Vegan Italian Sausages
These meatless sausages are inspired by Italian sausages and are made using vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, and a few pantry staples! They have a fantastic chewy texture and are sliceable and grillable.
Servings: 6 large sausages
Calories: 187kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil canola or olive oil also work
- 1 ½ teaspoons dry parsley
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon each dry rosemary, basil, and oregano
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or standard red pepper flakes; optional
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon vegetable base *omit if using vegetable broth*
- 1 ¼ cup hot water *or vegetable broth*
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons Maggi seasoning optional; see note
Instructions
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut oil. Once hot and melted, add the parsley, fennel, rosemary, basil, oregano, and Aleppo pepper flakes. Toast for just a minute or so, stirring frequently, until aromatic. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt.
- In another bowl whisk together the vegetable bouillon and hot water to form vegetable broth. Whisk in the tomato paste, soy sauce, and optional Maggi seasoning.
- Pour the liquid ingredients, herbs, and oil from the pan into the dry ingredients. Use a large spoon to stir until mostly combined. Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface.
- Knead for just 2 minutes, folding and punching it as you would while kneading bread. The dough should be easy to work. If it's too dry, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable broth at a time. If it's too wet, add additional nutritional yeast or chickpea flour.
- Use a knife or bench scraper to slice the dough into 6 equally sized balls. Roll and fold each ball into a tube shaped like a sausage, then transfer to the edge of a piece of foil. Roll the sausage link in the foil, careful not to roll it too tightly. Twist the edges closed.
- Place a steamer over gently simmering water. Just a few bubbles should be popping at a time. Do not boil the water. Transfer the sausages to the steamer basket and cover with a lid. It's okay if there isn't enough room to lay the sausages down, they can be piled on top of each other.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sausages are firm to touch. Remove from the steamer basket and unwrap. Cook per preference.
Cooking Methods
- To saute: Saute whole sausages or sliced sausages in a hot pan over medium heat. Flip or rotate when golden and crisp.
- To roast: The sausages dry out quickly in the oven, so keep an eye on them when roasting. I recommend 375F for just 15 to 20 minutes, but they can tolerate higher heats for a shorter period of time.
- To grill: Use a cast iron grill pan or an outdoor grill to add sear marks to sear.
Video
Notes
- Vital wheat gluten: This is a processed form of wheat. It cannot be omitted and the amounts should not be adjusted, as it is the key ingredient in seitan.
- Nutritional yeast: An equal amount of chickpea flour can be used in place of nutritional yeast, as needed.
- Seasonings: Feel free to adjust seasonings to taste. Note that fennel is a significant flavor in most sausage seasonings, so only omit it if you don't like the flavor.
- The sausages can be wrapped in parchment paper and then aluminum if you prefer not to have aluminum directly touching the food while cooking.
- Storage tips:
- I recommend storing the sausage without the foil wrapping. I usually put them in a plastic bag or another type of storage container.
- After steaming, the sausages keep well for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
- These vegan sausages freeze well either sliced or as full sausages.
- Wait no more than 24 hours to steam the sausages after assembling the dough, as the dough dries out in the fridge over time. I recommend wrapping the sausages in foil and then refrigerating, as the dough is more difficult to work with after refrigerating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sausage | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg
