This Vegan Salami Seitan recipe is a spin on the old classic. It is spiced and herbed to perfection and an absolute must try for that nostalgic taste.
This homemade seitan salami is packed and actually quite satisfying to make.
We have some great ways to use our homemade vegan seitan salami so be sure to try it out!
Vegan Seitan Salami
I get a lot of judgement for this, but my favorite types of meat back in the day was the highly processed kinds. I’m talking hot dogs, deli meats and chicken nuggets. Salami was a particular favorite.
Salami slices were amazing in sandwiches, fried as a breakfast food, in deli rolls and more, so I’ve worked on reproducing this deli meat, vegan style.
At this point I’ve tried quite a few spice combos and ingredient variations and this is my favorite version of vegan salami.
It’s very low effort to make this seitan salami, so there’s no reason not to get cooking!
Looking for more ways to make and use seitan? Check out the best seitan recipes! Or switch over to tempeh with these delicious miso tempeh wraps.

Vegan Salami Ingredients
Just like with real salami, you’ll need quite a few spices to whip up this plant based salami. What you’ll need is:
- Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
- Mustard Seeds
- Paprika
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Fennel Seeds
- Salt
- Pepper
- Canola Oil
- BBQ Sauce
- Liquid Smoke
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Red Food Dye
(Optional)
Vital Wheat Gluten
If you haven’t worked with vital wheat gluten before, in short it’s the gluten extracted from flour. It looks just like a little bit of a yellower flour.
You can buy vital wheat gluten in many health food shops, or even easier grab it on amazon.
If you need more inspiration for ways to use vital wheat gluten you can check out our seitan ribs, or seitan bbq chicken!

Red Food Dye
If you want it to have a more red hue you should add a few drops of food dye. Obviously it doesn’t affect the taste but real salami is a very dark red and without any dye this vegetarian salami comes out brown.
How To Make Seitan Salami
To make the vegan seitan salami, mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. In a medium bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients.
This also needs to be very well combined, especially if you are using the food dye, because as soon as the liquid hits the gluten it will start absorb it and become tough to redistribute ingredients.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined, do not knead and use the minimal effort until it’s just combined. If you keep messing with the dough, it will change the texture of the final product.

Start boiling some water and set up your steamer. Take two peices of tin foil and then cut your dough in half.
Roll one piece of your dough up into the tin foil to create a log, pressing the dough into the shape/width that you like while rolling the tin foil tightly around it.
Twist the ends of the foil to seal it. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Place in your steamer and steam for 45 minutes. When it’s finished remove from the pan, unwrap and allow to cool.
The texture will change as it cools, I always dig in before it cools down though. When it’s fully cool enjoy as is, use in recipes, or wrap it up airtight and store in the fridge.
Need a steamer? This collapsible one takes up almost no space and is super affordable!
Vegan/Vegetarian Salami Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use this vegan salami. Here are a few of my favorite:
- Make a charcuterie board.
- Deli sandwiches are especially great as packed vegan lunches. I pair the salami with whole grain bread, mustard, vegan mayo, red onion, lettuce and tomato slices. It’s really, really good. If you need more cold vegan lunch ideas, check out our best ones here.

- If you make a fatter salami roll, and then thinly slice, it’s perfect for use in a vegan deli roll.
- Fried Salami – If you haven’t had this, think bacon and eggs but swap out the bacon for salami slices and fry until crisp. Serve up with some tofu scramble.
- Paninis – Throw some salami slices into a panini with some vegan cheese and pesto. If you really want to level up the decandence of this sandwich, lightly fry the salami slices first.
- Add it into soups in place of sausage, just add it at the end so it doesn’t absorb too much liquid.
- Chop it into small peices and add it to your favorite salad greens and top with some vegan ranch.
- This salami goes great with our Traditional White Bean Dip
Don’t Forget To Pin This Recipe For Later!
Vegan Salami (Seitan Salami)

This vegan salami is easy to throw together and can be used in anything from sandwiches to vegan charcuterie boards to soups! Perfect for meal prep, you can make your salamis on a Sunday and enjoy this delicious seitan deli meat throughout the week.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 Cups Vital Wheat Glutens
- 2 Scant Tablespoons Mustard Seeds
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper (or use 1/2 tsp less if you are sensitive to spice)
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/3 tsp Fennel Seeds
Wet Ingredients
- 1 Cup + 1.5 Tbsp Water
- 2 Tbsp Canola Oil (Or other flavorless oil)
- 1 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
- 2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- A Few Drops of Red Food Dye (Optional)
Instructions
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
- Mix together all the wet ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined, especially if using the food dye it needs to be really well incorporated otherwise you'll get a streaky dough.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and using a strong wooden spoon or your hands mix until just incorporate, being careful not to overmix. If after a couple minutes there is still unincorporated flour, you can add extra water, a tablespoon at a time until it's done. Do not knead.
- Set up your steamer and start bringing it to a boil.
- Cut the dough in half and grab two large pieces of tin foil.
- Roll one peice of your dough up into the tin foil to create a log, pressing the dough into the shape/width that you like while rolling the tin foil tightly around it. Twist the ends of the foil to seal it.
- Repeat with the second dough/tin foil.
- Place both salamis in the steamer and let them steam for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and when it's cool enough to touch, unwrap them and allow them to continue to cool. Feel free to taste a slice but know that the texture will change and the salami will firm up as it cools.
- Once cooled, enjoy in sandwiches, on vegan charcuterie boards, and more - see full post for great ideas.
- To store, wrap in plastic wrap or something similarly airtight and keep in the fridge.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Wrights Liquid Smoke - 3.5 Oz (Pack of 2)
-
Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, 20 Oz (Pack Of 4)
-
The Spice Way Yellow Mustard Seed - | 6 oz | whole seeds, resealable bag
-
The Spice Way Fennel Seed - bulk whole seeds great for tea and cooking 8 oz
-
Annie's Original Recipe BBQ Sauce Certified Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free, 12 oz
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 415mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 29g
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.
Meredith
Thursday 13th of March 2025
Wondering if anyone has tried freezing this? I love this recipe- thanks so much! I used beetroot powder instead of the red dye and it worked out great!
yumveganlunchideas
Thursday 13th of March 2025
Hi Meredith
I am so pleased to hear you love the vegan salami recipe. Although I have not frozen this particular recipe, seitan is freezer friendly generally. Wrap it up well to prevent freezer burn, and pre slice it for ease also. Make sure to thaw it fully in the refrigerator overnight before use.
I hope this helps
Best wishes, Yum
Craig
Friday 10th of June 2022
Instead of red food dye that causes all kinds of problems use beet root powder it I'd deep red on color and works fantastic as a red color in many different items. You can use about 2 teas. Per 2 cups or more gluten flour this should make it very red in color Craig's kitchen
Heather
Monday 2nd of May 2022
I'm a newbie and was so excited to find I had vital wheat gluten on hand. Our area is VERY limited, rual farms and no specialty stores within a two hour drive. I had it for bread from my local Mininite market. Making this salami today!
mohammad
Thursday 28th of October 2021
I made it but taste is bitter . how you remove bitter taste of vital wheat gluten .
Kimberly
Wednesday 8th of March 2023
@mohammad, My guess is that it was the mustard seed. Maybe not use as much.
yumveganlunchideas
Thursday 11th of November 2021
Hi, Sorry it came out bitter! I've never had that issue, so my main advice would be to try a different brand of vital wheat gluten. Good luck!
Keith
Tuesday 31st of August 2021
I made this salami a very tasty but also very chewy. I would like to make it again but not so tough or chewy. Looking forward to you comments
Susanne
Thursday 8th of June 2023
@yumveganlunchideas, just from my general understanding - the reason why doughs should not be overmixed is so that flour doesn't develop gluten, which should not matter when already using pure gluten, right? In my experience rather the opposite is the case, that the more you knead and work the dough, the firmer the salami ends up..
Kimberly
Wednesday 8th of March 2023
@yumveganlunchideas, I baked mine at 350 degrees for 1 hr 15 min for a less chewy texture.
yumveganlunchideas
Wednesday 8th of September 2021
Kneading it for too long when combining the ingredients can make it chewy. Also you can try steaming it for a shorter amount of time, maybe around 35 mins, and I think that should help as well. I plan on making these again this weekend so I'll test out some shorter cooking times as well!