Easy Vegan Seitan Pepperoni

4.99 from 66 votes

Perfect to top your pizza. It's surprisingly easy to make, tastes way better than store-bought. Can be stored in the fridge or freezer so you have it on hand whenever you need vegan pepperoni.

Recipe adapted from my Vegan Seitan Steaks, but shout out goes to The Easy Vegan's version for the funniest video.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Cooling time: 1

Total Time: 45

Servings: 2 pepperoni logs

Author: Sam Turnbull

Ingredients

1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
⅓ cup tomato paste
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup refined coconut oil cooled so that it's solid
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (reduce or omit for less spice)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Once the mixture starts to come together, finish mixing by hand, kneading the dough for 2 - 3 minutes to make sure it's combined well. Kneading the seitan will also give the vegan pepperoni a chewier texture.
Divide the dough into two pieces then roll the dough pieces into two logs about 6 inches long each. Roll each log up loosely in a piece of aluminum foil then twist the ends closed. Steam for 30 minutes. Oil may release during steaming and appear in the steamer basket and water, and that's ok. After 30 minutes, remove the logs from the steamer and allow to cool completely in the fridge. The logs will have puffed up in the foil and become tight. Once cooled, remove the foil and they are ready to slice and enjoy as you like.
Learn how to master the art of making seitan in my new cooking course Seitan School! Click here to learn more and enroll.

Notes

Coconut Oil: the coconut oil should be solid to make this recipe and get the best texture. To make sure your coconut oil is solid, store it in a cool place or the fridge. If needed you can replace the coconut oil for olive oil. If you use olive oil, omit the water. The olive oil pepperoni will have a grainier texture but will still taste good.

Aluminum foil alternative: if you prefer to avoid aluminum foil, roll the pepperoni up in parchment paper, and then roll the parchment paper wrapped pepperoni up in cheesecloth and tie the ends closed.

Freezing and Storing: make these pepperoni's ahead and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for longer.

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: 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

Find it online:

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-vegan-seitan-pepperoni/