Vegan Italian Sausage
You’re going to love these homemade Italian seitan sausages. They’re great served as a sausage and peppers sandwich on a long roll or sliced up and served on pasta or pizza. The whole family is sure to enjoy these delicious Italian vegan sausages.
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I love making and working with seitan. And our seitan bangers and mash is one of my favorite recipes. But I’ve always wanted to try and turn those British-style seitan sausages into a new recipe for tasty and spicy vegan Italian sausages.
We used classic marinara sauce, loads of fresh garlic, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to capture that great flavor we wanted.
Serve them as sandwiches, on pasta, or on pizza. They’re also a great addition as part of a vegan charcuterie board!
However you slice them, or don’t, the whole family is sure to enjoy these spicy Italian vegan sausages.
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Italian Sausage Recipe:
- This vegan sausage recipe is a cheap and relatively easy recipe to make your own homemade vegan Italian sausages instead of buying them!
- Our hearty vegan sausage recipe is perfect for grilling – We tested these grilled and they worked fantastic! It’s my favorite way to eat them!
- SO MUCH FLAVOR. These are the most flavorful vegan sausages – or even traditional sausages – you will ever eat. And once you try it, you won’t be able to put it down!
- Seitan sausages are an easy recipe that’s great for beginner seitan-makers. They’re also a great source of protein for all kinds of meatless dinner options!
Ingredients for Vegan Italian Sausages
To make these hearty vegan sausages, you’ll just need 7 simple ingredients and a few common spices!
Dry Ingredients:
- Vital wheat gluten – This is the main ingredient in this seitan recipe and cannot be replaced. It’s the wheat protein separated from the flour.
- All-purpose flour – Also known as “plain flour” outside the U.S. This is a little trick to add the perfect meaty texture.
- SPICES: Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder
Wet Ingredients:
- Red pepper flakes
- Olive oil – for sauteing and adding some “fat” to the sausages
- Marinara sauce – Room temperature or slightly warmed. You want to use a smooth tomato sauce for best results in this recipe. We like to use something flavored with Italian herbs too.
- Refined coconut oil – melted
- Garlic cloves – minced
Substitution Options for Italian Veggie Sausage
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the above ingredients, here are our best substitution tips. Remember: Substituting any of the ingredients may lead to a difference in the final product that is not always a positive one. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work out for you!
For the spices: Feel free to shake these up as you see fit. Ground fennel seeds can be a nice addition or add cayenne pepper for even more spiciness!
For the all-purpose flour: You can sub chickpea flour, but this will produce a slightly different texture and flavor to the end result. I would not recommend using whole wheat flour because this would produce a tougher texture.
For the dried Italian herbs: You can sub fresh basil and oregano if you prefer to use fresh herbs instead of dry. A general rule of thumb is to use 3 times the amount of fresh herbs that you would for dried herbs. If you are using freeze-dried herbs, you can sub for fresh at a 1:1 ratio.
How to Make Spicy Italian Meatless Sausage
Step 1: Prep
Gather your ingredients and prepare your steaming mechanism as needed so everything is set and ready to go.
Step 2: Saute
Heat your olive oil in a small saute pan on medium heat. (Depending on your cookware, you may want to use medium low heat instead.)
When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for 1-3 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted.
Step 3: Make the Seitan Dough
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients – including the pasta sauce and contents of your saute pan.
- Create a well in the center of the dry mix and pour in the wet mixture.
- Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a rough dough ball forms.
Step 4: How to Knead Seitan
Knead the rough seitan dough gently with your hands for no longer than 30 seconds (set a timer).
You don’t want to go over 30 seconds because this will negatively affect the final texture and make it tough or chewy. You want to avoid this firmer texture.
Step 5: Wrap the Vegetarian Italian Sausages
- Cut the seitan dough into 8 equal-ish pieces and prepare 8 (6-8-inch) pieces of aluminum foil to wrap them in.
- Lay your first tin foil square flat on the counter and use your hands to shape the first piece of dough into a long sausage.
- Place the seitan across the bottom of your tin foil and carefully roll upward until it’s completely wrapped.
- Twist the ends as needed to contain the dough in the foil. Repeat for each remaining sausage.
Step 6: How to Steam Vegan Italian Sausages
Add these to your steamer basket and steam the seitan sausages in the tin foil for 30 minutes.
When cool enough to touch, unwrap them and either store or cook them to eat right away.
I think this recipe would work using the steamer function in an Instant Pot, but we haven’t tried it ourselves.
How to Serve These Vegan Italian Sausages
The seitan sausages are fine to eat as-is, but we also like to crisp them up on the grill or in a frying pan before serving.
You can also chop them up and brown in a pan to make vegan Italian sausage crumbles that can be used as veggie crumbles to add flavor to any recipe!
Meal Ideas:
- Slice and serve over pasta dishes with peppers and onions.
- Eat them on a long roll or vegan hot dog buns with all your favorite toppings. I recommend a liberal amount of sauteed onions and bell peppers
- Slice thinly and use to top a vegan pizza for a flavorful sausage stand-in!
- Serve on a vegan charcuterie board with crackers, veggies, and vegan cheeses!
- Use it as a fun twist in vegan breakfast burritos
How to Store Leftover Vegan Italian Style Sausages
Store any leftovers in a well-sealed, airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This makes them awesome for meal prep!
How to Reheat Leftover Vegan Sausages
You can reheat leftover sausages in the microwave or on the stove.
In the microwave: Reheat at 75% power for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.
On the stove: Heat a saute pan over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes until warmed through.
FAQs
What is vegan Italian sausage made of?
Vegan Italian sausage, or seitan, is made from flour, vital wheat gluten, and a variety of herbs and spices for flavor.
Is there a vegan substitute for Italian sausage?
You can make your own vegan substitute for Italian sausage at home with our recipe. There are also a variety of brands including Beyond Meat and Gardein that make sweet and hot vegan Italian sausage that can be bought in grocery stores.
Is vegan Italian sausage healthy?
Because they are void of cholesterol, vegan sausage can be a healthy alternative to sausages made from animals.
More Seitan Recipes:
- Classic Seitan Sausages
- Stuffed Seitan Roast en Croute
- Slow-Cooker Seitan Corned Beef
- Seitan Ham Roast with Pineapple Mustard Glaze
Looking for vegan hot dogs recipe? Check out our Ballpark-Style Carrot Dogs!
If you make these veggie Italian sausages, let us know! We’d love it if you’d leave a rating and review below. It’s a free way to support our work and help more people find and try our vegan recipes!
Enjoy!
Veggie Italian Sausage
Ingredients
For the dry ingredients:
- 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4-6 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/4 cup marinara sauce room temperature or slightly warmed
- 1/3 cup melted refined coconut oil
Instructions
- PREP: Gather your ingredients and prepare your steaming mechanism as needed.
- SAUTE: Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan on medium heat. When hot, add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 1-3 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted.
- MAKE THE SEITAN DOUGH: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the wet ingredients – including the contents of your saute pan. Create a well in the center of the dry mix and pour in the wet mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a rough dough ball forms.
- KNEAD THE SEITAN: Knead the seitan gently for just 30-45 seconds. You don’t want to go over 45 seconds because this will negatively affect the final texture.
- WRAP THE SAUSAGES: Cut the seitan dough into 8 equal-ish pieces and prepare 8 (6-8-inch) pieces of tin foil to wrap them in. Lay your first tin foil square flat on the counter and use your hands to shape the first piece of dough into a long sausage. Place the seitan across the bottom of your tin foil and carefully roll upward until it’s completely wrapped. Twist the ends as needed to contain the dough in the foil. Repeat for each sausage.
- STEAM THE SEITAN: Steam the seitan sausages in the tin foil for 30 minutes. When cool enough to touch, unwrap them and either store or cook them to eat right away.
- SERVE/STORE: The seitan sausages are fine to eat as-is, but we like to crisp them up on the grill or in a saute pan and serve in a roll with sauteed peppers and onions! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Substitution Options
- For the spices: Feel free to shake these up as you see fit. Ground fennel seeds can be a nice addition or add cayenne pepper for even more spiciness!
- For the all-purpose flour: You can sub chickpea flour, but this will produce a slightly different texture and flavor to the end result. I would not recommend using whole wheat flour because this would produce a tougher texture.
- For the dried Italian herbs: You can sub fresh basil and oregano if you prefer to use fresh herbs instead of dry. A general rule of thumb is to use 3 times the amount of fresh herbs that you would for dried herbs. If you are using freeze-dried herbs, you can sub for fresh at a 1:1 ratio.
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