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5 from 17 votes

Vegan Pepperoni with Chickpea Flour (Gluten free and Nut free)

Vegan Pepperoni from scratch with minimal effort! No kneading! It is made with chickpea flour and therefore gluten-free. Just blend/mix and pressure cook! No standing around, no elbow grease! Delicious on sandwiches, as a pizza topping or on a vegan charcuterie board! Gluten-free Nutfree recipe
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Rest time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: vegan pepperoni
Servings: 16
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup of chickpea flour (use 2 tbsp more flour for more set sausage. See note*)
  • 1 cup broth or water
  • 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch , or use all purpose flour if not Glutenfree)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, use tamari for gluten free
  • 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce or you can use more soy sauce/ tamari (make sure sauce is gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon fennel seeds depends on your preference of the fennel flavor in the pepperoni
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon onion flakes
  • 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (add a few drops of liquid smoke for additional smoky flavor if needed)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne or red pepper flakes

To add later

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a blender, add all the ingredients listed except for 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes under To add later, and then blend till the mixture is well blended into a smooth, thick mixture.
  • Add the red pepper flakes and mix in. Do not taste this mixture, chickpea flour tastes bitter when its raw. Now there are 2 different ways you can make this. You can make this in the instant pot by pressure cooking or cook in a saucepan on stovetop.
  • Instant pot/ pressure cooker: transfer this mixture to a parchment lined pan of choice. I like to use slim coffee mugs(ceramic or stoneware) or cylindrical steel glasses. You can also use a regular pan or loaf pan. Line the mugs/glasses/pan well with parchment
  • Add 3 cups of water to the inner pot. Cover the container/s with the batter with foil, place them in your long handle trivet and lower this trivet into your instant pot which has 3 cups of water.
  • Close the lid and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, completely.
  • Then remove the glasses or pan from the instant pot and let them sit to cool completely, I usually put them in the fridge to let them cool completely. It takes an hour or more. They get sturdier will linger chill time, so depending on the size of the containers, let them chill for 2-3 hours.
  • If using a pan that isnt cylindrical, then as soon as you get the pan out of the instant pot, the mixture is not going to be fully set , it’s still going to be pliable.  Carefully take the hot soft gel like mix out and shape it into a log using a parchment sheet . Roll it out and then put it in the fridge to chill.  
    Or let the pan cool and completely then use cookie cutters to slice the veggie meat into shapes/slices you like.
  • Once the mixture is chilled, remove it from the cylindrical Containers. Then slice using a knife and that’s it! Your pepperoni is ready to be used in sandwiches or pizzas or anything else.
  • Stove Top: Once the batter is blended, put it in a pan on the stove top and cook over medium heat.
    Once it starts to bubble, Keep stirring. The batter will start to thicken and need a little bit of elbow grease because it will start forming lumps or will start to stick to the bottom a little bit. Just keep stirring and cooking it until the mixture thickens evenly into a really thick custard.
  • After that, keep cooking until the chickpea flour does not smell raw. You can carefully taste it(it will be hot). It takes 3-4 minutes minutes to completely cook after thickening.
    Then you can let the mixture cool for a little bit until it’s not too hot to handle and then shape it to a log using parchment. Let it cool completely in the fridge and then slice.

Video

Notes

  • I use white chickpea flour here as it sets much better than besan, which is a brown chickpea flour. See the differences between the 2 flours here. You can use besan, use 2 tablespoons more besan. The sausage will be a bit softer
  • *use 1-2 tbsp more chickpea flour for more set sausage if you like it firmer. I find 3/4 cup a good amount flavor wise and texture wise. It’s set enough and sliceable and pliable as it’s still slightly soft. 
  • You can play around with the spices, making the pepperoni spicier if needed
  • Oilfree: omit the oil
  • Chewier : add 2-3 tbsps all purpose flour if gluten is ok 
  • Storage: Keep the sliced or unsliced pepperoni in the fridge for up to 5 days, you can freeze them for up to a month
    Freezing changes their texture a little bit, I prefer to refrigerate them instead

Nutrition

Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg