Like Veggeroni, this seitan is baked dry rather than boiled. The results are a little spongier than Veggeroni, less dense, but I think the texture is perfect for absorbing the flavor of the barbecue sauce. You’ll be amazed at how easy this recipe comes together using your favorite bottled sauce.
Recipe by Susan Voisin on May 1, 2007
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT35M
Total time: PT45M
Rating
4.75 stars (32 reviews)
Keywords
seitan, vegan ribs
Ingredients
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (see some suggestions below)
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Vegan
Steps
Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl 15-60 seconds (the less you knead it, the more tender it is; the longer, the chewier).
Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces:
Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. While it’s cooking prepare your grill.
Remove it from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the ribz will pull apart easily later. Generously brush the top with barbecue sauce. Take it to the grill and invert the whole baking dish onto the grill (or use a large spatula to lift the seitan out, placing it sauce-side down on the grill). Brush the top of the seitan with more sauce:
Watch it closely to make sure that it doesn’t burn. When it’s sufficiently brown on one side, turn over and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual ribs to serve.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 4 ribs
Calories: 196 kcal
Carbohydrates: 12.8 g
Protein: 27.7 g
Fat: 4.7 g
Sodium: 186 mg
Reviews
Beth on 2023-11-27 (5 stars): I am very impressed!! The flavours and textures are on point and no animals were harmed!!
Yvonne on 2023-09-06 (5 stars): I absolutey love these "ribs".
I make them the night before and bake them the next day and they are moreish!
Nadia on 2022-11-23 (5 stars): Help!! I love this recipe and have been using it for any gathering I attend. I'm about to prepare the day before Thanksgiving and bring along the dish to finish/reheat where we are eating. Has anyone tried this with this recipe? Would it hold fine to refrigerate the ribs once built and then bake the next day? Or should I fully cook then re-heat when its time to serve.
Thank you!
Barbara on 2022-06-02 (5 stars): Hannah, animal flesh is not very appealing on its own either. The bbq sauce really carries it. I think that is the whole point!!
Nicole on 2022-05-07 (5 stars): I was thinking about this old favorite recently and had to come back for the recipe again. I noticed in the blog post you mentioned using the microwave instead of the oven before grilling. How long did you microwave them? Or what texture should I look for when microwaving? I’d love to have these more frequently without heating up the oven.
Laura on 2022-04-25 (5 stars): My husband LOVES these ribs! He is a vegan endurance athlete and needs low-fat high-protein meal options - he truly can't get enough of these. We don't have a grill, so I follow the alternative instructions (bake them for 25 mins, coat in sauce, and bake for another 20 mins). They turn out perfectly chewy and savory. I do find it a little labor intensive to flatten out the seitan dough - it is so elastic I have to work it with a rolling pin for about 5-10 mins to get it into the right shape - other than that the recipe is a breeze! I do recommend using a serrated bread knife for cutting the dough into strips (at least that's what works best for me). Thank you for this recipe, it has become a staple in our home!
Glenn A Ellison on 2021-08-03 (5 stars): I liked this recipe the first time I tried it but wanted it to be more tender. I made a double batch the second time and kneaded the dough less(about 20 seconds). Instead of pressing the dough out and cutting it in a 9x9 pan, I spread it out on a wood cutting board which helped maintain the square shape and was better to cut the ribz on. Next I steamed the ribz for 20 minutes instead of baking. I then grilled some of them and was really happy with the results. I individually wrapped the rest to thaw out and grill latter.
Erika D on 2021-05-31 (5 stars): This recipe is solid. Easy, quick and my 2y old kept coming back for more. I used my house adapted Vegan with a Vengeance Pomegranate BBQ (sub cumin and chipotle for 5 spice and hot sauce. ) We will definitely have this again and a again!
