Vegan Pepperoni

♫ Listening to: communicationissexy/idkhow2communicate by The Aquadolls ♫

This recipe was inspired by Miyoko’s unpepperoni recipe in her cookbook called The Vegan Pantry. My recipe is similar to hers, but a little bit easier for those of who might be (ahem. lazy. ahem.) unable to find all the ingredients in her recipe. I use vegan pepperoni ALL THE TIME so I make this in a giant batch and freeze it. Then when I want to make something that calls for pepperoni, I just pull a roll out of my freezer and leave it on the counter for a couple hours to thaw.

I’m not sure how easy it is to find vegan pepperoni where you live, but here in the SF bay area, where we have access to almost every kind of vegan food imaginable, vegan pepperoni is the one thing we’re missing. And if you do have vegan pepperoni at your store, you may still want to make this yourself because you can make it organic!

If you’re looking for recipes to use your pepperoni in, check out my other pizza recipes: pizza recipe 1, pizza recipe 2, and pizza recipe 3.

This recipe takes 30 minutes to make and an hour to bake. It makes 8 rolls of pepperoni.

Vegan Pepperoni Ingredients

• 1 cup red wine (or sub 1 cup organic tomato sauce)*
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons miso paste
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or use coconut aminos if you avoid all soy)
• 2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons paprika (optional)
• 2 teaspoons beetroot powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 ½ cups organic vital wheat gluten*
• ½ cup nutritional yeast

Vegan Pepperoni Directions

Preheat the oven to 325º.

Blend 1 cup red wine (or tomato sauce), ½ cup olive oil, onion, 3 tablespoons miso paste, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Braggs liquid aminos (or coconut aminos if you avoid all soy), 2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke , 2 tablespoons paprika (optional), 2 teaspoons beetroot powder (optional), ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 2 teaspoons pink sea salt , 2 teaspoons garlic powder.

Whisk 3 ½ cups gluten with ½ cup nutritional yeast in a large bowl.

Pour the blended mixture into the whisked dry ingredients, using a silicone spatula to scrape out every last little bit, and mix well. I usually start with a strong large spoon and then switch to using my hands.

Divide into 8 equal pieces. I’ve used a kitchen scale for this, but I’ve also just eyeballed it. It honestly doesn’t need to be exact, unless you’re a type A personality, in which case, don’t even let me see you rounding up to the nearest gram.

Roll each of the 8 pieces into logs.

Wrap each log in recycled aluminum foil and twist the ends like you’re rolling a joint in 1969.

Set the logs on a baking stone or baking sheet.

Bake at 325º for an hour.

Cool and use immediately or transfer to a ziplock freezer bag and freeze until you need them.

Here’s a video of me live streaming while I make this.

If you like making your own plant-based meats, check out this other recipe.

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* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.