Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Everyone knows that schnitzel is the most famous dish of Austria, but how do you make a vegan schnitzel? Let us show our simple secret…
This vegan schnitzel recipe is one of our most popular main meals here on the blog. We're delighted to share with you this plant-based version of Austria's most iconic dish. It's got a wonderfully crispy, golden crust and makes a delicious meal at any time of year.
Ingredient tips
Here’s what you need to make vegan schnitzel:
- Gram flour - also known as chickpea flour/besan
- Water
- Soy sauce - we love this organic brand
- Flour - plain or all purpose
- Breadcrumbs - both homemade or store bought will work
- Salt & pepper
- Sunflower oil for frying
- And whatever you want to use as the base
We really like celeriac slices as the base for our vegan schnitzel, as you see it in the pictures. It’s got a tender texture when cooked and provides a subtle and savoury flavour of its own rather than trying to imitate meat. But you can also use tofu, seitan, aubergine/eggplant, mushrooms, cauliflower…
The gram flour, water and soy sauce make a mixture to replace the egg which is traditionally used in the process. If you don’t have any gram flour, you can also easily replace it with plain flour.
The best breadcrumbs for schnitzel making are dry, fine and even.
You can make your own breadcrumbs from stale, dry white bread. Just cut into cubes, and pulse in a food processor until they are fine. Make them whenever you’ve got excess bread, pop them in a jar, and store them in the freezer until you are ready to use them!
Store bought dried breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs will also work. In Austria and Germany you can buy them from bakeries or supermarkets where they are known as Semmelbroesel or Paniermehl. Most brands are naturally vegan, but check the ingredients to be sure.
How to make
The basic process of making vegan schnitzel is simple:
- Prepare whatever it is that you want to make schnitzel out of (in this case our celeriac slices).
- Then coat them in flour, dip them in the gram flour ‘egg’ mixture, and then coat in breadcrumbs.
- To cook the schnitzel, heat up a frying pan with plenty of sunflower or other frying oil, and then fry on each side until crisp and golden brown.
Top tips!
When using vegetables such as celeriac or eggplant, don’t cut the slices too thick. Around 5mm or ¼ inch is best to make sure the filling is cooked through.
The best temperature for frying schnitzel is approximately 170C or 330 F. If the temperature is low then the schnitzel can absorb more fat and become greasy. If the schnitzels are browning too quickly, then adjust the temperature down.
Drain the cooked schnitzel on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
Variations and substitutions
If you want to make gluten free vegan schnitzel, then replace the flour with a gluten free blend. You can use gluten free breadcrumbs, or crushed cornflakes as an alternative.
We highly recommend frying the schnitzel for best results, but if you want to oven bake them instead, here’s how to do it. Preheat an oiled baking tray in your oven to 220°C or 430°C. Transfer the prepared schnitzel to the tray and spray or drizzle some more oil on top. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown, turning over halfway.
We like celeriac for it’s soft and tender texture that still has a great bite to it, and the subtle taste that it brings. For a more ‘meaty’ or protein rich schnitzel you can use slices of seitan, tofu or tempeh. Mushrooms like parasol or portobello are also delicious made into schnitzel. Readers have also tried and loved cauliflower, so have fun and experiment!
You can vary the seasoning of the breading to your tastes by adding spices or herbs into the breadcrumb mixture. For example, paprika, oregano or nutritional yeast.
Serving
Schnitzel is best served fresh after frying. If you need to keep them warm whilst you fry the remaining pieces, then place the fried schnitzel on plate (lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil) in the oven at around 90°C, or 200°F, until ready to serve.
Traditionally it’s served with potato salad (we love our Easy Potato Salad for this) and a green salad. Most importantly a slice of lemon too!
We hope you like our vegan schnitzel recipe, sent to you from Austria with love! Try our other iconic Austrian recipes:
Vegan Kaiserschmarrn (this sweet pancake dish is a must try!)
Easy Vegan Sachertorte (the classic Viennese chocolate cake)
And of course the famous Vegan Apple Strudel
📖 Recipe
Vegan Schnitzel
Ingredients
- ½ (½) celeriac see notes for alternatives
- ¼ cup (30 g) gram flour substitute plain flour
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 pinch pepper
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 cup (100 g) breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups (480 ml) sunflower oil for frying
To serve
- 2 slices of lemon
- easy potato salad
- green salad
Instructions
Preparation
- Peel the celeriac and cut four large slices about 5mm thick.½ (½) celeriac
- Combine the gram flour, water, soy sauce and pepper into a smooth batter.¼ cup (30 g) gram flour, ¼ cup (60 ml) water, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 pinch pepper
- On one plate prepare plain flour, on another the breadcrumbs combined with salt.2 tbsp plain flour, 1 cup (100 g) breadcrumbs, 1 tsp salt
Breading
- Dip a celeriac slice in the flour to finely coat it.
- Next dip the slice in the gram flour mixture. Let the excess batter drip off.
- And finally, coat the slice in the breadcrumbs.
- Set aside ready for frying and repeat until all slices are breaded.
Cooking
- Heat up a frying pan filled at least 1cm with frying oil. For an evenly browned crust, the schnitzel should be literally swimming in oil, not lie on the bottom of the pan.
- To test if the oil is hot and ready for frying, drop in a few breadcrumbs. If you can immediately see and hear them bubble and sizzle up, it's ready.
- Carefully place a schnitzel in the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes on each side, until deep golden brown. Use tongs to turn over the schnitzel to avoid splashes of hot oil.
- Serve with salad and a slice of lemon to drizzle over.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Sophia says
Hii! Is it possible to freeze them?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Sophia,
freezing the schnitzel should be fine, though we've never done that ourselves. For thawing and reheating I would suggest doing so in the oven straight from frozen, to avoid the breading from going soggy.
Hope this helps! 🙂 Paul
Richard says
Really simple with great texture and taste.
Kevin says
What about using parsnips? I feel like that’s the closest thing I’m going to be able to find.
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Kevin, We haven't tried with parsnips, I think the flavour would be too strong for my tastes. Other things that you could use as the base apart from celeriac are cauliflower, kohlrabi, zucchini, aubergine/eggplant, mushrooms, tofu, seitan... Not sure how the texture would turn out with parsnip, as that might still be on the firm side if you just follow the same cooking method. If you do try it, I'd suggest par boiling the slices for 5-10 minutes before breading to get a more tender texture.
Pauline says
Epic! It's simple, quick, creative and different and an absolute delight :D. Thank you again!
Sophie and Paul says
Hooray, so happy to hear it! Thanks so much Pauline 🙂
Aleš says
Our first Christmas Eve dinner and this was the star dish! Fabulous recipe. Made a lovely vegan potato salad too. So happy how this all turned out.
Sophie and Paul says
We are delighted to hear that Aleš! Thanks so much for letting us know - it's really lovely to hear it worked out so well for a special occasion. Hope you enjoy lots more tasty food over the festive period!
NVR says
Hiya, we had an Austrian themed night this week and we loved this recipe. Unfortunately I have not come across any Celeriac in Kenya yet, so I substituted it with Sweet potatoes. I also alter the Chickpea Flour for Corn Flour as my brother get cramps from Chickpeas. I also followed your recommendation for mushrooms and it was bliss. Thank you for your recipe! It is definitely one to put in the recipe book and repeat.
Sophie and Paul says
So glad to hear it was a hit! - I'll have to give it a go some time with sweet potato too. Sophie 🙂
Elinor says
I just made it. It was amazing! My husband and I both loved it. Thank you.
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Elinor,
So glad you both loved it! Thanks for letting us know ♡
Sophie
CHP says
Looks so real! I definitely imagine it must be something very processed 😀 LOL a CELERIAC! Great. I could do it now, but I am missing bread crumbs and CELERIAC 😀
Thanks for this, we definitely want to try this!
🙂
Your friends at http://canthumanproperly.com
Sophie and Paul says
Heya friends!
Thanks for your kindness and the fun words! 🙂
I know, the celeriac is not exactly what you would expect... more something like mock meat, seitan, TVP etc... I often find them a bit disappointing, sometimes flavourless and of odd texture.
The celeriac doesn't try to imitate flavour, but rather just brings in its own prominent, savoury flavour, plus it's pure vegetable! And SUCH tender texture!
We might try a meat alternative schnitzel one day, but we are very happy for now with our celeriac schnitzel! 🙂
If you have a food processor or mortar and pestle, and some stale white-ish bread, you can easily make breadcrumbs yourself. Toasting or rebaking at low heat might help the bread crumble 🙂
Good luck and enjoy the cooking,
Love, Paul
natasha moore says
epic recipe! Will be giving this a go!
Sophie and Paul says
Awesome!
Let us know how it turns out! 🙂
And assuming you are the same person as natasha and Natasha, is there anywhere we can follow you?
xx Paul & Sophie