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.
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Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages
Servings: sausages
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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! 💕
Megan Ryan Ho says
i make these all the time - we are allium-free so i sub diced red pepper and celery for the onion and add a smidge of truffle salt / truffle oil instead of garlic but it’s my all time favorite vegetarian recipe. we serve with cleveland kraut sauerkraut and raos sensitive sauce + additional sautéed peppers when we’re feeling fancy but also love it cold sliced on a cheese board or on a pizza
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Wow, thank you for sharing all of this Megan! I love how you’ve adapted it for your needs, and those serving ideas sound incredible 😍 So happy it’s a staple for you!
Tina says
I'd love to make these! Can you stream these in an instant pot? If so, how long?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Tina! Yes, you can steam them in the Instant Pot. Add 1 - 2 cups water to the Instant pot, then place the steamer basket (make sure the water isn't touching the sausages). Use the steam setting with the vent open and steam for the same amount of time or until the internal temperature is reached. Enjoy!
Ellie says
this recipe looks amazing!
is there a way to steam them without using aluminum foil? I try not to cook with aluminum foil if I can avoid it.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thank you Ellie! Yes I include that info in the recipe notes: "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." Enjoy!
Erika Rosettie says
Excellent
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! thanks Erika!
Jessica says
Great! I make large batches and freeze.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Oh I love that! So happy you love them so much Jessica! Great idea freezing large batches 🙂
Kiara says
This recipe couldn’t have turned out more perfectly! I made some modifications: skipped the tomatoes bc I didn’t have them, thyme instead of rosemary, 1 tbs soy-free soy sauce instead of miso, and added about 50 g of cooked mushrooms! They all worked out perfectly and I’m so impressed with myself that I managed to make this! Thanks Sam!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Right on! We're so happy it turned out well for you!
Linda says
This is without a doubt the best Italian seitan sausage recipe ever! I made a couple of modifications--instead of sauteing onion in oil, I used 1/4 c. minced dried onion and just added 1 tbs of oil to the liquid ingredients. I had crispy dried tomatoes which I crushed fine instead of sundried. and a scant 2 cups of wheat gluten. otherwise same recipe. I did use the instapot for 30 minutes instead of steaming. I will certainly make again! Thank you for creating this great recipe.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
That is so wonderful Linda! SO thrilled you loved them so much! Thank you for sharing your swaps too 🙂
Melissa Elliott says
First off let me say this. You are my go to for everything vegan. If I’m craving something I look here first. I have all your cookbooks.
These are so good but I added one thing and it gave me that Polish, kielbasa, smoked sausage vibe and the addition was jack fruit. I chopped it in the food processor. I added 7 chucks seed and all. With the addition I made 8 servings instead of 6. Would love to know if anyone else has tried this. So so good.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Melissa! Aw, thank you so much for the kind words and support, that means a lot to me. I love the idea of adding jackfruit for that meaty, smoky vibe. I actually use jackfruit in my seitan ribs recipe (in Craving Vegan), so I totally agree that it can help make things extra delish. Thanks for sharing your tip!
Melissa Elliott says
Those ribs are the best. Exactly what gave me the idea to put JF in sausages. So delish.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Haha, awesome!!
Michele says
Hi, quick question. Do you drain the sundried tomatoes? The picture above shows quite a lot of oil.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Great question, Michele! Yes, if you're using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, go ahead and drain them first. The photo you're referring to is actually showing the oil-free option, where you use air-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and then those get soaked in hot water and then drained before adding to the mix. Sorry for the confusion!
Elle says
I just came across your page a few days ago. Boy, am I glad that I did. Dedicated my Sunday to making all the seita protein. The meatballs came our phenomenal 😍. The states I don't know yet, haven't tasted it just made it marinated it.
As for the seitan sausages. I follow the instructions to the T but they taste a bit rubbery when I tasted them this morning. After the overnight in the fridge after the streaming. Can you tell me what I can do next time to make them less rubbery or maybe what i did wrong in this case?
Either than that THANK YOU SO much for sharing your recipes with us. It so expensive to buy vegan me as t substitute here in the North of Sweden so I am so glad I found your page to help me.Thanx again.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Elle! So happy you’re here 🤗 Seitan can get rubbery if it’s over-kneaded (stop as soon as the dough comes together), for these sausages they can look very messy when you are forming them, and that's totally ok, they will come together once steamed in the foil. Also make sure to cool the sausages completely overnight before cooking, this is where they get juicy and delicious. If you're interested in more troubleshooting, I share all my best texture tips in my free seitan masterclass, you can sign up here. Enjoy!
Donna says
This is plant based magic! Very easy to throw together and they taste incredible. Even my very skeptical husband said they tasted really good. Next time I will divide them into smaller portions and make more but you won't be disappointed if you give this a go!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So thrilled you loved them so much. Thank you for the review Donna 🙂
Charlie says
Super tasty! I had to make a few substitutions since I made these on impulse haha. They turned out great, but I was wondering if you have tips for shaping? Mine turn out ragged and puffy, even when thoroughly cooked.
Thanks for the recipe!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're so happy you enjoyed them! In terms of shaping it will be a matter of practice as you roll it into the tin foil and it gets easier!
blr says
i keep having trouble with the seitan recipes: though i don't have celiac disease, eating the vital wheat gluten doesn't sit well with my stomach.
i was wondering if there was a way to use the seitan as like a sausage casing, with TVP for the innards. especially for polish kielbasa, which is what i'm trying to make.
have you tried any experiments with a lighter seitan recipe?
Charlie says
In my experience, this would not work. I would suggest using a TVP filling and rice paper as a casing.
Interesting that you have troubles digesting VWG but not TVP! Usually I hear the reverse. Perhaps an issue with FODMAPS? Best of luck 🙂
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
I agree with Charlie, that using this as a sausage casing wouldn't likely work well. Instead how about trying my TVP breakfast sausages. 🙂
Valerie says
I love this recipe! I add a peeled & minced eggplant when sautéing the onion and adjust the seasonings & vwg a bit for the increased volume. I pack the uncooked sausage into peppers (long hots, long sweets, or those little "lollipeppers"), lightly rub with oil and bake40 minutes, turning halfway. They're a party favorite.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
They sound like a party! Thanks for sharing!
Marie says
I'm a new vegan, I'm not good at this, I definitely don't know what I'm doing. I've already had some recipe fails, and buying plant based stuff has been okay. It's kind of discouraging. Anyway.. I found your site and these recipes.. and this one was my first try. Followed it exactly, they look great. I was afraid to try them though, because I've lost some faith. I just fried one up in some avocado oil, got a little char on there.. and it's fannntastic! I could cry. I'm so excited to try your other recipes. I can do this- Thank you so so much !!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
You CAN do this, Marie! We're so happy this was a success for you and hope you keep coming back for more recipes. 🙂
Julie Hilfiker says
I might make this as a substitute for pork Italian sausage in my mother's famous lasagna recipe. My partner has had gastric bypass surgery and can't digest meat well. How many pounds of sausage would this recipe make? I plan to use it as a sausage crumble rather than in links.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Julie 😊 This recipe makes about 6 links, which is roughly 1 to 1½ pounds total. Perfect for crumbling into lasagna, and I hope it does your mom’s recipe proud!
Kate says
Love this recipe. These are so good. I will make these again and again. Easy to make and taste and texture is amazing.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! I am so happy you love them, thank you for the review 🙂
Kathie says
Another amazing recipe! I can’t believe how much this tastes like a meat sausage but way better and healthier! Is the high sodium content from the broth? I used low sodium to lower those numbers a bit.
You are such a talent and we’re blessed to have found your site! Thank you! Thank you! 🤩
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww thank you so much Kathie! The sodium would come from the miso paste and vegetable broth so you could use lower sodium versions of those. Enjoy!
Meg says
This was great. I did it in the Thermomix. I just use (compostable) baking paper. I’m thinking that fresh herbs might serve to keep them moist? I didn’t have died basil or rosemary so just used Italian herb mix.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Meg, I am not sure how the recipe would change based on the Thermomix, but the sausages are usually very moist so maybe the thermomix dried them out a bit? Either way, glad you enjoyed it!
Brooklyn says
This was AMAZING!!!! These seitan sausages are so yummy.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Wonderful! We're happy you enjoyed them!
Jim Viola says
I made the Vegan Italian Seitan sausages for a cardo rehab dinner. Made Sausage and peppers. Got rave reviews, even from the meat eaters. Had to make 25 copies of the recipe to hand out at our next meeting.
Katherine Fenstermaker says
I've made this recipe a few times now and they are quite tasty. Even my non vegan daughter gave thumbs up for these.
Amy says
I can't wait to make these! However, I have CKD and was wondering, is there anything I can sub for the miso paste that's much lower in sodium? I'm already planning on leaving out the salt, but the miso is still pretty high in it.
Gary says
I use reduced sodium miso. I use no sodium bouillon powder which i make. I use the no oil lowest sodium sun-dried tomatoes I can find. This makes each sausage about 250 mg of sodium.
Amy says
Thanks, Gary! Only 250mg?! that's amazing! what brand of low sodium miso do you use? And any specific recipe suggestions for the homemade bouillon? thanks again!
Gary says
Wegmans has a white miso that is 320 mg sodium per tbsp.
Google vegan chicken bouillon powder for a recipe and leave the salt out.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Gary had some great suggestions for you! But you could also omit or reduce the miso to the appropriate amount for your needs.
Maria says
5☆ from a non-vegan!
I LOVE cooking for people that appreciate it. I'm not a vegan but my daughter is. As a seasoned cook I've converted quite a few of my favorites to a vegan version. With that said, here are a few of my adjustments making this for the 1st time -Divided the fennel seed in half and sautéed half with the onion and garlic
-Added 1t. baking soda to cut the "wheaty" flavor
-Added 1T. homemade Italian sausage seasoning with all the other seasoning
-Added 1 can of rinsed/dried chick peas, processed in the food processor. (Could probably use only half the can.) Wisk in with the wet mixture before the wheat gluten. This will be thick.
-Add the wheat gluten and mix gently by hand to combine.
-When rolling it in the foil, make sure to twist the ends securely! A few of mine blew out! Which I cut off after steaming and sautéed.
OMG! I'll definitely make this again! And add it to my homemade pasta sauce!
Miss lizzy says
Agree with 1/2 can white beans or half block of firm tofu added as well as the extra tablespoon of seasoning….Fab recipe
Suzanne says
Maria thanks so much for the tips! Did everything you suggested and they turned out perfect.