Vegan Pepperoni

Vegan Pepperoni
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Even though I am not vegan, I love to cook meals involving nothing but plants. I especially love taking carnivore classics like meatloaf, ribs and fried chicken and creating (or trying to create) passable versions of them without setting foot into a butcher’s shop. This is particularly true when it comes to processed meats, because these days we are hearing more than ever about the dangers of consuming nitrates, sodium and countless other nasty things manufacturers are putting in our foods. This is one reason that when I learned one could make a vegan pepperoni, I was immediately intrigued.

Many vegan pepperoni recipes call for vital wheat gluten to give it that important firm texture, but after much experimenting I found that the amount in most recipes produce a pepperoni that is too rubbery for my taste. So I decided to reduce the amount of vital wheat gluten and increase the fresh ingredients.

Additionally, most recipes use some type of cooked beans, spices and water as its base. The vital wheat gluten is usually the predominant ingredient, which is what makes it so chewy. By increasing the amount of beans (I use red kidney, mostly for the color but you can use any type), and reducing the vital wheat gluten I was able to make a pepperoni that is a little more palatable to eat on its own. Also, I substituted fresh onion, garlic and some roasted red pepper and used only enough water to bind the dough. This I found resulted in a tastier, healthier pepperoni.

Having a blender is important because the beans, onions and roasted pepper need to be smooth. It’s okay however if it’s not silky smooth, because seeing little flecks of pulverized beans actually adds to the pepperoni look. The spices are particularly important because they are responsible for giving it that distinct pepperoni flavor. In most recipes liquid smoke is used, but because I am not a fan of this I replaced it with chipotle powder. You still get the smokiness with even more added flavor. Experiment with your own herbs and spices, but I would not leave out the crushed fennel seeds—surprisingly it plays a hefty role in pepperoni.

When rolling the shaped pepperoni in foil, make it tight! In fact, you may want to use a heavy duty foil because the pepperoni will expand in the steamer enough to almost bust it. It is also important to cool it completely before slicing because it firms up considerably.

I hope you try this tastier, slightly softer version of vegan pepperoni whether or not you eat meat. I find it has just enough chew to be palatable on its own, yet enough flavor to make you feel you are not missing out. It’s amazing on pizza because it becomes crispy, and I would not be surprised if you fool your carnivore friends with it. So say adios to the usual nitrate loaded products on the store shelf and welcome this healthier, natural pepperoni in your life.

Yum

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6 thoughts on “Vegan Pepperoni”

    • Hi Brenda! You could, but it won’t be the same. Vital wheat gluten gives it a firm texture that’s important because of the protein content. However, some recipes use rolled oats instead and it seems to work out, so I would try that. Let me know how it goes!

  • Wonder if you could combined chickpea flour and phylum husk powder to replace the gluten for gluten free. I know the husk powder is the only thing that makes chewy bread…. Hmmmm?

    • Chickpea flour takes longer to cook than wheat flour…rice flour perhaps? I don’t know anything about phylum husk powder, but it might be worth a shot.

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