Vegan pork tenderloin sandwiches scratch that nostalgia itch. Reminiscent of the classic Midwestern sandwich, oversized chickpea tenderloins are coated in saltine crumbs, and fried until golden.
Serve on warmed buns with onions, pickles, and a slathering of mustard for the perfect bite.
If you immediately recognize this sandwich, you have probably spent some time in the Midwest.
Tenderloin sandwiches are one of those iconic Heartland staples with a very distinctive look, thanks to a comically large saucer of breaded meat on a normal-sized burger bun.
It’s said that the first fried tenderloin sandwich was the brainchild of Nicholas Freinstein, an Indiana sandwich cart operator in the early 1900’s.
His German immigrant parents had introduced him to weiner schnitzel, an Austrian dish made of thinly pounded then breaded meat that’s eaten with a knife and fork.
Appealing to local tastes, Nicholas replaced the typical weiner schnitzel meat with pork, and served it on a bun.
Since that time, the tenderloin sandwich has spread all over the Midwest.
(After growing up on them in Des Moines and Iowa City, I was stunned when I moved to Los Angeles in my twenties and discovered they were nowhere to be found.)
Just as Nicholas Freinstein adapted his dish to suit local sensibilities, I have long wanted to make a vegan version to suit my own.
Over the years, I’ve attempted it a few times, but it wasn’t until I made chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon that I had an “aha moment.” I knew that would be a great starting point for a vegan pork tenderloin.
So I tweaked the seasonings to suit the flavor profile, added a saltine cracker breading, and of course, allowed for it to be oversized enough to read “tenderloin.”
This savory sandwich sings with rosemary, thyme, and a slight smokiness. The saltine breading gets beautifully crispy when shallow fried in oil.
Serve it on a warmed bun with an assortment of condiments, and prepare to be transported.
(Want to enjoy this crispy tenderloin without the bun? Make vegan schnitzel instead!)
In this post:
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make the vegan pork tenderloins.
Saltine crackers: Saltines are used for the crispy, salty breading. If you don't have saltines on hand, they can be replaced with butter crackers like Ritz, which are often vegan. Just read the nutrition label.
Vital wheat gluten: Vital wheat gluten is a high protein flour that’s essential for this recipe. It’s available in most natural grocery stores and online. You can find it by the other flours.
I usually buy Bob's Red Mill, or you can sometimes find vital wheat gluten in flour bulk bins.
Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans, use made-from-scratch or canned beans that have been drained.
Garlic: Choose a firm clove with unbroken skin, and no signs of sprouting. If you prefer, it can be replaced with ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic, and added with the other herbs and spices to the flour mixture.
Panko: These Japanese breadcrumbs are mixed into the dough, not used as the outer breading. If necessary, you can replace panko with standard breadcrumbs.
Seasonings: Dried thyme, dried rosemary, paprika, and pepper.
Oil: Avocado oil is my go-to, but any neutral-flavored, high heat cooking oil works here.
Bouillon: Better Than Bouillon no chicken base is my preference. It adds salt, richness, and great flavor. If you prefer, water + bouillon can be replaced with vegetable broth.
Tamari: This Japanese soy sauce adds salt & umami. It can be replaced with any soy sauce you like, coconut aminos, or Bragg’s liquid aminos.
Liquid smoke: I like to use Wright's, because of the short ingredient list. You can find liquid smoke in most grocery stores and big box stores next to the barbecue sauces or grilling accoutrement for just a couple of bucks. If you prefer, liquid smoke can be omitted.
Liquid smoke is made by burning wood and then cooling the smoke so the water vapor condenses into droplets. It adds a delicious layer of smoky flavor to the tenderloins.
Non-dairy milk: Choose unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk. Any kind that you like works here – including store-bought or homemade soy milk, cashew milk, or almond milk.
Cornstarch: A slurry of corn starch with non-dairy milk is used as the dipping liquid for the breading in place of the usual egg. It also helps forming a light, crispy coating when fried.
Here are the ingredients you will need to compile the sandwiches.
Buns: Trader Joe’s potato buns are a good choice when available, but any burger buns work here. (Check the ingredient label to be sure they’re vegan.)
Mustard: Stoneground is my favorite, but classic yellow also works here.
Onion: Thin slices of yellow or white onion add bite.
Pickles: Dill pickles add garlic, salt, and crunch. Choose planks or slices.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. Crush saltine crackers in a food processor until they have the texture of breadcrumbs. Then transfer them to a plate, toss with pepper, and set aside.
2. Put drained chickpeas and minced garlic into the food processor. Pulse two or three times until the chickpeas are broken up and chunky. (You want them to be the texture of chickpea tuna salad, not hummus.)
Don’t have a food processor? Put the crackers in a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, seal, and then crush with a rolling pin until they have a breadcrumb texture. For the chickpeas, smash them in a bowl with a fork or potato masher.
3. Add the following to a large mixing bowl and combine with a spoon:
- Crushed chickpeas and garlic
- Vital wheat gluten
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Dried thyme
- Dried rosemary
- Paprika
4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the liquid ingredients with a fork or whisk:
- Avocado oil
- Water
- Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base
- Tamari
- Liquid smoke
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir with a spoon. Once it starts to form a dough, use your hands to knead and combine everything, until it forms strings of gluten.
6. Form the dough into 6 evenly-sized balls.
Want comically large, plate-sized tenderloins? Break them into 5 portions instead. For smaller, bun-sized tenderloins, break them into 7 balls.
7. In a pork tenderloin, the meat is pounded flat with a mallet. In this vegan version, use your finger tips and palms to smash each one on a cutting board until they are about ¼ inch thick.
8. Use a fork or whisk to combine non-dairy milk with cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Then dip each tenderloin into the milk mixture, drip off excess liquid, and dredge completely in saltine crumbs.
9. Once all of the tenderloins are breaded, put a shallow layer of oil into a skillet, and bring to a medium high heat.
Pro tips: Since the tenderloins are large, I find it easier to flip & not waste excess oil by cooking them individually in one small skillet.
Don’t put in so much oil that it covers the tenderloin. They fry nicer and don’t get too oil-logged if the oil doesn’t go over the top. The oil should only be about halfway up the “loin.”
10. Fry until fully browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Cover with a lid while it cooks, so that it can get completely done inside.
11. Once it’s golden brown on both sides, move it to a lined plate or wire rack to drain. Repeat until all of the vegan tenderloins are fried.
12. Compile the sandwiches by spreading a thin layer of mustard on buns, add vegan tenderloins, and garnish with pickles and sliced onion.
Serving ideas
My perfect toppings for a vegan tenderloin are mustard, onions, and pickles.
But you can adjust to your tastes with ketchup, vegan mayo, barbecue sauce, vegan honey mustard, lettuce, and/or tomato.
Speaking to their Midwestern roots, these indulgent sandwiches are right at home with corn-on-the-cob slathered in vegan compound butter.
They also go well with any of these side dishes:
- Baked french fries
- Dill potato salad
- Vegan au gratin potatoes
- Mashed potatoes & easy meatless gravy
- Air fryer asparagus
- Air fryer or pan-fried onion rings
- Vegan coleslaw
- Creamy plant-based pasta salad
- Sauteed summer squash and zucchini
- Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts with apples
(Craving even more comforting sandwiches? Try my vegan spicy hot sausage sandwich next!)
Storage instructions
Store leftover vegan pork tenderloins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
Reheat in a single layer in the air fryer at 390 degrees for about 8 minutes or until warmed and crispy.
To freeze, put the fried vegan pork tenderloins into a freezer-safe container or freezer bag with parchment between each one. They will keep for 3 to 6 months.
FAQ
Sadly, no. I tried both baking and air frying the vegan tenderloins, and it just didn’t work.
Saltines contain little oil, and are pretty dry on their own. Once the cutlets are breaded in them, even when sprayed generously with avocado oil, they become dusty in the mouth.
They really need to be pan-fried to have a crispy, moist, and pleasing texture, and to make the flavors pop.
If you really want to try this sandwich without frying, you could toy with baking an unbreaded version. Put lightly oiled, unbreaded loins on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, flip, and continue baking another 8 to 10 minutes or until firm and golden brown.
Unfortunately, no. Vital wheat gluten is essential for the structure and chewiness of this recipe.
If you’re looking for a gluten-free vegan pork alternative, try my vegan pulled pork with Soy Curls, BBQ jackfruit sandwiches on gluten-free buns, or barbecue jackfruit nachos. (Be sure to use gluten-free barbecue sauce.)
📖 Recipe
Vegan pork tenderloin sandwich (Midwest-inspired comfort food)
Ingredients
For vegan pork tenderloins
- 1 sleeve saltine crackers about 35 to 40 crackers
- Few dashes of black pepper
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas fully drained
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil plus more for frying
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base
- ¼ cup tamari
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For sandwiches
- 6 burger buns warmed
- ¼ cup mustard stoneground or yellow
- 12 pickle planks
- ½ onion sliced thin into rings
Instructions
To make vegan pork tenderloins
- Put all of the saltine crackers from one sleeve (35 to 40 crackers) into a food processor. Pulse or combine on low until the crackers have the texture of breadcrumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, put the crackers in a freezer bag, remove air, seal, and then crush with a rolling pin until they have a breadcrumb texture.)
- Once they're broken into small crumbs, move the crushed saltines to a dinner plate, and toss with a few dashes of black pepper. Then set aside.
- Add drained chickpeas to the food processor along with a minced clove of garlic. Pulse 2 or 3 times until the chickpeas are just broken up and chunky. You want them to be the texture of chickpea tuna salad, not hummus.(If you don't have a food processor, you can crush the chickpeas in a bowl with a fork or potato masher.)
- Add the chickpeas and garlic to a large mixing bowl along with vital wheat gluten, panko breadcrumbs, dried thyme, dried rosemary (crush with your fingers as you add it), and paprika. Stir with a spoon to fully combine.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, water, Better Than Bouillon no chicken base, tamari, and liquid smoke. Stir with a fork or whisk until everything is fully combined and the bouillon has dissolved. (If you'd rather, you can replace the water & bouillon with ½ cup vegetable broth instead.)
- Add the liquid ingredients from the medium-sized bowl into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Combine by stirring with a spoon. Then once it becomes a dough, start using your hands to knead the dough and combine everything, making sure to get any dry flour from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading for a few minutes, until you see strings of gluten forming in the dough.
- Break the dough apart into 6 equal-sized portions, knead each one, and shape into balls.* Then smash each one on a cutting board using your fingertips and palm of your hand. They should be thinner than a burger patty, about ¼ inch thick. (If you see any holes in the dough, they're too thin. Re-form a ball, and try again.)
- Once all of the dough has been formed into thin patties, make a dredging station. In a shallow bowl, combine non-dairy milk with cornstarch using a fork or whisk, until there are no lumps. Get the plate with crushed saltines, along with a couple of empty plates for the breaded vegan tenderloins.
- Now it's time to dredge them. Dip each flattened "loin" into the milk mixture. Let any excess liquid drip off so that it doesn't make the saltines wet. Then dredge the "loin" in the saltine coating, covering each side fully. Use your hands to make sure the saltines fully coat every part, even pressing into it lightly, if necessary. (If you find that your "loin" tears or comes apart in the milk mixture, that means it was pressed too thin. You can fix it by pressing the dough back together with your fingers, and even using some of the saltine crumbs as binding to hold it together.)
- Once all of the vegan tenderloins are breaded, put a shallow layer of oil into a skillet, and bring to a medium high heat. DON'T PUT IN SO MUCH OIL THAT IT COVERS THE TENDERLOINS. They fry nicer and don't get oil-logged if the oil isn't too high. The oil should only come about halfway up the "loin." (The vegan tenderloins are large and need a lot of room to fry and be flipped. If you have a very large skillet, you may be able to fry two at a time. However, I prefer to use one or two small skillets, and just plan on cooking one at a time. It's your call.)
- Fry each tenderloin until fully browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Cover the skillet with a lid as it cooks, so that the tenderloin can get completely done inside. Once it's dark golden brown on both sides, move it to a lined plate or wire rack to drain. Repeat until all of the vegan tenderloins are fried, and add more oil to the skillet, as needed.
To compile sandwiches
- Slather burger buns with a thin layer of mustard. Add vegan tenderloins, and garnish with pickles and sliced onion. Serve while hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Shell
I am so glad you found a way to recreate these at home!!! I loved the chickpea tenderloin at Des Fresh and was so sad when they closed. This recipe is spot on.
Cadry Nelson
Yes, that was so sad when they closed! I’m delighted you’re able to enjoy those flavors again at home. Thanks for the great feedback!