This vegan salami is made with vital wheat gluten for the most amazing taste and texture. It’s loaded with flavor and really easy to make too.
This vegan salami has such a great taste and texture that it could seriously fool people if you were so inclined.
We tested it quite a few times to get the right combination of ingredients and the end result is really just perfect.
It even has the little white parts that look like the ‘white fat’ that you would see in salami.
It’s so tasty that we were eating this for days on end with nothing but glee. Slices of this on a fresh hamburger roll with whole grain mustard and vegan cream cheese. Oh my! So good.
And if you love this recipe also check out our vegan ham roast! It’s fantastic.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes
- Vital wheat gluten – this is the crucial ingredient for vegan meats or ‘seitan’ as it’s also known. Unfortunately there is no good substitute for this at all.
- Red pepper flakes – are also called chili flakes.
- Pickled beets – you can use pickled beets in this recipe (as we did) or you can simply use cooked beets.
- Ground black pepper – we use a little ground black pepper in the dough for the salami and then we also roll the whole salami sausage in black pepper which gives it that gorgeous look.
How To Make Vegan Salami
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
The White Fat:
- Add vital wheat gluten, cornstarch, onion powder and garlic powder to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Now add vegetable stock and toasted sesame oil and form into a dough. Knead the dough for 1 minute.
- Then place the dough onto a wooden board and flatten it out with your hands.
- Cut it first into strips and then cut the strips into chunks. Set aside.
The Vegan Salami
- Add vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and red pepper flakes (chili flakes) and mix together.
- Now add toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, liquid smoke, dijon mustard, crushed garlic, pickled beets, salt and ground black pepper to a blender jug and blend until smooth.
- Pour this out over the dry ingredients and mix in.
- Get in there with your hands and form it into a dough and knead for around 1 minute.
- Then flatten it out on a wooden board with your hands. Place the chunks of white fat on top.
- Roll it into a ball and then form it roughly into a sausage shape.
- Cut the sausage into two and then roll each half in ground black pepper.
- Wrap the two sausages in parchment paper and then in foil, twisting the ends of the foil to seal it.
- Place them into a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam for 40 minutes.
- Let them cool on the counter until they reach room temperature and then place into the fridge (still sealed) and cool until chilled.
- When completely cooled, unwrap the salami from the foil, and cut into slices and serve.
Recipe Tips For Success
Don’t knead too long. This recipe does require some kneading but only a little. Knead for around 1 minute for both the white fat part of the salami and the ‘meat’ part of the salami. If you knead for too long the salami will be too tough and chewy.
Roll in black pepper. This is entirely optional but looks (and tastes) great. It’s not at all too strong a taste, it works perfectly. Just sprinkle black pepper on a plate and then roll the salami in it. It sticks easily and works great.
Wrap in parchment paper and foil. The parchment paper helps to smooth out the edges so even if your salami looks quite bumpy when you first wrap it, by the time it has steamed in the parchment and foil it smooths out a lot.
Recipe FAQ
This vegan salami recipe uses vital wheat gluten as the main ingredient. There isn’t any good substitute for it, so unfortunately it doesn’t work at all as gluten-free.
Keep your vegan salami stored in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week.
Yes this is freezer friendly for 2-3 months.
More Seitan Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Salami
Ingredients
White Fat:
- ⅓ cup Vital Wheat Gluten (50g)
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ cup Vegetable Stock (60ml)
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Salami:
- 2 cups Vital Wheat Gluten (300g)
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes Chili Flakes
- ⅓ cup Toasted Sesame Oil (80ml)
- ⅓ cup Soy Sauce (80ml)
- ⅔ cup Tomato Paste (173g)
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- ½ cup Pickled Beet Slices (85g)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Rolling:
Instructions
- White fat: Add vital wheat gluten, cornstarch, onion powder and garlic powder to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Now add vegetable stock and toasted sesame oil and form into a dough. Knead the dough for 1 minute.
- Then place the dough onto a wooden board and flatten it out with your hands.
- Cut it first into strips and then cut the strips into chunks. Set aside.
- Salami: Add vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and red pepper flakes (chili flakes) and mix together.
- Now add toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, liquid smoke, dijon mustard, crushed garlic, pickled beets, salt and ground black pepper to a blender jug and blend until smooth.
- Pour this out over the dry ingredients and mix in.
- Get in there with your hands and form it into a dough and knead for around 1 minute.
- Then flatten it out on a wooden board with your hands. Place the chunks of white fat on top.
- Roll it into a ball and then form it roughly into a sausage shape.
- Cut the sausage into two and then roll each half in ground black pepper.
- Wrap the two sausages in parchment paper and then in foil, twisting the ends of the foil to seal it.
- Place them into a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam for 40 minutes.
- Let them cool on the counter until they reach room temperature and then place into the fridge (still sealed) and cool until chilled.
- When completely cooled, unwrap the salami from the foil, and cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- Vital wheat gluten – this is the crucial ingredient for vegan meats or ‘seitan’ as it’s also known. Unfortunately there is no good substitute for this at all, so there is no gluten-free option for this recipe.
- Pickled beets – you can use pickled beets in this recipe or simply use cooked beets.
- Don’t knead too long. This recipe does require some kneading but only a little. Knead for around 1 minute for both the white fat part of the salami and the ‘meat’ part of the salami. If you knead for too long the salami will be too tough and chewy.
- Storing and Freezing: Keep your vegan salami stored in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week. It is freezer friendly for 2-3 months.
- Serving size: This recipe makes two large salami sausages. This contains approximately 16 serves at 4 slices per serve.
Hello,
Can I change the Toasted Sesame Oil for Sunflower oil? and What can I used instead of “Liquid Smoke”?
Thank You,
Toasted sesame oil has a unique toasted flavor so switching for sunflower oil will have a slight impact on the taste. You can leave out the liquid smoke if you can’t get hold of it.
Can I skip the nutritional yeast?
Yes you can.
Looks so delicious! Perfect for the lunch sandwich with lettuce and a dash of mayonnaise.
Thank you! Yes indeed it makes the most amazing sandwiches.