Vegan Pepperoni from scratch with minimal effort! No kneading! It is made with chickpea flour and therefore gluten-free. Just blend/mix and pressure cook! No standing around, no elbow grease! Delicious on sandwiches, as a pizza topping, or on a vegan charcuterie board! Gluten-free Nut-free recipe
- Prep Time20 mins
- Cook Time30 mins
- Rest time1 hr
- Total Time1 hr 50 mins
- Calories: 28kcal
Ingredients Vegan Pepperoni with Chickpea Flour
- 3/4 cup (90 g) of chickpea flour (use 2 tbsp more flour for more set sausage. See note*)
- 1 cup (240 ) broth or water
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch, or use all-purpose flour if not Glutenfree)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, use tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce or you can use more soy sauce/ tamari (make sure the sauce is
- gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds depends on your preference for the fennel flavor in the pepperoni
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika (add a few drops of liquid smoke for additional smoky flavor if needed)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne or red pepper flakes
To add later
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions Vegan Pepperoni with Chickpea Flour
- In a blender, add all the ingredients listed except for 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes under To add later, and then blend till the mixture is well blended into a smooth, thick mixture.
Add the red pepper flakes and mix in. Do not taste this mixture, chickpea flour tastes bitter when its raw. Now there are 2 different ways you can make this. You can make this in the instant pot by pressure cooking or cooking in a saucepan on the stovetop. - Instant pot/ pressure cooker: transfer this mixture to a parchment-lined pan of choice. I like to use slim coffee mugs(ceramic or stoneware) or cylindrical steel glasses. You can also use a regular pan or loaf pan. Line the mugs/glasses/pan well with parchment
- Add 3 cups of water to the inner pot. Cover the container/s with the batter with foil, place them in your long-handle trivet, and lower this trivet into your instant pot which has 3 cups of water.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, and completely.
- Then remove the glasses or pan from the instant pot and let them sit to cool completely, I usually put them in the fridge to let them cool completely. It takes an hour or more. They get sturdier and will linger chill time, so depending on the size of the containers, let them chill for 2-3 hours.
- If using a pan that isn’t cylindrical, then as soon as you get the pan out of the instant pot, the mixture is not going to be fully set, it’s still going to be pliable. Carefully take the hot soft gel-like mix out and shape it into a log using a parchment sheet. Roll it out and then put it in the fridge to chill.
- Or let the pan cool completely then use cookie cutters to slice the veggie meat into shapes/slices you like.
- Once the mixture is chilled, remove it from the cylindrical Containers. Then slice using a knife and that’s it! Your pepperoni is ready to be used in sandwiches or pizzas or anything else.
- Stove Top: Once the batter is blended, put it in a pan on the stovetop and cook over medium heat.
- Once it starts to bubble, Keep stirring. The batter will start to thicken and need a little bit of elbow grease because it will start forming lumps or will start to stick to the bottom a little bit. Just keep stirring and cooking it until the mixture thickens evenly into a really thick custard.
- After that, keep cooking until the chickpea flour does not smell raw. You can carefully taste it(it will be hot). It takes 3-4 minutes to completely cook after thickening.
- Then you can let the mixture cool for a little bit until it’s not too hot to handle and then shape it into a log using parchment. Let it cool completely in the fridge and then slice.
Video
Notes
- I use white chickpea flour here as it sets much better than besan, which is brown chickpea flour. See the differences between the 2 flours here. You can use besan, use 2 tablespoons more besan. The sausage will be a bit softer
- *use 1-2 tbsp more chickpea flour for more set sausage if you like it firmer. I find 3/4 cup a good amount flavor-wise and texture-wise. It’s set enough and sliceable and pliable as it’s still slightly soft.
You can play around with the spices, making the pepperoni spicier if needed - Oil-free: omit the oil
- Chewier: add 2-3 tbsps all-purpose flour if gluten is ok
- Storage: Keep the sliced or unsliced pepperoni in the fridge for up to 5 days, you can freeze them for up to a month
- Freezing changes their texture a little bit, I prefer to refrigerate them instead
Reference article source: https://www.veganricha.com/vegan-pepperoni-with-chickpea-flour-glutenfree/
