Author: Homemade Vegan Deli Slices take 10 minutes prep time, they are easy to make, freezer-friendly, high in protein, they're cheaper and healthier than store-bought, and they taste and have a texture just like smoked turkey! These deli slices are juicy, meaty, tender, and seasoned to perfection! I love making these deli slices and storing them in my fridge or freezer so that I always have the makings for an epic vegan sandwich!
After making my recipe for vegan roast turkey, I became obsessed with vegan turkey sandwiches! Lately, I've been tweaking the recipe slightly to make these smoked turkey slices. This recipe is a bit quicker and easier to make than the original, mainly because you don't need to do the extra steps of adding a rice paper skin and roasting it. Just form the dough, steam, let cool, and you have yourself meaty, juicy, tender homemade vegan deli slices. Layer the slices on a sandwich, add them to a wrap, or do what I like to do and just have a slice or two with a bit of mustard as a quick snack. YUM!
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED?
- Firm tofu- Using firm tofu in the homemade vegan deli slices adds texture and moisture. Make sure you use firm tofu (and not medium or extra-firm tofu). Firm tofu will get you the best results. There is no need to press the tofu before using, just drain, break it into chunks, and add it to the food processor.
- Vital Wheat Gluten: (also called gluten flour). This is wheat protein. You can buy it in health food stores or online on amazon. This high protein flour is what gives this roast its meaty texture and it is essential for this recipe. Unfortunately, there is no gluten-free option. The combo of vital wheat gluten and tofu in this recipe make it very high in protein!
- Nutritional yeast: adds a rich nuttiness to the roast.
- White miso paste: adds umami to the roast. White miso paste is actually brown in color so don't be confused by that, but ensure you get the kind that is specifically called "white miso paste" or "white type" for the best color and taste.
- Vegetable broth powder: this is my hack for adding a ton of rich flavor instantly. You can buy any brand, I used this one, or you can buy vegetable broth cubes.
- Liquid Smoke: liquid smoke is a natural product made from the condensation of a fire. This is literally smoke flavor in a bottle. Adding this to the seitan is what gives the vegan deli slices a slightly smoky taste.
- Other spices and seasonings: I also add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, apple cider vinegar, and sage to make these slices extra tasty.
Common Questions:
Can Setian be made gluten-free? Is there a gluten-free alternative to vital wheat gluten?
Unfortunately, there is no gluten-free alternative that can be used to make seitan. Vital wheat gluten is literally pure gluten. Gluten is the protein in wheat flour. Gluten is what gives bread its bounce and stretch, which is why it's difficult to find gluten-free bread with the same kind of bounce. Using vital wheat gluten is what makes seitan so meaty so there is no substitute. If you are looking for some vegan gluten-free sandwich fillings try my Baked Tofu Bites, Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich, Jackfruit Salad Sandwich, or Ranch Chickpea Salad Sandwich.
How do I steam seitan?
From my experience and years of recipe testing, steaming seitan is the best way to cook it for the perfect juicy meaty texture. 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. Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the foil-wrapped seitan to the steamer basket and steam for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 160F (71C). The seitan will puff up in the foil and become tight. Once steamed, remove and allow to cool. For the best texture let the seitan cool overnight in the fridge.
Can I use an Instant Pot to steam seitan?
I have heard from several fans that you can steam seitan in an Instant Pot for about half the time of regular steaming. I have not yet tested steaming seitan in an Instant Pot because I find it so easy to steam my seitan on the stove as it's completely hands-off, but if you give it a try let us know!
How to make Homemade Vegan Deli Slices:
Food processor method: Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, water, miso paste, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, salt, and sage to your food processor. Using the S-blade, blend the mixture until it is completely smooth. Lastly, add in the vital wheat gluten and mix well until it forms a ball in your food processor (1 - 2 minutes of mixing). This should happen pretty quickly, but if it doesn't just ensure the ingredients are mixed well, and then you can form the dough into a ball by hand. *Do not knead the dough, kneading it will just make it tough and rubbery.
By hand method: If you do not have a food processor, use a blender or immersion blender to blend together everything but the vital wheat gluten together until smooth. Now in a large bowl, use a strong spatula or wooden spoon to mix in the vital wheat gluten, mixing well, until a ball forms (you may need to use your hands as well). *Do not knead the dough, kneading it will just make it tough and rubbery.
Place your ball of seitan on a sheet of aluminum foil, then use your hands to pat it into a log shape. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Wrap the foil around the seitan log securely but not too tightly. I like to do a double layer of foil to ensure it is wrapped well.
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the foil-wrapped seitan to the steamer basket and steam for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 160F (71C).
The seitan will puff up in the foil and become tight. Once steamed, remove and allow to cool. For the best texture let the seitan cool overnight in the fridge. You can now slice and enjoy your homemade deli slices! Use a sharp knife or deli slicer to cut thin slices. You can store the seitan covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it for later.
These homemade vegan deli slices are:
- Meaty
- Juicy
- High in protein
- Easy to make
- Perfect for layering into sandwiches
More delicious vegan sandwich filling recipes:
Vegan Baloney
Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
Jackfruit Salad Sandwich
Ranch Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Tofu Caesar Wrap
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Homemade Vegan Deli Slices (Smoked Seitan Turkey)
Servings: vegan smoked turkey log (about 1.7 pounds) makes enough for 8+ sandwiches
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Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz/ 396 g) package firm tofu, drained
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, vegetable instant stock mix powder or 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Food processor method: Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, water, miso paste, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, salt, and sage to your food processor. Using the S-blade, blend the mixture until it is completely smooth. Lastly, add in the vital wheat gluten and mix well until it forms a ball in your food processor (1 - 2 minutes of mixing). This should happen pretty quickly, but if it doesn't just ensure the ingredients are mixed well, and then you can form the dough into a ball by hand. *Do not knead the dough, kneading it will just make it tough and rubbery.By hand method: If you do not have a food processor, use a blender or immersion blender to blend together everything but the vital wheat gluten together until smooth. Now in a large bowl, use a strong spatula or wooden spoon to mix in the vital wheat gluten, mixing well, until a ball forms (you may need to use your hands as well). *Do not knead the dough, kneading it will just make it tough and rubbery.
- Place your ball of seitan on a sheet of aluminum foil, then use your hands to pat it into a log shape. It doesn't have to be perfect. Wrap the foil around the seitan log securely but not too tightly. I like to do a double layer of foil to ensure it is wrapped well.
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the foil-wrapped seitan to the steamer basket and steam for 1 hour, or until the seitan's internal temperature reaches at least 160°F (71°C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer. If the temperature goes higher, that's perfectly fine-you can't really oversteam seitanThe seitan will puff up in the foil and become tight. Once steamed, remove and allow to cool (the foil will loosen slightly as it cools). For the best texture let the seitan cool overnight in the fridge. You can now slice and enjoy your homemade deli slices! Use a sharp knife or deli slicer to cut thin slices. You can store the seitan covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it for later.* Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Mary says
Amazing!!
Nataly says
I made this last night and the only thing I didn’t have was the vegetable boulions. The taste definitely needs more salt but the texture turned out really rubbery for some reason. I only mixed until it was in a ball and then steamed for an hour.
Elle says
I made this last night. It seemed to come together just fine but it was very rubbery and bland tasting. Not sure why as I followed the directions and made no substitutions.
How can I add some flavor?
Almudena says
Hi Sam,
I'm really happy to find you as I'm new in Vegan cooking.
I did it yesterday night and I had the turkey slices today for lunch! It's really good!! Thank you for the recipe
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Almudena. 🙂
Amy says
This was easy to make and pretty much as good as Tofurky slices, my favourite of the available vegan "lunch meats". Even though vital wheat gluten is super expensive right now, I think if you did the math this recipe would still cost quite a bit less than the equivalent weight in store bought slices. I followed the recipe exactly except for the vegetable broth I used a "vegetarian chicken" boullion and and I steamed the seitan in my Instant Pot for the full hour because I didn't read the notes about doing 30 minutes in an IP. 60 minutes worked fine. Now I want to look into buying a deli slicer.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're so glad to hear it turned out well for you!
AL says
Wow. I’ve made this recipe twice now and I will continue making it. The texture is spot on to Tofurky slices and so is the flavor! I look forward to customizing it, but haven’t yet. Super easy to throw together and a great recipe 🙂
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Excellent! We're so glad to hear it!
Tiffany says
can I put this in the oven? or an air fryer? I don't have a steamer.
Passal says
Tiffany, try using a slow cooker it works great as a steamer, low setting for 1.5 hours.
JP says
Best seitan recipe I've made so far - excellent flavor and texture, will be adding this to my weekly makes. So much better and more affordable than store-bought faux deli meats. Excited to try different seasonings too!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're thrilled to hear it!
Alex says
very good! any suggestions on why mine came out a little moist? do I need to steam more? I also used extra firm instead of firm tofu
Kim says
Well no matter if I do it by hand or with food processor it never forms a ball just stays all grainy and not sticking together at all I pressed it all together best I could, let's see how it comes out loll
.
Rebecca says
I loved the taste of this so much! The only issue I had was that I live in a rural location and they only have medium firm and extra firm tofu and when I used the medium firm it came out more like a paté. Do you have any tips on how to adapt the recipe to still get the right texture and firmness when having to use either medium firm or extra firm tofu? Thanks so much! I think this is going to be one of my go-tos!
Diane says
My mix came out a bit wet too. I just kept adding more vital wheat gluten, 1/8 cup at a time, until it formed a more workable rough dough. It came out great! (I ended up adding another 3/8 cup of vit. wheat gluten or so). I was using a blender and then adding the wheat gluten, so I had to add a few Tbs of water to the blender to mix to get it all to blend smoothly. Thus, I think I threw off the "wet mix" - hence the need to add more vital wheat gluten. Although it all turned out wonderful in the end, I think, knowing that I'm using more vital wheat gluten this way, I might add 2 tsp of liquid smoke instead of just one, to get a more "smoky" finish. But it turned out great even without that...
Rebecca says
That's very helpful, ! Thanks so much!
JT says
Delicious! Better than Tofurkey roast. Used extra firm tofu and red miso paste because that’s what I had on hand, but it’s still great. Will make this again.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic!
Meg says
I would like to make this but am wondering about the veggie powder. Can I use veggie broth or does it need to be dry?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
It should be the dry mixture for best flavour. Crushed bouillon cube also works.
Emily Cochran says
I use "better than bouillon" which is a broth concentrate, sort of like a paste, the texture of barbecue sauce almost, and that works great for me. It should be in the soup aisle with the broths.
Jerry R says
I've made this a number of times with no problems. I have replaced the veggie powder with 2 knorr vegetable bullion and the sage with 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning. also subbed tahini for miso. The best compliment is from my 26 year old son who is vegan( as is my wife.)
"This is better than the stuff from the store.
I have also made multiple turk-y roasts and the seitan corned beef( Excellent Reubens)
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
That's incredible! We love to hear it!
Shirley says
i don't have liquid smoke in my cupboards, can i use something else instead ?
Mark Stewart says
Is it possible to pressure cook instead of steam? If so, for how long?
Thanks for all your work with these recipes!
Mark
Randers, Denmark
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We have heard from several readers that they've steamed it in their pressure cookers for about half the time of regular steaming. Sam has not tested this method, so if you give it a try, let us know!
Mark says
Yes, I did try to pressure cook it and yes 30 minutes turned out to be an ok time. Next time I will try 25 minutes because the internal temperature was over 160F.
Thanks again!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
That's great, thanks Mark!
Nouranlkd says
Hi Mark
Did you steam it on high or low pressure?
this sounds like a great idea.
Tine says
Hi Sam! I’m wondering: do you put it in the fridge still wrapped in the tin foil you steamed it in? Or how?
Trying it out today!
Sam Turnbull says
Once steamed, I allow the seitan to cool in the foil, then I will put the whole thing (foil and all) in a sealable bag and cool it in the fridge overnight. Then when ready to enjoy, I unwrap it and dispose of the foil, and store in in the air-tight bag in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!
Deb Z says
Hi Sam!
I own your cookbook, and have been following you for years. I did not think this was a total success. Could use way more seasoning....like poultry spice. Thought it was a bit bland. If I make this again, I will double the seasoning and add a couple teaspoons of poultry season.
Zac says
I've been vegan for over a decade but never got to making my own meats like this. I really liked how straightforward this recipe was so I thought I would give it a try. It did not disappoint. The texture and flavor were spot on.... I couldn't stop slicing off another piece and eating it . Thank you so much, Sam!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it! I have a ton more vegan meat recipes if you want to continue experimenting 🙂
Julia says
The recipe looks great can't wait to try it out. But I have been wondering what is the purpose of the foil (or the wrapping) in Seitan recipes when steaming? What happens if you just don't use one?
Sam Turnbull says
The seitan expands when it steams. The foil helps keep the seitan in a tight roast shape and helps the texture of the roast stay meaty. If you did not use it, the seitan can grow too much and become a spongey rubbery texture, not yummy!
Dominique says
I can’t consume tofu what may I replace this with?
Julia says
You can try chickpea flour, but you have to check ratios. There are other recipes where they use both. Hope this helps.
Heather says
This was so easy and delicious! I followed the recipe and instructions exactly as written. My 8 year old was dying to try it so I gave her a slice while it was still warm and she exclaimed, “Oh wow! It’s better than the kind from the store!” She is a big fan of Tofurky so this is saying a lot! Thank you, Sam, for another staple. We will definitely be making our own deli slices from now own!
Heather says
on** not own… oops. Too excited to proofread over here lol.
Sam Turnbull says
haha!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! So happy it's a hit!