Lahmacun is a Turkish Pizza topped with minced meat, onions, garlic, tomato, red pepper, and parsley. This is my vegan version of the dish!

Ugh, those vegans, always recreating meaty dishes! *shaking fist in the air* Let me tell you something because I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I don’t make vegan sausages, vegan schnitzel, vegan fish because I miss it. I make it because I can. And I like to blow minds.

I’ve never had ‘real’ lahmacun but I thought it’s such an obvious choice to make vegan lahmacun with soy granule, which I have been using a lot lately. So here we go.

What is Lahmacun?

Lahmacun translates from the Arabic to ‘dough with meat’ and is basically a Turkish pizza. You have a simple yeast dough as the base, and then it’s topped -traditionally- with minced meat, minced vegetables (onions, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes), parsley, and seasoned with paprika powder and chili powder.

In my version, I am using soy granule as the minced meat alternative. I am skipping the bell pepper by using ajvar which is a spread made from bell pepper and eggplant. You can find that in most stores – in a mild and spicy version (I am using the mild version, feel free to reduce the chili powder if you use a spicy version otherwise it might get too spicy). Of course, you can also use finely chopped bell pepper instead.

Otherwise, I am sticking to traditional recipes regarding the garlic, onion, parsley, paprika powder, and chili powder.

Oftentimes, the lahmacun is topped with red onion slices after baking but I am not a fan of raw onion, so I am adding a dollop of unsweetened but salted soy yogurt instead and fresh parsley. Also, a drizzle of lemon juice will finish this off perfectly.

How to make vegan Lahmacun?

The ingredients

The dough is a simple yeast dough consisting of

all-purpose flour
salt
dried yeast
water
olive oil

For the lahmacun topping you will need:

soy granule (also see my guide on TVP)
olive oil
garlic
onion
fresh parsley
ajvar (ajvar is a spread made out of bell pepper and eggplant, if you use spicy ajvar, reduce or omit the chili powder; if you don’t have ajvar, you can add small cut bell pepper to the lahmacun mixture instead)
tomato puree
spices: salt, paprika powder, chili powder

The basic steps

dry ingredients for bread — Step 1: Combine the flour, instant yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl.

making bread dough in kitchen aid — Step 2: Add the olive oil and water. Let it knead by a kitchen machine with a dough hook (or use a spoon to stir and then your hands to knead the dough) until it’s a smooth dough.

bread dough — Step 3a: Coat the dough in a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours OR

Yeast dough in glass container — Step 3b: Coat the dough in olive oil. Place it in a container. And let it rise **in the fridge** **overnight**. The next day, your dough should have risen. I’d recommend letting the dough sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour before using.

Risen yeast dough in glass container — Step 3b: Coat the dough in olive oil. Place it in a container. And let it rise **in the fridge** **overnight**. The next day, your dough should have risen. I’d recommend letting the dough sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour before using.

soy granule with spices — Step 4: Add the soy granule, water, and spices into a pan (over medium heat). Stir. Once it has soaked up the water, make space in the pan, add oil, garlic, and onion and let it cook until golden.

soy granule, onions and garlic in pan — Step 4: Add the soy granule, water, and spices into a pan (over medium heat). Stir. Once it has soaked up the water, make space in the pan, add oil, garlic, and onion and let it cook until golden.

soy granules, onion, garlic, parsley, ajvar, and tomato paste in pan — Step 5: Add chopped fresh parsley, ajvar, and tomato puree. Give it a mix.

lahmacun topping — Step 5: Add chopped fresh parsley, ajvar, and tomato puree. Give it a mix.

vegan lahmacun before baking — Step 6: Roll out the dough, and add the lahmacun topping. Bake it at 400°F/200°C for 8 minutes.

More recipes with soy granule

Love it? Rate it!

I hope you enjoy these vegan Turkish Pizzas (Lahmacun) as much as I do! Let me know if you give them a try!

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Cheers, Bianca

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Novrllian

Saturday 28th of May 2022

Please stop saying Turkish Pizza! After spelling it’s Arabic name and the meaning, why in the world you keep saying Turkish whatever! It’s an Arabic dish and copied by the Turks and calling it their own pizza. What part of it you fail to understand! Most of these so-called Turkish dishes were originated in the middle Easter countries way before the Turks arrived in that part of the world. It’s a collection of Ottoman era recipes. The name says it all. So get educated! It’s rather offensive for the rest of the middle easterners. Get your facts straight before you publish anything!

kairu

Saturday 19th of November 2022