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There’s nothing quite like biting into a big ol’ juicy sandwich. Give me toasty bread, a creamy sauce, and a flavourful juicy filling any day of the week. This Reuben-style Beet Sandwich delivers all of those things. It might just be the heartiest vegetarian sandwich out there!

This Beet Sandwich features sliced beets marinated in New York Deli-inspired spices and piled high onto rye bread with a flavourful sauce and melty cheese. It’s kind of a masterpiece (if I do say so).

What you’ll need to make this recipe

For the Beet “Pastrami”:

Beets: Naturally sweet and juicy, beets are the perfect filling for this ultra-satisfying sandwich.
Coriander Seeds: Delivering grassy notes to the marinade
Black Pepper: For that lovely little kick
Celery Salt: Which provides saltiness, and a lovely celery flavour
Garlic Powder: One of my fave all-around flavour boosters
Mustard: Seeds or prepared grainy mustard both work
Vegetable Oil: To slick up the beets and help spread the flavour around
Red Wine Vinegar: For a little zing

For the Beet Sandwich Sauce:

Mayo: Nothing beets the creaminess of mayo. Make your own (vegan or regular) with my mason jar method!
Ketchup: You can see where we’re going here right?
Horseradish: Yep, this sandwich sauce is just like a classic cocktail sauce. A little sweet, a little hot. Just perfect.

For the Sandwich:

Rye Bread: Of course you can use any bread, but rye is very on-brand for this Reuben-style Beet Sandwich.
Sauerkraut: Homemade, store-bought, whichever you fancy.
Cheese: I like a super nutty Gruyere or Emmenthal, but you can use any melting cheese you like (including vegan versions).

How to make this Beet Sandwich

Follow these steps to make the vegetarian Reuben of your dreams.

Wash the beets and cook them whole, either by steaming, boiling, roasting, or pressure-cooking. You’ll know they’re cooked when a paring knife slides easily in and out.
While the beets are cooking, combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and set them aside.
Make the sandwich sauce by combining the mayo, ketchup, and horseradish in a small bowl. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. It should come off easily by just rubbing it off with your fingers or a tea towel. (Keep in mind, your tea towel will be stained forever.)
Slice the beets as thinly as possible with a mandoline or a knife, add them to the bowl with the marinade, and toss gently to coat.
Grate the cheese and set it aside.
When you’re ready to make a sandwich (I generally make these one at a time), heat up an electric griddle on medium heat and butter one side of each slice of rye bread. Place both slices of bread butter-side-down onto the griddle.
Cover the exposed sides of both slices of bread with grated cheese.
On another area of the griddle (or in a frying pan over medium heat if your griddle isn’t big enough), fry the sliced beets to warm them through. The sliced beets should make a sizzling sound, almost like pastrami.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauerkraut onto one slide of the bread, being sure to squeeze a lot of the juice out first.
Pile the hot sliced beets on the other side of the bread, dollop a healthy amount of the sandwich sauce over the sauerkraut side of the sandwich, close it up and dig in!

Tips for Success

These tips will help ensure your Beet Sandwiches turn out perfectly every time.

A great final sandwich is all about starting with great components. Make sure the bread, cheese, and sauerkraut are top-notch.
The beets don’t really need to sit in the marinade, but they do improve in flavour the longer they do. You can even marinate them overnight.

What goes well with this Beet Sandwich?

This beet sandwich is certainly a meal in and of itself, but if you like having a little something on the side it goes perfectly with a big green salad, coleslaw or a creamy soup like cream of mushroom.

Storage and make-ahead tips

This is a made-to-order kind of sandwich. But you can certainly cook, slice, and marinate the beets up to two days in advance.

Still hungry?

If you’re a beet fanatic, try some of my other beet recipes like my Deluxe Beet Soup (perfect for a chilly day) or my Chilled Summer Borscht (perfect for a scorching hot day!)