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This Vegan Pepperoni Recipe is perfect for sandwiches, a party platter, or your favorite pizza! It's loaded with peppery, spicy & smoky-sweet flavors that'll keep you coming back for more.
If you've been looking for the perfect pepperoni for your Vegan Pizza, you can end the hunt! You're going to love this Vegan Pepperoni Recipe!
I've been buying Field Roast Sausages for years and I use them for a variety of recipes. I usually add them alongside my Easy Tofu Scramble, Savory Pancakes, or Roasted Red Pepper Pasta. They are great in sandwiches too!
The ingredients are clean and taste delicious, but unfortunately, they don't have Vegan Pepperoni yet, and I wasn't happy with the taste of other brands. So, I decided to try my hand at it.
Field Roast uses vital wheat gluten for their sausages and I've never used it before, so I searched online for easy tips and tricks. I landed on this hilarious video by The Easy Vegan and gave the recipe a try.
The texture came out perfect, I just made flavor adjustments to suit my personal taste. You guys have to try this!
STEP 1 - Whisk all the dry ingredients together to combine well.
STEP 2 - In a separate bowl whisk all the wet ingredients to combine well.
STEP 3 - Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to combine. It will start to thicken up and form a dough. Using your hands, incorporate everything well by kneading for 1-2 minutes.
STEP 4 - Split the dough in half and roll each piece into a sausage-shaped log. Wrap it tightly in parchment paper followed by aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is overlapped or it will open during cooking. Twist the ends tightly to seal.
STEP 5 - Now steam them for about 45 minutes. Every so often, check to make sure the water hasn't evaporated during steaming.
Success Tips
This vegan pepperoni will come out perfectly if you follow the recipe closely and measure accurately. Here are some of my tips to ensure success:
- Preparing the dough is like a weird science experiment. It will become thick and rubbery and will seem inedible, but I promise, it will all be tasty in the end.
- The parchment paper is optional and you don't need it to get the sausage shape. I use it to avoid aluminum exposure to the food.
- If you can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce, try barbeque sauce or vegan steak sauce. Or you can use a combination of 2 teaspoons of ketchup, 1.5 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce.
- The vital wheat gluten is essential for the recipe and cannot be substituted.
- For an accurate measurement, you can weigh the vital wheat gluten to get exactly 125 grams. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method - don’t scoop the VWG with a measuring cup directly from the container. Instead, aerate it first, then scoop it out of your container with a spoon and then into a measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess.
- It's very important to measure all of the ingredients accurately and follow the instructions precisely or this will alter the end results.
- Kneading is very important and should be done for 1-2 minutes. Any less and the pepperoni can turn out spongy. Also, if you over-knead, it can turn out tough and rubbery.
- If you top the pepperoni on pizza, add a little spritz of oil before cooking. This will keep it from getting dry.
How to store
Here are my tips on how to store this vegan pepperoni. You may even want to make extra and pop it in the freezer!
- Fridge - it will last in the fridge for 6-7 days stored in an airtight container or wrapped well
- Freezer - It freezes well for 3-4 months when it's wrapped really well in cling wrap and stored in a Ziploc or an airtight container. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.
How should I use Vegan Pepperoni?
The sky's the limit here and you can use it for so many things. Here are some tasty ideas:
- As a Pizza Topping (along with my Vegan Mozzarella Cheese)
- In a sandwich (it's great for school lunches)
- For a party cheeseboard
- Top it on a salad for savory flavor
- Make healthier Lunchables for the kiddos with crackers and Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Crumble it on baked potatoes or pasta
Recipe FAQs
Seitan is made with vital wheat gluten which, unfortunately, isn't gluten-free. It's essential for the meat-like texture and cannot be substituted.
If have an allergy to gluten, you will want to stay away from vital wheat gluten. Otherwise, it's safe to eat and has a good dose of protein and various minerals such as iron and selenium. It's also soy-free and low in fat.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would really make my day!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pepperoni
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable broth , low sodium
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds , lightly crushed
- 1.5 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper , more to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- ½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
Recommended Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Small Mixing Bowl
- 1 Large Pot with Lid
- 1 Steamer Basket
- 1 Whisk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients to combine well.
- In a small bowl whisk all the wet ingredients to combine well. Now pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a spoon or spatula just until it just starts to come together (it will start to thicken and form a dough). Using your hands, incorporate everything well by kneading for 1-2 minutes (*the dough will be thick & rubbery). Move the dough around in the bowl to sweep up the dry mixture on the bottom.
- Split the dough in half and roll each piece into a sausage-shaped log (it doesn't have to be perfect). Now wrap tightly in parchment paper followed by aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is overlapped or it will open during cooking. Twist the ends tightly to seal.
- Place about 1 " of water into a large pot that will fit your steamer basket. Place your basket on the bottom and cover pot with a lid. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to med-low to maintain a low boil and place pepperoni log into basket. Cover and steam for 45 minutes. *Keep an eye on the water so it doesn't fully evaporate. Add more hot water if needed.
- After steaming, let the wrapped pepperoni sit on a cooling rack for 20 minutes undisturbed. Now remove wrapping and let it cool before chilling it for at least an hour. This will help it firm up and make it easy to slice. Keep in airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days.
Notes
- If you can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce, you can use barbeque sauce or vegan steak sauce. You can also use a combination of 2 teaspoons of ketchup, 1.5 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce.
- Vital Wheat Gluten - this is essential for the recipe and cannot be substituted with anything else.
- Measuring Vital Wheat Gluten - For an accurate measurement, you can weigh the VWG to get exactly 125 grams. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method - don’t scoop the VWG with a measuring cup directly from the container. Instead, aerate it first, then scoop it out of your container with a spoon and then into a measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess.
- It's very important to measure all of the ingredients accurately and follow the instructions precisely or this will alter the end results.
- Kneading is very important and should be done for 1-2 minutes. Any less and the pepperoni can turn out spongy. Also, if you over knead, it can turn out tough and rubbery.
- The parchment paper is optional and you don't need it to get the sausage shape. I use it to avoid aluminum exposure to the food.
- If you top the pepperoni on pizza, add a little spritz of oil before cooking. This will keep it from getting dry.
Eline
Thank you, this recipe is perfect - I've made this a couple of times already. This is saving me a lot of money on the shop bought pepperoni.
Melissa Huggins
I'm so happy you love it, Eline! Thanks for trying it and sharing your feedback 🙂
ElaineH
I love This recipeand have been using it for years now. thank you so much. I’ve been using basin flour instead of vital wheat gluten and it works great. I am wondering if it can handle serious cold temperatures though because I want to take it camping with me.Freezing cold mountain temps. Ill leave it at home if freeeze makes it go crumbly Anyone have experience with that??
Danny G Moore
This was my first attempt at making a plant based meat and it turned out very good. I followed the recipe exactly as written except I baked it instead of steaming. Tastes great and the texture and mouth feel is incredible.
Thank you,
D Moore
Melissa Huggins
You are welcome Danny! I am so pleased you enjoyed your first plant based meat using this recipe. More to come... 🙂
Cherri
Can this be steamed in a rice cooker?
Melissa Huggins
Yes, you can do that. 🙂
Susan
I can taste it, from just reading the recipe! Yum!!!
Thank you
Susan
I can taste it, just from
Melissa Huggins
You are welcome Susan. I hope you can try this one. 🙂
Verna
My husband and I absolutely loved this with vegan cheese and crackers and next I’m putting it on pizza
Thank you so much for a nice treat
Melissa Huggins
Good to hear Verna! It goes great with pizza so I am sure you will both enjoy it immensely.
Claire
This recipe is amazing. It tastes better than the real thing. Thank you so much. Its going to be hard not to make this every day.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Claire! We are so happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for trying it out 🙂
Ellen
This is awesome! I fried up my slices and used with a butterbean tomato stew and it was amazing! The texture is great and just what I was hoping for- thanks for the recipe
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Ellen! We are so happy to hear that you loved the recipe! The way you paired it with the stew sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Shelli
This is spectacular! It came together in an hour, star to finish, including gathering everything & cleaning up. I used your amounts exactly & wouldn’t change a thing. I like spicy food & usually plan to pump up the volume the 2nd time I use a recipe. That won’t be the case with this. I don’t see myself buying the bland, cardboard-y commercial versions of this again. I also love that it’s soy-free. Thank you for doing the work that produced this.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Shelli! We are so happy that this has become your go-to. Thank you for the kind words and for trying out the recipe! 🙂
Rachel
Does this have to be refrigerated and how long is it good for once made? Thanks!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rachel, yes, it needs to be refrigerated for 5-7 days or frozen for 2-3 months. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Simon
I only recently heard about seltan, despite being veggie for thirty years. Saw this recipe and was intrigued, I've never had "real" pepperoni but gave the the recipe a try and it was incredible. Easy and once tried I've now got a pepperoni addiction. My partner a meat eater was rather impressed.
Thanks for such a great recipe
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad it was a hit! We have the same addiction over here. lol! Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Shonda
I've been looking for large sandwich size pepperoni. Could this be used for that?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Shonda, You can slice the pepperoni lengthwise for sandwiches. 🙂
Alissa
Easy and delicious!!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Alissa, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you so much! 🙂
Shana
I made this this weekend and my family just raved about the great taste. I will be making this regularly.
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad everyone loved it! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Emily
I’ve made quite a few seitan recipes but this was the most satisfying! I substituted 1 TBsp of aquafaba (chickpea water) instead of the oil since we are trying to be oil free. It turned out great and was so easy to make. We are putting this with a platter for Christmas Day and we may even have it for New Year’s Eve as well! Thank you
Melissa Huggins
Hi Emily, I'm so glad you liked it! So great to know that it works with aquafaba too. Thanks for sharing that. Merry Christmas! 🙂
Elaine
Don't know if I missed a gluten-free version of this recipe or not but what I have done is replaced the wheat gluten with chickpea flour AKA besan flour. It turned out very good just had more of a bean taste to it almost like a taste of refried beans. They still held together very well and delicious. don't taste them before they're cooked though because the besan flour needs to be cooked to be palatable.
Camelia
I will definitely be trying this recipe thanks so much