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With over a dozen 5-star reviews, rest assured that this vegan pepperoni truly tastes like the real thing. Top your pizza or crackers with this pepperoni, a meatless plant-based alternative made from seitan, tomato paste, soy sauce, and loads of delicious seasonings!
save this recipe!Meatless seitan chicken wings and seitan burgers are one thing, but meatless pepperoni? Well, that’s on a whole other level! After many rounds of testing, I’ve developed this vegan pepperoni recipe that tastes and feels just like the meat version.
Thanks to its meat-like texture, seitan makes a rockin’ pepperoni that’s perfect for making your favorite at-home pizza or veggie Italian sandwich!
Reader rating
“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.” —Rick
here’s what you’ll need
Making vegan pepperoni only takes a handful of ingredients, and many of the items are probably already in your pantry! Measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post!
- 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!
- The Sauce: To form the dough and add some flavor, we need water, tomato paste, soy sauce, and coconut oil. 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!
let’s make it
Making vegan pepperoni isn’t as complicated as you might think. 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. The dough 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 (similar to a sausage link). 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.
Step 4: Let Them Cool and Slice
Remove the pepperoni logs from the basket and gently unwrap them. Transfer to the fridge and allow to cool fully, then use a sharp knife to thinly slice each log into pepperoni pieces!
It’s time to use that pepperoni
This vegan version can be used in any way that traditional pepperoni can!
- Bruschetta Pizza: What’s better than a classic pepperoni pizza with vegan cheese?
- Boursin Tomato Sandwich: Turn this sandwich into an Italian club by adding vegan pepperoni.
- Meatless Charcuterie Board: Add pepperoni to your snacking board as an easy protein option to pair with cheese and fruit.
Perfect Vegan Pepperoni (Step-By-Step Tutorial)
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!)
Notes
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 boards, etc! Can I use something other than foil to wrap the logs?
Yup, feel free to use parchment paper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
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!
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.
Hi. Do you think this would work without the oil? It sounds like a great recipe, but we don’t use oil. Let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Julie
I haven’t tried this recipe without oil so I can’t be sure, but the oil is meant to replicate the fatty mouthfeel of pepperoni, so it won’t be quite right without it!
I forgot to add the coconut oil because it was in the fridge still and it still came out fine. A touch less chewy but not in a bad way. Less greasy. I love this recipe.
Hi! Do you have any suggestions for baking this recipe rather than steaming it?
I don’t, steaming is the best method for this recipe because it hydrates the dough and gives it that distinct texture! 😀
First time I’ve made anything with vital wheat gluten – can’t believe how great this turned out. My husband said 8/10 – not bad for a first try ! I do think I’ll add a bit more garlic powder and maybe a touch of salt next time. Will for sure make again.
Tastes nothing like pepperoni
Not scary to make! The price of this item has doubled now so I believe I’ll be repeating this recipe. Merci!
So happy to hear you found this recipe! Enjoy! 😀
As another commenter replied, this one just didn’t come together for me. I doubled the recipe, and where I live doesn’t have tomato paste but I halved the tomato sauce I used and used more gluten flour. I’m convinced it was so wet from the oil… hmm. Also want to note I’ve never had issues making seitan so perhaps if I followed to a tee it would’ve been more like the pictures. Nonetheless, I still wrapped it in its liquid messiness and proceeding to steam. If it’s crumbly after refrigeration I’m sure it’s good as crumbles instead of rounds 😉
Has anyone tried to make this by pressure cooking in instant pot?
I just made this for the first time and it is delicious, I’ll definitely be making this again!
So glad you loved it – happy eating!
How long is it good for?
You can store the pepperoni in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days 🙂