Julie Hasson is the author of 9 cookbooks, including 125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes, 125 Best Chocolate Recipes, 125 Best Cupcake Recipes and 300 Best Chocolate Recipes, Vegan Diner, Vegan Pizza and Vegan Casseroles. You can visit julie at www.juliehasson.com
Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausage
- Yield: 8 links 1x
Description
This sausage is delicious! Try it and you’ll see what we’re talking about. We want to hear about your own concoction and creations!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tbsp Bills Best Chik’Nish Seasoning (if using another brand which is salty, or saltier than Bill’s Best, you’ll want to greatly reduce the amount you use)
- 2 tbsp granulated onion
- 1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed, optional
- 2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional
- 1 tsp ground smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 2 1/4 cups cool water*
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.
- Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don’t worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling.
- Variation: You can shape the dough into little patties instead of links. If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can wrap the links in damp muslin or tea towel and tie ends with cotton twine.
Notes
Copyright © 2008 Julie Hasson
Hi Julie, I am new to vegetarian cooking, can you explain what the English version is of the following items? Vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast flakes and Bills best chi knish seasoning. Your veg Italian sausage looks great, I look forward yo making them and would be grateful for your help. Kinds regards Maureen.
Hi Maureen! Thanks! Bill’s Chicknish is just a flavoring, so you can omit it. Here is a link to find out more about nutritional yeast flakes (which are awesome!) http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/what-the-heck-is-nutritional-yeast.html, and vital wheat gluten is the protein extracted from wheat flour. You buy it in powdered form. Here’s a link for more info on vital wheat gluten http://www.bobsredmill.com/vital-wheat-gluten.html. The sausages won’t work without the vital wheat gluten. Once it’s steamed they become very sausage-like in texture.
Thanks!
Julie
Do you have a version of this recipe using TVP?
You can get gluten and nutritional yeast from amazon. I just used a little veggie stock power instead of the bills best. Just put my first lot in the steamer. Can’t wait to see how they come out!
By English, I presume you mean British? It took me a while but iI was able to find vital wheat gluten in an oriental supermarket in London. Nutritional yeast flakes can be found in most healthfood stores (i.e Holland & Barret, Wholefoods etc). My veg sausages are in the steamer now and cant wait to try them. Thanks for the great video and recipe Julie.
Julie this recipe was awesome!!! Easiest seitan I have ever made and my vegans loved the flavor.
Hi Julie,
The local quality of vegetarian sausage has dropped over the years. I am keen to make my own product knowing their is consistency in the formulation. Is there an alternative recipe that uses whole wheat flour as a substitute for wheat gluten?
Thank you
Chaven
Thank you
Hi Chaven,
Unfortunately this recipe won’t work with regular wheat flour. The Vital wheat gluten has almost magical powers, and is essential to make the sausages. I wish that I could find a way to make it without the gluten, but have not figured out a way yet.
Thanks!
Julie
If you cant find Vital wheat gluten, you can make your own by rinsing wholemeal flour. A quick search should pop up a couple of tutorials.
Hey there, is the reason you can’t use whole wheat flour because of consistency? I make a lot of “burrito bowls” so I really don’t care about consistency and only flavor. Would it still taste the same with whole wheat flower?
They are in the steamer now! Wish me luck! They smell amazing….thank you!!
Good luck Diane! Let me know how you like them.
Julie
This is a good technique for sietan, I switched out the spices and put ones from doner kebab in instead and shaved the sausage – worked surprisingly well
That sounds awesome Dean! If you feel like sharing it here, we’d love to see it. Thanks for letting us know!
This vegan sausage preparation is so good and so innovative! This basic method allowed me to make vegan Andouille sausage for my blog’s recipes for Cajun gumbo and Creole jambalaya.
One tip is that if any readers are having trouble finding chickpea flour in stores, I’ve substituted soy flour and it works fine, likely because they’re both high protein flours. Thanks again for such a great idea–vegans and omnivores alike love my sausage!
Thanks Michelle!
If I omit the Bill’s Best, as you say, should I add more salt to compensate?
Definitely Eric!
This recipe looks just perfect, Julie! The thing is I don’t have access to vital wheat gluten flour where I live currently (not even online). Is there any way how to make it without it? I can make seitan from scratch, but I guess it won’t help me in this particular recipe…maybe dry it and grind it? haha I am trying to figure it out somehow, I want to make them so bad for Christmas! 🙂 Do you happen to have any tip for me by any chance? 🙂 I would be more than glad… Thank you very much, and all the best!
Thanks Liv! Unfortunately I don’t know how to make this without vital wheat gluten. One of these days I’m going to figure out how to make them without it, so they can be gluten-free.
Sorry it took me so long to answer you. I just saw everyone’s questions.
No, what Liv is saying is that she makes Seitan from SCRATCH (from regular flour, as do I), not that she makes it without gluten. You do know that you don’t need “vital wheat gluten” to make seitan, right? It’s a little messy and time consuming, but much cheaper. I think Liv was asking how you incorporate the traditionally kneaded and rinsed wheat gluten with these spices to make this from scratch.
I buy Vital Wheat Gluten from Bob’s Mill through Amazon.com. It is a good quality gluten with great results, and it is less expensive to buy it this way, particularly in the 3-package deal.
You can get VW GLUTEN from Amazon.
Hi Julie,
My wife loves this recipe!
Do you happen to know the nutritional information, calories, etc?
Thank you!
Jack
Hi Jack! Unfortunately I don’t have the nutritional stats for the recipe. I would imagine that they are low fat and very high protein though.
Unfortunately I don’t have the nutritional info for this recipe Jack.
I imported this recipe into My Fitness Pal app. Nutritional info for 8 servings:
1 sausage
Calories 242, Fat 4.7g, Carb 17.4 g, Protein 32.2g Fiber 4 g. Sodium 716 mg, Potassium 55 mg
WHAT IS THE BRAND OF THE STEAMER YOU USE ? AND WHERE CAN I GET ONE ?
CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THE SAUSAGE .
THANKS
DWIGHT
Dwight I just got mine at an Asian grocery store. It was around $25.00
Hi Dwight! I found mine at a local Asian grocery store. It was very inexpensive. Maybe $35 or so.
Hi,
I will start making these sausages today. I’m a little nervous. About the Chikn’ish seasoning, I’m not able to find it in stores. Is there an alternate seasoning that I can use? I went ahead bout a Bragg’s 24 seasoning bottle. I know you said that if we were to use a different seasoning, to put in a little bit of it into the sausage recipe.
Hi Ginger! I stopped using the Chicknish seasoning all together, as it became harder to find. You can use any seasoning you like, and then add more or less salt to taste (depending on the seasoning). We have more recipes for seating sausages and roasts on our membership side. None of them call for the Chicknish. I hope that helps!
I found that using a flavorful veggie broth for the water instead of the chiknish was a great alternative. Chiknish contains soy, where many veggie broths do not. Soy’s not the best thing for most women to eat regularly, as it is a source of phytoestrogen, and can really mess with our hormone balance.
I loved these sausages Julie! This recipe is fantastic. It was actually our first taste of Vegan sausage and what a hit! Today I’m going to make a Chorizo version. Have you made seitan using other cooking methods? (baking, simmering, slow cooking?) The web has so many seitan recipes and methods, it’s hard to make sense of it all.
I’m thrilled to have tried yours as my first, but curious about the textures other methods result in.
Hi. i love this recipe. this is the 3rd time I’ve done it. It is super. i did not have a steamer and substituted a spring form pan turned upside down in a tall pot with a vegetable steamer on top of that.
Just made this recipe this weekend. It is AMAZING! Thank you very much for sharing!
Wow! It worked! This is a truly fabulous recipe. And you’re right – it’s open to infinite variations. I am so happy to have found this. Flavor and texture are superb. I did use the fennel since I love fennel seed and the flavor is spot-on to real sausage (which I admittedly miss!).
Awesome, thanks Morgan!
Hi,
These sausages look soooo yummy and I can’t wait to try the recipe!!! Is it possible for me to omit or minimize the use of olive oil or with this greatly impact how the sausages turn out?
Thanks!
Story
Hi Story! Yes, you can omit or reduce the oil in this recipe.
Will these hold up to the freezer? With just two of us, I don’t know how quickly we could eat eight.
Thanks.
yes, they do.
if you have a bag sealer you can also seal the mix in sausage shapes in boilable plastic bags (without the foil and leaving expansion room) they can then be boiled (or steamed) and they keep in the ‘fridge for ages (they were fine when eaten after a couple of weeks) – or freeze.
They will hold up fine in the freezer Ivan!
I have a quick question. Our family stays away from foil. Is there another way to avoid the foil but still able to get the same results. Thank you for your recipe .
Caroline Polis, at the end of the printed recipe, par headed ‘Variations’, she states that you can wrap the sausages in damp muslin or tea towels. Just something to hold its shape through steaming. Possibly parchment paper would serve? Or waxed paper? If you try either of the latter, I’d make sure you have enough paper to go around each link at least a couple of times or three, in case it wants to disintegrate under the steaming. A bit harder to tie off the ends though.
Re: using parchment paper to wrap the sausages – I tried that, and it didn’t work for me. I went back to using foil. However, I never noticed the muslin recommendation until now. I think I will buy a package of muslin shop cloths, give them a good wash, and try them next time.
Also, I am experimenting this time. I added 1/4 cup of soy milk powder to the batch that’s steaming now. I got the idea from a video on Connie’s Rawsome Kitchen (on YouTube). Connie added it to her seitan recipe, and it enriched the flavour. All my seitan has soy milk powder in it now – so why not my sausages?
That said, this sausage recipe has been a mainstay in my kitchen since the first time I tried it. I use different seasonings pretty well every time.
yes, you can use parchment paper first and then wrap with the foil
Hi, thx for this recipe. My family and I are loving it. We’ve made it 4-5 times now and it turned out great every time. But now we’ve moved to india and we can’t find vital wheat gluten flour. I’ve been thinking about making my own seitan at home. Do you think it will work for this recipe ? Can I still add the chickpea flour to it? Not sure how easy the homemade seitan would be to work with. Welcome in out before I try it out. TIA
Thanks Salona! I don’t think that this particular recipe will work without vital wheat gluten.
These look amazing. What is the process for freezing them. Do you steam them first or freeze straight away? How long do they last for in freezer? Thanks, can’t wait to try them!
Hi Alicia! Thanks! You steam them first, let them cool completely, and then freeze them in zip top bags.
Hi, Julie. You were asking for tips in your video. Here comes mine. I’m going to add some sea weed previously hydrated and the cut into small pieces. I always do that with saussages because it adds taste and minerals!
Thanks for the recipe. I have just put my first batch in the fridge to “firm up” . Question about using these cut up in rounds in soups: how well do these sausages hold together in broth? I don’t want them falling apart so I’m wondering if I need to add them in as one of the last steps.
My grandpa used my make Italian sausage patties served on sourdough toast as a tradition every Christmas and New Years. Since he passed away in ’94 my family has had trouble replicating the experience even with real meat sausage. Since I became vegan, I had given up hope. Despite most vegan sausages being awful, when I saw this recipe and video I was convinced that these were worth a try. In fact they were perfect and my whole family loved them. After steaming and storing in the refrigerator, I sliced them thin and pan fried in a little olive oil, served on sourdough toast with earth balance. At one point while eating it, the thought crossed my mind that it was the best thing I had ever eaten. I will be making this recipe for the rest of my life. Thank you.
Reformed sausage junkie…just put this recipe in the steamer and I am literally on the verge of tears. This smells like my favorite childhood pizzeria! Anticipating the joy.
I’ve made a lot of seitan sausages, but these were the best of the lot of them.
Hi Julie,
I’m a carnivore, but living with three vegetarians. I often convert recipes to adapt to their needs, but wondering how these sausages would work in a soup. Would you skip the steamer step and drop chunks into the soup or follow the recipe and break them apart after refrigerating and add? Worried they would not add any depth to the flavor of the soup if added at the end. Any suggestions?
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a45873/copycat-olive-garden-zuppa-toscana-recipe/?
By the way, couldn’t you replace the gluten with xanthan gum? Other
Gluten free” recipes use this ingredient instead.
So impressed by these! My first time making anything like it. Just had a couple on the bbq and they were so much better than anything store bought; didn’t have that weird impenetrable skin. And so easy to make — thanks for the recipe.
Hi Julie,
Thanks to you, my husband and I finally have a homemade alternative to store-bought veggie meats that’s even more delicious! I made a few substitutions based on what spices are available here in Brazil, and it still turned out a-mazing! I will definitely be making these sausages on a weekly basis to put in black beans and pastas!
Unfortunately, the only chickpea flour sold here has a very funny aftertaste that also comes across in the sausage. Can I get the same great texture by omitting the chickpea flour or substituting it?
Thank you so much for this recepie! I have tryed so meny times to get the consistency just like i remember from meat sausages here in Sweden and i think you just nailed it white these! Wow!
looks perfect and VEGAN 🙂
I have waited far too long to thank you for this recipe, Julie. For a long time, I was skittish about using any other seasoning but Italian, but lately I have gotten braver. Tonight’s batch combines sage and herbes de Provence, with onion flakes, just a little garlic, and pepper. I ate one for dinner, and it was delicious. By the way, I make my own chickenish. It is easy, and I prefer my own to any commercial mixes I have found. They’re all too salty. (I haven’t seen Bill’s here.) So thank you!
These look pretty good! Do you suppose I could switch out the nutritional yeast for something, maybe cheese? Thanks!
What an awesome recipe — super pleased with the resulting sausages — I’ve carved one up to be the sausage on my vegan pizza — incredible. My wife just tried a piece of my sausage and didn’t know they aren’t real meat. Thank you
Wow! These came out amazing! Way beyond what i thought possible. Thanks for such a great recipe.
In place of Bills Best Chik’Nish Seasoning, has anyone tried Marmite or Vegemite, or even something like Better Than Bouillon? Better Than Bouillon has a vegetable base that is vegan.
I’ve been searching for a recipe that mimics the commercial Italian sausage that my mostly carnivore boyfriend will actually eat. This is IT!! Thank you! We love this recipe!
Hi Julie,
I am allergic to nutritional yeast, what can I substitute for that?
Hello: I have wrapped my seitan in cheesecloth and poached in broth. It blows up and becomes spongy. I had also thought of steaming it so that it won’t absorb so much liquid. But you wrap yours in aluminum. When you do that it seems like none of the steam would penetrate. Please advise. I don’t want another inedible mess. Thanks.
Is there something I can use instead of Nutritional Yeast
This sausage was fabulous! Easy and best tasting I have had. Thank you so very much for sharing.
Julie- I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly twenty five years. I’m so grateful to have discovered your recipe. This recipe is one of my standards. My family loves it. I’ve used this recipe as a base for other vegetarian sausages. Thank you for the joy you’ve brought to my family’s table.
Thank you so much Jeff!
So I had a rev elation with this recipe today. I instead of sausages I cooked it as a big log wrapped in muslin in the steamer for 1hour 15 mins. Let it cool then used a very sharp knife to shave thin strips off. Fried these in a little oil to crisp one side and hay preseto, vegan donner kebab 🙂 it looks just like the real thing and tastes pretty good too
Just saw the YouTube video you did years ago and tried my hand at making these. I was totally blown away. I made some minor adjustments to the spices for my taste and used Better than Bouillion since I couldn’t find Chiknish and added Vegemite. These were so good right out of the pot that I can’t wait to try them in tomato sauce.
Thanks so much Mary!!