Vegan Cordon Bleu

Name: Vegan cordon bleu
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 300 g vital wheat gluten; 50 g pea protein; 50 g nutritional yeast; 1 tin Chickpeas; 2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp miso; 2 tsp Onion granules; 2 tsp Garlic granules; 2 tsp msg; 1 Piece Stock cube; 200 ml water; 2 Slices vegan ham (Per portion); 35 g Vegan cheese (Per portion); 200 g Breadcrumbs; 200 ml Water; 75 g flour; 25 g gram flour; 2.5 tbsp Olive oil

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Can you imagine biting into a crispy breaded seitan cutlet stuffed with melty cheese and smoky ham? This vegan cordon bleu is a plant-based twist on the classic French dish that will wow your friends. It’s easy to make, high in protein and full of flavour.

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How did I make cordon bleu vegan?

It’s all very similar to my vegan chicken recipe, or my vegan schnitzel recipe. Actually, the chicken base is the same. Quite often when making one of them, I’ll make a few portions of shreds and a few schnitzels at the same time.

I am still working on a cheese that I am happy with for this recipe. So, for the time being, I use one from the shop. Here in the UK, the applewood smoked seems to be the best suited here as it melts the best and also holds its structure well.

Some history

Cordon bleu is a dish of meat, cheese, and ham, breaded and fried or baked. The name means “blue ribbon” in French and honours the best chefs in France. The dish came from Switzerland in the 1940s, as a variation on the classic schnitzel. Cordon bleu was popular in Europe and America in the 1950s and 1960s, as a way to use leftovers.

Ingredient notes

Vegan ham: Really, I would like to use my own here, but this recipe already takes quite a while and I haven’t actually got a recipe finalised yet. So just use whichever vegan ham you like best.

Vegan cheese: Use whichever vegan cheese you like. It can be hard, but you really want to find one that melts well. Here in the UK, the smoked applewood works really well.

Chickpeas: I use them as the base because they are high in protein, iron, folate, and fibre, and help bind the other ingredients together [1].

Miso: A fermented soybean paste that adds a savoury and umami boost to the seitan. Just make sure you use a white miso paste.

Onion and garlic granules: When dried, they have a different flavour that is awoken when they are rehydrated. They provide a base flavour that everything else builds on. You can leave them out, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

MSG: A flavour enhancer can mimic the flavours of meat as it’s full of glutamates. I think it really helps to make the recipe what it is. I know it can be a little contentious, but it’s regarded as safe as any other ingredients we regularly eat [2].

Nutritional yeast: Deactivated yeast flakes that add a nutty and cheesy flavour to vegan dishes all over the world! It is also a rich source of protein, B vitamins, and trace minerals [3].

Pea protein: A plant-based protein powder made from yellow peas. It adds more protein and texture to the seitan dough. I have made seitan without adding extra protein, but I find you get a better texture when it’s included [4].

Vital wheat gluten: This is the bulk of our chicken. It is the protein component in wheat, extracted and dried into a flour. It adds elasticity and chewiness to the seitan dough, as well as more protein and iron [5].

How to actually make vegan cordon bleu

This recipe contains the ingredients and amount for a full batch of my seitan chicken. This generally makes about 1kg. However, each cordon bleu only uses about 80g in total. I always make this amount, then maybe make a few normal schnitzels, and make the rest into chicken shreds. But I’ll leave it up to you. You can make 12 of these vegan cordons bleu. They freeze remarkably well, so you could just keep them on hand if you fancy doing some meal prep.

Start by adding the beans, along with all their liquid, into a food processor and process until you have a smooth paste. You will probably need to scrape the sides down a couple of times.

Now add in all the rest of the dry ingredients apart from the vital wheat gluten and pulse until combined.

Add in the vital wheat gluten and pulse gently. It will be too dry, so add in the water 50g at a time. Depending on how absorbent your dry ingredients are, you may need a little less water, so don’t add it all until you know you need it.

It should come together as a dough. Keep pulsing until it wraps itself around the blades of your food processor.

This part can be fairly hard-going on your food processor, so be careful!

When you can see little fibrous strands forming in the dough and it’s getting stuck around the blades, it’s ready to be turned out onto the bench.

Give it a bit of a kneed by hand to bring it all together.
For each cordon bleu, you will need two 40g portions of the dough.
Roll each of these 40g chunks out as thin as you can. I generally try to get them about the size of my hand. They may contract again, so roll them out, leave for a minute, then roll again. Eventually, they will stay.

Now take your ham slices and place them on one of the dough flats, and cover that with the grated vegan cheese.

Take your other piece of dough, place it on top and crimp the edges together. Sort of as if you were making a Cornish pastie.

Once they are sealed well, it’s time to bread them. Get a bowl for the breadcrumbs, flour and flour and water mix. I like to make that flour and water mix about 75% plain flour and 25% gram flour. This helps to create a thicker batter that holds better.

Dredge the cordon bleu in the dry flour, then into the wet mix. Then into the breadcrumbs. Set aside and repeat for the rest. It can be a little tricky, as it will want to stretch.

You may need to use a spatula to help move it between the bowl.

It’s not necessary, but I like to double bread them, so dredge them in the wet mix again, then again into the breadcrumbs.
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium high heat and fry the schnitzel until golden brown on each side.

Now, put them on a baking tray and bake the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes. When I’m making a few of them, I fry them all, put them on the baking tray. Then when they are all fried, I put them all in to bake together, so they come out at the same time.

Tips for getting it right!

Make sure you are careful with your food processor. Making the seitan in it gives the best results I have tried. But it’s hard on it, so make sure you only pulse. Don’t just let it run on high power.

For a bit of extra flavour, season dredging mix with salt, pepper, and your favourite herbs and spices. You could even also add some nutritional yeast if you fancy it.

What is vegan cordon bleu?

Vegan cordon bleu is a plant-based version of the classic French dish that consists of breaded vegan chicken, vegan cheese and vegan ham. It is fried and baked until crispy and golden.

What kind of sauce goes well with vegan cordon bleu?

There are many options for sauces to accompany this dish, such as vegan béchamel, vegan mushroom gravy, vegan cheese sauce, or vegan mustard sauce. You can also serve it with some fresh lemon juice and parsley for a burst of freshness.

How do I store and reheat vegan cordon bleu?

Leftovers can be stored in fridge for 3 days in airtight container. To reheat, you can either microwave them until hot. Or preferably bake them in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Can I freeze vegan cordon bleu?

Yes, you can freeze them after baking. Let them cool completely, then wrap them individually in foil and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, bake them in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

5 from 2 votes