If you are looking for a summer main, look no further than these BBQ vegan ribs! It is packed with flavor and has a succulent, meaty texture. Easy to prepare, these seitan ribs are also packed with protein and incredibly satisfying.
These vegan ribs are great served with light vegetable sides, such as tomato cucumber corn salad, braised celery, or air fryer Portobello mushrooms. For a heartier meal, go with cornbread or my protein pasta salad!
We love making meat substitutes at home using seitan! Some of our favorites include vegan chicken burgers, seitan steak, seitan gyros, and vegan chicken breast.
As the summer season is here, we have been loving these vegan ribs as of late. They are incredibly sticky and juicy with all the flavors of the traditional recipe.
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💚Why you will love seitan ribs
- Hearty, saucy, and packed with flavors
- Made with a base of seitan and is packed with 26g of protein per serve
- Simple to prepare with detailed step-by-step instructions
- Perfect for potlucks, picnics, and summer parties!
🧄What you will need
- Vital wheat gluten - The main ingredient in making seitan, it is a pure gluten flour derived from wheat. You can find it in your local grocery or online. I usually go with Bob's Red Mill wheat gluten.
- BBQ sauce - You can use either homemade or store-bought BBQ sauce.
- Tahini - Gives extra richness and helps tenderize the vegan ribs. You can replace it with equal amounts of almond butter or 1 tablespoon of neutral-tasting oil.
- Liquid smoke - An optional ingredient that provides extra smokiness and savoriness to the ribs.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🔪How to make vegan ribs
Step 1: Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Step 2: Add wet ingredients, then mix until the dough comes together.
Step 3: Knead dough for a minute, until it is slightly firm and elastic.
Step 4: Transfer the dough to a baking dish and press it down to evenly spread it into the pan. Slice the dough into 12-16 pieces, then bake without sauce for 20 minutes.
Step 5: Remove from the oven and spread the BBQ sauce, then bake for 10 minutes. Flip it over, spread sauce, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Step 6: Allow BBQ vegan ribs to cool and firm up for an hour before serving! Or, you could char ribs on the grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, brushing more BBQ sauce if needed.
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✔Helpful tips
- Texture of seitan dough - The dough's texture will be slightly moister compared to regular seitan dough. This is to compensate for the moisture loss that occurs during baking.
- Avoid over-kneading - Over-kneading your seitan dough will cause it to become tough and super chewy. I find kneading it for 1-2 minutes the sweet spot.
🥔How to serve
- Potato dishes - For a heartier meal, you could serve vegan ribs with potato dishes, such as potato salad, mashed potatoes, or my air fryer potato slices.
- Lighter vegetable dishes - Especially salads like my romaine avocado salad or a simple chopped salad. You could also do cooked vegetables like braised celery, grilled corn, or these refreshing Thai spring rolls.
- Pasta - such as mac and cheese or pasta salads (highly recommend my protein pasta salad).
- Cornbread and cornbread muffins
❄Storing suggestions
Fridge - You can refrigerate seitan ribs up to 4-5 days. Store them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out.
Freezer - Store them in freezable containers, and they can be frozen for 2-3 months. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge the night before.
Reheating - You can heat them in a grill pan or on the grill for a few minutes on each sides. Alternatively, microwave them at 30-seconds intervals, or until they are hot.
I do not recommend reheating them in the oven, as it might cause them to dry out.
❓Commonly asked questions
Vegan ribs are made from seitan, a popular meat substitute that is made from vital wheat gluten flour. This is what gives the ribs a distinctive chewy texture that resembles that of meat.
BBQ sauce is the main condiment to flavor this recipe. To elevate the flavors and savoriness, other seasonings such as nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, soy sauce, and liquid smoke are also added.
If your seitan ribs turns out rubbery, you have likely overknead it. Over kneading the dough cause the gluten to develop too much, resulting in a tough and rubbery dough. You should knead seitan dough till it is firm but still pliable enough to be shaped, around 1-2 minutes.
However, you might need to experiment around to find the sweet spot. As a rule of thumb, the longer you knead, the chewier your dough will be.
📖 Recipe
Juicy BBQ Vegan Ribs (seitan ribs)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten 150g
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¼ cup BBQ sauce divided (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons tahini *
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Start by preheating oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a 7x11 or 8x8 inches baking pan with cooking oil.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten , ¼ cup nutritional yeast , 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder , 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder , 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Then, add in all wet ingredients along with ¼ cup of BBQ sauce and mix until a dough forms. Knead dough for about 30 seconds to a minute.1 cup water, 2 tablespoons tahini , 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce , 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- Transfer seitan dough to a 7x11 inches or 8x8 inches baking dish. Using your hands, press dough to evenly spread it into the pan. Slice dough into 12-16 pieces, depending on how wide you want the ribs to be.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then spread ½ cup of BBQ sauce over the top and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, flip it and spread another ½ cup of sauce on the other side. Bake it again for 10-15 minutes until sticky.
- Let seitan ribs cool down for at least 30 minutes. Optionally, char it in a grill pan or on the grill for 2-3 minutes on each side before serving.
Notes
- Texture of seitan dough - The dough's texture will be slightly moister compared to regular seitan dough. This is to compensate for the moisture loss that occurs during the baking process.
- Avoid over-kneading - Over-kneading your seitan dough will cause it to become tough and super chewy. I find kneading it for 1-2 minutes is the sweet spot.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Jeff says
These are really good. After cooking I put it under the oven broiler on high for 2-3 minutes per side to get a good char on them. The helpful tips state that weighing the vital wheat gluten is best but nowhere do I see what the weight should be for the 1.5 C needed ??
Jim Mee Sha says
Sorry I missed that, you will need 180g of vital wheat gluten. Will add that in now!
Robert says
These are really good, I found it difficult to cut them in the pan and also to flip them. The second time I made these I used parchment paper, pressed down the dough then lifted it out to cut it, made cutting and flipping very easy and kept the sauce from burning on the sides of the pan. I've also made it without the extra basting sauce, and kept in the refrigerator overnight- to dice and use in fried rice, its very much like smoked ham then.
Meesha says
I am thrilled to hear that! Thanks for your feedback. 😁
Rose says
Made these last night and I honestly was so surprised. The recipe was so easy. I was procrastinating making this recipe because it was my first time making seitan. My 16 year old son like them so much and he’s not vegan. I’m making this again tonight. Thank you for an amazing recipe 😊
Jim Mee Sha says
I am so happy to hear that!😁
peggy says
Seitan Ribs are my new go to food. Easy and quick to make . What flavor, Delicious
Meesha says
Super happy to hear that 😊