Description
Learn how to make vegan jerky at home! It’s a cheap, gluten-free, easy-to-prepare snack packed with plant-based protein and bursting with flavor. Plus, it has the perfect chewy ‘meat’-like texture that classic jerky has without the meat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 teaspoon vegan beef bouillon paste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free option)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce * (see notes)
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups Butler’s soy curls
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 12 whole black peppercorns
- 6 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the hot water and bouillon paste. Once uniform, combine soy sauce (or tamari), white vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, and onion powder.
- Add in the soy curls and give everything a good mix. Set it aside for 15 minutes to allow it to marinate and soften up.
- In the meantime, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add in the oil. Once warm, add the bay leaves and black peppercorns and toast for a few minutes, or until the bay leaves start to become golden.
- Begin scooping in the soy curls, squeezing/shaking off any excess liquid (but do not discard!)—cook for 2 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
- Preheat the oven to 220F.
- Add in ⅓ cup of the marinade and cook. Once the first batch of the liquid cooks off, add the next and continue this process until you have cooked off all of the liquid. Make sure you cook off the full ⅓ cup before adding in the next batch!
- Once the liquid has cooked off, spread the soy curls out evenly in your cast iron skillet (or transfer them to a baking sheet) and place them in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, give them a mix and continue cooking them in 20-minute batches until they are dried out and jerky-like. This process should take around 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- Remove the jerky from the oven and allow it to cool. Dig in!
Notes
- Because of the sodium content in the broth and soy sauce, we don’t add additional salt, but you can add some to taste as needed based on your taste preferences.
- If you don’t have garlic chili sauce, you can opt for sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. You can even use fresh hot peppers and add them into the marinade as well.
- Recipe inspired by Eric and Sarah over at Sarah’s Vegan Kitchen.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: Filipino-Inspired
