Vegan French Dip Sandwiches (2024)

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LAST UPDATED: August 4, 2023 • FIRST PUBLISHED: February 17, 2016

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These vegan French dip sandwiches are made with sautéed portobellos, dressed in spicy horseradish mustard and served ready for dipping in savory vegan au jus.

Roast beef has never been my thing. I know, you're shocked! So the idea of a French dip sandwich never appealed to me very much. In fact, I distinctly remember ordering a French dip at Denny's when I was a little kid, and thinking I'd be getting something involving French onion dip, which definitely was my thing. I was hugely disappointed when a roast beef sandwich with a cup of meat juice showed up.

A big messy mushroom sandwich that gets dunked in mushroom juice on the other hand, is way my cup of tea.

I'm really glad I got over that rough childhood French dip experience, and decided to give it another go, in vegan form, because this sandwich was insane! Flavorful, succulent, sloppy as heck, but so worth the slop for being as tasty as it was.

I served my sandwiches with some horseradish mustard and nothing more. That was perfect for me, but I've seen recipes calling for spicy mustard, Dijon and mayo. Go with them all if you'd like, assuming you're prepared for a full-on slop fest. If you're into vegan cheese, feel free to top it all off with some mozzarella shreds too.

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

5 from 39 votes

Vegan French Dip Sandwiches

These vegan French dip sandwiches are made with sautéed portobellos, dressed in spicy horseradish mustard and served ready for dipping in savory vegan au jus.

CourseSandwich

CuisineAmerican

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 379 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil,divided
1medium onionsliced into half rings
2garlic clovesminced
3portobello mushroom caps,about 20 oz. total, cleaned and sliced into thin strips
1cupvegetable broth
1tbsp.soy sauce
1tbsp.vegan Worcestershire sauce
½tsp.dried thyme
¼tsp.liquid smoke,optional, but highly recommended
¼tsp.black pepper

For Serving

2-6inchsandwich rolls or baguette sectionssliced open
horseradish mustard

Instructions

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and place over medium-low heat. Add onion and toss a few times to coat with oil. Allow to cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes, flipping occasionally. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes more. Transfer onions and garlic to a plate.
Coat skillet with another tablespoon of oil and raise heat to medium. Add mushroom strips. Avoid overcrowding the skillet. A little overlapping is okay, but work in multiple batches if needed (I needed two), adding a bit of oil between batches if needed. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook 5 minutes more on opposite sides.
Return onions to skillet and add broth, soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce, thyme, liquid smoke and pepper. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Slather the insides of rolls with horseradish mustard. Use a slotted spoon to remove onions and mushrooms from skillet, pressing lightly to squeeze out any excess juice. Divide onions and mushrooms into rolls. Pour cooking liquid into a small bowl and serve with sandwiches, for dipping.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan French Dip Sandwiches

Amount Per Serving

Calories 379Calories from Fat 147

% Daily Value*

Fat 16.3g25%

Saturated Fat 2.7g14%

Sodium 1278mg53%

Potassium 668mg19%

Carbohydrates 47.5g16%

Fiber 5g20%

Sugar 7.4g8%

Protein 14.3g29%

Calcium 100mg10%

Iron 3.2mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Vegan Falafel Pizza »

About Alissa Saenz

Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Marna says
June 05, 2018 at 4:37 pm
I'm planning on making this in a couple of hours but just realized I only have 2 mushroom caps! Do you think it will still come out okay?
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  June 09, 2018 at 10:53 am
  It will probably taste fine, but you're sandwiches might be a bit skimpy on fillings. Depending on how many people you're feeding, you might just want to cut back on the batch size or even make smaller sandwiches.
  Reply
  - Karen C says
    February 20, 2024 at 7:08 pm
    
    OMG! Delish!!!!! I followed the recipe almost exactly but just added a pinch
    of the liquid smoke and a pinch of thyme. We had great rolls and wow your recipes was great! I will be making it again and again. Thank you!
    Might have to make it again tomorrow!!!!
    Reply
Chantel says
June 12, 2018 at 12:45 pm

I make this all. the. time. and my omni partner will actually request them!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  See Also
  The Best Vegan Quiche!Vegan Mushroom Wellington recipe Vegan Wellington with Mushrooms, Lentils, Veggies - Vegan Richa Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
  June 16, 2018 at 10:28 am
  Yay!! So happy to hear that! Thanks Chantel!
  Reply
  - Mushroom Fan says
    January 24, 2019 at 7:41 pm
    Also wanted to express my gratitude for this AMAZING recipe. And, as a bonus, I like to make extra and take 1 cup of the sauce/mushroom/onions and blend them with one cup soaked almonds + a little nooch and some sun dried tomatoes to make an INSANELY good mushroom pate. It's tempting to eat it the same day, but 24 hours in the fridge and it is mind blowing. Thanks for all you do!
    Reply
    - Alissa Saenz says
      January 27, 2019 at 3:11 pm
      I'm so glad you're enjoying it! And wow, I LOVE the pate idea! I'll be trying that out myself. :)
      Reply
- Maria Sullivan says
  October 06, 2019 at 6:24 pm
  
  My daughter just made this for me, it was amazing. I plan on making this dish regularly.thank you for the recipe.
  Reply
  - Alissa Saenz says
    October 13, 2019 at 11:15 am
    Very welcome!! I'm so glad you like it!
    Reply
  - Brittany says
    July 10, 2020 at 2:56 pm
    
    My best buddy made this for me and I was hooked! Making it today for my parents. Thank you for this awesome recipe! Hands down one of the best vegan sandwich I've ever had!
    Reply
Marthanne Augustin says
August 31, 2018 at 12:37 pm

This recipe is one of me and my son's favorites. It is absolutely amazing. I have tried many of your recipes and have found them all to be delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your great recipes.
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  September 03, 2018 at 1:19 pm
  I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes!! Thanks so much Marthanne!
  Reply
Riana S says
September 04, 2018 at 5:03 pm
I don't think I've ever seen a comment section for a recipe with so few suggestions for substitutions or tweaks. I'm going to have to try this, it's one of the meals that I miss, thank you!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  September 09, 2018 at 9:13 pm
  Haha, yes! There are so many ways to switch things up with this one. Enjoy!
  Reply
jenna wingate says
September 05, 2018 at 3:55 pm

Made this today finally. Kicking myself for putting it off so long because it is absolutely delicious. Was perfect for this rainy late summer day! Thanks so much!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  September 09, 2018 at 9:08 pm
  So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Jenna!
  Reply
Michele Hutchins says
October 08, 2018 at 7:07 pm

I made this tonight after stumbling across this recipe and am so grateful I did. Only thing I did differently was thicken the broth with some corn starch to make it gravy-like and served it over mashed potatoes. Delicious and completely satisfied my craving for country steak and gravy. Thank you so much!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  October 14, 2018 at 9:04 pm
  Yay!! I'm so happy to hear you liked them! Thanks Michele!
  Reply
Shirley says
October 15, 2018 at 8:44 pm
Several years ago I stumbled across a wonderful portabella, mozzarella cheese sandwich recipe. I moved shortly after that and of course I lost it. I do remember the mushrooms, garlicky taste and the house filled with Italian wonderful scents. Can you help me. We do not care for the dipping mustard
Shirley
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  October 21, 2018 at 11:53 am
  I'm afraid that doesn't sound familiar to me! I hope you can find it!
  Reply
Sam says
October 16, 2018 at 10:25 pm

I've really missed beef dip since becoming vegan and this was SO good, it completely satisfied my craving. It will definitely be on regular rotation in our house and it was so easy. Thank you for the great recipe!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  October 21, 2018 at 11:46 am
  So happy to hear that! Thanks Sam!!
  Reply
Meg says
November 04, 2018 at 10:54 pm

I found this recipe tonight and had all the ingredients WOW I could have eaten 10 of these they were sooo delicious. This will absolutely be in my dinner rotation
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  November 11, 2018 at 8:56 pm
  I'm so glad to hear that!! Thanks so much Meg!
  See Also
  Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff (One Pot) - Evergreen Kitchen
  Reply
Lori Whitworth says
December 10, 2018 at 7:50 pm

I made this tonight and it was a big hit with both my husband and myself. I made it without any oil by braising the onions and mushrooms in vegetable broth. It worked beautifully. I used whole wheat hamburger buns and that was nice also. We did not use and mustard or horseradish but loved it all the same. We will definitely be making this again soon. Thank you for sharing.
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  December 13, 2018 at 4:30 pm
  I'm so glad you enjoyed them! And that's great to hear that your oil free method worked out well! Thanks Lori!
  Reply
Azriel says
January 06, 2019 at 8:29 pm

Absolutely AMAZING!!! I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch! That being said, how would you store this? Should I put the au jus with the rest of the mushrooms and refrigerate or keep it separate? I’m afraid the mushrooms might dry out if not kept in something...besides that, I LOVE this recipe! Thank you 😊
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  January 06, 2019 at 9:00 pm
  Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!! I believe when I had leftovers I stored the mushrooms and the au jus separately - just make sure everything is sealed up tight. :)
  Reply
Yari says
April 18, 2019 at 5:08 pm
This is one of my family’s favorite dishes! We add tofu stakes and sliced zucchini!!! Yumm!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  April 21, 2019 at 6:34 pm
  Sounds like a delicious meal! I'm glad they're a hit!
  Reply
Mary L Martin says
July 29, 2019 at 1:07 am
Id love to see a video for this
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  August 04, 2019 at 2:26 pm
  Done! Here you go. :) https://www.facebook.com/connoisseurusveg/videos/2254824114613321/
  Reply
Carly Kamps says
August 16, 2019 at 6:14 pm
Yet another amazing recipe! Everything that comes from this site is pure heaven. I had the cheesy rice recipe from this and my husband couldn’t even tell it was vegan. This will be another favorite.
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  August 18, 2019 at 2:04 pm
  I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much Carly!!
  Reply
Tami says
August 23, 2019 at 9:24 pm

Excellent!! We add red and green peppers to the onions and a little cashew mozzarella on top sometimes, but this recipe is delicious just the way it is - now in our weekly rotation!!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  August 25, 2019 at 10:38 am
  That sounds delicious! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Thanks Tami!
  Reply
Kandis Mortensen says
October 10, 2019 at 3:49 pm

I just have to thank you for this recipe. French dip sandwiches were something I REALLY missed and now every time I make these I say a silent prayer of gratitude for you and this recipe! I even water sauteed everything and just added 1 T of oil at the end and it's still SPECTACULAR!! BLESS YOU!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  October 13, 2019 at 10:48 am
  Yay!! I'm so glad you are enjoying them! Thanks Kandis!
  Reply
Hilary says
November 02, 2019 at 3:57 am
I really would love to find a vegan French dip substitute, since I used to love them. However, while I have grown to like other (cooked) mushrooms, I just never developed a taste for portobellos. Do you have a suggestion for something else I could use?
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  November 02, 2019 at 10:54 am
  You could probably make it work with white button mushrooms! If you like seitan you could also try working with that and a few modifications. I have a seitan cheesesteak recipe that you could use for guidance: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-philly-cheesesteak-sandwiches/
  Reply
MortuaryFaerie says
January 23, 2020 at 2:24 pm

I made this like a year ago and for whatever reason I hadn't made it again. I remembered it last night and decided it would be lunch today. Why haven't I been making this?
Reply
Maria says
January 23, 2020 at 2:47 pm

Beef Dip was one of my favorites before going plant-based, and one of the few things i still craved. This recipe absolutely blows that craving away! The mushrooms are so "meaty" and satisfying. I added a bit of Go-Bio Mushroom Bouillon to the dip for extra flavor (i love it extra salty) and even added vegan smoked gouda to the sandwich for a variation. I've made this a few times now and even my non-vegan friends love it!! If i could give it 10 stars, i would!!
Reply
Jillianne says
February 02, 2020 at 3:31 pm

Simply perfection!
BTW, a pinch of baking soda will make the onions caramelize faster by changing their ph level.
Reply
- Lynne says
  August 24, 2022 at 1:19 pm
  Wow! I cook fried onions frequently-thanks for the tip!
  Reply
Tina says
April 25, 2020 at 5:01 pm

These sandwiches were fantastic!! I will be doubling the filling and tripling the sauce next time.
Reply
- Tina says
  April 25, 2020 at 5:06 pm
  Sorry, I want to add that I did it oil free as well. And I used a half cup veggie broth and a half cup mushroom broth. This was the first recipe I tried of yours and really enjoyed it. Thank you
  Reply
Kathy says
May 01, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Looks delicious! Would Cremini mushrooms work?
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  May 02, 2020 at 5:02 pm
  Absolutely! Enjoy!
  Reply
Debbie says
June 06, 2020 at 10:33 pm

This is incredibly delicious! I’m the only vegan in my house, but everyone raved about this. It’s definitely a keeper. However, my only suggestion is to sauté the shrooms altogether. Cooking in batches is sooo very time consuming. I started out doing so since I’ve never cooked with portobellos before, but, after 2 batches, I threw the rest in the pan. They browned up beautifully. Thanks for sharing! 👍🏼😎👍🏼
Reply
- Pam says
  December 13, 2023 at 6:53 pm
  I also did the same. Why take the time to cook the onions and then take out of hte pan and cook the mushrooms. I made sure the onions were caramelized and added the mushrooms. I think that makes the taste much better .
  Reply
Debbie says
June 08, 2020 at 8:28 pm
Hi, Alissa. Is there any way to edit my post of June 6, 2020? I forgot to say that I added 3 julienned mini bell peppers to the onions when they were about halfway done.
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  June 10, 2020 at 11:24 am
  Hi Debbie! Sure! If you post a new comment with the additional info I can delete the old one for you.
  Reply
Dawne Montgomery says
June 09, 2020 at 10:50 am

Made this for dinner last night and oh my! This has been added to the dinner rotation! Thank you for sharing!! Delish!!
Reply
Kyla Mock says
July 23, 2020 at 11:24 pm

Came here from Julien Solomita’s cooking stream and left with a new all time favorite recipe. It’s so easy to follow and so SO tasty. I’ve made it twice in a week, it’s just so good.
Reply
AbbyT says
October 04, 2020 at 1:04 pm
This is super solid! I may have cooked off too much ju, or will double next time, but the flavor was still all there and fantastic. We did broil a slice of cheese on top at the end, but did everything else exactly. Easy and yummy! Thanks man!
Reply
Paige Davis says
October 09, 2020 at 11:41 pm

I made this tonight. Threw in a few red bell pepper slivers with the onions, but otherwise followed this recipe exactly. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE??
This is SO scrumptious, delicious, and SATISFYING.
I am definitely adding this to The Rotation, as my not-quite-yet vegan boyfriend raved as loud as I did. Dinner time was a huge success! Thanks for the recipe!!
Reply
Robbie says
February 19, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Looking forward to trying this! Found out about the recipe from @thetreekisser and it sounds divine!
Reply
Jackie says
March 04, 2021 at 10:48 am
What happens if you leave out the liquid smoke? Is there an alternative ingredient to it?
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  March 05, 2021 at 7:53 pm
  The flavor won't be quite the same. You could try subbing another smoky ingredient like smoked paprika or sea salt.
  Reply
Jared says
May 21, 2021 at 6:49 pm

This was delicious! Followed the recipe exactly. At first I thought it was going to be too much portobello, but it was just the right amount. Thanks for the recipe!
Reply
Ashley says
February 24, 2024 at 11:18 pm

I have made this many times and it is so good every time without fail. Would reccomend to anybody
Reply

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Vegan French Dip Sandwiches (2024)

Vegan French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients

For Serving

Instructions

About Alissa Saenz

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