These homemade vegan Italian sausages are juicy, hearty, and bursting with flavor, making them a delicious plant-based alternative to traditional sausages. Made from protein-rich seitan, they’re incredibly versatile—perfect for baking, grilling, or pan-frying!
I’ve made seitan kebabs, seitan BBQ ribs, and vegan gyros before, but now it’s time to share my all-time favorite seitan recipe - vegan Italian sausages! Perfectly seasoned with a satisfying meaty texture, these sausages are so good, you won’t believe they’re plant-based.
These seitan sausages are incredibly versatile, and I love finding new ways to enjoy them! They’re perfect as a hearty filling for my tofu omelette, served on a charcuterie board with vegan cheese, olives, crackers, and seitan bologna, or as a satisfying main paired with a fresh tomato cucumber corn salad.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Incredibly versatile—enjoy hotdog-style, in casseroles, or as a pizza or soup topping (especially my carrot lentil soup!).
- High in protein, with 25g per sausage, making it a hearty and nutritious option.
- Budget-friendly and way cheaper than store-bought vegan sausages.
- Extra meaty, bold in flavor, and perfect for grilling—a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
🌿What you will need
- Vital wheat gluten – A protein-packed wheat flour that gives these sausages their meaty texture. There are no substitutes for this—other flours simply won’t work!
- Tofu – Use extra-firm or firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove excess water, either using tofu press or by stacking something heavy on top. Check out this guide on how to press tofu for more tips.
- Nutritional yeast – A little goes a long way, adding rich umami and a hint of cheesiness.
- Fennel seeds – Not pictured, but highly recommended for that classic Italian sausage flavor.
- Cayenne pepper – Swap with ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or omit for a milder version.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🔪How to make seitan sausages
Step 1: Saute onion for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
Step 2: Add garlic and fry for another minute.
Step 3: Place all ingredients into the food processor, except vital wheat gluten and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Carefully pour in gluten flour. Pulse until a dough forms.
💡Tip
If dough is too wet, add more flour. Add more water if it is too dry, a tablespoon at a time.
Step 5: Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead for 1-2 minutes.
Step 6: Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll them out individually to form a 5-6-inch long log.
Step 7: Wrap them in foil, twisting the ends to seal. You can now either steam them or cook them in the Instant Pot.
Step 8: Allow vegan Italian sausages to cool completely before serving and enjoying!
✔Helpful tips
- Avoid over or under-kneading – Under-kneading makes seitan sausages too soft while over-kneading can make them tough and rubbery. Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic.
- Rest for the best texture – Let sausages cool completely before serving. For an even meatier texture, refrigerate overnight, then fry or grill before enjoying.
- Foil alternative – If you prefer not to have foil touch your food, wrap sausages in parchment paper first, then cover with foil.
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🍝How to serve
Hotdog-style – Keep it classic with ketchup, mustard, and a drizzle of homemade tofu mayo.
Sausage crumbles – Pulse in a food processor, lightly pan-fry, and add to vegan marinara sauce, burritos, or quesadillas.
On pizza or toast – Thinly slice and use it as a savory topping for pizza or toast.
Pan-fried – Sauté with onions and bell peppers, then serve over rice with tofu ricotta or pile into a sandwich.
Full English breakfast – Enjoy with vegan crumpets, seitan bacon, silken tofu scramble, baked beans, and roasted veggies for the ultimate hearty meal!
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge – Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 5 days.
Freezer – Freeze for up to 3 months. For easy access, portion them out in freezer bags, so you can thaw only what you need. Let them defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating – Warm them up in the microwave, on the grill, or pan-fry with a little oil for crispy and charred edges.
❔Commonly asked questions
These vegan Italian sausages are made with vital wheat gluten, a protein-rich flour that gives them their chewy, meat-like texture. To balance this, tofu is added for moisture and tenderness, preventing the sausages from becoming too tough.
A blend of herbs, spices, and seasonings adds bold Italian-inspired flavors, making these sausages incredibly savory and delicious.
Most vegan sausage recipes aren’t gluten-free since they’re typically made with seitan, which is primarily vital wheat gluten—a flour that’s almost entirely gluten.
Because of its unique elasticity and structure, swapping wheat gluten for other flours just won’t work, making it nearly impossible to create the same texture without it. For a gluten-free alternative, I recommend trying my vegan breakfast sausages. (Simply substitute vital wheat gluten with more oat flour.)
Vegan Italian sausages can be cooked in a few ways, depending on your preference. Pan-fry by slicing into rounds or searing whole, cooking until golden and crispy. For a smoky flavor, grill over medium heat, turning occasionally.
For a hands-off method, bake at 400°F (200°C) for 5-10 minutes until heated through and slightly crisp. You can also slice or crumble them into dishes like casseroles, pasta, or stir-fries for extra flavor and protein!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Italian Seitan Sausages
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ block extra-firm tofu drained and pressed (about 7oz/200g)
- ½ cup water or low sodium veggie broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional but highly recommended)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Prepare 6 sheets of 7-8 inches aluminum foils. (I am using 12 inches wide foil.)
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Add onion to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
- Add garlic and fry for another minute until fragrant.
- In a food processor, place in all ingredients (including cooked onion and garlic) except vital wheat gluten and blend until smooth.
- Then, carefully pour in wheat gluten. Pulse until a dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a flat surface, and knead for 60-90 seconds.
- Divide the dough into 6 balls, and roll them out individually to form a log about 5-6 inches long. Wrap them in foil, twisting the ends to seal.
- Steaming - Bring 1-2 inches of water to a boil in a pot with a steamer basket fitted. Once the water starts to boil, place in seitan, and steam for 30 minutes.Instant pot - Place 1 cup of water into the inner pot and fit in a trivet. Place wrapped sausages in and cook at high pressure for 16 minutes. Quick-release pressure after the timer goes off.
- Allow seitan sausages to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Optionally, grill or pan-fry them before enjoying.
Notes
- Be careful not to overdo the kneading as this will yield chewy and tough seitan.
- Allow sausages to cool down completely, for at least 30 minutes before serving. They will firm up and have a meatier texture!
- If you are uncomfortable with the foil touching your food, wrap sausages with a layer of parchment paper before wrapping over aluminum foil.
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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.
Elise says
Incredible and so easy to make! I doubled all the spices as well as replacing some of the water with vinegar. 10/10
Linda says
I have made this a few times and steamed in my IP. Today I am making the double batch and will steam the sausage on the stove. Just a comment... The directions for 1x. 2x. and 3x all call for 6 pieces of Aluminum foil / parchment. I trust I will need 12 for the 2x version.
Jim says
I made these last night and they turned out pretty darned good. I have recently made a couple of seitan recipes from another site that have been quite favorable also. I choose to do a couple things differently. I baked them wrapped in foil (tight) at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then at the same temp for an additional 25 minutes opened up. I let them cool and wrapped them back up and let them rest overnight in the refrigerator. I also opted to double the spices as on reviewer advised and I am happy with that. I don't have cayenne powder on hand, so I used my homegrown Virginia Reaper powder from last year's crop. I love hot food, so why not use the hottest pepper in the world? Unfortunately, they still didn't turn out that hot, but that's easily addressed and next time I'll be adding more. All in all, a great recipe. I would say these are every bit as good as the Tofurky Italian sausages that have shot up in price in the last months. Not as good as the Beyond Meat Italian sausage buy hey, that stuff would be very hard to emulate I'm sure, plus those cost about twice what the Tofurky's do. By the way, I absolutely used the fennel seed and also highly recommend that. Again, a great recipe, and thank you so much!
Meesha says
I am really happy to hear that you like it! Thanks for the kind comment.😁
Emily says
This is a really easy and clear recipe, and the results were good. We went with chickpea flour and added the extra kneading to activate the gluten more thoroughly. I also added three tablespoons of ACV as part of the water (so that much less water). The texture is very pleasing, and the flavour is good. Our only note is that the spices could be doubled, and we felt the lack of salt. We would add some next time, despite the soy sauce.
Thank you for getting us started on our seitan journey! This was a terrific first recipe.
Meesha says
I have to try adding ACV someday! Thanks for your kind comment!
Stefanie Benoit says
The best sausage recipe I ever used, they are perfect and so easy! Thank you so much!
Meesha says
I am really happy to hear that! 😊