Top your pizza or crackers with this vegan Seitan Pepperoni, a meatless plant-based alternative made with tomato paste, soy sauce, and loads of delicious seasonings!
Meatless chicken and burgers are one thing, but meatless pepperoni? Well, that’s on a whole other level! It’s really hard to get the right consistency and texture in plant-based pepperoni using substitutes like soy or tofu. But once again, good old seitan comes to the rescue!
Thanks to its meat-like texture, it makes a rockin’ pepperoni that’s perfect for making your favorite at-home pizza or veggie Italian sandwich!
It’s not very difficult to prepare either, which makes it a must-try on your seitan journey. Let’s dive in!
Ingredients in vegan pepperoni
Making vegan pepperoni isn’t as complicated as you may think. It only takes a handful of ingredients, and many of the items are probably already in your pantry!
- Vital Wheat Gluten: The first (and main) ingredient in seitan is wheat gluten. By working the dough, we’ll develop strong gluten strands, which give this pepperoni its meaty texture!
- Water: Next, we will mix that with water to form a dough.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste adds both umami flavor and the classic red pepperoni color!
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce will add a salty element (and because we’re using this, we won’t need to add salt!)
- Coconut Oil: Solid coconut oil will contribute to the texture of the pepperoni while helping everything bind together. Ensure you use solid, cold coconut oil, which will give this pepperoni those fat pockets found in traditional pepperoni.
- Seasonings: The seasonings are where homemade pepperoni really shines! You’ll need crushed red pepper flakes, ground mustard seed, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and chopped or crushed fennel seeds.
- Liquid Smoke: Last but not least, 1 tsp of liquid smoke will make this recipe complete!
How to make Seitan Pepperoni
This seitan pepperoni is a four-part recipe that begins like most seitan recipes — forming the dough. From there, we’ll shape it into two pepperoni logs, and then we’ll let it steam over water. The whole process takes 1 hour, with 15 minutes devoted to prep time.
Step 1: Create the dough
In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until a ball forms. Transfer the mix to a clean surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and cohesive. It will still be lumpy, which is okay!
Step 2: Shape the pepperoni
Divide the dough into 2 even pieces, and then shape each piece into a log. Each log should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Wrap each tightly in aluminum foil, making sure the foil overlaps so it doesn’t open during cooking. Twist the ends to secure.
Step 3: Steam the logs
Bring a pot of water to a boil and place a steamer basket on top. Place the wrapped pepperoni logs in the basket. Cover and let steam for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level to make sure it doesn’t all evaporate.
Step 4: Let cool & slice
Remove the pepperoni logs from the basket and gently unwrap. Transfer to the fridge and allow to cool fully, then use a sharp knife to thinly slice each log into pepperoni pieces!
Seitan Pepperoni Recipe Q&A
Use these tips for making (and enjoying!) the best meatless pepperoni ever.
Why does the coconut oil need to be solid?
Solid coconut oil is important for the final texture of the pepperoni, giving it those pockets of fat you would find in traditional pepperoni! If it’s not solid, transfer it to the fridge to cool down and harden before using it in this recipe.
How should seitan pepperoni be used?
You can use this wherever you’d use traditional pepperoni — on pizza, in sandwiches, with crackers, in your favorite meatless charcuterie board, etc.!
How do you store seitan pepperoni?
Leftover vegan seitan pepperoni can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Try these seitan recipes next
Now that you’ve mastered seitan pepperoni, it’s time to tackle some more seitan dishes! Here are some of my favorites including steak, burgers, and more!
Or for a similar sausage style seitan recipe, try our plant based sausage links!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten 180 g
- ½ cup water 120 mL
- ¼ cup tomato paste 50 g
- ¼ cup soy sauce 60 mL
- ¼ cup coconut oil* should be solid, 50 g
- 2 tsp each crushed red pepper flakes, ground mustard seed, smoked paprika, garlic powder
- 1 tsp fennel seeds roughly crushed or chopped
- 1 tsp liquid smoke 5 mL
Instructions
- Dough: In a large bowl stir together all ingredients until a ball forms. Transfer to a clean surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is elastic and cohesive (it will still be lumpy, that's okay!)
- Shape: Divide into 2 even pieces, then shape each piece into a log. Each log should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Wrap each log tightly in aluminum foil, making sure the foil overlaps so it doesn't open during cooking, then twist the ends to secure.
- Steam: Bring a pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil, then place wrapped pepperoni logs into the basket. Cover and let steam for 45 minutes. (Keep an eye on the water level to make sure water doesn't all evaporate.)
- Cool: Remove pepperoni logs from the basket and gently unwrap. Transfer to the fridge and allow to cool fully, then use a sharp knife to thinly slice each log into pepperoni pieces! Use as you would traditional pepperoni (on pizza, sandwiches, or crackers!)
bernie Lewis says
Is there a sub for vital wheat gluten, I am GF.
Sarah says
Unfortunately this is one where gluten is pretty difficult to replace because we’re using it to create the meaty texture. Sorry about that!
Kathryn Wilkinson says
I can’t eat that much pepperoni in 5-7 days. Can this be portioned and frozen?
Sarah says
Yes it can! 😀
Becky Webb says
Do you have any idea whether it could be steamed successfully in an instant pot? And if yes, how long would you guess that it would take?
Sarah says
Ooof I really am not sure, sorry about that! You could try something like this!
Morgan says
I just made this using my instant pot. I used the steam setting, pressure low for 45 minutes and so far so good. I just pulled it out and tried a little piece before putting in the fridge to cool for use on pizza tonight.
Wendy says
Thank you for your web site! Very helpful and informative.
Michelle says
This is amazing! I haven’t had pepperoni in 18+ years, but I am pretty sure this is as close as it gets!!! Great flavor and amazing texture. Thank you for sharing! I am adding this to my pizza night must haves!
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Michelle! 😀
Brittney says
I really love this recipe. I did tweak it quite a bit because I find that most seitan pepperoni recipes I’ve tried in the past haven’t had enough spicy zesty flavor..
I added 1 veggie boullion cube, 1 tbsp of marmite and 4 garlic cloves to the water and heated it up until it incorporated. I upped the fennel to 1 tbsp, and added a 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, ommited the garlic powder, upped the vital wheat gluten by another 1/4c and used a whole 5.3oz tube of tomato paste instead, and it turned out perfect. Cooling this down in the fridge was perfect, because it seemed like the coconut oil solidified again and keeps it moist without being soft.
Nicko says
Ive begun to add oil to the dough. Great alternative to flesh.
Heather S says
I tried to make these and followed the recipe exactly, except adding onion powder, a little extra garlic powder and some oregano. But no matter long I kneaded or how much water or gluten flour I used, the dough never came together. It kept falling apart, and I finally gave up. I’m so disappointed. I’ve made seitan deli slices and hot dogs and nothing like this has ever happened. The dough tasted really good too. What did I do wrong?
Sarah Bond says
That’s so strange! Was it falling apart because it was too dry? Or too wet?
Adi says
Is there any sub for the coconut oil? My spouse is allergic. Thanks!
Sarah Bond says
You could try olive or vegetable oil! These won’t solidify in the fridge quite as well, but should still work!
Mykell m says
Can you do this without the aluminum foil?
Sarah Bond says
If you don’t want the foil touching the food, you could wrap in parchment paper and then in the foil 😀
Diana says
Hi! I’ve never tried seitan, but would love to try this recipe- can I steam it in an Instant Pot? (It’s really hot here in Texas and don’t want to use the stove)🥵
Sarah Bond says
Hi Diana! I actually haven’t tried this before so I can’t say for sure! Having just been down in Texas though, I feel your pain!
chloe says
My daughter loved it! Do you have any suggestions for an alternate to aluminum? I’m thinking it could be harmful to steam in the foil for 45 mins?
Chloe says
Oops just saw your comment about the parchment paper! Thanks
Sarah Bond says
You can wrap it in parchment paper first and then in aluminum if you don’t want the foil touching the seitan!
Carrie says
Can I sub the coconut oil with cold vegan butter?
Sarah Bond says
I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work! 😀
Tim says
This is really by far the best vegan pepperoni I’ve had – and I’ve tried a few recipes ! I just used a bit more garlic Powder because I love garlic and it’s pretty damn close to the original product (coming from someone who is not a vegan) so I will be using this instead from now on !
Greetings from Germany
Sarah Bond says
So awesome to hear!! Enjoy! 😀
Rick says
Made this with the intent of making this the first of five vegan pepperoni recipes I’d pinned to determine which to make my go-to staple. After making and tasting this recipe, I do not plan on testing any of the others. This is THE ONE for me. Excellent taste and texture, and it came together very easily using common ingredients. Can’t even nitpick anything about it.
Sarah Bond says
YAY! This makes me so happy to hear Rick! 😀
Deb says
It was easy to make and delicious on pizza. I also sliced some and fried up for a sandwich. I will definitely make again.
Sarah Bond says
YAY! So happy to hear it, Deb! Enjoy! 😀
Pascale Tanguay says
Perfect! This is easy to do and very good. Made a pizza and almost no difference with real pepperoni. Not a vegan person but real pepperoni hard to digest so it was a long time that I tried to replace it.
Thank you and I am looking forward to buy your popsicles book.
cb says
I have to say I was a skeptic. I LOVE pepperoni, but don’t love how unhealthy it is. Decided since I was trying so many of your recipes during the 31 Day Vegetarian Challenge that I would give this a try. At first it seemed daunting, but it was actually super simple to make. The end result looked like pepperoni and was pretty darn close to tasting like pepperoni. Next time I will up the spice a bit, but there will be a next time… which is saying a lot for this non-vegetarian!
Crystal Shertenlieb says
Mine didn’t have the same pepperoni color as pictured and the flavor when eaten alone was slightly off. Having said that, texture and spice were perfect. The amount of spice was good, not too hot for the faint of heart but enough. Once we ate it with other foods that off flavor disappeared. We ate it with cheese and crackers and in a pasta salad and it was excellent.
Alisa says
Best pepperoni I may have ever had!! Of course that’s from memory from a long time ago. But who cares this stuff is amazing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this recipe.
Angela says
I saw that you said this can be frozen for later use. How long can it be kept in the freezer and are there any special instructions for thawing it out for use?
Thank you!
Sarah Bond says
I wouldn’t freeze it for longer than 3 months or so. And I would recommend baking after thawing (like on a pizza) to get the texture nice and firm again.