These well-seasoned vegan Italian sausages are firm and have the perfect meaty texture! Made with seitan, they are a good source of plant protein. Fuss-free, versatile and can be grilled, baked or fried.
You have to give these vegan Italian sausages a try! Like my vegan andouille sausages, they are made from seitan, and have the texture that closely resembles traditional ones.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Texture that is actually resembles non-vegan ones - Vegan sausages made from beans just can't cut it for me! I need something that is actually firm and meaty instead of mushy, and I must say that these seitan sausages definitely satisfy my cravings!
- Great source of protein - Thanks to the vital wheat gluten, these vegan Italian sausages contains around 25g of protein per serving and just under 170 calories.
- Perfect for meal prep - They not only store well, but are also freezable too! Definitely double or triple this recipe to make a larger batch.
- Easy to make - Fuss-free and beginner-friendly, you can easily whip them up in 10 minutes (minus steaming time).
🤔What are they made of?
These vegan Italian sausages are made from vital wheat gluten (seitan), whole wheat flour, and seasonings like Italian mixed herbs and soy sauce.
Vital wheat gluten is essentially wheat flour with all its starch removed, only leaving behind wheat protein - gluten. It is a common ingredient used to make mock meat, as it has a super chewy meat-like texture. If you are interested to know more about this amazing flour, check out this "what is vital wheat gluten" post as it goes into so much more details.
🌿What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Vital wheat gluten - It is what gives these seitan sausage their meaty texture. There is no substitute for this!
- Whole wheat flour - You can use other flours like all purpose, chickpea or buckwheat flour in place.
- Italian herbs - You can substitute it with ½ teaspoon of of dried oregano, parsley, thyme and basil each.
🔪How to make
Prepare 6 sheets of 7-8 inches of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
In a large mixing bowl, combine together all dry ingredients. Mix well.
Add in all wet ingredients into dry and combine until everything is just well incorporated. Optionally, you can knead for 15-30 seconds if you prefer chewier sausages.
Portion into 6 portions and shape them into sausages about 5-6 inches long. Roll them in prepared aluminum foil and twist the edges like wrapping candies.
Now, you can either steam them in the Instant pot or on stove.
To cook them in Instant pot, place 1 cup of water into the inner pot, and fit in trivet. Place wrapped sausages in and cook at high pressure for 16 minutes. Quick release pressure after timer goes off.
To steam them on stove, place them into a steamer basket, then place basket over a pot of boiling water. Steam for 30 minutes.
Let seitan sausages cool down completely, before digging into them! You can also grill or lightly pan-fry them first before serving.
✔Helpful tips
- If you prefer tougher and chewier seitan sausages, knead dough for 15-30 seconds before shaping. Personally, I do not knead mine.
- To make sure that vegan Italian sausages are all similar in size, you can take the extra step to weigh the dough out. Weigh the whole batch first, then divide it into 6.
- If you are uncomfortable with aluminum foil touching your food, wrap them in a layer of parchment paper first, before wrapping them in foil.
- You can also make 10-12 smaller sausage links instead of 6 large ones.
🍝How to serve
This vegan Italian sausage is seriously one of the most versatile ingredients! Other than enjoying as it is, here are some of my favorite way to use them:
Grill it up and serve it with hot dog buns, mustard and ketchup to make some vegan hot-dogs! Or, serve them with some mashed potatoes and gravy for something comforting and hearty.
They also works great as a mix-in for pasta dishes, salads or casseroles. I especially love chopping seitan sausages up and stir it into my pasta salad or broccoli rice casserole. It bumps up the protein content of the meal significantly, making them extra filling!
You can also slice them up thinly and use them as a topping for vegan pizzas and tostada.
Lastly, you can chop seitan sausages up into chunks and stir-fry them with veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, onion and carrot! I especially love cooking mine in some teriyaki sauce. Quick, simple yet taste really good!
❔Commonly asked questions
No, these seitan sausages cannot be made gluten-free. Vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient here, and it is close to impossible to substitute it. I do recommend checking out these gluten-free sausages by Elavegan that is made from beans.
Vegan Italian sausages can be refrigerate for a week in a sealed container. They are freezable too, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat, let frozen sausages thaw overnight in the fridge, or on countertop for a few hours. You can then proceed on cooking pan-frying, grilling or cooking it however you like.
For a quicker version, thaw them in the microwave using the "defrost" button, before microwaving them for 30-60 seconds.
One serving of seitan sausage contains around 27g of protein and 165 calories.
🍽More high protein vegan recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour or all purpose/chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Wet ingredients
- 1 ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Prepare 6 sheets of 7-8 inches of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together all dry ingredients. Mix well.1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, ⅓ cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Add in all wet ingredients into dry and combine until everything is just well incorporated. Optionally, you can knead for 15-30 seconds if you prefer chewier sausages.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon Italian herbs, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Portion into 6 portions and shape them into sausages about 5-6 inches long. Roll them in prepared aluminum foil and twist the edges like wrapping candies.
- Steaming in Instant pot: place 1 cup of water into the inner pot, and fit in trivet. Place wrapped sausages in and cook at high pressure for 16 minutes. Quick release pressure after timer goes off.Steaming on stove: place them into a steamer basket, then place basket over a pot of boiling water. Steam for 30 minutes.
- Let seitan sausages cool down completely, before digging into them! You can also grill or lightly pan-fry them first before serving.
Notes
- If you prefer tougher and chewier seitan sausages, knead dough for 15-30 seconds before shaping. Personally, I do not knead mine.
- To make sure that vegan Italian sausages are all similar in size, you can take the extra step to weigh the dough out. Weigh the whole batch first, then divide it into 6.
- If you are uncomfortable with aluminum foil touching your food, wrap them in a layer of parchment paper first, before wrapping them in foil.
- You can also make 10-12 smaller sausage links instead of 6 large ones.
Reheating - To reheat, let frozen sausages thaw overnight in the fridge, or on countertop for a few hours. You can then proceed on cooking pan-frying, grilling or cooking it however you like.
For a quicker version, thaw them in the microwave using the "defrost" button, before microwaving them for 30-60 seconds.
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