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Chorizo has a really unique flavour and it is something we can absolutely replicate in a vegan sausage. This seitan chorizo has a great texture, look and flavour in particular and it is so easy to make that you can have some in the fridge to add to whatever dish you want.
Vegan Chorizo Made With Seitan
For those of you that have eaten Spanish chorizo, you’ll know it is a firm, cured sausage that is really flavourful. It behaves almost like a seasoning in whatever dish you add it to and releases lots of colour into a dish from the oil it releases.
You may be thinking that making vegan chorizo that cooks and tastes like a meat one is not possible. I can assure you that this seitan chorizo is the best vegan version I have tried, whether that is store-bought or otherwise.
What Chorizo Tastes Like?
Spanish chorizo is a cured and fermented sausage that is heavily spiced with smoked paprika and garlic. It is kind of a smoky, spiced salami that is really uniquely flavoured.
Chorizo has a high-fat content, it is marbled with fat which releases a lot of flavour and colour when cooked so we want to try and replicate that with our seitan chorizo.
The texture of chorizo is firm and can be sliced and eaten on its own or cut into small pieces that can be sauteed to use as part of other dishes where it will release a lot of its flavour.
What We Need To Make Seitan Chorizo
This seitan chorizo is vegan and most of the ingredients you should be able to pick up at any supermarket. There are some ingredients, however, you may have to source from a speciality/whole foods store or online. I have listed these ingredients below
Vital Wheat Gluten
The main ingredient you may need to source online is vital wheat gluten. Seitan is made from wheat gluten, the protein part of flour, vital wheat gluten is a kind of flour that has all the starch removed leaving mainly gluten behind.
If you can’t find vital wheat gluten at the store you can easily buy it online.
Chickpea Flour
Chickpea flour is sometimes called garbanzo bean flour or besan flour. It is used in this seitan chorizo to give it a firm texture without becoming too hard. It is available at more and more stores now as it is a popular flour used in baking.
Beet Powder
To give the chorizo a deep red colour we use beet powder alongside smoked paprika. Beet powder is made from dried and powdered beets so is a completely natural way to colour our chorizo.
Spices & Flavourings
The rest of the ingredients are the spices and flavours that give the vegan chorizo its unique flavour. Take a look at the recipe below as these should all be available at any supermarket.
Forming & Cooking A Seitan Chorizo Sausage
The great thing about seitan is that it is a dough and can be easily moulded and formed into whatever shape you want. Spanish chorizo is a sausage so our vegan chorizo is shaped into a sausage but we don’t need any casings.
Shaping The Chorizo Sausage
Once the seitan is mixed together we can create a sausage by wrapping the seitan tightly with aluminium foil.
Shaping the seitan chorizo into a rough log shape and then wrapping it in two layers of foil with the ends tightly twisted will help to form the perfect sausage shape.
The chorizo is steamed and will expand slightly when cooked which is why we need two layers of foil. Once cooled the chorizo can be unwrapped revealing a perfect sausage shape.
Steaming The Chorizo
I find this vegan chorizo is best steamed for around an hour. If you don’t have a steamer then you may have to improvise.
Steaming will lead to a perfectly cooked chorizo that is still nice and moist without drying out around the edges.
You can alternatively bake the chorizo wrapped in the foil in a low oven for around an hour. I recommend steaming as it results in a much better texture.
Seitan Chorizo Recipe
Seitan Chorizo Recipe - The Best Vegan Chorizo
This seitan chorizo is the best vegan chorizo I have ever tasted. Marbled with garlic and smoked paprika it is great in slices on pizza, diced and fried for pasta or simply eaten as is.
Ingredients
Dry Mix
- 140g vital wheat gluten
- 30g chickpea flour
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper (coarsely cracked)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Liquid Mix
- 120ml water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp beetroot powder
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- Peel the garlic and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, leave to cool and then dice into small cubes.
- In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients from the dry mix.
- In a separate bowl mix together the ingredients from the wet mix making sure they are well combined.
- Add the wet mix ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Begin mixing with a spatula until just combined without overworking the dough.
- Set up a steamer and bring to a boil then set aside two sheets of aluminium foil about 35cm / 14-inch square.
- Roughly shape the seitan chorizo into a log around 20cm long and 6cm wide. It doesn't have to be perfect as the cracks and crevices will disappear after cooking.
- Lay the log on one of the pieces of foil and then tightly wrap it to completely enclose the chorizo. Lay the chorizo on the second piece of foil and tightly wrap again and securely twist the ends until just tight.
- Place the wrapped seitan chorizo in the steam and steam for 50 minutes.
- After 50 minutes remove from the steamer and then allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool refrigerate, still wrapped in foil, overnight or at least 8 hours to get the best texture for your chorizo.
Notes
For best result refrigerate overnight to get the best texture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 525mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 15g
Storing & Shelf Life Of Seitan Chorizo
After the chorizo is steamed allow it to cool and then place in the refrigerator. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
For longer-term storage, I like to cut the chorizo into slices or chunks and then freeze in airtight bags for up to 6 months.
I have only just discovered seitan, having assumed it would be impossible to make at home. Having found that it’s ridiculously easy I am a convert, even though I have no desire at all for the equivalent of a steak or Sunday roast. I’ve been a vegetarian, by choice, for about 45 years, but have lived with men who weren’t prepared to eat my way, so I would cook meat and fish and buy charcuterie goods. Since living alone, I don’t miss meat or fish in the slightest, but the one thing I have always missed as a vegetarian has been sausages. This craving that used to be satisfied by “Sosmix”, but it’s unavailable in New Zealand. I have often been severely tempted by chorizo in the supermarket.
I made a half recipe (I live alone and have no refrigeration). I had no beetroot powder or liquid smoke and never use sugar. I added an extra 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika: the sausage was beautifully coloured and sufficiently smokey.
This recipe is insanely good. It not only looks and tastes like the Real Thing, but once it’s cold, it slices like the Real Thing. It is so easy to make and, unlike genuine chorizo, has no harmful ingredients. Honestly, I cannot believe how good it is and wish I’d made the full amount. I soon will. And obviously, with different seasonings I should be able to reproduce a great British banger! Thank you for this brilliant recipe.
Glad you like the recipe, Annie. I have some sausage recipes coming up soon so will definitely have a British sausage for you to check out!