it out of the baking dish.
Meanwhile, prep everything else.
Wash and thinly slice the vegetables, as needed. Toast up your bread if you like, with or without vegan butter.
Make the vinaigrette by mixing all of those ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Now, you’re ready to assemble the sandwich.
Spread a good layer of mayo onto your bread slices. Add half of the lettuce, peppers, onions, cucumber, and tomato onto the bread in whichever order that you like.
Add a good layer of the tofu deli slices, then layer on the remaining veggies. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the fresh veggies, then top it with another bread slice.
Slice the sandwich by holding it snugly and using a sharp knife and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! To make this gluten-free, use gluten free bread and gluten-free worchestershire sauce
This recipe is nut-free free if you use nut-free mayo.
To make this soyfree use Soyfree tofu options such as my chickpea flour tofu or store bought fava tofu or pumpkin seed tofu or seitan slices
Maureen
This was excellent!! We will be definitely be making this again!
Thanks for the great photos outlining the steps to make this tasty recipe.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
marina
i have made this 4 times already.
nice to have handy in the fridge.
it will be a go-to recipe for me.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
MaryBeth
Wonderful recipe! I tried something different with it. After letting the tofu marinate for about 45 minutes, I hand tore some of the slices and used it on a pizza (along eith some other toppings)! The high temperature for pizza baked the tofu quite well. The pizza was really tasty.
I baked the remaining slices per the recipe and used those in a salad jar (along with other goodies).
It was great getting so many and different meals out of one block of tofu. I will have to try the sandwich too! 🌝
Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
glad you enjoyed!
Rose
Hi again, Richa! So…I just made this today and I agree with you – it’s delicious and really does mimic deli slices!
For most of my tofu, I sliced it a little too thin and should have followed your instructions to go with 1/8 inch slices, or perhaps even stepped it up a notch to 1/4 inch. Some slices were drier than others, but as you said, and I agree, a bit on the moister side is better. But either way – delicious!
I would encourage anyone to try this because it really is yummy and I’ll definitely be making it again! Thanks Richa!!
Richa
Awesome
Rose
Richa, I just mixed up the marinade and it tastes delicious! I can totally see how it would mimic a deli slice. I haven’t tried it on the tofu yet, but plan to soon. I’ll let you know how it turn out, but I’m guessing it’s gonna be fantastic. Your recipes like this are amazing. Thank you for taking the time to develop them and keep ‘em comin’!!
Richa
Awesome
arj
These pictures are making my mouth water! I LOVE a good sandwich! Thanks for this inventive recipe. Can’t wait to give it a try.
Vegan Richa Support
awesome!
Bloodthirsty Vegan
Just a sandwich, but a delightfully satisfying one. When I realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand I got to it. My chickpea mayo had gone over, much to my dismay, but I rallied with some vegan ranch. I’ll be revisiting this recipe regularly. Thanks.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you!
Keren
This looks delicious! Are you only brushing one side of the tofu with marinade ?
Thanks,
Richa
Yes, they are thin slices and pick up flavor easily. brushing the other side is just extra work, esp if baking in a greased baking dish where the marinade will flow below as well during baking.
Elise McGarva
where do we use the vinaigrette in this recipe?
Richa
On the fresh veggies. You can toss them before assembling or drizzle during assembly