Vegan Po Boy Sandwich

Create an incredible vegan Po Boy sandwich with a few simple ingredients. Crispy creole cauliflower, vegetable toppings, and vegan creole mayo are nestled inside the crunchy toasted french bread. Bite. Enjoy. Repeat!

Recently, on my blog feed, someone requested a Po Boy sandwich veganized. So, after some experimentation, I decided to transform cauliflower into vegan mock shrimp. Although I've made Vegan Crab Cakes from tofu, I chose cauliflower as my inspiration to make it crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I love cooking with cauliflower, so why not make a Louisiana creole cauliflower to replace the shrimp? 

Jump to:

• What is a Po Boy Sandwich?
• History
• Sandwich Ingredients
• How to Bread and Cook the Cauliflower
• Other Sandwich Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Vegan Creole Sauce Ingredients
• Vegan Creole Sauce Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Assemble the Sandwich 
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Try these Vegan Sandwich Recipes 
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

A traditional  Po Boy sandwich, although simple in execution, requires very few ingredients. The combination of the few ingredients, however, tastes incredible. As with many of my sandwiches, I removed the excess bread from the center of the french loaf for an extra-crunchy exterior. This reduces the number of carbs in a sandwich but provides more room for the goodies inside. 

What is a Po Boy Sandwich?

A po'boy (also PO-boy, PO boy, or poor boy) is a traditional sandwich from Louisiana. It almost always consists of meat, usually roast beef or fried seafood, often shrimp, crawfish, fish, oysters, or crab, served on New Orleans French bread.

My vegan Po boy sandwich is packed with cauliflower and other whole-food ingredients and baked rather than fried. And my version also contains a secret vegan creole cashew mayo that brings it all together. 

History

During the Street Car Driver's Strike of 1929,  the Martin brothers invented the PO-boy sandwich, feeding hungry strikers. These hearty, large sandwiches provided the men with a satisfying meal.

Then, when strikers approached to buy the sandwiches, they yelled out, "here comes another poor boy." As a result, this famous sandwich developed into a New Orleans tradition! 

Sandwich Ingredients

I believe that cauliflower makes the perfect mock cauliflower shrimp. First, cauliflower absorbs flavors and textures. For that reason, baking or air-frying cauliflower with oil-free breading creates the perfect faux shrimp. 

• Cauliflower florets: Cauliflower is a great meat replacement because it is like a sponge. It absorbs flavors and seasonings well.
• Oat milk(Bowl #1): I prefer oat milk because it's so creamy, but any plant milk will work.
• Garbanzo flour (Bowl #2): Also called chickpea flour, this gluten-free flour is thin and delicate. Although this is my favorite flour to use for this recipe, any flour works well.
• Bread crumbs (Bowl #3): I make my own bread crumbs using Dave's Bread. Toast it and crumble it in a food processor, or use store-bought bread crumbs.
• Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast, also called "nooch," is a popular food product often used in vegan cooking.
• Creole seasoning: I like Old Bay Creole Seasoning, but any creole seasoning works well. Please remember, when using any spicy seasoning, you can add in small amounts to reach your individual preference.

These three separate dipping bowls distinguish between crunchy cauliflower and soggy cauliflower.  

How to Bread and Cook the Cauliflower

After removing the core from the cauliflower, cut it into bite-sized florets. 

Then, it's all about dredging; dip a cauliflower floret into the plant milk, then the flour, back in the plant milk, and finish in the bread crumb mixture. Once dipped, spread the cauliflower on a single layer on a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

• Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes
• Or air-fry in a single layer and bathes at 370 degrees for 15 minutes.

Once the cauliflower is baked, prepare the other sandwich ingredients.

Other Sandwich Ingredients

• French bread: New Orleans-style French bread is the opposite. It has very little or no fat or sugar and no preservatives.
• Dill Pickle Sandwich Slices (called sandwich stackers): These thin pickle strips are already cut in a jar. But you can always slice whole pickles as well.
• White onion: These onions have a sharper and pungent flavor than yellow onions. They also tend to be more tender and have thinner, papery skin.
• Tomato: I used fresh tomatoes from my garden, which I adore. If buying tomatoes in the store, choose large, organic tomatoes for the best flavor.
• Romaine Lettuce: I love Romaine lettuce on sandwiches because of the crunch and freshness.

Substitutions

• Although I prefer French bread for a traditional take on this vegan sandwich, any hard-crusted bread works.
• Sweet pickles offer a different flavor profile than dill pickles.
• Choose a premade vegan creole mayo instead of making your own.
• Cajun seasoning is similar in flavor and ingredients, but it is a little hotter in terms of spice. So again, use sparingly if you're sensitive to spice.
• Tofu is also an excellent substitute for cauliflower.

Vegan Creole Sauce Ingredients

First, begin with vegan cashew mayo, add a few more ingredients, and achieve an incredible sandwich spread! 

• Vegan Cashew Mayo: I make my own mayo from cashews. The recipe, however, includes substitutions below.
• Dijon Mustard: I love the tanginess of dijon mustard, especially when paired with creole seasoning.
• Creole Seasoning: I prefer Old Bay Seasoning. Creole seasoning is a combination of paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Vegan Creole Sauce Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of making cashew mayo, choose a store-bought vegan mayo. Or, substitute the cashews in the recipe for sunflower seeds. Another option is to use silken tofu or white beans instead of cashews for a nut-free, seed-free option.
• Stone ground mustard is often used instead of dijon mustard in recipes.
• Any brand of creole seasoning works in this recipe. Or make your own creole blend using 5 tablespoons of paprika, 3 tablespoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 2 tablespoons of dried basil, 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of white pepper, 1 tablespoon  of cayenne pepper. Store in a jar for up to 6 months. For those who want a low sodium option, reduce the salt by ½.

How to Assemble the Sandwich 

Begin by cutting the french bread lengthwise. Next, pull some other bread from the interior of the French Bread. But be careful not to break through the crust. Then, broil on low in the oven for 5 minutes, carefully watching to avoid burning. 

• Spread of thin layer of creole mayo on both sides of the french bread
• Add a generous portion of cauliflower to the bottom of the french bread
• Add lettuce, three slices of tomatoes, onion slivers, and two stackable sandwich pickles on the other side of the bread. 
• If you dare, add a little more vegan creole mayo.
• Fold and cut in half or pieces using a  long loaf of French bread instead of individual loaves. 
• Now, take a bite and try not to say, "WOW!"

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Often, people ask where to find vegan or oil-free bread. Most bread is vegan; however, not all bread is oil-free. But what most people don't know is the bakery section at the regular grocery store carries a ton of oil-free bread options. Skip the bread aisle, where the processed bread is located. If you read the labels, most fresh-baked bread only contains flour, yeast, and water. 
• I always remove the excess bread from the center of each side of the french bread to make a crevice or hole to pile the ingredients. This reduces the amount of bread you are eating too!
•  Use the extra bread removed from the center of the french bread for bread crumbs or to dip into soup recipes.

So, the next time you're craving a Po Boy, try a vegan Po Boy Sandwich! 

Try these Vegan Sandwich Recipes 

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