I’ve been on a seitan roll!!! First with my vegan seitan steaks, then my seitan tenders, followed by sticky garlic & buffalo seitan bites. It took me a while and a whole lot (like a really a whole lot… (like I’m talking years)) of recipe testing before I got the hang of making my own seitan. But now that I’ve nailed the technique, I just can’t stop making vegan meaty deliciousness! Luckily, you guys seem to be loving it too, as my steak recipe has become one of my most popular recipes on the blog, and the tenders are quickly catching up. All hail seitan!
Next up, my Easy Vegan Seitan Pepperoni recipe. I had a craving for a classic pepperoni pizza, and normally my go to would be my Smoky Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza in Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook, which is a super easy recipe where the sun-dried tomatoes are soaked in a marinade to make them taste like pepperoni. Perfect for if you are gluten-free or for a quick vegan pepperoni hack. But for a classic pepperoni taste, texture, and look, it was time to make vegan seitan pepperoni.
This recipe is my easiest seitan recipe yet, no food processor involved and no need to marinate. Just mix everything together in a bowl, roll up in foil, steam, cool, and enjoy! This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze them to save for another time.
It’s sensational on a pizza, but it’s also great to enjoy as a snack on a vegan cheese board or even just with some crackers.
To make easy vegan seitan pepperoni: mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
This recipe makes 2 vegan pepperoni logs, but feel free to half or multiply the recipe as needed to make however many pepperoni logs you like!
Once the mixture starts to come together, finish mixing by hand, kneading the dough for 2 – 3 minutes to make sure it’s combined well. Kneading will also make the seitan have a chewier texture which works well with this pepperoni recipe.
Divide the dough into two pieces then roll the dough pieces into two logs about 6 inches long each. Roll each log up loosely in a piece of aluminum foil then twist the ends closed.
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Steam for 30 minutes. Oil may release during steaming and appear in the steamer basket and water, and that’s ok. After 30 minutes, remove the logs from the steamer and allow to cool completely in the fridge. The logs will have puffed up in the foil and become tight. Once cooled, remove the foil and they are ready to slice and enjoy as you like!
This vegan pepperoni works great on a pizza or served on a snack board.
Perfect to top your pizza. It's surprisingly easy to make, tastes way better than store-bought. Can be stored in the fridge or freezer so you have it on hand whenever you need vegan pepperoni.
Recipe adapted from my Vegan Seitan Steaks, but shout out goes to The Easy Vegan's version for the funniest video.
- 1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil, cooled so that it's solid
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (reduce or omit for less spice)
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Once the mixture starts to come together, finish mixing by hand, kneading the dough for 2 - 3 minutes to make sure it's combined well. Kneading the seitan will also give the vegan pepperoni a chewier texture.
Divide the dough into two pieces then roll the dough pieces into two logs about 6 inches long each. Roll each log up loosely in a piece of aluminum foil then twist the ends closed. Steam for 30 minutes. Oil may release during steaming and appear in the steamer basket and water, and that's ok. After 30 minutes, remove the logs from the steamer and allow to cool completely in the fridge. The logs will have puffed up in the foil and become tight. Once cooled, remove the foil and they are ready to slice and enjoy as you like.
Coconut Oil: the coconut oil should be solid to make this recipe and get the best texture. To make sure your coconut oil is solid, store it in a cool place or the fridge. If needed you can replace the coconut oil for olive oil. If you use olive oil, omit the water. The olive oil pepperoni will have a grainier texture but will still taste good.
Aluminum foil alternative: if you prefer to avoid aluminum foil, roll the pepperoni up in parchment paper, and then roll the parchment paper wrapped pepperoni up in cheesecloth and tie the ends closed.
Freezing and Storing: make these pepperoni's ahead and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for longer.
Vital wheat gluten is essential to this recipe, and there is no substitute. Therefore this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free chicken inspired recipe try my Baked Tofu Bites recipe.
Steaming tips: I recommend getting a steamer pot if you plan to make seitan often, or you can use a DIY method if you do not have a steamer.
Cleaning tips: vital wheat gluten is very sticky and can destroy dish brushes and cloths. So what I like to do is save old clothes, sheets, or towels that are too shabby to donate, and cut them into rags. I use these rags to clean up after preparing a seitan recipe and discard the rag once finished.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
I’ve made this before, but today, I decided to try a trick I learned from the Netflix baking show Nailed it! (not a vegan show) One of the judges said that if you keep getting dough stuck to your hands, you can spray a little non-stick cooking spray on your hands. I tried it, and the seitan was so much easier to work with.
Quick question. I am not a huge fan of fennel. Is there anything that could replace the fennel without compromising the integrity of the recipe too much?
Fennel is a classic spice in pepperoni, but you could sub it with another spice that you enjoy 🙂
OMG! This is amazing. My omni hubby LOVES it. He said he can’t stop eating it. I have to have it in the fridge at all times. We eat it on crackers with cheeze! So good! Your recipes are helping me turn my omni family into vegans! Heeheehee!
Haha! Amazing!!
Amazing, thank You sooo much! I made pizza for my husband (who is plant based too) & my dad who eats meat. And they both loved it as much as myself. I appreciate all your recipes.
hallo! i’m italian (sorry for my english…), don’t know how i discovered your blog but i’m getting crazy reading your recipes 🙂 yesterday night i tried this one and i think i’m dreaming: so perfect!!! the first log is already gone at lunch (2 person) simply with home made bread, i think the second will disappear tomorrow 🙂 so happy, thank a lot!!!
Aww that’s wonderful! So happy you love it so much, Betty 🙂
Oh my gosh! So easy, so good. I made a calzone with this beautiful pepperoni and the melty stretchy gooey mozzarella. Absolutely the best! Thank you so much!
So thrilled you, loved it!!
I didn’t read the part about omitting the water if using olive oil. Steaming for 30 minutes basically did nothing. Can I steam for longer or is this batch ruined?
Beyond 5 stars rating! Me being quarantined at home and finding this recipe-your blog is quite possibly the ONLY good thing to come out of the coronavirus pandemic! I made only half of the recipe in case it was not successful and oh boy, it is phenomenal! Thank you! This recipe is a complete game changer!
Aww so happy you love it, Lillian 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It’s delicious, so much better than any store bought stuff. My family asks me to make it every week. We put it on pizza, in sandwiches, and on top of vegan mac and cheese.
Wonderful!! Thrilled you love it, Deanna 🙂
when you say let it cool completely in the fridge, do you mean to put it ik the fridge while its still hot? Is that safe? Or should i let it cool a bit before?
Made it this morning. So easy, I had everything in the cupboard. I’ve made all kinds of vegan sausages; this is one of the best.
So thrilled you think so, Jay! 🙂
I have made this recipe so many times. A few things I’ve learned along the way. I wrap it really tight, comes it more like pepperoni. Cut slices and let them dry out in it fridge. Extra spices! More fennel for me.
So happy you love it!
I was surprised that this tasted so good given how little time it took to make! I served mine on a snack board with some crackers, hummus, and apple pear chutney and it was super yummy!
I rarely comment on recipes but I wanted to comment on this one to suggest to others that if you have the time to do so, it’s worth refrigerating the pepperoni overnight to improve the texture. When cooled, mine was still a little too bready in texture to be pepperoni-like, but refrigerating overnight made the seitan firm up and get nicely chewy.
My only issue with this recipe was that mine came out a little bit stretchy. I’ve only made seitan a few times and have never steamed it so I’m not sure how to troubleshoot. Should I just have kneaded it for longer or is there something else I should be doing?
Hi Sophie, glad you enjoyed it! If it was a bit stretchy it was likely undercooked a but. Try steaming it for an extra 10-15 minutes next time. You can’t really over steam it so you’re safe 🙂
Made this and your melty mozzarella this morning and had pizza tonight. OMG it was so good! I have missed a good pepperoni pizza and this just made me so happy!
Yay!! Thrilled you loved it, Cindy 🙂
I was a bit scared since the last (and my second) time I made seitan, I failed. But this recipe is AWESOME. Friends (both vegetarian and meat eaters) ended up putting these on their pizza!!! We also ate all what was left and couldn’t stop! I will redo for sure.
What cheese recipe went along with this pizza in the pictures?
I believe that was store-bought, Follow Your Heart brand.
Yay!! So happy you loved it, Alex-Maude 🙂
Hi Sam! This recipe looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try!! One question: will it still taste good when eaten without slicing, like a hot dog? Thank you in advance and again, it looks amazing!!
Hi Jamari, it will taste good no matter how you choose to eat it, but it will be too firm to eat as a hot dog. You can try my sausage recipe or my carrot dogs in my cookbook. Enjoy! 🙂
This was so delicious! The flavours continued to strengthen after a few days. Quick question- I froze one of the logs. Can I slice it directly from the freezer? How long would it last if I take it out of the freezer and refrigerate?
Has anyone tried slicing this thin in a food processor?
Thank you!
You can definitely slice it straight out of the freezer but it might be a bit difficult to do when frozen solid. If it was frozen freshly made, once thawed it should store in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks
This is seriously so good, the taste and texture is so much like real pepperoni I couldn’t believe it. Great umami flavor, I didn’t love it cold sliced off the log because it had kind of a lingering bready taste to me, but I never liked cold regular pepperoni either. Warmed up in a pan it was AMAZING!
Trying it on some Detroit style pizza with the gratable tofu mozzarella tonight and can’t wait.
Awesosme!!! I’m so thrilled you loved it so much, Michala! I hope you love your pizza 🙂
Hi Sam!
I just put this in the fridge to properly cool. Made it to go with your vegan mozzarella, which I have in the freezer to shred tonight for homemade pizza (I use a Lavash bread crust…easy to make crispy). The mozz – btw – also a big hit!
I wanted to let you know that I tasted it (couldn’t resist) and it was GREAT! I did substitute for apple cider vinegar for the water – I’ve found it greatly cuts down the “doughy” flavor from vital wheat gluten.
Now I’m just waiting for your baloney recipe to finish steaming. It smells heavenly in my house!
That’s amazing, Mike! So thrilled you are enjoying so many of my recipes!! Your fridge is going to look like mine! 🙂
I was using a pepperoni recipe adapted from various other recipes over the years. It was good..no problem there…but it took many more ingredients and a few more steps than yours. I then tried your pepperoni recipe and it was MUCH more simple to make and SO exceptional in flavor! A friend of ours (who is a meat eater) loves this stuff! I share some with him whenever I make it. It’s fantastically good, Sam! Thank you! If we ever went back to eating meat, I would still make this recipe! It’s THAT good!
Haha, that’s so awesome Jo! Thrilled you enjoy it so much 😀
Followed everything but had to sub out the coconut oil. I’m allergic. I used Earth Balance – straight exchange. Totally worked. I didn’t eliminate the water.
Sam……..my 19 year old son (both of us are vegan), gave me a slow clap and said “congrats Mother”.
Hahaha! Love that!!!! Thanks so much, Connie 🙂
Great site, great book. great recipes, Sam! Only problem I’m having with seitan is it always seems to have a strong gluten smell and flavor in the finished product, no matter HOW much I increase the spices.
Wondering if you (or any others who wanna chime in!) have experienced this and found a solution? Maybe a particular blend of herbs and spices?? Any help much appreciated!
PS I’m using Red Mill VWG
Thanks, Veeps! Have you tried making my seitan recipes? Or is this just with other recipes you have tried?
Sam, you are a genius! I love your recipes and this one is no exception. Even knowing your recipes are fab, I was still amazed by this pepperoni: it turned out even better than expected. We had some on pizza last night, and I even added some to my toasted lettuce and tomato sandwich today. I had to put it away as I kept nibbling little slices of it. It’s GREAT! Thank you so much for all your inspiring recipes (and your infectious enthusiasm). I have your book and use it a lot too.
From a Canadian living in the UK.
(p.s. I threw everything in my food processor for a couple of minutes instead of mixing and kneading by hand and the pepperoni turned out perfect – so easy!)
Aww shucks, thank you so much, JP! Thrilled you love the pepperoni so very much!! So happy you are enjoying so many of my recipes 🙂
Any chance of a seitan turkey recipe on the horizon? It would be great to have a good vegan roast as a center piece for Thanksgiving!
Yes I love that idea!!! I will work on it 🙂
666 – NUMBER OF THE BEAST(less pepperoni)
I’m sorry.. I had to
Hahaha, love it!
Hi Sam, I was surprised at how quickly this came together and that I didn’t screw it up LOL. Most of the first half went to a vegan pizza but the rest, I’m surprised to say I ate by itself. It’s kinda addicting! I’m very impressed how well the texture matches ‘real’ pepperoni. And the taste was awesome too. Thanks!
That’s so awesome, Joe! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Hi Sam. I am whole food plant based no oil. I have made your recipes before and I love them! I always just substituted something else for the oil. Do you suggest leaving out the oil or maybe using some mashed avocado to replace it in this recipe?
Hi Ginny! So happy you are enjoying my recipes. Pepperoni is traditionally very fatty which is why I use oil in this recipe. I haven’t tried replacing it so I am not sure what to recommend. Seitan is pretty finicky stuff so I wouldn’t want to recommend anything without testing it first. Sorry I can’t be more help! You could try my seitan steak recipe which is oil free tho. 🙂
Did you find a substitute for the oil?
Hey Sam,
I tried this, came out awful. Not sure where I messed up 🙁 🙁
Was not edible at all. Followed the recipe, only change was less soy sauce. I wasn’t able to roll it like the picture either. So sad
Hi Jenn, it’s difficult to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. Making seitan is like science so small changes like less soy sauce could reduce the liquid ratio and change the consistency of seitan which could make it difficult to roll. In future, I would always recommend following seitan recipes exactly as written before making changes. Hope that helps!
Hey Sam
Thanks! I’m a new seitan maker and was concerned on the salt with the amount of soy sauce. I will take your advice and follow the recipe exactly until I perfect it which might take forever..LOL. BTW, your tofu marinades are on point! I love them
So happy you enjoy them Jenn! I was very careful about how I wrote all the seitan recipes, so make sure you read and follow them exactly and that should yield you great results 🙂
Hey Sam!
Great recipes here. I’m about to try the pepperoni. Any ideas on how to make crumbles? Thanks
Try my Tofu taco Crumbles 🙂
Made this pepperoni yesterday and it’s by far the best pepperoni – I was never a big pepperoni fan when I ate meat… just kinda tolerated it on pizza. This recipe, however, is super easy and so tasty.
Haha! That’s amazing! Who knew I could convert a non-pepperoni fan! 🙂
Made this today and absolutely loved it, as did my family. Have also made your seitan bites and steaks along with your sauces, all fantastic <3 Thank you <3
Wonderful!! Thrilled you are loving all my seitan recipes so much 🙂
Is there any way to skip or sub the oil?
Not for this recipe, I’m afraid. But you could make my seitan steaks instead and slice them up for something similar. 🙂
Will the seitan stay in a log if I just use parchment paper or is there another alternative that you would suggest?
I would suggest wrapping it in parchment paper and then wrapping in cheesecloth to hold the shape. The seitan will expand and you want something strong to hold it in shape. Enjoy!
Just made this! The taste & texture is phenomenal! Thanks for the recipe Sam!
Yay!!! Thrilled you love it so much, Samantha (great name by the way) 😉
Just finished making Seitan Pepperoni. The recipe was very easy. It’s in the fridge cooling and I can’t wait to slice some up for my pizza that I’m making tomorrow night. I’ve also made your Seitan Steak and Seitan Tenders and they were fantastic. I was wondering if you had any thoughts or plans to put together a recipe for vegan chorizo. If so, I’d love to try it!
So thrilled you are loving all of my seitan recipes, Jane! Vegan chorizo, love that idea! I will add it to my list 🙂
This is brilliant!!! I really enjoy your posts and recipes. My husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary of eating vegan in mid-December! Your recipes make it so easy and your enthusiasm is infectious. Thank you for all your hard work.
That’s wonderful, Becky! Happy Veganniversary 🙂 I am so thrilled I have been able to help you enjoy your transition 🙂
Hi Sam! I’m really not a fennel fan, but I’d love to be able to make my own vegan sausage. Is there a different herb you would recommend instead? Thanks!
You could just omit it. Enjoy!
I used dried basil instead, about 1 tsp I’d say. I really liked it!
Any gluten free version? Looks really good! I hope you have a GF substitute:-)
Unfortunately, there is no good substitute for vital wheat gluten. 🙁
I loved loose meat or maid rite(c) sandwiches and I loved pepperoni sausage as a snack and on pizza. So seeing your recipe I thought why not combine them for a pepperoni loose meat sandwich. I combined your spices in a cup of boiling water and added a cup of TVP. After mixing thoroughly I added a half cup of ground walnuts (for texture) and behold–a delicious pepperoni loose meat sandwich. Next I will have one with your delightful vegan mozzarella cheese for a pepperoni pizza sandwich. As soon as I get some vital wheat gluten I’ll make the vegan pepperoni sausage for snacking. You share great recipes!
Awesome, glad you had fun playing around in the kitchen, Cal 🙂
I searched the web for Vital Wheat Gluten substitutes. I found some, but not many that have good results. I also searched the images to see what it looks like. Can you describe the texture and if it is a flour or more of a sticky substance? I need a substitute for it – Gluten intolerant… Thanks!
It’s like a fine flour.
Hi Kristy, unfortunately, as vital wheat gluten is literally just gluten there is no good substitute. Gluten is what makes bread stretchy and elastic, which is why gluten-free bread can lack those qualities. Vital wheat gluten provides that stretchy elastic texture to make a very convincing meat texture.
Hi Jo, actually no oil is considered healthy as they are a processed food with zero nutrients. Calories would be the same with olive oil. My recipes are not health focus, they are delicious and vegan, those are my only requirements.
I do want to try this?
Great!
Hi Sam
I am excited by these recipes, can you post one for a Vegan Pizza dough and all
Thanks so much
Happy to hear that, Andrea! I have my vegan pizza dough recipe in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan 🙂
The pizza dough in Fuss Free Vegan (Sam’s book) is so incredibly easy! One of 101 great reasons to get the book!
Aww thanks Srivani 🙂
Definitely going to make this for my American husband! I have a recipe that works well but is a lot more time consuming than this one (from a well known recipe book). Thanks again for such great recipes xxx.
You’re most welcome, Maureen! I hope you love my easier version 🙂
You are a brilliant and innovative girl and I always enjoy reading your posts. 🙂
Aww thank you so much, Lili! Thrilled you enjoy my posts so much 🙂
So thankful for all you do on the web. Lost all your lovely well used cookbooks in wild fire. So thank you for posting these to keep me going. Lost vitamin also and miss my morning smoothies.
Oh no, sorry to hear that, Meg. Glad you are enjoying my recipes, best of luck 🙂
Seitan and 666 calories. haha. 🙂
Haha! I didn’t even notice that. The 666 calories is a total coincidence! Haha 🙂
Hi Sam
I am so excited to try this recipe. I love the ingredients you are using.
More seitan recipes please
I’ll let you know how it turns out
Have a great day
Susana
Wonderful! Thrilled you are enjoying my seitan recipes so much, Susana. I hope you love it 🙂