Incredibly juicy, sticky, and succulent, these amazing vegan BBQ seitan ribs will please even non-vegans! It is easy to make, fuss-free, and ready in no time. Plus, it is also incredibly high in protein, filling and satisfying.

You can make almost every kinds of meat dishes under the sun using seitan! After using it to make bacon and Italian sausages, I have ribs on my next agenda.
And I must say, it turns out to be a huge success! It is smoky, juicy and tender, and has all the flavors of the classic ribs. Even my non-vegan family absolutely adores this dish, and we have been making this almost every weekend!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Savory, sticky and succulent - Unlike those made from tofu, tempeh or beans, this seitan version actually have a chewy texture that closely resembles that of meat! They are also incredibly flavorsome and tasty, and will leave you wanting for more.
- Fuss-free and easy to throw together- Making your own vegan ribs at home might sound overwhelming, but this recipe in particular is actually pretty simple.
- Packed with plant based protein - Seitan is one of the highest protein plant food available, and per serving of this seitan ribs provides more than 25g of protein!
- A crowd pleaser - Great for summer parties, potlucks and picnics. They are kid-friendly and will impress even meat eaters.
🤔What is it made of
The main ingredient in this BBQ vegan ribs is seitan, a meat substitute made from vital wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is a high protein flour that mainly composed of wheat-protein - gluten. I recommend checking out this vital wheat gluten post as it goes into so much more detail about this incredible ingredient!
Various spices and seasonings like onion and garlic powder, nutritional yeast, soy sauce and liquid smoke are used to give tons of flavor as seitan is pretty much tasteless on its own. Tahini is also added to give extra moisture and richness to these vegan ribs.
You will also need some BBQ sauce, either homemade or store-bought ones. I recommend getting a good quality one that you actually like as it will be the main seasoning in this recipe.
🧄What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Vital wheat gluten - DO NOT substitute this with any other kind of flour. It simply will not work! You can get it in most well-stocked groceries or health food stores. I usually get my wheat gluten online through Amazon.
- BBQ sauce - Both homemade or store-bought ones can be used. If you are looking for a healthier recipe, I recommend giving this healthy BBQ sauce from My Quiet Kitchen a try!
- Tahini - Provide extra richness and improve texture of seitan ribs. You can use almond butter in place, or 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil.
- Soy sauce - Tamari or shoyu can be used in place.
🔪How to make
Here is a quick rundown of the steps involved. The full detailed instructions will be in the recipe card below!
First of all, start by combining all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, add in all wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
Knead dough for about 30 seconds to a minute.
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 your vegan ribs to be.
Bake for 20 minutes, then spread BBQ sauce on and bake for another 10 minutes. When the time is up, flip it and spread sauce on the other side. Bake it again for 10 minutes.
Let seitan ribs cool down and rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
✔Helpful tips
- It is highly recommended to weigh out dry ingredients using a kitchen scale for the best result. I personally am using this Ozeri scale and couldn't recommend it enough! Simply click on the "metric" button in the recipe card below to convert the unit to metric.
- Dough for this BBQ vegan ribs will be slightly softer and wetter than normal seitan dough as we will be baking instead of steaming or boiling it.
- Avoid kneading dough for too long! The more you knead it, the more the gluten develop, and your ribs will turn out to be tough and dry.
- Do let seitan ribs rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. The texture will get even better if you refrigerate overnight and serve the day after!
- If you want to grill them, first bake seitan for 30 minutes without any sauce on. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove it from pan. Brush on BBQ sauce, then cook it in a grill or grill pan for 3-4 minutes on each sides, or until ribs are nicely charred.
🥔How to serve
You can simply serve these BBQ vegan ribs like you would with the traditional ones! Here are some serving ideas if you are looking for some inspiration -
- Serve it with some mashed potato and gravy for if you are craving something warm and comforting.
- On the other hand, you can serve your seitan ribs with some pasta salad or coleslaw if you want something light and refreshing.
- They will also go well with roasted potato, normal fries, potato slices, or sweet potato fries.
- You can also serve them with vegetable side dishes like air fryer Portobello mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and corn on cob.
- Last but certainly not least, pair BBQ vegan ribs with some freshly steamed rice or cornbread! They are pretty flavorful on their own, and will pair well with something more neutral-tasting.
❄Storing suggestions
Refrigerating
Let seitan ribs cool down before transferring them to a sealed container. They can be refrigerated for 4-5 days.
Freezing
Portion them accordingly in sealed containers and they will last in the freezer for up to a month.
Reheating
To reheat from frozen, let vegan ribs thaw completely overnight in the fridge, or on the countertop for a few hours. Brush on some BBQ sauce. You can proceed with heating them in a pan or on a grill.
For a quicker version, you can first thaw them using your microwave's "defrost" function, before heating them on high at 15-second spurts, or until thoroughly heated.
🍽More seitan recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan BBQ Seitan Ribs
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten
- 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
- 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 on and bake for another 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 and rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- It is highly recommended to weigh out dry ingredients using a kitchen scale for the best result. Simply click on the "metric" button in the recipe card below to convert the unit to metric.
- Dough for this vegan ribs will be slightly softer and wetter than normal seitan dough as we will be baking instead of steaming or boiling it.
- Avoid kneading dough for too long! The more you knead it, the more the gluten develop, and your ribs will turn out to be tough and dry.
- Do let seitan ribs rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. The texture will get even better if you refrigerate overnight and serve the day after!
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.
Robert
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
I am thrilled to hear that! Thanks for your feedback. 😁
Rose
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
I am so happy to hear that!😁
peggy
Seitan Ribs are my new go to food. Easy and quick to make . What flavor, Delicious
Meesha
Super happy to hear that 😊