Ever had Vegan Gyros?!
(by the way – they’re pronounced (yē-ˌrōs)…….not JIROS …and that sauce? It’s pronounced zat-ZEE-kee)
However you pronounce it, they really are simple to make, SUPER delicious, and rest assured you’ll be getting your helping of fresh veggies for the day!
After all …. it’s mostly a Greek Veggie Salad Sandwich anyway, just drizzled with that hard to pronounce cucumber sauce that is totally easy to make in your blender.
All I had to do was figure out how to replace the meat – and these smokey Portabello Mushrooms I come up with do the job nicely.
Mmmm……
Fresh Pita Bread
Hummus
Garden Fresh Veggies
Smokey Marinated Mushrooms
And homemade Tzatziki Sauce..?
I guarantee when all those ingredients come together to party… it’s gonna make one TASTY sandwich.
Enjoy!
Vegan Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
Vegan Gyros with homemade Tzatziki | Brand New Vegan
Let’s start with the Tzatziki Sauce...
For my version, I used a 12oz block of Extra Firm Tofu. If you’re allergic to Tofu – there may be Cashew based versions on the web, but that adds a lot of fat – so your choice.
Make sure you pat the Tofu dry and then cube it up for your blender.
Now we simply add 3 Tbs Lemon Juice, 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 peeled English Cucumber, a heaping Tablespoon of fresh Dill, and ½ tsp Salt.
Blend until smooth stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
You may like more Lemon Juice or Dill – so adjust as necessary.
Store this in the fridge until we’re ready for it later.
Now the Gyro Meat…
I used two 8oz Packages of pre-sliced Portabello Mushrooms. Arrange these as best you can in a large skillet.
In a small measuring cup, add ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce, 2 Tbs Maple Syrup, 2 Tbs Water, 1 tsp Oregano, ½ tsp Garlic Powder, ½ tsp Onion Powder, ½ tsp Ground Cumin, ½ tsp Liquid Smoke, ¼ tsp Black Pepper, ¼ tsp Rosemary, and 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves.
Whisk this together until it’s smooth and then pour over the mushrooms and turn on the heat. Cook the mushroom on medium heat, moving them around occasionally so they all eventually spend time in the sauce.
The mushrooms are down when they are reduced in size and most of the sauce has cooked off.
(Optional – if you like your ‘meat’ a little more crispy – arrange the finished mushrooms on a parchment lined baking pan and broil them for 5 minutes or so…until they begin to crisp up…. I used my Toaster Oven which worked perfectly)
And Hummus…
Everyone seems to have a favorite Hummus Recipe now so I won’t dwell on this too much…..
I make a very easy Hummus consisting of 1 can (15oz) Garbanzo Beans, and 1 can (15oz) White Beans….use the LOW SODIUM or NO SALT ADDED variety whenever you can.
Drain the beans and save the juice….. add the beans to your blender with at least 2 Tbs lemon juice, 2-3 cloves garlic, and maybe ¼ to ½ tsp ground cumin. Use a few tablespoons of bean liquid to thin it out if it’s too thick. I don’t really have set amounts …as I just add a little of this – taste, add a little more…… etc.
Just be careful if you buy a store brand of Hummus, as it usually contains a LOT of oil and sometimes sodium.
About Those Pitas…..
I KNOW I’m going to get a lot of questions on the Pitas.
Where do I buy Oil Free Pitas?
I don’t know. Really. I don’t.
Just like hamburger and hot dog buns – any store bought brand is probably going to have oil. That’s not to say they don’t exist at all….I just don’t know. And I don’t make the trip all the way to Whole Foods every time I cook a new recipe, but if there IS such a creature….Whole Foods is probably where you’d find it.
I DO know Ezekiel Brand makes a wrap…so you could always use those.
Or…you could make your own….. a bit more work – but guaranteed to be oil-free.
The Assembly….
To make the sandwich, take your favorite Pita, (wrap, whatever), and slather a good amount of Hummus right down the middle…..
Now pile on the mushrooms and veggies. I used sliced Red Onion, sliced English Cucumbers, Red Cherry Tomatoes, and Romaine Lettuce. Feel free to add your own favorites.
Wrap your Gyro in some parchment paper (I also used foil on the outside just to hold it together for the photo), and pour on the Tzatziki……
Hope you enjoy and please let me know how you like them in the comments!
Ever had Vegan Gyros? However you pronounce it, they're simple to make, SUPER delicious, and you'll be getting your helping of fresh veggies for the day!
- 12 oz Extra Firm Tofu (drained and patted dry)
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- 1 English Cucumber (peeled)
- 3 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbs Fresh Dill
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 16 oz Portabello Mushrooms (sliced)
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce (low sodium)
- 2 Tbs Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbs Water
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/4 tsp Rosemary
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
- English Cucumber (sliced)
- Cherry Tomatoes (sliced)
- Red Onion (sliced)
- Romaine Lettuce
- 4-5 Pitas (or use Wraps)
- Hummus
-
Drain Tofu and pat dry, slice into smaller cubes and add to blender.
-
Add remaining sauce ingredients to blender and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary
-
Pour into bowl and set in fridge until ready to serve.
-
Place mushrooms in large skillet.
-
Whisk remaining marinade ingredients together in a small cup (bowl) until smooth and pour over mushrooms.
-
Cook mushroom over medium heat until reduced in size and most of marinade has cooked off.
-
(Optional: Place mushrooms under broiler for extra crispness)
-
Using your favorite Pita (or wrap) spread some of your favorite Hummus down the middle of each Pita and layer on fresh Veggies and Mushrooms. Drizzle with Tzatziki Sauce. Wrap and enjoy!
M Kay Caulk Hill
You are right-on with the pronunciation of gyros and tzatziki. I haven’t heard anyone say it correctly since I moved away from the Chicago area. I like your easy recipe for oil-free hummus too. The whole wheat pita I found has no added oil but has plenty of sodium. The brand is Toufayan and I bought it at Kroger. I just love this vegan version-thanks Chuck!
Pauline Kutsch
Chuck, Thank you for the gyros! I have had some Greek food with my daughter in Vancouver, WA. Since leaving there, I have wondered how I could recreate the taste! I think I have found it!!!!! Thanks again.
Judith Foley
Sounds like a dinner for this week. Love the Tofu base for the sauce…. Always looking for a lower fat version of any sauce – i.e. remove the cashews – very expensive in both $$ and calories. Thanks again for your wonderful recipes.
Malene Steffensen
Sounds delicious, though I am wondering about using extra firm tofu in the tzatziki. Would it not be easier to use silken tofu?
Chuck Underwood
I bet it would! Unfortunately my grocery store (my close one anyway) only carries Firm and Extra Firm. Try it – I bet it will be better!
Melissa
Whole foods brand and Trader Joes brand have a fat free pita (Ive only bought the whole wheat). They are great for mini pizza’s too! Can’t wait to try this!! Yum!!!
Richard Oropeza
What brand name of tofu do you use?
Chuck Underwood
Any good Organic Tofu will do. I usually buy Extra Firm
Susanna
Thank you for the outstanding recipe!. Great idea to blend the cucumber in the sauce. I also added some homemade soy yogurt to the sauce. I often sauté mushrooms with onions, garlic, and soy sauce for my salads, but never thought about eating them like this! So simple and so yummy!
Jen
Yet another recipe of yours that I LOVE! Have made this several times it’s so good. The sauce makes a lot so I always double the recipe of the mushrooms and marinade so I can use the sauce as leftovers the next day. I’d rate this more stars if I could!
Randy
I am thinking I will use the Naan bread recipe from Pure Plant Nation Cookbook (WFPB as well)
for the pita bread. This looks like what’s for lunch in my house tomorrow.
Thanks Chuck!
touli
Can we have the recipe for this Naan pita bread please?
Chuck Underwood
I bought them in my grocery store
Judy
This is the second Brand New Vegan recipe we tried this week. Like the Instant Pot veggie stew, this one is also a home run. We didn’t have onion powder or liquid smoke in the house and the mushrooms still came out delicious. The tzatziki sauce was awesome too. I’m going to use the extra sauce as salad dressing. For those looking for pitas, we used oil-free Ezekiel pitas and they worked well.
Russ
I am so intrigued, I will try these tonight.
One concern: even low sodium soy sauce is loaded, just loaded with sodium.
¼ cup of it is going to be 4-5 times my entire daily allowance.
“low sodium” generally only means “compared to the full sodium version” is what I learned, and a compulsive label reader, I saw that a teaspoon of TJ’s low sodium is still a high sodium food, like ½ a day’s worth, if you need to limit sodium to the maximum daily allowance, which is still considered a generous amount by many nutritionists. Just wanted to alert people to really check the sodium content of ¼ cup, it may surprise you.
My solution is easy: use less! and leave salt out of the tzatziki as well.
Thanks so much for this recipe!
Russ
It’s me Russ, I overestimated! TJ’s low sodium, ¼ cup (4 TBS) is is 80% of the recommended daily sodium, which for me is 100% of my allowance. But I’m not going to be eating all the mushrooms in one day likely, probably ½.. So yippee, if I watch my other salt that day, and check the pita bread (one TJ’s pita is 14% of the daily limit) it’s a reasonable meal for me! I’ll rate it after I make it, but I’m sure it’s great.
Jeanne
Coconut aminos is a good relatively low sodium alternative.
Susan
I just had these for lunch. I followed the recipe except I used cashews rather than tofu for the tzatziki, and I added a little cilantro as a veggie (I guess I was thinking Mexican rather than Greek–lol). They were delicious, and I would recommend them to anyone–even meat eaters. Thank you Chuck.
Morga
Can I freeze the sauce? It makes a lot!
Becky
Hi Morga 🙂
If I want to know if something can survive freezing, I take a small portion to freeze and see how it works. I hope this helps as I haven’t tried this recipe yet since I came across it. 🙂
Cheryl
This tzatziki sauce is phenomenal. I made a big batch and used it in grilled veggie pitas, too. It’s good on anything. I took the seeds out of my cukes and cut some up fine and added to the sauce after it was blended.
Kimberly Tonjes
Love this one!
S
Great pointers, especially the liquid smoke+maple syrup+soy sauce trinity, very important in vegan cooking for that extra depth in flavor when trying to imitate (grilled) meats!
I have been making mine w/ mushrooms (shiitake and portabella) but also with firm tofu, cut into 2mm slices and fried until light brown in sesame oil (which loses its intense aromatic flavor when overheated, and gives the gyro an animal-grease/protein-like texture and flavor). Adding fresh garlic into the pan right at the end adds a lot to the game.
Three more things which I find essential in mine, and I didn’t see in your recipe so I can recommend are: finely chopped olives and black raisins slow cooked w/ the mushrooms and tofu. And onions, please onions! Just brown them with everything else. Onion is responsible for so much we like about meat — keep honoring that noble vegetable!
Thanks for all the recipes, much love!
S
Diane Valentine
Perfect except I need kalamata olives in that Greek salad and pepperoncini on the side, love, love
Kelly A
I think I died and went to fast-food heaven. This tastes so decadent. My taste buds haven’t been this happy since having your brownies! But I think this is kinda healthy! Mmmm
Tasha
These were phenomenal!!
How long will the tzatziki sauce keep in the refrigerator?
Chuck Underwood
Probably 3-5 days. I don’t trust anything after that.
Linda
What is a possible substitute for mushroom. I like them in small doses.
Chuck Underwood
Jackfruit or Soy Curls are the first two things that come to mind
Jul
Made these tonight for dinner. I wish you could have seen my DH’s face when I said I was making gyros. That got his attention. They turned out very good. Big thumbs up! I made my sauce with almond milk yogurt and thickened it with oat flour. It worked out just fine. We will definitely put these in the dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
VS
Made these tonight and loved them! Used coco Simons to reduce sodium. My only problem was stopping myself from eating them all! Needed to save some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. And that year-old sauce is a great alternative to ranch for dipping raw veggies.
Carolyn Nowling-Archer
Winner!
Kerry
Quoting my husband “Num!” Very satisfying!
I had the Tzaktiki cashew sauce on hand already from a Farmer’s Marker, also had the hummus made from another meal, easy peasy! Plus, got my Pita bread at TJ’s Willl be making the full recipe next time, only made half as a test this time.
Debra
This looks amazing. Quick question. Are these full sized portobello mushrooms or are they the baby bella ones? I’m going to make this this week. thanks
Chuck Underwood
Full sized
Lynne
Hey! Wow this recipe is Ah’Mazing! We truly enjoyed the Tzatziki too. The mushroom flavors was really delish. We also made homemade falafel. I will make this again!! Thank you for the recipe.
Debra
Thanks for another wonderful recipe Chuck!
patricia jones
homemade falafel recipe please??
Chuck Underwood
Use the search box on the top of my page – I have a Falafel Recipe.
Patricia Jones
Chuck….LOVE LOVE LOVE ur recipes!!!! I took some of the garlic aioli and added it to the rest of the ingredients (I love garlic) and it ca,e out beautifully!!!
Kevin Price
I just use vegan dad’s recipe for sausage and then instead of using the seasoning he flavors his sausage with, use the spices from a gyro recipe. DEE-LICIOUS.
Patty
This is amazing! We cooked and served this recipe (all credits to your blog) at our Community Chef table today at our local farmers market. I made them as kebabs and served them on a sorrel leaf. Everyone raved about the marinade for the mushrooms and the sauce! Bravo! I made some substitutions in the marinade (for lack of proper ingredients) … nutmeg instead of cloves, Worcestershire sauce instead of liquid smoke, fresh Rosemary instead of dried, and had to omit the onion powder. Still turned out pretty good IMHO. Thank you!
Anton Fries
Wow, What a great little meal. My wife and I are working toward a plant based diet and have enjoyed our cooking experiments so far. This was by far the winning meal. We have never enjoyed mushrooms but are giving them a second chance due to their prevalence as a meat substitute.in many recipes. She loved them. The sauce is “the best sauce ever” according to my wife and she was caught dipping roasted carrots into the leftovers throughout the meal.. Thank you for this recipe, it has bolstered our endeavor toward a plant based diet.
Dave
Used Toffutti Sour Scream instead of tofu and apple cider.
Excellent! Thanks for the recipe!
Joanne
My new favourite vegan dinner! So easy to make and so delicious. Brought me back to eating gyros in Greece before I turned vegan. The tzatziki is a little runnier than I’d like but next time I’ll try shredding the cucumber first and then squeezing out the liquid using a cheesecloth.
Marcy C.
This is another great recipe that will take care of your Greek food cravings…especially during quarantine! The entire family enjoyed it. I found it made more than enough marinade giving the mushrooms give off moisture. I will use half the marinade next time on soy curls for the one son that is not a mushroom lover. Thank you for another awesome recipe to share with friends and family!
Colleen
Super delicious! This is a regular dish in our house and especially in this heat! So quick and so flavorful- thanks Chuck!
Amanda Voeltz
This recipe was absolutely fantastic. I did not have any mushrooms, so I soaked Butler soy curls in beef like seasoning and then I drained them as best as I could and then let them marinate in the gyro seasonings. My husband loved it and it was definitely a winner.
Ann Jahahn
Came for the carrot dogs stayed for the tzatziki. Thank you for your delicious yet simple recipes Chuck.