Okay, you wormed it out of me. I was going to make this again just to tweak the seasonings a little, but with so many of you writing to tell me that you just have to have the recipe now, I’ve decided to post it here and let you do the experimenting with it. (I’ve moved on to veggie bologna!)
But first a warning: I haven’t had real pepperoni since before some of you were born, so I could be way off on the flavoring. Feel free to do the experimenting that I haven’t had time for.
If you’ve got a copy of Vegan Vittles, Joanne Stepaniak has a pepperoni version that I didn’t see before creating this one and it might be better (though she probably hasn’t had pepperoni any more recently than I have.) I have to say that I really liked how this came out, whether it tastes like the real thing or not.
And an apology to my gluten-free friends: There’s not much you can do to convert a recipe that is gluten. I’ve thought about experimenting with marinated, baked tofu, but I haven’t gotten around to that. If anyone tries it, please drop me a comment about how it turns out.
Veggeroni (Seitan Pepperoni)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more for spicier pepperoni)
- 3/4 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Wet ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter (may substitute peanut butter or tahini)
- 2/3 cup water
- 4 tablespoons ketchup or tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar (optional, but definitely use if you use tomato sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Put the cashew butter in a smaller bowl, and slowly mix in the water. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the small bowl and blend well.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry, stirring well (use your hands if necessary). Remove from the bowl and knead for a few minutes, making sure ingredients are distributed well.
- Roll into a log shape, about 7 inches long. Place the log on foil and roll it up in the foil, twisting the ends to seal. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning over after 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and unwrap to cool. Slice as needed and store leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Christina
April 5, 2011 at 10:31 amHave you considered adding a sazon seasoning packet (such as Goya) to add a great classic pepperoni color? It is used very often in Latin cooking for just that, color. It adds very little taste. I know it is vegetarian, but I believe it is vegan as well.
Tiffany
August 28, 2011 at 1:34 amJudging from the picture, it doesn’t look very much like a pepperoni. You definitely wouldn’t fool anyone… Pepperoni turns red during cooking due to paprika. Perhaps adding a generous amount of that would help yield better visual results?
Also, since the outside looks far too sponge-like, you might try actually stuffing the mixture into a cellulose casing, which along with the paprika should yield very pepperoni-like results.
Hannah
December 6, 2011 at 2:12 pmGood thing I’m not worried about fooling anyone, just making delicious healthy food.
Your recipes are always top notch, Miss SusanV. I find that I can troll through your blog and always find a tempting, new, healthful recipe to try, and I’ve been following your blog for close to four years. Thanks for another great.
Melinda
April 25, 2012 at 8:42 amI can’t wait to try this! For other seitan sausage recipes, I have had good results with putting the foil wrapped logs in a steamer and cooking for 30-45 min depending on size of the logs. This method works well too when you don’t want to use your oven.
Melissah
July 13, 2012 at 6:27 amThank you Susan for the awesome recipes you share. Everyone has been really good and easy to prepare. We were new to being vegan and this has been so helpful.
Sue baker
November 24, 2012 at 3:07 pmI made this today and while it looks a bit like pepperoni and tastes a bit like pepperoni, it is very dry. It also was very brown on two sides .. I am not sure if those were the sides resting on the pan or not. I use a convection oven but since it was wrapped with foil, I don’t think that would do it. Any suggestions?
Susan Voisin
November 24, 2012 at 3:13 pmIf you make it again, try either reducing the heat or reducing the time. My oven may run less hot than yours.
Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond
December 15, 2012 at 2:22 amI just made this to take to a festive vegan potluck tonight – wow, it is fantastic! I’m sure everyone is going to love it (I only took a slice off the end to test, so can’t wait to tuck in properly myself!).
I haven’t got any Liquid Smoke though (I substituted with Henderson’s Relish) so I’m sure it won’t taste the same as your recipe, but it’s delicious nonetheless!
Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond
December 15, 2012 at 2:52 amJust to add though, the next time I make it I will add some more chilli flakes and hot spice – I think I would like a more fiery bite! I can’t wait to experiment even more with this recipe, though. Thank you 🙂
Larry Chisholm
December 27, 2012 at 11:10 amI just made this recipe and speaking as someone who had pepperoni earlier this week, this is amazing! Lots of seitan recipes sort of miss the mark, but this as good as, maybe better, than actual pepperoni. Thank you so much! P.S. I used the tahini substitution for cashew butter.
Sue baker
April 6, 2013 at 6:46 pmI had better luck with this recipe by steaming in a steamer basket for about 40 minutes. I followed the same process that Susan used in her faux Italian sausage. When I baked it, it was way too dry..
Debbie
April 7, 2013 at 11:08 amDo you know any way to make this for us gluten free people??
Suzy
August 24, 2013 at 5:25 pmgreetings. for your non gluten people you can use bean flour and add your spices and then add enough water for a thin batter like think pancakes. this you now can pour into cans and steam until they are done. once they come out firm and not gooey (although they might be kind of gooey on the very top.) you can let them sit over night in the fridge and by morning they should be firm enough that you can release the edges with a knife and slide it out of the can. . i will be really good if you fry it up . it won’t be quite as chewy as the gluten version but still very good.
to steam, take a big pot and put in a bunch of forks in the bottom and then place your cans on them. cover and let it boil.. keep an eye on the water level that it doesn’t run out and add more as needed until done.
Martin
October 1, 2013 at 8:16 pmNo gluten… hmmm, Have you tried to replace the weat gluten with buckweat flour ? I know I will 🙂
Susan Voisin
October 1, 2013 at 8:28 pmI wish you luck, but I can’t imagine that working!
Judy
April 8, 2014 at 2:25 pmThe vegan pepperoni has a wonderful flavor and perfect consistency. Excellent. I did add a little oregano and Italian seasoning. Thanks for the recipe
Get well soon.
Tina
April 22, 2014 at 7:26 pmWaiting for the bologna 🙂
Beth
April 25, 2014 at 9:06 pmThis sounds great! How long would this keep for in the fridge or freezer?
Odin
July 29, 2014 at 12:17 pmI am trying this as a base for salami. I have been plant strong for 3 years now and I bought Trader Joe’s Marinated Mushrooms with Garlic and it reminded me of salami, which has put me on a quest to figure out how to convert a meat salami recipe over to a vegan version. I looked at the ingredients of the Trader Joe’s Marinated Mushrooms and it has red wine vinegar in it. So I’ll see if I can replace some of the 1/2 tsp of the salt, 2/3 cup of water, and 1/4 tsp of garlic with the liquid left in the jar.
Chris
May 3, 2015 at 2:35 pmCan’t wait for your veggie bologna!!! Right now I buy
Yves as a treat now and again.
Nicole Hundelt
May 16, 2015 at 1:36 pmMaking this for a second time! It is yummy just like you have it. My family, who is not vegan, ask for it cause it is not “as greasy as the real thing but has all the flavor”.
Todd Nibbe
October 26, 2015 at 8:42 amMade this last night. Turned out okay, I would adjust the spices a bit in the future, but was a good recipe. I am currently freezing it to see if I can get it to slice thinner once it is cold.
Thank you!!
Texas Flash
December 13, 2015 at 3:14 pmIf you want to mold the gluten, cannoli tubes work great.
Lindsay Hoppe
April 30, 2016 at 5:53 pmEvery time I have tried to make boiled seitan it never quite turned out right. Even when I followed the directions exactly, and made sure to start with cold broth and lower the heat as soon as it boiled. It always was mushy on the outside. So I’m going to have to try this!
Jill
May 2, 2016 at 12:52 amI made this today using “chorizo seasoning” that I found at the natural grocery, it’s a spicy seasoning blend, and it worked great. I made chorizo chickpea soup in the Dutch oven, it is so good. Served it with a salad with lime avocado dressing. Great recipe!
Susan Voisin
May 2, 2016 at 1:46 amThat soup sounds wonderful! Glad you liked the pepperoni/chorizo!
Con
February 19, 2017 at 10:11 amMade this last night, so good! Will be making again.
Valerie
April 17, 2017 at 10:37 amI never liked pepperoni, even when I actually ate it 30 years ago. However, I did buy Yves meatless pepperoni once for a pizza I was making and hated it because it tasted like pepperoni. LOL
However, if you have a recipe for fake kielbasa, I’d like to try that. Thanks for all of your great recipes.
Heather
September 25, 2017 at 12:18 amThanks for this recipe. My whole family LOVED the veggeroni. Awesome recipe! We had it on pizza and also plain in my daughter’s lunch! 🙂
Sylvia
September 26, 2017 at 7:53 pmJust made it! And it’s glorious! Thank you so much for this recipe 💙
debgibsonmt@yahoo.com
April 9, 2018 at 3:53 pmYou had me until the foil. Can you think of another way to bake this but not in foil?
Susan Voisin
April 9, 2018 at 3:56 pmYou can line the foil with parchment paper if you like.