These vegan satay skewers are marinated in creamy coconut curry sauce, then grilled to perfection and served with spicy peanut sauce, and garnished with limes and chopped peanuts! Hello, deliciousness! These skewers are a super impressive appetizer or can be enjoyed as a main served with rice and veggies.
The "meat" in this recipe is made with soy curls. I'm a huge fan of soy curls, they are just so easy to cook and are so tasty with the perfect meaty texture. So far I have used them to make Lemon Garlic Soy Curls, Vegan Jerk BBQ Soy Curls, Soy Curl Tacos, and even used them to make vegan shrimp!
I was browsing Pinterest the other day and saw a recipe for chicken satay and I knew immediately that soy curls would be the perfect vegan alternative! I gave the recipe a test run, and by golly I was right. My husband and I managed to polish off the ENTIRE PLATE of vegan satay skewers for dinner. Whoops!
WHAT ARE SOY CURLS?
If you are new to soy curls, they are this amazing affordable 1-ingredient gluten-free dried soy product. Soy curls are bland in flavor with a light chewy texture. This makes them the perfect vehicle for sucking up any marinade you give them. I always keep a few bags in my pantry at all times. You can find soy curls at bulk food stores, health food stores, vegan grocers, or on amazon.
Soy Curl Substitute for vegan satay skewers
While soy curls can be easy to find in some parts of the world, they can be very difficult to find, or very costly in other places. Soy Chunks, Soya Chunks, and TVP Chunks are all basically the same thing, just in different shapes, so try looking out for those instead. You could also try subbing extra-firm tofu but it won't work exactly the same.
No skewer option
Don't want to spend time skewering the soy curls? No problem! Simply drain the excess liquid from the marinated soy curls. Stir fry soy curls in a bit of oil in a non-stick frying pan until they are heated through and charred in places. Eat with a fork and enjoy on top of rice served with peanut sauce.
How to Make Vegan Satay Skewers:
Marinate the soy curls: To a medium bowl, mix together the coconut milk, vegetable broth, soy sauce, fresh ginger, sugar, curry powder, and garlic. Warm in the microwave for about 1 minute until the marinade is warm.
Add the soy curls and stir to coat in the marinade. Cover and let soak for about 10 minutes, stirring the soy curls halfway through. After about 10 minutes the soy curls should have softened and sucked up most of the marinade. If the soy curls are still firm in some spots, you can put the bowl with the marinade and soy curls back in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds, toss again, and let rest for a few minutes more, until softened.
Skewer the soy curls: Once the soy curls have softened and soaked up most of the marinade you can skewer them. Take a bamboo skewer and gently thread the soy curl pieces onto the skewers. Some soy curls will be longer and can be folded back and forth to stick them on, and other pieces might be smaller and can just be threaded on without any folding.
If you are not cooking the skewers right away, you can store the skewers in the fridge for cooking later. Place the skewers in a dish, pour any leftover marinade over top, and cover. The skewers should keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Grill the soy curls: When ready to cook the soy curls, heat a grill, grill pan, griddle, or frying pan. Brush with grill or pan with oil, and cook the soy curls a few minutes per side until they are chared in some places. Serve hot with the peanut sauce on the side and garnish with peanuts, lime wedges, and cilantro if desired.
Make the peanut sauce: Add all of the peanut sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.
These vegan satay skewers are:
- super meaty
- bursting with flavor
- a great appetizer or main
- a crowd-pleaser!
More delicious soy curl recipes you might enjoy:
Easy Soy Curl Tacos
Vegan Lemon Garlic Soy Curls
Coconut Crusted Vegan Shrimp
Vegan Jerk BBQ Soy Curls
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.
Vegan Satay Skewers
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 cups (4oz) dry soy curls
For the peanut sauce:
To garnish (optional):
- ¼ cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the soy curls: To a medium bowl, mix together the coconut milk, vegetable broth, soy sauce, fresh ginger, sugar, curry powder, and garlic. Warm in the microwave for about 1 minute until the marinade is warm. Add the soy curls and stir to coat in the marinade. Cover and set aside for about 10 minutes, stirring the soy curls halfway through. After about 10 minutes the soy curls should have softened and sucked up most of the marinade. If the soy curls are still firm in some spots, you can put the bowl with the marinade and soy curls back in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds, toss again, and let rest for a few minutes more, until softened.
- Skewer the soy curls: Once the soy curls have softened and soaked up most of the marinade you can skewer them. Take a skewer and gently thread the soy curl pieces onto the skewers. Some soy curls will be longer and can be folded back and forth to stick them on, and other pieces might be smaller and can just be threaded on without any folding. If you are not cooking the skewers right away, you can store the skewers in the fridge for cooking later. Place the skewers in a dish, pour any leftover marinade over top, and cover. The skewers should keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make the peanut sauce: Add all of the peanut sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.
- Grill the soy curls: When ready to cook the soy curls, heat a grill, grill pan, or griddle. Brush the grill or pan with oil, and cook the soy curls a few minutes per side until they are charred in some places.
- Serve hot with the peanut sauce on the side and garnish with peanuts, lime, and cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
More Meaty Vegan Recipes You Might Enjoy...
Jari says
Perfect as written.
The Darling Wife said that the satay sauce was the best she has eaten -and believe me, she has had a few all over the world.
This was easy, quick and delicious.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Hooray!
Christine Tetreault says
I made this recipe exactly as written and it was absolutely delicious. This is definitely the best soy curl recipe I have made so far. I am making this for company, for sure.
Dana says
Is this recipe for a whole bag of soy curls? I’m not seeing how many soy curls are used for the basic recipe using 1c coconut milk as marinade? Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
The recipe says 2 cups (4oz) dry soy curls, which is usually half a bag of soy curls (but they do come in different-sized bags so best to measure). Enjoy!
Silver says
REALLY good! Like most, I just sautéed the soy curls in a bit of oil in a pan and served it over rice. for the sauce, i did end up using all the leftover marinade since i wanted it to be a bit runnier and it was just perfect! so yummy! thanks sam xx
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it Silver!
Tara says
These are soooo good! I stir-fried them in a grill pan and they came out amazing!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!
Joanne says
So darn good!!! Knowing how good your recipes are, I made a double batch using all the decent size soy curls. The satay was great and I used the extras in one of your big bowl recipes! Loved the flavorful soy curls!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved the recipe Joanne! 🙂
Melanie says
These were delicious. I didn't put them on skewers and just fried them in a bit of oil; they turned out great. I will definitely make these again.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed!!
Betty says
Thanks for sharing this. When I was in Indonesia, I fell in love with Satay. I wasn't vegan then, so I'm looking forward to making these.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Enjoy!
Deb Z says
HI Sam! Does it have to be coconut milk? Are you talking in the can or reg. milk?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Deb, yes I definitly recommend full-fat coconut milk (the kind in a can). This will provide the correct flavor and texture. If you are allergic you could sub for another rich plant-based milk. 🙂
Corinne says
Do you think cashew milk would be rich enough?
Sam Turnbull says
It won't be quite as rich but the recipe should still work fine. Enjoy!
Sue says
This is going on the Father’s Day menu. Thanks Sam!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Enjoy!!
Sue says
They were great!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed!