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 flavourful burst of Italian seasoning, and they’re just really damn good!
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 flavour, 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!
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!
To make Vegan Italian Seitan 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.
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.
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.
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.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
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
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (see notes for oil-free version)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup white miso paste
- 1/4 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
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
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.
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
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken.
Is there a Substitute for the liquid smoke or could you just leave it out?
You could substitute for double the amount of smoked paprika. You could also skip it but it will miss the smoky taste 🙂
I made this completely oil free ( followed your oil free sundried tom tip),
And it was awesome!!!
I was careful not to over knead it and the texture was spot on.
Thank you so much for the recipe ^^
For other users, I’ve also made her seitan chicken steak and it was really good too!
Amazing! So happy you loved them, Allison 🙂
I tried making these, but they came out very tough and chewy – I tried not to knead a lot, but the moment the viral wheat gluten hit the liquid, it solidified far and a bit of pressure was needed to mould it into a ball, and then later into sausage shapes.
Anything I could have done different?
I also wondered what the difference is in cooling in the fridge overnight? Could this have also made the sausages tough?
For me, I mix everything thoroughly before adding the gluten, then I very slowly and gently fold all of the gluten flour in. Literally folding it in and less kneading it. I do it just until all the flour is mixed, and rather than randomly fold the whole thing i aim for the flour spots as i go on and try to not effect the entire dough. It seems kind of obvious what im saying but it makes a big difference in texture, mine was really tender : ).
I also cooled in the fridge over night and that did not make it tough. I think it’s probably overkneading, and possibly steaming too long? Steaming makes it firm up so maybe too long can make it hard. I think i steamed for about 50 minutes and had my foil loose
We liked the taste of these sausages a lot and were easy to prepare. I left them in the refrigerator about 4 hours and then we grilled them. The inside was almost like raw bread dough consistency (stretchy. Do you know what I did wrong? Thank you. Love your recipes and just bought your cookbook.
First seitan recipe I actually like. Most of them have a strong vital wheat gluten taste, which I don’t like.
Can’t wait for a breakfast sausages/patties recipe!
My husband and I made a double batch of these yesterday. They are amazing! I used Sandy’s idea and did some of them in the instant pot. We loved them both. We wrapped some in parchment and put some in a silicone sausage mold from Amazon. Until I found your recipes, Sam, I was going to give up on seitan. Now our freezer is filled with “steak”, “chicken ‘ and sausage. Thank you!
Hello! This recipe looks amazing. I just have one question – does it hold its shape nicely?
I would like to ‘smoke’ them on a stick on a fire – but I am afraid if they wouldn’t fall apart. I haven’t made these yet, so I better ask.
Thank you! Vendy.
Yep, they hold their shape great once steamed. You could even leave them in their foil packets if you like.
I am not able to find Vital wheat gluten. What is the good substitution for it?
I don’t believe there is a substitute for vital wheat gluten. Have you tried to buy it on Amazon?
Also, check Gaz Oakley’s recipe on Youtube (BBQ Sausages). That one has no Vital Wheat Gluten.
Great recipe! I did an experiment in that I steamed half in aluminum foil on the stovetop, the other half in about 3/4 inch broth and a little liquid smoke in my instant pot, for 16 mins, letting it cool naturally. The winner is definitely the instant pot! More flavorful and juicy. Really brings out your terrific recipe! Which I will be using. Thanks for posting it! 🙂
So no aluminum foil in the version with the instant pot? Thanks 🙂
No foil. Just about 1/2 inch or so of a liquid.
Great tips!
I made these yesterday, following the recipe completely and they were awesome. Thanks very much for this recipe. Going to try the ‘chicken’ tenders recipe next.
Yay!!
These are incredibly delicious. The tomato and miso paste add so much flavour, I only wish I had added slightly more chili flakes for a bit more kick. I’m a vegetarian who honestly misses meat, but I would choose this sausage over a meat sausage any day. I’ve tried both your chicken and steak seitan recipes, and while they were good, this recipe is both the easiest and tastiest in my opinion, so for anyone considering trying to make seitan for the first time, make these sausages. Thanks so much for all the work you do, this website makes it so easy to be veggie!
Aww thanks so much, Alice!! Thrilled you loved them so much 🙂
Going to try this today! Any suggestion for substituting white miso? I don’t have any on hand. Braggs liquid aminos perhaps?
Thank you, jean
Finally got around to making these (during quarantine, not much else to do but cook!) and they are fantastic! I noticed a bit of sweetness to them and that was the first thing hubby picked up on too, so I’ll reduce the brown sugar by 1/2. I also used Yellow Miso as I can’t find White Miso to save my life. Tonight I made homemade pizza and crumbled the sausage to scatter on top of the pizza. Oh yeah…..that’ll work nicely, thank you very much!!
So thrilled you loved them, Suzy!!
Hi, im really excited to try this it looks amazing! just wondering if there’s anything you could replace with liquid smoke as cant find it at the supermarket anywhere
Yes, try subbing smoked paprika. Double the amount 🙂
I just found your site & also excited to try some of your recipes! I’m curious what brand of viral wheat gluten you use? I tried making seitan with Bob’s Red Mill VWG but it was awful both times I tried it 🙁
*vital haha not viral
I use Bob’s red mill. But vital wheat gluten is basically a flour so it doesn’t really matter what brand you use. Instead what matters is the recipe. Have you tried one of my seitan recipes? most people love them.
Do you have any suggestions on how to turn this into more of a breakfast sausage flavour?? It’s the only thing i’m missing in my life!!
Love you and all your recipes – I always know I can trust them!
I will add it to my idea list!
I loved these! I like to cut them in pieces and fry them as a side. I’ve also added it to soup, fried rice, etc. Great recipe!
Has anyone steamed these in an instapot? If so how much water did you use please? V
Thrilled you love it, Alyssa 🙂
These came out great, but I would love it if you could come up with a good recipe for vegan brats? I’ve made some recipes but the spice mix just didn’t cut it, and bratwurst is one of the very few meat products I’ve ever missed. Corned beef would be the other… but the spice mixes are all wrong and have tried quite a few. Even a search for the spice mixes for conventional products turn up conflicting lists, and its so frustrating to put in all the time, effort, and cost on a super tight budget…and be so disappointed with the outcomes. The texture is acceptable, but the flavor is sadly lacking.
I’ve added it to my idea list 🙂
Yes. . Corned beef please!!!
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe!
Any idea on an alternative to disposable aluminum foil? Would be even better if it could be zero waste 😉
Yes I have a recommendation in the recipe notes 🙂
Oh I missed the part with parchment paper. Thanks, will give it a try!
Favorite seitan recipe ever! Thank you!
Yay! So happy you love it 😉
I LOVE both your chx tenders and your steaks and was wondering if those were made into sausage shape how long do you think they might steam for since they are both 25 mins to begin with? And why are these sausages 40 mins? Is it to do with the tofu in the other recipes? Just curious. Thx
You might as well steam them the full 40 minutes. You can’t really over steam seitan and it would be sad if they were undercooked. The sausages are in foil which takes longer to steam. Enjoy!
This sausage recipe turned out GREAT. Best after about 6 hours refrigeration. I’m taking them to a party cut up in chunks with mustard to dip in. Not mentioning that they’re vegan.
Haha! I love it!!
Do you think that these would turn out without the miso paste? I’m assuming it’s more for flavor than texture and it’s just not something I typically cook with so I’m hesitant to buy it for one recipe!
It adds an umami flavour but you can skip it if you prefer. Enjoy!
While making this, I got a little worried, all the onion and tomato pieces were walking out on me. lol But that flavour. OMG. It’s the best! Thank you!
Haha they do that, but it all comes together 🙂
You make seitan easy and delicious this recipe was fast and super good. I will make them more than once. They were super good on pasta. I will try them in hot dog and just like that with dijon mustard. Really good! Thanx
So happy you love them Emilie 🙂
Hello! I’m exited to make these. Can I use smoked paprika instead of liquid smoke? If so, how much? Thank you!
Yes, about double the amount. Enjoy!
oh good, I was going to ask about the smoked paprika too.
Hubby went vegetarian last year so I’ve had to learn all sorts of stuff about meat protein alternatives which has been kinda fun. Soon as I pick up some Miso paste, I am totally making this one as it looks a million times better than the last one I tried.
Have you ever created an andouille sausage recipe?? I’m dying to find a good andouille seitan recipe.. I tried one I stumbled upon but it was pretty awful. We love andouille in our house and while I’ll still eat the real stuff if he’s not home, I want my hubby to be able to enjoy it too. I can’t even find a version at the store to try. It would be greatly appreciated if it can be done!
I love cooking but I’m very much a “gotta have a recipe” kinda gal. 🙂
So can’t wait to try this Italian one though.. 🙂
I hope you love it, Sara! I don’t have an andouille sausage recipe yet, but I will add it to my idea list 🙂
Well, I made them. His first impression wasn’t too excited, then I remembered someone commenting about it needed to be warm for them to like it so I sliced a thin piece and put it in a little non stick frying pan for a minute or two, till edges sizzled, Outer bits turned brown and crisp. He had a completely different opinion then- said he really wanted to try it on pizza. I tasted a thicker warmed piece and the thin one and the slightly crispy thin one was definitely superior. He said it wasn’t pepperoni but cooked that way made it close enough to help satisfy his year long craving lol thanks so much!
Woops!! Meant to comment that on the pepperoni recipe! Sorry!
So happy you enjoyed them!
Hi! I so want to try them, but I cannot have any type of soy in any form. Do you have any idea what can I use instead of the miso paste? Thanks!
You could use a chickpea miso paste. Or you could skip it. It adds an aged flavour but shouldn’t affect the recipes too much.
Is there anyway to make this gluten-free? I would love to try this but I cannot do gluten at all ☹️
Unfortunately, no.
Hi Sam! I’m planning to have this in my boyfriend’s upcoming BBQ party. What’s the shelf life if kept in the freezer?
I would say they should keep just fine for up to three months. Enjoy!
OMG. My first try at seitan ever. SO GOOD!!! And so easy. And omni-hubby approved.
I’m deeply impressed: I now know how to make super yummy sausages without any weird/expensive ingredients/appliances myself. In my own kitchen. WOW. How many carnivores can say that? Can’t wait for the next potluck. You’re a genius.
Haha!! Amazing!! So thrilled you loved them so much, Yulca! Isn’t it SO cool that we can easily make vegan meats right in the comfort of our own home!? 🙂
These are fantastic Sam! I’ve only made seitan a few times, always by your recipes, and they always turn out great.
A couple of days ago I was making a batch of naan and had a great idea: Vegan pigs in a blanket! Tasted great but super filling. Next time I’ll roll the dough a bit thinner.
Sounds amazing! Thrilled you are enjoying my seitan recipes so much, I’m having so much fun making them 🙂
I was excited to read the spicy Italian pasta with sausage recipe when saw note about opting for gluten free pasta. I must be gluten free and thought I could make the sausages for vegan niece and then we could all enjoy a special meal together.
The sausage recipe sounded great until the gluten part!
Is there truly nothing that can replace the gluten in this otherwise great sounding recipe?
Unfortunately, there is no good substitute for vital wheat gluten as far as I know. Instead, try using a store-bought gluten-free vegan sausage such as Beyond Meat sausages. Enjoy!
Yummy I can not wait to make and try these!!
Yay! I hope you love them, Bobbie 🙂
Looking good!
Will definitely be giving these a try…if I use plain dried tomatoes and slightly re-hydrate with water would that work?
Also, regarding the instant pot, they could play with the manual setting & steam for 5-10 minutes and see how the sausages look.
Thank you! I have a note about the dried tomatoes in my notes 🙂 Enjoy!
What is vital wheat gluten
Hi Wilman, it’s a protein rich flour made from wheat. I explain more about it in my seitan steak post.
Hey Sam, just a quick question. On the nutritional content of the recipe, is that per sausage or for the entire recipe? Tracking my salt…
Per sausage. It says that in the recipe notes 🙂 Enjoy!
These look great. I’m going to try steaming them in my instant pot. Anyone have success doing this?
I don’t have an Instapot so I’m afraid I’m not sure. Sorry I can’t be more help!
These look so good!! Any suggestions for cooking them without a steamer basket?
Yay for providing a no oil version
You’re welcome, Andrew 🙂
You can make a DIY steamer basket such as in this article. Enjoy!
Do you know how long I would need to steam them if using an InstantPot?
I don’t have an Instapot so I’m afraid I’m not sure. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Hi Sam! These look SO delicious! Just wondering if firm/extra firm tofu would work in place of the vital wheat gluten as I am extremely sensitive to gluten?? I miss grilled Italian sausage dearly, we used to be good friends until I had to say goodbye to it :(… I am going to experiment with tofu and update as to how (and IF…) it works out. Thank you for being my Vegan Guru!!
Hi Janeth! No, tofu isn’t close to vital wheat gluten at all I’m afraid and will not work for this recipe. Vital wheat gluten is wheat flour where the starch has been washed away leaving behind just the gluten (wheat protein). It’s a flour that when used makes things very chewy. I’m afraid as far as I know there isn’t a good gluten-free option yet.
Hi Sam,these Look delicious I will definitely be making them,I Love your Vegan Recipes&have made several because they always turn out!Thanks for a New Vegan recipe!
Yay! Thank you so much, Tamber. So thrilled you are enjoying my recipes 🙂