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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    August 11, 2019 160 Comments

    Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages

    9.1K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    I've made seitan steaks, I've made seitan chicken inspired tenders, I've made seitan wing inspired bites, I've made seitan pepperoni, and now it's time to share my recipe for Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages. Clearly, I'm obsessed with seitan recipes. These Italian style sausages have that perfect meaty texture, that classic sausage shape, that burst of Italian seasoning flavor, and they're just really damn good!

    Homemade vegan Italian seitan sausages! Easy to make with oil-free option. Perfect for the grill, BBQ, to toss on pasta, pizzas, salads, soups, on a bun, or to use anywhere you like! #itdoesnttastelikechicken #seitan #veganrecipes

    It's actually a bit weird how meaty these turn out but because I made them in my own kitchen, I know they are also 100% vegan! There is even an oil-free option for those who prefer it.

    The secret to taking these vegan sausages from good to really damn good is to add bits of sun-dried tomato and sautéed onion. You know how traditional sausages have those little fat speckles throughout that help add texture and flavor, well that's exactly what the sun-dried tomatoes and sautéd onions do. Even though they are just bits of veg it provides a very similar texture. So cool!

    Homemade vegan Italian seitan sausages! Easy to make with oil-free option. Perfect for the grill, BBQ, to toss on pasta, pizzas, salads, soups, on a bun, or to use anywhere you like! #itdoesnttastelikechicken #seitan #veganrecipes

    These sausages are best made the day ahead and chilled in the fridge overnight for the ideal texture. When they are cold they will be quite firm, but when you heat them- grill, fry, etc.- they will soften slightly for the most amazingly perfect texture. Then you can use them anywhere you like!

    Where to use vegan sausages:

    • Grill the sausages and serve on a bun, hot dog style.
    • Fry and serve with potatoes and vegan gravy.
    • Cut into thick slices or small chunks and top on soups, salad, or pasta.
    • Toss into pasta sauces.
    • Slice thinly or crumble to use on pizza.
    • Prepare sausages with peppers and onions.
    • Anywhere else you want to use these vegan sausages!

    Sautéd onions add amazing texture to this vegan sausage recipe!

    How To Make Vegan Italian Sausages:

    Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan or skillet over medium heat and when hot add the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

    The tomato sauce base is packed full of Italian sausage flavours.

    In a large bowl whisk together the vegetable broth, tomato paste, and white miso pasted until smooth. Now add the sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, dried basil, brown sugar, fennel seeds, dried rosemary, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, liquid smoke, and all of the sautéd onions and garlic along with any oil leftover in the pan, and stir to combine.

    For an oil-free option sub dry sun-dried tomatoes and soak them in hot water.

    Oil-Free Option:

    If you prefer to make oil-free vegan Italian sausages simply sauté the onions and garlic in water or broth. Then for the sun-dried tomatoes, use the dry kind that aren't in oil. Chop them up and then soak them in hot water for about 20 minutes to soften the tomato bits. Drain, and proceed with the recipe as normal.

    Make the simple seitan sausage dough, but don't over-knead it or your sausages will become too tough.

    Lastly, add the vital wheat gluten and combine to make a dough. Knead the dough to make sure it's all combined, but once combined, stop kneading. The more you knead the tougher the sausages will get so only do as much as is needed to incorporate the vital wheat gluten.

    Roll your plant-based sausages up in aluminum foil to get ready for the steamer basket.

    Cut the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces. Take one of the pieces of dough and place it on a sheet of aluminium foil. Shape the dough into a rough sausage shape, but don't worry about making it look pretty or neat. Some pieces of onion and sun-dried tomato may fall out but just tuck them near the dough and it will all incorporate and shape up nicely as it cooks.

    Get the vegan sausage recipe ready for the steamer basket.

    Roll the sausage up loosely in a piece of aluminium foil then twist the ends closed. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough to make 6 sausages.

    Steam the Italian vegan sausages until they are firm.

     

    How To Cook Vegan Italian Sausages:

    Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the sausages to the steamer basket and steam for 40 minutes. After steaming remove the sausages from the steamer and allow to cool completely in the fridge, overnight is best. The logs will have puffed up in the foil and become tight.

    Homemade vegan Italian seitan sausages! Easy to make with oil-free option. Perfect for the grill, BBQ, to toss on pasta, pizzas, salads, soups, on a bun, or to use anywhere you like! #itdoesnttastelikechicken #seitan #veganrecipes

    Once cooled, remove the foil and they are ready to enjoy as is. When it comes to cooking these Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages, you have some options. You can BBQ, fry, or grill them. Once they are finished cooking you can slice them up and put on a pasta, pizza, or salad. Or enjoy them whole on a bun. In other words: enjoy them any way you like!

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.

    Print Recipe
    4.95 from 76 votes

    Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages

    Easy to make with oil-free option. Perfect for the grill, BBQ, to toss on pasta, pizzas, salads, soups, on a bun, or to use anywhere you like!
    Recipe adapted from Plant-Based Meats cookbook
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    ingredient tag: seitan, tomatoes
    Servings: 6 sausages
    Calories: 261kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil (see notes for oil-free version)
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • ¾ cup vegetable broth
    • ¼ cup tomato paste
    • ¼ cup white miso paste
    • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (the kind in oil), finely chopped
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon dried basil
    • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
    • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
    • ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
    • 2 cups vital wheat gluten
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    Instructions

    • Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan or skillet over medium heat and when hot add the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
    • In a large bowl whisk together the vegetable broth, tomato paste, and white miso pasted until smooth. Now add the sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, dried basil, brown sugar, fennel seeds, dried rosemary, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, liquid smoke, and all of the sautéd onions and garlic along with any oil leftover in the pan, and stir to combine. Lastly, add the vital wheat gluten and combine to make a dough. Knead the dough to make sure it’s all combined, but once combined, stop kneading. The more you knead the tougher the sausages will get so only do as much as is needed to incorporate the vital wheat gluten.
    • Cut the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces. Take one of the pieces of dough and place it on a sheet of aluminium foil. Shape the dough into a rough sausage shape, but don’t worry about making it look pretty or neat. Some pieces of onion and sun-dried tomato may fall out but just tuck them near the dough and it will all incorporate and shape up nicely as it cooks. Roll the sausage up loosely in a piece of aluminium foil then twist the ends closed. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough to make 6 sausages.
    • Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the sausages to the steamer basket and steam for 40 minutes. After steaming remove the sausages from the steamer and allow to cool completely in the fridge, overnight is best. The logs will have puffed up in the foil and become tight. Once cooled, remove the foil and they are ready to enjoy as is or you can fry, grill, slice, or enjoy them any way you like.

    Notes

    Oil-free: for the oil-free version, sauté the onions and garlic in water or broth instead of oil. Use the sun-dried tomatoes (the dry kind, not in oil), but soften them before adding them to the mixture by soaking them in hot water, and then draining the water once they are softened.
    Aluminum foil alternative: if you prefer to avoid aluminum foil, roll the sausages up in parchment paper, and then roll the parchment paper wrapped sausages up in cheesecloth and tie the ends closed.
    Freezing tips: once cooled completely in the fridge, transfer them to an air-tight freezer container and toss in the freezer. Before using, allow them to thaw completely and then cook with them as you like.
    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: you need to steam the seitan tenders before using them. 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

    Serving: 1sausage (recipe makes 6 sausages) | Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 951mg | Potassium: 358mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 347IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 4mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shari says

      December 18, 2022 at 7:44 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam,
      These sausages were amazing!!!
      The spice mixture was spot on. Made as per your instructions without any substitutions. Easy to make and soooo tasty. Thanks so much.

      Reply
    2. Yvette says

      July 01, 2022 at 9:13 pm

      Looks delish, I'll definitely have to give these a go, thanks.
      Just letting you know that in the listed ingredients it says to use the sundried tomatoes that are in oil. I noticed this is different to what you suggest elsewhere in the recipe.
      Thanks for the great vegan recipes

      Reply
    3. savvyjuls says

      June 01, 2022 at 7:05 am

      I have not tried any recepies as of yet. Just reading and learning. I cant wait though. 🙂
      What if you do not have Miso? Will that matter much?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 13, 2022 at 9:05 am

        Miso adds an umami taste so I recommend it, but it will still be pretty tasty without.

        Reply
    4. Nuzzy says

      May 27, 2022 at 11:53 am

      Mine turned out weird and rubbery. The texture improved somewhat for the ones I sliced small enough and browned but I don't know how to do that consistently without potentially burning the sausages. Any idea where I could have gone wrong, and how to salvage them?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 13, 2022 at 8:49 am

        It sounds like you may have overmixed or over kneaded the dough. The more you work the dough, the tougher and more rubbery it will get

        Reply
    5. Anon says

      May 27, 2022 at 11:17 am

      I was very happy with how these turned out. I added about a cup of cooked lentils in addition for some extra texture and fiber and instead of wrapping them in foil I actually used rice paper. They steamed up perfectly in the rice paper wrapping and pan frying them with it, it turns out really crispy and sort of like its own little sausage casing. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 13, 2022 at 8:48 am

        Oh what a great idea!! I will have to try rice paper!

        Reply
      • Deb D says

        July 03, 2022 at 6:46 pm

        5 stars
        Love these snags, but really didn't want to use the foil anymore either. Didn't think of rice paper! Brilliant idea! Thanks so much Anon, and Sammy for the awesome recipe as usual! Cheers from down under! 😀

        Reply
      • Sue says

        November 23, 2022 at 7:24 am

        could you explain your cooking idea a bit better, I am new to this. Do you steam them first (if so, for how long? with or without the rice paper?) and then you grill them up?

        Reply
        • Anon says

          November 23, 2022 at 3:37 pm

          5 stars
          Hi Sue,

          Yes, I steamed them with the rice paper first according to Sam’s recipe instructions instead of using foil. You have to wet the rice paper first to soften it, then you can individually wrap them with the rice paper once they’re soft enough. Then I pan fried them in oil instead of grilling them. That made the rice paper wrapper nice and crispy, sort of like a sausage casing.

    6. Joan says

      May 24, 2022 at 9:01 am

      5 stars
      I’ve tried many different recipes for vegan sausage and this is the best! So hearty and flavorful. And easy! I will be making it again and again.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 26, 2022 at 10:38 am

        So happy you loved it Joan!

        Reply
    7. Tam Lee says

      May 20, 2022 at 5:50 pm

      5 stars
      I want to try these they sound amazing! Would it work steaming them in an instant pot? Would I steam for the same amount of time in an IP? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Anon says

        May 27, 2022 at 11:26 am

        I used mine for the same amount, worked great.

        Reply
    8. Jeannie Peurasaari says

      March 12, 2022 at 8:04 pm

      4 stars
      Wow! I just made these Italian sausages. They are absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this creation. I will make these again and again.

      Reply
      • Jeannie Peurasaari says

        March 12, 2022 at 8:05 pm

        5 stars
        I meant to give this a five star!

        Reply
    9. Tina Hollingsworth says

      February 06, 2022 at 6:16 pm

      5 stars
      I made the recipe as posted and it was great. Now I know a basic recipe I will personalize the seasoning for our family preferences. Gonna try the steak next. I am addicted to cookbooks and try not to purchase more but IDK…I see another one in my future…

      Reply
    10. Katya says

      January 29, 2022 at 9:20 am

      These are perfection- never buying sausage again! I made it once as written, then decided to try with other flavorings to mimic my fave apple sage store bought variety. I swapped out sun dried tomato for grated apple (and cooked with onions and garlic to reduce moisture). Added about four of five sage leaves, finely chopped, into the pan. Skipped the basil, halved the fennel seeds. Pulsed for a bit in the food processor before adding the gluten flour, because I wanted it less chunky. Sooooo good!! Thank you for this game changer of a recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 02, 2022 at 8:39 pm

        Oh sounds delish! So thrilled you love the recipe so much 🙂

        Reply
      • Katya says

        November 07, 2022 at 4:54 pm

        I've been making these almost weekly for months now, we have completely replaced store bought sausage (and therefore feel better eating it more frequently)! We were looking for a more sustainable way to steam than using aluminum foil, so sprung for a silicone sausage mold. Just wanted to report, for anyone that is curious about other options, that it works great! Makes the cutest little sausages!

        Reply
        • Sam Turnbull says

          November 17, 2022 at 5:05 pm

          Oh cool! I didn't even know those existed! I found some here on amazon. So cool, I will have to pick some up!

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