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This Vegan BBQ is made with crispy soy curls, roasted sweet potatoes, and tender cabbage then tossed in sweet and tangy BBQ sauce for a flavor loaded sheet-pan meal. Gluten-free.
This Sheet-Pan Vegan BBQ is the best way to experience the smoky, tangy flavors of a summer BBQ without the cleanup or prep work. It’s loaded with plant-based protein and tender veggies for a wholesome, convenient dinner main. Trust me, both meat eaters and vegans will go back for seconds.
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A Fuss-Free Weeknight Dinner
No grill? No problem. This sheet-pan vegan BBQ meal comes together right in the oven in just 30 minutes. It’s BBQ without the fuss, but all the flavor. The simple blend of spices on the roasted vegetables and crispy, charred soy curls gives everything a deep, smoky flavor that takes this convenient sheet-pan recipe to the next level.
It’s the best, quick and easy BBQ bowl that’s perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or a simple grill alternative during grilling season. Add it to the menu for your next summer BBQ, or whenever you’re craving a healthy dose of plant-based protein, complex carbs, and sweet and tangy BBQ sauce.
What You’ll Need for Vegan BBQ
This sheet-pan meal is packed with flavor, yet only requires a few simple, budget-friendly ingredients. Here’s the basics:
- Soy curls: the “meat” in this vegan BBQ recipe is made from 1 ingredient: whole soybeans. If you have a local health food store, you may be able to find them in stores near you. Otherwise, purchase them online from Butler Foods. They’re the only brand that sells soy curls.
- BBQ sauce: Use store-bought or your own vegan BBQ sauce. If you prefer a sweeter BBQ sauce, go for a Kansas City-style BBQ sauce. If you prefer a tangy sauce, use a Carolina-style BBQ sauce.
- Veggies: My personal favorites are sweet potato, red cabbage, and fresh or frozen corn. Feel free to switch it up based on your taste buds or what’s in the fridge. Bell peppers, portobello mushrooms, red onion, zucchini or summer squash, and cauliflower florets would all be delicious.
- Spices: Make your own BBQ rub using smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt, and optional ground cayenne pepper for a kick. If you prefer to use a premade spice mix, replace the spices with 2 teaspoons of a spice mix.
How to Make Sheet-Pan Vegan BBQ
- Rehydrate the soy curls in boiling water, until tender. Drain and squeeze as much excess water out of the soy curls as possible.
- Mix the veggies in a large bowl with spices and oil until well coated. Spread on 2/3 of a large baking sheet.
- Add the soy curls to the same bowl and toss with BBQ sauce and oil. Spread on the remaining 1/3 of the baking sheet.
- Bake on the top oven rack for 20 minutes, flip, then bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until crispy.
- Toss with remaining BBQ sauce and serve as desired.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Try rehydrating soy curls in broth. This is one of my favorite tricks for making soy curls even more flavorful and juicy. Vegetable broth, vegan chicken broth, and vegan beef broth all work great.
- Bake on the oven rack. In most ovens, the top heating element is the hottest heating element. Roasting close to the top heating element encourages browning, caramelization and helps make the soy curls as crispy as possible. It’s worth moving that oven rack!
Serving Suggestions
This BBQ recipe can be served on its own as a hearty main course and can comfortably serve 2-4, depending on appetite size. If you’d like to stretch this sheet-pan dinner even further, serve with a whole grain such as brown rice, fluffy quinoa, or try this Easy Vegan Cornbread. You could even stuff the BBQ soy curls between burger buns or taco shells like in this BBQ Sweet Potato Tofu Tacos Recipe.
If you’re looking for more sheet-pan recipes, you’ll also love this Cajun Tofu Sheet Pan Dinner, this Dijon Garlic Sheet Pan Dinner with Veggies & Chickpeas, and this Sheet-Pan Vegan Nicoise Salad!
Or check out these delicious vegan BBQ recipes: Veggie Burgers, Grilled Romaine & Charred Corn Salad, Portobello Mushroom Steaks and Grilled Peach Cobbler.
How to Store Sheet-Pan Vegan BBQ
Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I haven’t tested freezing this sheet-pan meal, but it would likely work well. Freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container, then thaw overnight in the fridge. The roasted cabbage will change texture and become more watery, but otherwise the sheet-pan meal should remain similar in flavor and texture.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave, in a large skillet on the stovetop, or in the oven until warmed through again.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional BBQ sauce is often vegan-friendly as-is and commonly consists of a tomato or ketchup base with additional basic ingredients such as sweeteners like brown sugar, vinegar, spices, seasonings, and liquid smoke. If purchasing a store-bought BBQ sauce, watch out for non vegan ingredients like honey, Worcestershire sauce, and milk by-products.
Annie’s, Sweet Baby Ray’s, Primal Kitchen, and Tessemae’s are some of the most popular vegan BBQ sauce brands, but there are many more to choose from. If your local grocery store has limited options, try this Homemade Vegan BBQ Sauce recipe by Nisha from Rainbow Plant Life.
Soy curls is my go-to vegetarian “meat” in this vegan BBQ recipe, but there are several plant-based meat alternatives you may enjoy including tempeh, tofu, seitan, even roasted chickpeas.
Yes, it is not necessary to add the oil before roasting but it does help the soy curls become juicy and crispy and adds additional flavor to the dish as a whole.
If you love a smoky BBQ flavor, add up to 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke to the spice mixture. This will add a natural smokiness without animal products or the need for a grill.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Sheet Pan Vegan BBQ
Ingredients
For the Soy Curls:
- 4 ounces dehydrated soy curls
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce, divided
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
For the Vegetables:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 large sweet potato cut in half and sliced
- 1/4 head red cabbage chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425F and set a baking sheet aside. Bring ~4 cups of water to a boil, then carefully pour over (or add in) the soy curls and soak for 5 minutes. Drain the soy curls well, pressing or squeezing out as much water as possible.
- Vegetables: Add the corn, sweet potato, red cabbage, paprika, cumin, garlic, salt, and oil to a large bowl. Mix well, then transfer to the baking sheet, spreading the vegetables out evenly across 2/3 of the sheet.
- Soy Curls: Add the rehydrated soy curls to the same bowl with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the BBQ sauce and oil. Mix well, then transfer to the other 1/3 of the baking sheet and spread out evenly.
- Bake: Bake on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes, then quickly remove and flip the vegetables and soy curls, keeping them separate. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the soy curls begin to crisp up around the edges.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove the baking tray from the oven and toss the soy curls with the remaining BBQ sauce. You can mix everything together at this point, or keep it separate for serving. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve warm. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Oil-Free: It is not necessary to add the oil to the soy curls, but it helps them crisp up and gives a juicier texture. You can reduce the oil for the roasted vegetables as well, according to your own preference.
Hi Caitlin, Pardon my ignorance, but I don’t know what soy curls are. What brands make them and also dehydrated soy curls? Thanks.
Soy curls are a type of textured soy protein made from whole soybeans. They have a meaty and chewy texture, making them a popular plant-based meat substitute. They can be used in various dishes, absorbing flavors well. Here are a few brands that make soy curls:
Butler Foods Soy Curls: This is one of the most well-known and widely available brands. They offer both regular soy curls and dehydrated soy curls.
Louisville Vegan Jerky Company: They also produce soy curls that are seasoned and flavored like jerky.
Butler Soy Curls Sampler: This is a brand that specializes in soy curls, offering both regular and dehydrated options.
Harmony House Foods: They offer dehydrated soy curls that can be rehydrated and used in various dishes.
Primal Strips: They produce a variety of meatless products, including soy curls.
When looking for soy curls, you can often find them in natural food stores, specialty vegan stores, or online retailers like Amazon. Just make sure to read the product descriptions and reviews to ensure you’re getting the type and brand you’re looking for.
Funny that you featured this in your email today. I made this last night and thought for the very first time I should rate a recipe online. This is sooo good! Made it exactly as written, except added red onion. Will definitely make this again and again. Had a little left over and will use it somehow, probably in a wrap because the flavor is too good to throw out. Thank you so much, we will keep trying your recipes.
So happy you loved it, Cathy! ♥
So good!! And a new flavour combo for me! It’s sweet, spicy, savoury! Delish!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved it! Will definitely make again!
Great dish – delicious over brown rice!
I was so impressed with this barbecue dinner. This recipe is great and the very first one that I have made using BBQ sauce that actually tastes so good you do not miss the meat in a BBQ! I think non-vegans would love this too. The dish is so flexible that you can put it with a baked potato, over mashed potatoes, with Naan bread, with tortillas, and in wraps. We were out of cabbage and because we had Brussels Sprouts, we used them in place of the cabbage. It worked and was great. Thank you for this recipe and I will put it in my recipe book for rotation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You’re welcome, Sara! So glad you were impressed. Looking forward to you trying out more of the recipes. ♥
This is hands down one of my favorite recipes ever. It’s the most comforting meal, doesn’t take much work, and I feel so healthy yet indulgent eating it. I use a half head of cabbage because my husband and I fight over it if not, and I also slice up a jalapeno to roast with the veggies for a tiny bit extra spice. Amazing!
Thank you for the feedback. I’m happy it’s one of your favorites, Amber!
What barbecue sauce do you recommend?
Loved this one. So quick and easy. I didn’t have soy curls on hand so I used a Gardein chick’n strips. I took them out after 20 minutes while the rest finished cooking.
Glad you loved it, Jordan! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
This was perfect! My whole family gobbled it up and I went and ordered several more bags of soy curls just so I can make this again! Thanks for another amazing by recipe
I love to hear that! You can never have enough soy curls 🙂
Excellent meal and great leftovers.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
this was soo good! I used tofu instead of soycurls and it turned out great. your recipes never miss :))
Thank you Isabelle!
This was very easy and fast to prepare — It was on the table in 45 minutes. I also liked the the vegetables you chose and the spices! I used Gardein Chick’n Strips, as I didn’t have access to soy curls.
Yum, i bet this was great with Gardein!
I got really bored by cooking the same dinner dishes every now and then. The Sheet-Pan Vegan BBQ with Roasted Vegetables dish is a welcome change to my cooking routine.
So glad to hear that, Sophie!