Raw vegan ground beef is one of the primary components in my Raw Mexican Fiesta Meal: Raw Tacos. I once heard someone say that the only reason meat tastes so good is because of its seasoning. I actually find this to be quite true. I never really liked plain meat, it was never very appetizing to me. But what I did like was all the sauces I made to put on it. Apply this mentality to seasoning plant-based foods and you can create vegan alternatives to mainstream meat dishes like ground beef. If you’ve just transitioned to a raw vegan or vegan lifestyle and your having a moment where you miss meat, try this raw vegan ground beef recipe instead.  I applied the traditional ground beef seasoning to walnuts and it came out tasting amazing.

I also love this raw vegan meat-substitute recipe because it’s a soy-free meat alternative. I personally am not a fan of all those fake vegan meats sold in store. Have you looked at their ingredient list? They’re full of weird ingredients and most of them contain gluten, not ideal for real-food, gluten-free living!

Raw Vegan Ground Beef Recipe

Raw Food Kitchen Essentials

For this raw vegan ground beef recipe, you will need a dehydrator ( I personally use and recommend the Excalibur) as well as a food processor. These are two of the top 4 raw food kitchen essentials that I recommend you stock your kitchen with.

Raw Ingredients

• 600g walnuts (about 5 cups) Soaked for at least 4 hours
• 300g roma tomatoes (about 4-5 organic medium-sized tomatoes)
• 2 cups sun-dried tomatoes (soak first if very hard, if soft, just add them in)
• 2 Tbs of lemon juice
• 1 Tbs chilli (can add more if you want it to be spicier)
• 2 Tbs cumin
• 2 Tbs coriander
• 2 Tbs paprika
• 2 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp salt (Update: I no longer consume salt or add it to my recipes. I was pretty shocked when I found out how salt was affecting my weight. Want to know more? Download my free report on salt here) 

Recipe Instructions

Start by placing the walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor and pulse about 10-15 times. For the ground beef, we’re going for a chunkier consistency. Don’t over-process the walnuts, as you will still need to add in the tomatoes and process further and we’re not going for a smooth consistency here.

Cut the tomatoes up into even chunks and add them in, along with all the rest of the spices. Pulse until you have a smoother, but still chunky consistency. Spread out on a dehydrator tray (no teflex sheet required), and score it to increase its chunky appearance.

Place in the dehydrator at about 150 for the first hour, then turn it down to about 115-120. After about 3 hours, flip the raw vegan ground beef to help it dry more evenly using another dehydrator tray. It will take anywhere from 10-12 hours to thoroughly dry, but you don’t need it to be super dry to eat it. sometimes I like to make it at perfect timing with my raw tacos, and pull it out before it’s totally dry, and still a little warm and soft.

Enjoy this creative red meat substitute with the healthful benefits of raw living food!

Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii,

Laura Dawn