This easy homemade vegan bologna is made from seitan and seasoned to perfection. If you don't eat meat, but want a bologna sandwich that will take you back in time to when you were a kid, this is the recipe for you! Slice this vegan deli meat thin, and make a classic sandwich or use it to make fried bologna. Either way, it's meaty, delicious, and makes a great sandwich!
Jump to:
❤️ This recipe is
- meaty and authentic tasting.
- packed with protein.
- perfect for sandwiches!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Water- or low-sodium broth for more flavor if you choose.
- Soy Sauce - for flavor. You can use Bragg's Liquid Amino or Tamari instead.
- Garlic Powder - for flavor. You can also use 1 clove of fresh garlic.
- Onion Powder - for flavor.
- Paprika - for color and flavor. You can also use smoked paprika for a natural smoke flavor.
- Ketchup - for color and flavor.
- Salt - for flavor.
- Basil - for flavor. You will use this in the broth and then remove it before blending. Fresh basil gives the bologna its distinct flavor.
- Canola Oil - or any neutral-flavored cooking oil. You can omit it for oil-free vegan bologna, but it helps to keep it moist and keeps the seitan soft and less chewy.
- Tofu - to cut the chewiness of the gluten and balance the texture. You can also use 3/4 cup of beans like white beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans instead of tofu.
- Vital Wheat Gluten - this is high-protein wheat flour. You must use this to make quick and easy seitan. You can also use plain white flour and make washed flour seitan and cook the bologna in a flavored broth, but this is a longer and more labor-intensive method.
🔪 Helpful tools
- Food Processor or Blender - to blend the tofu and broth together.
- Foil - for wrapping the bologna in before steaming.
- Steam Basket - You can use any method to steam the bologna. If you don't have a steam basket, you can use jelly jar rings at the bottom of a pot and just fill the water to the top of the rings. You just need a way to hold the bologna loaf out of the water.
🥄 How to make vegan bologna
Step 1 - Add water, oil, ketchup, soy sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a handful of fresh basil to a saucepan and heat until it starts to boil, then turn off the heat and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.
Step 2 - Press a block (14 oz.) of tofu and crumble it into a food processor or blender, then remove the basil leaves from the broth and pour the broth into the food processor along with the tofu. (You can leave the basil in if you would like. It will give it a nice flavor, but make green flex in your bologna.)
Step 3 - Blend until it turns into a creamy thick liquid, then pour into a glass mixing bowl.
Step 4 - Add 1 cup of vital wheat gluten and mix well until a thick dough forms.
Step 5 - Add another 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten and knead it into the dough until all of the wheat gluten has been absorbed and no longer feels wet. (You may have to add an additional tablespoon or two of wheat gluten until the dough is firm enough to hold its shape.)
Step 6 - Form the dough into the shape of a round loaf of bologna, and wrap the whole thing tightly in foil so that no seitan is showing. (It will try to expand and bulge out of any holes in the foil, so you may want to double-wrap it to make sure there are no holes.)
Step 7 - Steam the wrapped bologna loaf in a large pot with a steamer basket for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (You can also use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Cook under pressure for 55 minutes and then allow steam to release naturally. Be sure that you put a lot of water in the bottom so it doesn't run out of water. If you notice less steam coming out, turn off your pressure cooker, allow the pressure to come down, and refill the water.)
Step 8 - Take the bologna out of the pot with potholders and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before opening the packet. (I always get too excited to see my creation and get burnt with the steam when I open the foil too soon.)
Step 9 - At this point, the bologna is ready to eat. Slice it up and make a bologna sandwich with some mustard, vegan mayo, vegan horseradish sauce, vegan Chick Fil A sauce, or vegan chipotle mayo.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Use a large glass mixing bowl and a silicone spatula to mix your seitan. Vital wheat gluten is very sticky once it gets wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
- Be sure to press the tofu well to get out as much liquid as possible.
- Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that will get everywhere if you are not careful with it. Pour it low down and slowly over the tofu mixture so it doesn't splash out of your bowl.
- Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that's a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 30- 60 seconds so your wheat meat doesn't get too chewy.
- If you don't want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the vegan bologna in parchment paper first, and then wrap the foil around that.
- Clean your bowl and utensils in very hot water. This kind of "cooks" the gluten and makes it less sticky so it will come off everything easier.
🍞 Can I make it gluten-free?
No. This recipe needs to be made with wheat gluten and nothing else will work in its place.
🍳 Fried vegan bologna
If you want fried bologna, simply fry slices of the bologna in 1 tablespoon of neutral-flavored oil. It's delicious and is my favorite way to eat this bologna. You can eat it by the slice or use it for a vegan fried bologna sandwich.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This seitan bologna will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in a sealed container.
Freeze: Seitan freezes well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Put the bologna in the fridge overnight to defrost. You may want to slice the bologna before freezing so that it will thaw faster.
If you are looking for more vegan sandwich ideas for kids' lunches, you can check out the post that I wrote about packing vegan kids' lunches. You may also like my other vegan sandwich recipes.
- Vegan Tuna Melt
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Vegan BLT
- Tofu Egg Salad Sandwich
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches
🌟 More seitan recipes
- Vegan Ham
- Vegan Turkey
- Seitan Pepperoni
- Vegan Chicken
- Vegan Chicken Nuggets
- Easy Vegan Chicken Patties
- Vegan Hot Dogs
- Vegan Salami
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan bologna recipe
Vegan Bologna
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (or vegetable broth)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons ketchup (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 14 oz. firm or extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Add water, oil, ketchup, soy sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a handful of fresh basil to a saucepan and heat until it starts to boil, then turn off the heat and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Press a block (14 oz.) of tofu and crumble it into a food processor or blender, then remove the basil leaves from the broth and pour the broth into the food processor along with the tofu. (You can leave the basil in if you would like. It will give it a nice flavor, but make green flex in your bologna.)
- Blend until it turns into a creamy thick liquid.
- Pour into a large glass mixing bowl.
- Add 1 cup of vital wheat gluten and mix well until a thick dough forms.
- Add another 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten and knead it into the dough until all of the wheat gluten has been absorbed and no longer feels wet. (You may have to add an additional tablespoon or two of wheat gluten until the dough is firm enough to hold its shape.)
- Form the dough into the shape of a round loaf of bologna, and wrap the whole thing tightly in foil so that no seitan is showing. (It will try to expand and bulge out of any holes in the foil, so you may want to double wrap it to make sure there are no holes.)
- Steam the wrapped bologna loaf in a large pot with a steamer basket for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (You can also use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Cook under pressure for 55 minutes and then allow steam to release naturally. Be sure that you put a lot of water in the bottom so it doesn't run out of water. If you notice less steam coming out, turn off your pressure cooker, and allow the pressure to come down and refill the water.)
- Take the bologna out of the pot with potholders and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before opening the packet. (I always get too excited to see my creation and get burnt with the steam when I open the foil too soon.)
- At this point, the bologna is ready to eat. Slice it up and make a bologna sandwich with vegan mayo or vegan chipotle mayo.
Notes
- Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that's a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 30- 60 seconds so your wheat meat doesn't get too chewy.
- If you don't want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the loaf in parchment paper first, and then wrap the foil around that.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
How I love your recipes. When I was a young mother I use to make what my family called phony bologna. It was made with peanut butter, corn starch, tomatoe juice ice and spices. (That’s all I can remember as ingredients). I would steam it in the tomatoe juice can in the oven (don’t remember the Time). I sure wish I could find the recipe with all the ingredients. Maybe you can figure it out.
Wow, I've never heard of that. It sounds interesting.
That’s what I thought you would say. If anyone can reproduce the recipe I know you can. What I loved about it , Was after you mixed it up you would put it in the same can the tomato juice came in and after it was steamed and cooled you would cut the other end of the van out and push the loaf out. It was so good. I just can’t remember if or what else was in it.
Thank you once again for your delicious recipe. I've previously made your Vegan Turkey recipe with much success and now I have made your Vegan Bologna recipe for my mom. We both love the flavors. I prepared it and I appreciate how easy this was to make. Once again, thank you for sharing this and making my mom happy. Happy New Year!
I'm so happy that you both like my recipes! You're such a good daughter for making these recipes for her! 🙂
Thank you for the compliment. I have been asking everyone I know to try your recipes because they're so wonderful.
Aww, it made my day to read this! 🙂
I just finished making it, but it’s a lot for one person. Do you think it will freeze okay? Looks amazing. Thank you! Sorry you answered my question in the article .
No problem! I hope that you enjoy it!
I just finished making it, but it’s a lot for one person. Do you think it will freeze okay? Looks amazing. Thank you!
It freezes very well. 🙂
I loved the vegan hot dogs and cannot wait to try this vegan bologna the picture looks very tasty. Thank you for your hard work creating wonderful delicious recipes. 😊
P. S. The vegan hotdogs are really delicious split halfway through and b.b.q sauce put on top under a low broiler.
Thank you and you're welcome. I'm so happy that you like the hot dog recipe. 🙂
Have you made any “meats” without gluten? …other than carrot hotdogs.
Yes, I make a lot with TVP or Butler soy curls. They both have soy, but no gluten. I have popcorn chicken, buffalo chicken sandwiches, vegan jerky, TVP tacos, TVP meatballs, and TVP sausage. If you look at my vegan meats category, they are all gluten-free or easily made gluten-free unless they are a seitan recipe. Here is the link... https://thehiddenveggies.com/category/vegan-meats/
Hi. Any substitute for tofu. Thanks
Yes, you can use a can of chickpea or white beans drained and rinsed instead of the tofu. Enjoy! 🙂
Can't wait to try this procedure. I prefer vegan bologna to the unimaginable pink slurry of the original kind. The texture looks more appealing, too. I've got to break down and buy some of that vital wheat gluten since it is used in so many vegan recipes.
Thanks for the food engineering! Hooray!
You're welcome, Frances! I hope that you enjoy all of my seitan recipes once you get some wheat gluten! 🙂