4 Chipped Beef Substitute You Never Knew Existed

Do you miss the taste of chipped beef but want to avoid the high sodium content?
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This article will show you how diverse it is when it comes to a chipped beef substitute that tastes just as good and is much healthier.
Let’s check it out!
What is chipped beef?
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Chipped beef is a dish that is made from thinly sliced salted beef.
Typically, the recipe of chipped beef calls for lean cuts of beef like the top round or eye round cut off from the sirloin, then cured with salt and other spices.
Chipped beef is dry (but not as beef jerky), and pressed before being sold in a can from any grocery store.
Despite being cured with salt, chipped beef is often cooked before serving.
It is recommended to rinse it in warm water before cooking chipped beef so that you can partially remove the high salt content from the beef.
Chipped beef is traditionally served with a creamy cheese sauce on toast and scrambled eggs to complete a hearty meal.
Although this dish is so tempting and delicious, it is actually not a healthier option for our health.
Creamy chipped beef is high in fat and sodium, which might pose some risks to your heart health and your weight.
Can you substitute chipped beef?
Chipped beef is a canned meat product that can be used in many recipes, especially for breakfast.
However, if you are not able to buy this food item at a grocery store because it is out of stock.
You want to eat something healthier with a lower fat and sodium diet, there are actually many options for you to choose from.
The good news is that although chipped beef is substituted with other ingredients, you won’t have to give up on the delicious flavor and texture of your favorite dish that often calls for chipped beef.
What can you substitute for chipped beef?
Reading here, many people might wonder what ingredients or products can work as the greatest chipped beef substitute.
Below is the list of the best alternatives for chipped beef in any cooking recipe:
1. Deli meat
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Deli meat, which is also known under different names like lunch meat, cold cuts, or cold meat, is the first option that can be used as a substitute for chipped beef.
Deli meat has a similar dark pink color and salty taste because it is cured with a lot of salt.
Deli beef is also thinly sliced so it looks almost exactly like chipped beef.
You can alternate chipped beef with deli beef in any cooking recipe that calls for chipped beef without any significant difference in flavor and texture.
2. Ham
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Ham is typically made from pork instead of beef.
It is cut from the rear leg of the hog and is preserved with salt and dried.
It can be smoked or not before being sold on the market.
Ham is served in thin slices, making it look like chipped beef.
There might be a slight difference in the flavor between ham and chipped beef because one has a taste of pork while the other is beefy.
However, in general, they are salty, lean, and can be used interchangeably in most cases.
3. Corned beef
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Corned beef is also made by curing beef with salt.
However, it is traditionally made from beef brisket and wet-brined rather than dry-brined.
Therefore, corned beef is more tender and juicier.
Corned beef often has a pink color from the curing pink salt, which is actually sodium nitrite.
One thing to keep in mind is that corned beef and chipped beef are both not healthy options because they are packed with a high content of sodium as well as preservatives and additives.
Therefore, when using these ingredients, limit your servings and have a proper diet to not put your health in danger.
4. Vegan chipped beef
If you are a vegetarian, don’t worry, you can swap chipped beef with a vegan option that is made from carrots.
Slice carrots into thin strips and marinate them with different spices like soy sauce, maple syrup, onion powder, garlic powder, liquid smoke, and nutritional yeast.
By doing this, your carrots won’t taste like carrots anymore but have a more flavorful and savory taste like meat.
You can also substitute your regular cheese and milk that are used to make the sauce or gravy with nut milk like unsweetened almond milk and gluten-free flour.
This simple recipe can help you have a much healthier substitute for chipped beef to serve on toast.
The bottom line
Chipped beef is delicious comfort food that can be hard to give up when you are trying to eat healthier.
If the sodium content is making it difficult for you, there are alternatives out there!
We hope this list has helped you make your decision easier or at least gives you an idea of what options might work well for other recipes if chipped beef isn’t on the menu anymore.