How can you resist this perfect, plant-based party food? This barbecue seitan wings recipe will really sell you on seitan. Try even a tiny taste and you’ll be tempted to make another batch (just for you)!
If you’ve been intimidated in the past by this vegan meat substitute, you’re in for a treat. These vegan seitan wings are super-easy to create and to cook. Grab some vital wheat gluten and bring that pot to boiling!
Who isn’t wow-ed by a platter of succulent and savory seitan wings? The combination of sweet and savory with chewy and crispy creates some serious snack cravings!
A fan favorite, barbecue vegan seitan wings are not only an awesome appetizer, but they’re also amazingly addictive. The marvelous mustard sauce is crucial for an authentic, southern-style tang. Grab a handful of these nifty nuggets and you’ll fall in love with their fantastic flavor.
Don’t worry about diving into the Sea of Seitan. It’s not as scary as you think and it’s actually pretty easy to prepare.
Many people confuse tofu and seitan. Tofu is made out of soybeans and is made by pressing curds from coagulated soy milk into blocks. Seitan is made out of wheat gluten (sold in grocery stores as a powder called “vital wheat gluten”) and is made by developing sticky strands of gluten protein from kneading wheat flour with water.
Both are plant-based foods and make excellent meat substitutes, but they are decidedly different. While both are low in fat and high in protein, they have different ratios of each and have markedly different textures. Tofu is great for people who have gluten sensitivities and seitan works well for those with soy allergies.
Tofu has a terrific egg-like texture that is slightly squishy, but also a bit firm and mildly moist. Seitan has a particularly meaty chewiness that, when cooked and seasoned well, can fool even the most staunch meat lovers. It’s also often used to make plant-based jerky with a dense chewiness that jerky lovers adore. Although distinctive, both are delicious in their own dishes. For these well-seasoned vegan chicken wings, seitan is the sure winner!
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a homemade sauce. This is especially true when it comes to barbecue!
You can certainly count on this Carolina style BBQ sauce to be both rich and robust. Tart tomatoes and tangy apple cider vinegar are balanced out by thick maple syrup and sweet brown sugar. A pleasantly pungent punch is provided by the mustard, onion, garlic, and cayenne.
If you love your B-B-Q as much as I do, you may wish to make a double batch of this vegan barbeque sauce for the next day! Leftover wings may warrant more of this amazing marinade.
Sadly, stored seitan can dry out quite quickly. If you have any leftover sauce, make sure to spoon over the seitan before setting it into a container or reusable bag. Leftovers will last about 10 days in the fridge and can be reheated either in the microwave or sauteed in a pan.
When microwaving, add extra sauce or water to your container before heating for a minute or two. To reheat in a saucepan or skillet, it’s also a good idea to include additional liquid and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or your seitan will become dry and dense.
Freezing is also an option for this fantastic fare. Vegan seitan wings will last about 6 months in a well-sealed freezer bag or container. Thaw overnight before reheating.
Listen while you cook! Tune into my podcast, The Plant Powered People Podcast, while you’re cooking, folding laundry, or taking a bath. It may just change your life!
vital wheat gluten
garlic powder
salt
vegetable broth
olive oil
tomato sauce
apple cider vinegar
pure maple syrup
Dijon mustard
onion powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
We want to thank our amazing recipe tester Taylor Gillespie for helping us perfect this recipe!
This recipe for the best Carolina Barbecue Vegan Seitan Wings was reprinted with permission from the Southern Vegan cookbook by Lauren Hartmann (Page Street Publishing Co. 2020). Photo credit: Lauren Hartmann and Julie Grace.
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Not sure what happened but mine were way too chewy.
I’m sorry to hear that! The chewiness may be due to not removing enough liquid after boiling, which can cause it to not get brown and firm enough in the oven. You can also try baking a little longer as needed. Hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious!…also would be good on a bun…easy recipe too!thanks for sharing this!
Yummy, I love anything full of flavour!!!
Great with some ranch!
These wings are SO amazing! Perfect appetizer for any day or night of the week!
love the flavors so much! so so good!
So good!!
These wings turned out fabulous and the seitan gave it a nice texture. Using seitan is a total game changer and I need to include it into my recipes more often. Definitely making again!
these wings are the bestttt! perfect for game night!
These were amazing! Easy to make and absolutely delicious
such a clever take on this recipe with seitans
These seitan wings are to die for. They are literally the best! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
So yummy! I am used to cauli wings, which I love but always looking for new vegan wings recipes and this seitan version hit the spot! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! This was my first venture into seitan and it was delicious! I loved how easy it was to make and it was SO delicious!
That sauce is just so delicious. I would love to try the same sauce for cauliflower wings and tofu as well. And coming to seitan, never thought it will be this easy to make my own. Love this recipe and will be making it more often.
These are amazing!!! Thank you for getting me over my hesitation of cooking with seitan. It’s a magical ingredient!
How small is “tiny”
I LOVE having a delicious alternative to cauliflower wings! The texture of these is amazing seitan wings are a total winner and the sauce to die for 🙂 Yummy!
I’d never made seitan before so it was a little scary, but I was surprised at how easy it was! And, making the shapes of the “wings” is almost fun! lol. The sauce is to-die-for and I will totally double the amount next time. The wings are soo good and I could definitely eat them all myself, which would not be good. Adding the chives is a must and I love to eat these with sliced veggies (like cucumbers, celery, carrots and red bell peppers) on the side. Or, I’ll make some steamed rice and steamed broccoli and have the wings with that. So many options 😀
These are so good. Meat eating friends will enjoy the chewy almost meat-like texture. The sauce is loaded with flavor.
These are amazing! Meat eating friends will enjoy the chewy almost meat-like texture. The sauce is loaded with flavor. Yes!
I just bought a big bag of vital wheat gluten so I can make a batch of these! I love making homemade seitan. So satisfying! Okay, now I’m hungry…