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Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Sliced into Thin Slices
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Vegan Pepperoni Recipe

Vegan pizza lovers rejoice! This recipe for homemade vegan pepperoni will make your dreams of having a Vegan Meat Lover's pie come true! Also great for spicing up a pasta sauce or salad.
Course Snack, Topping
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian, meat-free, meatless, pizza, topping, vegan pepperoni
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings
Calories 161kcal
Author Skye Michael Conroy

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Blender
  • Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
  • Pressure Cooker or Oven

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten 150 g
  • ½ cup water 120 ml
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce, or Bragg Liquid Aminos
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons organic sugar
  • 2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes more or less as desired
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 4 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

  • Place the vital wheat gluten in a large bowl.
  • Put the water, oil, tamari, tomato paste, vinegar, smoked paprika, sugar, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and ground mustard in a blender and process until the fennel seeds are coarsely ground.
  • Pour into the vital wheat gluten, add the garlic, and combine thoroughly with a sturdy silicone spatula to form a dough. Knead the dough in the bowl until it exhibits some elasticity, about 1 minute. Divide the dough in half.
  • Lay a 12-inch-long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a work surface. Shape one portion of the dough into a slender log about 6 inches long and place it near the edge of the foil. Lift the edge of the foil over the dough and begin rolling into a tight cylinder. Twist the ends tightly to seal. Bend the ends in half to lock them tight. Wrap in a second sheet of foil in the same manner. Repeat the shaping and double-wrapping technique with the second portion of dough. If you will be oven baking the dough (rather than pressure cooking it), wrap each package in a third sheet of foil for reinforcement.
  • To pressure cook, put 3 cups of water in the cooker and put the trivet in place. Add the packages, seal the lid, close the steam valve, and cook on high for 1 hour. Turn the unit off and let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes.
  • To oven bake (instead of pressure cook), preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Put the packages directly on the middle oven rack and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  • Remove the packages and let cool. Then refrigerate the packages for 8 hours to optimize the texture and make thin slicing easier. The pepperoni is ready to eat or use in recipes; it does not require any additional finishing. Slice thick or thin and use as needed.

Notes

Variation: For individual snack-sized pepperoni sausages, or pepperettes, divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Wrap and steam the dough for 45 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 559mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg