This simple recipe for crusted celery schnitzel with creamy mushrooms is a delicious, vegan steak alternative to grandma’s classic German cutlet called “Jägerschnitzel”! The crispy crust turns this healthy vegetable into a real treat, without any meat at all!

Grandma’s Schnitzel made vegan
Grandma’s classic Jägerschnitzel has always been a favorite with everyone! Especially when combined with creamy mushroom sauce on top of mashed potatoes and green beans on the side, this dish was always a hit! So today I show you how to make a simple yet delicious meatless schnitzel that all vegans and vegetarians will love!

A Popular Recipe from my cookbook “Vegan Paradise”
This celery schnitzel recipe is one of my favorites from my new cookbook “Vegan Paradise”. It’s in the category “Heimatküche” because when I was a child my Grandma used to serve schnitzel with creamy mushrooms very often. In fact, it’s even my grandpa’s favorite dish (he’s an absolute fan of German cuisine), but now he is also convinced of the vegan version.
While traditional schnitzel recipes are made with fried meat and a breading of breadcrumbs, beaten egg and a little milk, I used celery as the base for my plant-based alternative. For the breading, I substituted a thick chickpea mixture for the egg milk, which has a similar consistency and binding property as you may know from regular eggs.

Jägerschnitzel vs Mushroom Cream Schnitzel
The original German Jägerschnitzel can be fried breaded or unbreaded and is traditionally served with a mushroom tomato or mushroom cream sauce. Grandma usually served the first version with the crispy crust aka “mushroom cream schnitzel”, so there are no tomatoes in this sauce recipe either.

Ingredients needed for this recipe
To make these vegan steaks, you’ll only need a few simple ingredients that are readily available at the supermarket. The only special ingredient is the Kala Namak, which provides a natural egg flavor. You can usually find this in the organic market or online. However, if you can’t get it right now, simply omit it.
Here are all the ingredients you need for vegan celery schnitzel:
- Celery root: alternatively, you could use kohlrabi.
- Soy milk: this is recommended because of its binding property. However, another unsweetened plant milk should also work.
- Mustard: I like to use medium hot mustard.
- Chickpea flour: as an egg substitute.
- Spices: salt, pepper, paprika powder and optional Kala namak and turmeric.
- Flour: all-purpose or gluten-free flour.
- Breadcrumbs: gluten-free breadcrumbs can be used if needed.
- Oil: any vegetable oil for frying.

Ingredients for the breading
How to make vegan celery schnitzel
As always, I recommend checking out this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Cook the celery
First, peel the celery root and cut it into about ½-inch thick slices. Pre-cook the slices for 5 minutes in a pot of salted water. Then drain on paper towels and allow to cool slightly.

Step 2: Prepare the breading station
Prepare 3 deep plates for breading the celery slices: In one plate, place the flour. In another plate, whisk together the soy milk, mustard, chickpea flour, salt, Kala Namak, pepper and turmeric. And in the third plate, combine the breadcrumbs with the paprika powder.
Step 3: Breading and frying the celery slices
First coat each celery slice with flour, then dip in the chickpea mixture and lastly coat with the breadcrumbs. Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan and fry the vegan cutlets over medium heat until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Done!


How to store leftover schnitzel?
You can store leftover vegan cutlets covered in the refrigerator and then reheat them in the oven or in a pan. You can also freeze them like regular schnitzels and then just add them frozen to the pan and fry until crispy.

This vegan celery schnitzel recipe is:
- Meatless
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free (lactose-free)
- Also works gluten-free
- Easy to make
- With vegetables
- Healthy
- Hearty
- With crispy breading
- Very tasty!
- Perfect for lunch or dinner!

How to serve schnitzel?
The celery schnitzel taste amazing with mashed potatoes, creamy mushrooms and green beans, garnished with some fresh parsley. But there are many other side dishes that go well with vegan schnitzel like these recipes:
- Croquettes
- German Bread Dumplings
- Croquettes
- Potato Bake
- Polenta
- German Spaetzle
- Gnocchi
- Mashed Potatoes
- Hash Browns
- Braised Red Cabbage
- Creamy Mushroom Sauce
If you try this easy vegan celery steak recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you share a photo of your delicious dish on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your creations! Happy cooking! 🙂

Vegan Schnitzel with Creamy Mushrooms
Author:Ingredients
- 1 (600 g) celery root approx. 21 oz
- ⅔ cup (75 g) flour all-purpose or gluten-free flour*
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) soy milk or other plant milk*
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 5 tbsp (45 g) chickpea flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp Kala Namak optional for an eggy flavor
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch turmeric optional for a yellow color
- 1 ⅓ cup (150 g) breadcrumbs gluten-free if needed
- 1 tsp paprika powder optional
- oil for frying
Instructions
*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures at the top of the post!
- Peel the celery root and cut into about ½-inch (1-1.5 cm) thick slices.
- Put the slices in a pot, cover with salted water and pre-cook for 5 minutes. Then drain on paper towels and allow to cool a little.
- Meanwhile, prepare 3 deep plates or shallow bowls for the breading station. Put the flour in one deep plate or shallow bowl. In another bowl, whisk together soy milk, mustard, chickpea flour, salt, Kala Namak, pepper and turmeric. And in the third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and paprika powder
- First coat each celery slice with flour, then dip it in the chickpea mixture and finally coat with the breadcrumbs.
- Heat enough oil in a large frying pan and fry the celery cutlets on both sides over medium heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Serve the celery cutlets over mashed potatoes with creamy mushrooms and green beans and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Enjoy your meal!
Notes
- Instead of celery, you could use kohlrabi.
- Instead of all-purpose flour, you could use gluten-free flour.
- Soy milk is recommended because of its binding property. However, another unsweetened plant milk should also work.
- More information about the recipe, including tips for storing and freezing, are mentioned in the blog post above!
IF YOU HAVE PINTEREST, YOU CAN FIND ME HERE AND PIN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE, IF YOU LIKE! 🙂

©Bianca Zapatka | All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please link back to this post for the recipe. More info here. Thank you for supporting biancazapatka.com!

This page may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information here.
Leave a Reply