These delicious Easy Homemade Seitan Ribs are the perfect any bbq. It’s fun to make your own seitan and easy to do with wheat gluten flour.
Photo © 2015 by Eva Kolenko
I’m really excited to give you a sneak peek into Miyoko Schinner’s new book, The Homemade Vegan Pantry. We loved her seitan ribs recipe at our house! (Disclaimer: I organized the blog tour for The Homemade Vegan Pantry and received a complimentary copy of the book. However, I was not paid to write this post and all the opinions are truly my own.)
How Do I Make Seitan Ribs?
There are a few steps, so it’s a great weekend project. First you mix the seitan dough in your food processor. Second you cut and shape it into 4 long pieces and brown it in a large saute pan.
If the saute pan is large enough, and can go into the oven, you can then cover with BBQ sauce and bake for 90 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the seitan cooks. After that cools enough to cut it, cut into smaller strips and saute in a little more BBQ sauce.
What is Vital Wheat Gluten Flour?
Vital wheat gluten is a flour that’s all gluten and no fiber. In the old days people would make a dough with whole wheat flour and wash off the fiber until the gluten was left, but with the flour you can have seitan in no time.
Where Can I Get Vital Wheat Gluten Four?
You can find it in most health food stores, some Walmarts, and even some traditional groceries in or near the flour section. You can also buy Vital Wheat Gluten Flour on Amazon.
Can I Make Homemade Seitan Ribs Gluten-Free?
Unfortunately, you can’t make this recipe gluten-free because it’s mostly gluten.
Can I Freeze Homemade Vegan Unribs?
Unless you’re feeding a crowd you will have enough in the freezer to have them for 2 future dinners too. Trust me, it’s time well spent. I want to try the same recipe with a Thai saute sauce and then maybe a Korean BBQ sauce.
Miyoko’s book is full of my favorite kind of recipes – staples. There are condiments like vegan oyster sauce, vegan fish sauce and everyday vegan necessities like mayo, dressings, and jams.
It also includes vegan subs for milk, cream, butter, and cheese. There are DIY stocks for every soup, homemade tofu, tempeh and various types of seitan. Learn to make your own pasta, pasta sauces, breads, baking mixes, and so much more.
Photo © 2015 by Eva Kolenko
There’s a little something for everyone in this book and I encourage you to at least take a peek on Amazon or flip through it at your local store. It’s a beautiful book with recipes that will have you making all your favorite staples from scratch.
More Seitan Recipes
Easy Air Fryer Seitan Vegan Riblets is my most made seitan recipe and it’s super easy. Use some of the leftover from this recipe to make Seitan Chimichurri Tacos or Sweet-and-Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables with Seitan.
Unribs from The Homemade Vegan Pantry
This recipe by Miyoko Schinner comes out of the recipe she used to make her Unribs when she was manufacturing them in large quantities. She's cut the recipe so home cooks can make it. Reprinted from THE HOMEMADE VEGAN PANTRY Copyright © 2015 by Miyoko Schinner. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon white, chickpea, or red miso
- 4 or 5 cloves garlic
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 21/2 to 3 cups vital wheat gluten
- Oil, for cooking (optional)
Sauce:
- 31/2 to 4 cups your favorite store-bought variety, Miyoko has a recipe for Zippy Barbecue Sauce in the book as well
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, combine the soy sauce, nutritional yeast, peanut butter, tomato paste, miso, garlic, and water and process until a smooth and creamy slurry is created. If you are using a food processor, just keep everything in there;
- if using a blender, pour it out into a large mixing bowl. Add 21⁄2 cups of the gluten to the slurry and mix well, either using the food processor or by hand in the bowl. If you’re using a food processor, keep pulsing to knead the dough, adding a little
- more gluten flour as necessary to form a stiff dough (the more gluten you add, the chewier your ribs will be, so you can control how tender or chewy you want them). It may form one ball in the center or break up into little beads; if the latter happens, all you have to do is push it together with your hands. If you’re mixing it by hand, knead it in the bowl for several minutes until it becomes smooth.
- Roll the dough into a log about 6 inches long. Slice the log lengthwise into four “steaks” about 3⁄4 inch thick. Now here’s one of the places where you get to decide whether or not to use oil, and how much. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat—if you’re going for oil-free, make sure that it is nonstick. If you’re using oil, add a couple of tablespoons to the skillet and let it get hot. Add the steaks and cook until browned on both sides. They will rise and puff a little.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. If your skillet is ovenproof, you can just leave the steaks in the pan. If not, transfer them to a baking dish. Mix 11⁄2 cups of the barbecue sauce with the water. Pour the diluted sauce over the steaks in the pan and cover with a
- lid or aluminum foil. Bake the ribs for 75 to 90 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and just barely coats them and the steaks are chewy and cooked through. They will be relatively tender while hot but will deflate slightly and become chewier as they cool, so fear not if they seem too soft right out of the oven.
- Let them cool until they can be handled without burning your fingers. Then slice each steak lengthwise into “ribs” about 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 inch thick. Heat the skillet over medium-low heat. You’re going to sauté the individual ribs once more to brown or even blacken them on both sides. Once again, you can choose to oil or not to oil. If you like your ribs on the greasy side, you’ll want to use a good 4 to 6 tablespoons of oil to sauté them. Or you can just use a dry nonstick skillet. Cook them all until nicely dark on both sides (I like them almost black). Then toss them with the remaining 2 to 21⁄2 cups barbecue sauce. Now you can dig in. Or wait until the next day, when they will have deepened in flavor and become even chewier. To reheat, just throw them in the oven or on the grill, or eat them cold with some potato salad—yum! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 1591Saturated Fat 1gSodium 6292mgCarbohydrates 253gFiber 8gSugar 186gProtein 128g
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
I am a huge carnivore but this….This looks amazing Kathy!
Kathy Hester says
Thanks! Miyoko is a genius!
mjg says
wondering if there is any “meat” that does not contain wheat, soy or corn? I have allergies to all 3 and I have not found a meat substitute. I would love to try something like the above. I have not consumed meat for 2 and half years and do miss bbq- i just put it on lentils at this point but… I would love recipes or direction- TIA
Kathy Hester says
Shredded sweet potatoes cooked with BBQ sauce makes a heck of a BBQ sandwich. You just need to simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender on the stove or in your slow cooker. The sweet potatoes won’t break down like you expect.
It’s not the same as a rib sub, but maybe that would satisfy your craving.
Jan says
Jackfruit is also a good substitute for neat in BBQ. I have had it in restaurants and I know they used fresh. I have read online to use canned, unsweetened, in brine. I have not cooked with it myself, just benefited from a good cook’s work.
adam says
Make some BBQ jack fruit sandwiches.
Susan says
CJ says
For the request of a MEAT substitute that doesn’t require soy, wheat or corn. I have two.
Make a BBQ sandwich base by cooking down 2 cups of mushrooms in a pan with a little oil, cook them until they are almost gone and are starting to brown, they will loose 75% of their weight. To that add in a 1/2 cup of julienned sun dried tomatoes that you have rehydrated in water with several splashes of hot sauce. Throw those in the pan with the mushrooms, heat still on, sprinkle on some garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper and some salt. Now reduce the heat and poor in your BBQ sauce, let it go until the sugars start to brown, almost burn, mix to coat. For those of you that can take soy, add to this by julienning some firm tofu, roll it in corn starch and then deep fry it in oil. It won’t brown so don’t wait for that. Now take that and throw it in your pan, it doesn’t taste like much but it gives you two textures. The fried outer texture is chewy like the bark on BBQ. The inside is soft and has the texture of the fat in BBQ.
The other is Lentil loaf. Sounds awful but is very meaty. There are several recipes online.
Toni says
There is pea protein based meat out there. Really good, also, Ripple milk and protein powder from pea protein is so good!
Dee says
We use spaghetti squash with b b q sauce. On buns with pickles & Cole slaw if you like. Delish!!
Noa says
Milko is a genius, and so are you. I’m surprised you didn’t pair this with one of your amazing bean recipes. I like seitan, but I shy away from it in favour of whole foods. Perhaps a bite or two of these with a bean recipe would make a great July 4th treat.
in2insight says
This looks FAB!
Any idea if the peanut butter can be subbed? Peanut allergy… 🙁
Kathy Hester says
I actually used almond butter, but I bet even tahini would do the trick.
jeff says
can you explain the ingredient “1 tablespoon white, chickpea, or red miso”? Is that paste? like, pureed chickpeas will work?
Kathy Hester says
Miso is a fermented bean paste that come in different strengths or colors. Traditionally they are made with soy, but you can also buy chickpea miso. It has a very umami flavor and it very different than plain smashed beans.
Jen says
Can this be sauteed and cooked in a pressure cooker? Also, can it be transferred to a slow cooker after sauteeing?
Kathy Hester says
I haven’t made these in a pressure cooker, so I’m not sure. They might work in a slow cooker, but you would want to add extra sauce.
CJ says
Looks can be deceiving. Almost anything looks good slathered in BBQ sauce. I’ve been vegan for going on two years now and I tried seitan early on, hated it. Just the taste of wheat gluten is pretty awful. For that reason I have never liked recipes that call for it as the main ingredient. Steeping it in a flavored broth doesn’t work, it won’t take the flavor all the way through. Coating it on the outside as this recipe does doesn’t really work either. The “flavor” of the gluten still powers through, and it’s not pleasant. The peanut butter adds no value here as far as I can taste, it’s seems odd in a savory dish and it is. Then there is the absence of fat. I just don’t understand the vegan obsession with trying to take something that’s gawd-awful for you but delicious and trying to make it still delicious but good for you. Stop that! Sure this is pan fried in oil, but that’s not enough. Real ribs are crazy fatty, and the fat permeates every bite. If you want to make this recipe taste better, and worse for you, here is what I suggest.
Season the wheat gluten with some dry ingredients from the start, before you add it to the wet ingredients. Try a tablespoon of mushroom powder, a teaspoon of hickory smoke powder, teaspoon onion powder. On the wet side drop in 2-3 tablespoons of vegan butter, now you are getting somewhere. Kick it up another notch by food processing some sun dried tomatoes, the dry kind in bags not the wet kind in jars, and you’ve really got something. The wheat gluten “flavor” falls to the back and the other “meaty” flavors come through. I would also suggest letting this sit in the fridge for two days after the first fry/oven round. Then, toss it in your two day old bbq sauce, throw it in a cast iron skillet, cook down until the sauce is thick and then throw it under your broiler for a few minutes. I’ve found that this back and forth, fridge to pan, wet to dry, etc… improves the texture, it’s not as spongy and is more rib like. It’s work, just like real ribs.
Dganit Platt says
100% with you!
Jasmine says
I’m telling you, I’ve made this multiple times for vegans, and non vegans. These are absolutely delicious, they taste as good as they look. I’ve been vegan for 2 years.
Susan says
Wow, way to shame other people’s food choices. Why do you care so much if someone wants to eat this? Who freaking cares?! To each their own. Mind your own business and go about your own life.
Laura says
Did you actually make this recipe, not enjoy it, make those modifications, then enjoy it? Or is that just your recipe for seitan ribs that is totally unrelated to this one?
Deborrah Cooper says
Haven’t even made the recipe but rating and complaining about it? This isn’t my blog, but if it were, I’d have deleted your useless comment immediately. Smh. Some folks really should not have internet access.
Made this just to try something new and was very pleasantly surprised. Too much for just me, so I took most to work to share. They’re all meat eaters and I tell you, there were thumbs up everywhere.
Amani says
CJ, I agree with you COMPLETELY. As new as vegan recipes are to us (1-2 years), its immensely frustrating to find, time after time, that looks have absolutely nothing to do with taste where recipes are concerned.
I agree that it’s bizarre how people try to make a completely horrible for you food “healthy” by making them mostly or all fat free… when ribs are like 45 to 60% fat! If I were a meat eater, the idea of a “fat free” rib would tell me instantly that it will probably taste horrible. I mean, we know that when the fat free craze hit, the industry just replaced the fat with a TON of sugar to mask taste. Same concept here exactly.
I found this by trying to find an actual rib recipe that sounded more authentic, so I could modify and create my own. (I don’t feel confident I’ll find one that satisfies my craving when ribs were a favorite food.) Love your idea of the butter, tomatoes, and the mushroom powder. Prior research tells me this’ll get us closer, due to how each of these flavors impacts the Seitan.
Finally, I appreciate that different people have different tastes, and different standards, so it’s always useful to know WHY someone does or doesn’t like a recipe. Seeing ALL glowing reviews time after time is frustrating! So… much respect to Kathy for allowing reviews, and honest ones, so people can know if a recipe fits them or not, and for recognizing that if someone doesn’t like the same recipe she does, it’s no reflection on her!
Robinmelli says
Saw that this recipe clocked in at 3 stars and that is a darn shame! I have made this several times to incredible results, even some omni friends have gotten into it! I use Trader Joe’s sriracha and garlic barbecue sauce, it’s sweet and spicy akin to korean barbecue flavoring.
Kathy Hester says
I love this recipe and so do lots of people. Thanks for rating it so it gets the rep it deserves!
Alicia Ogard says
Hi! This recipe looks great! I was wondering what I could use instead of miso?
Kathy Hester says
Since it’s not my recipe I’m hesitant to say. Are you allergic to soy or do you just not have any on hand?
Aerin West says
Hi Kathy,
My little one is allergic to soy- do you think the miso and soy sauce could be substituted? I know I could do coconut aminos for the soy sauce, but I can not think of anything to sub the miso for…any thoughts?
Kathy Hester says
You can get chickpea miso that’s soy free if that helps.
Laura says
I finally got around to making these and I can’t believe how good they are I’ve never had much success with seitan in the past, but these seemed fool-proof. They were also less labor-intensive than I expected, especially since you just make the sauce in the blender. I just finished the last of the leftovers and they got even chewier and better over the course of the week. Thank you so much for sharing and all the pictures to make it less intimidating!!
Nefrinah says
Can I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and can we lower the salt and sugar in this recipe, please?
Kathy Hester says
When I’m using a recipe I always adapt it to my tastes and dietary needs. This particular recipe is not mine, but I see no reason that you can’t do that swap and adjust the salt and sugar to suit you.