Author: 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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages
Servings: sausages
PRINT
PIN
COMMENT
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
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 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 or until its 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 seitan. The sausages will have puffed up in the foil and become tight. After steaming remove the sausages from the steamer and allow to cool completely in the fridge, overnight is best.
- 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.* Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
Martin says
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe!
Any idea on an alternative to disposable aluminum foil? Would be even better if it could be zero waste 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Yes I have a recommendation in the recipe notes 🙂
Martin says
Oh I missed the part with parchment paper. Thanks, will give it a try!
Audrey says
Favorite seitan recipe ever! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you love it 😉
Margie says
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
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Margie says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! I love it!!
Kele says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
It adds an umami flavour but you can skip it if you prefer. Enjoy!
Joanne Bouchard says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha they do that, but it all comes together 🙂
Emilie says
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
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love them Emilie 🙂
Nell says
Hello! I'm exited to make these. Can I use smoked paprika instead of liquid smoke? If so, how much? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, about double the amount. Enjoy!
Tyara says
oh good, I was going to ask about the smoked paprika too.
Steve says
I made this today and it's another winner. I love your seitan recipes and I'm looking forward to one for breakfast sausage.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Sara says
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.. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you love it, Sara! I don't have an andouille sausage recipe yet, but I will add it to my idea list 🙂
Sara says
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!
Sara says
Woops!! Meant to comment that on the pepperoni recipe! Sorry!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed them!
Alex says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Tawni says
Is there anyway to make this gluten-free? I would love to try this but I cannot do gluten at all ☹️
Sam Turnbull says
Unfortunately, no.
Jazz says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
I would say they should keep just fine for up to three months. Enjoy!
Yulca says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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!? 🙂
Joe says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds amazing! Thrilled you are enjoying my seitan recipes so much, I'm having so much fun making them 🙂
Nancy Anne White says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Bobbie says
Yummy I can not wait to make and try these!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! I hope you love them, Bobbie 🙂
Romy says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you! I have a note about the dried tomatoes in my notes 🙂 Enjoy!
Wilma says
What is vital wheat gluten
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Wilman, it's a protein rich flour made from wheat. I explain more about it in my seitan steak post.
Michael says
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...
Sam Turnbull says
Per sausage. It says that in the recipe notes 🙂 Enjoy!
Traci says
These look great. I’m going to try steaming them in my instant pot. Anyone have success doing this?
Sam Turnbull says
I don’t have an Instapot so I’m afraid I’m not sure. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Linda says
I've done the seitan steaks in the pot 25mins steam and npr turned out great. Steam setting on trivet lined with foil.
Gretchen says
These look so good!! Any suggestions for cooking them without a steamer basket?
Andrew says
Yay for providing a no oil version
Sam Turnbull says
You're welcome, Andrew 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
You can make a DIY steamer basket such as in this article. Enjoy!
Valerie says
Do you know how long I would need to steam them if using an InstantPot?
Sam Turnbull says
I don't have an Instapot so I'm afraid I'm not sure. Sorry I can't be more help!
Aleks says
Cooling in the fridge now, gonna try tomorrow. I did taste the liquid mixture before adding the gluten - it was soooo heavenly delish! I plan to use it to marinate tofu next time. Fingers crossed I didn’t overknead them...
Janeth says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Tamber says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thank you so much, Tamber. So thrilled you are enjoying my recipes 🙂