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Bring your sandwiches to the next level with these homemade vegan deli meat slices! They are packed with flavor, easy to put together and cheaper than the store-bought options available.
If you have ever seen Chris’ Instagram, you’d know that he is a lover of sandwiches. Some would even say that he is a sandwich connoisseur and I would definitely agree with that! With this, vegan deli meat is something that we are constantly restocking our fridge with. Considering the price and also the amount of waste that the packaging produces, we thought that it was time that we tried our hand at making deli meat at home.
Going into this, we thought the process was going to be long and tedious. To our pleasant surprise, making vegan deli meat at home was easier than we could’ve imagined. It does take a little bit of time though, so make sure you carve out some time in the day to be home while the seitan steams and bakes.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can customize the spices and ingredients to make different “deli meats”. We made turkey flavored slices, but you can also make ham, roast beef, etc. Get creative!
This vegan deli meat is also the absolute perfect recipe to make for back to school. Growing up, we both had sandwiches for lunch throughout the entirety of middle school and high school, and ’till this day, we are still huge sandwich fans.
To start, grab a high-speed blender and add all of the ingredients from the tofu to the turmeric (in the ingredient list).
Blend everything together until smooth. In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten along with the chickpea flour and mix until uniform. Pour the blended mixture into the bowl and using a spatula or a wooden spoon, mix everything until a dough forms.
Flour a clean work surface (we used chickpea flour) and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, or until it becomes soft and smooth. The dough may appear sticky, but it is supposed to be this way! If it is too dry, the result will not be ideal.
Lay a 12-inch piece of aluminum foil on the counter and then place a 10-inch piece of parchment paper on top. Place the dough at the bottom of the parchment paper and press it into a tall and thick log with your hands.
First, wrap the parchment paper around the seitan, leaving the ends open.
Next, place the wrapped log towards the bottom of the foil and then wrap the foil around the seitan log. Twist the ends up like a candy wrapper to seal the seitan in. Try not to make this too tight and allow for a bit of room at the ends as the seitan will expand.
Place the seitan log into a steamer basket and and steam it for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Once the seitan has steamed, remove it from the steamer basket and transfer it onto a baking sheet. Place it into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the seitan log from oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing. It is beneficial to unwrap it at this point (carefully, it will be hot) so that it will cool faster.
Once the seitan has cooled to temperature, you can place it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. When you are ready to eat the seitan deli meat, use a sharp knife to thinly slice the log.
All that’s left to do is to serve the seitan vegan deli meat in your favorite sandwich! We added ours to a sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, vegan mayo, avocado, and vegan gouda cheese. It was delicious!
Have you ever made your own vegan deli meat at home? If not, now’s the perfect time to try. You’ll be amazed at how effortless it is. Also, the fact that these are free from any funky preservatives is a huge win too.
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
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Homemade Vegan Deli Meat
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Description
Bring your sandwiches to the next level with these homemade vegan deli meat slices! They are packed with flavor, easy to put together and cheaper than the store bought options available!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. extra firm tofu, drained
- 2 cups vegan chicken broth (we used this one)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
Instructions
- Set up a large steamer pot on your stove and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer.
- In a high -speed blender, add all of the ingredients from the tofu to the turmeric and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten along with the chickpea flour and mix until uniform. Pour the blended mixture into the bowl and using a spatula or a wooden spoon, mix everything until a dough forms.
- Flour a clean work surface (we used chickpea flour) and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, or until it becomes soft and smooth. The dough may appear sticky, but it is supposed to be this way! If it is too dry, the result will not be ideal.
- Lay a 12-inch piece of aluminum foil on the counter and then place a 10-inch piece of parchment paper on top. Place the dough at the bottom of the parchment paper and press it into a tall and thick log with your hands. First, wrap the parchment paper around the seitan, leaving the ends open. Next, place the wrapped log towards the bottom of the foil and then wrap the foil around the seitan log. Twist the ends up like a candy wrapper to seal the seitan in. Try not to make this too tight and allow for a bit of room at the ends as the seitan will expand.
- Place the seitan log into the steamer basket and and steam it for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Once the seitan has steamed, remove it from the steamer basket and transfer it onto a baking sheet. Place it into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove the seitan log from oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing. It is beneficial to unwrap it at this point (carefully, it will be hot) so that it will cool faster.
- Once the seitan has cooled to temperature, you can place it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. When you are ready to eat the seitan deli meat, use a sharp knife to thinly slice the log.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Vegan Dad.
- The seitan log can also be frozen (without the parchment/foil wrapping) in an airtight container. Allow it to thaw completely before slicing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Entree
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: Vegan
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I just made this for the first time and it is delicious! I loveTofurkey but this has so much more flavor. I need to get a meat slicer 🙂
This would also make a delicious holiday roast!
This is excellent! Someone asked about replacing the tofu and I always use the equivalent weight in white kidney beans instead and it comes out perfectly:)
This was really easy to make and it’s super delicious!!! Makes a ton and I’m excited to take it camping for sandwiches for my vegan family. Doesn’t have the funk flavor other seitan recipes can have. I totally forgot to bake it and used the instant pot on high pressure for 20 mins and let it naturally release and left it for another hour (because I wasn’t home…). It’s perfect!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Love the recipe. I’d like to point out that this recipe is the very definition of tedious… it’s easy but takes a while. 😉
Do you think I could use a ham maker press and get similar results. What might I do differently from your excellent directions. Does the steam ( hot water vapor) get through the foil? Or is it the temperature? Thank you!
Bob