These vegan ribs are tender, meaty, and coated in an irresistible, sticky and smoky BBQ sauce! And don't worry, making seitan ribs is easier than you might think! From backyard cookouts to weekly meal prep, this award-winning vegan ribs recipe is one you'll make again and again.
I'm SO excited to share these vegan ribs with you! As much as I enjoy experimenting with seitan, I'm not sure why it took me so long to try a ribs recipe.
I wasn't a huge fan of ribs before going vegan, so I guess I was missing the necessary nostalgic motivator. But recently when I learned that a local brewery is hosting a vegan BBQ cook-off to benefit local animal rescue organizations, that was all the motivation I needed!
I decided to enter the competition and have spent the past two weeks perfecting my seitan ribs!
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I took inspiration from this recipe for seitan ribz by Susan Voisin. To bump up the umami, I decided to add sautéed mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the mix, as well as jackfruit for texture.
Not into mushrooms? No problem! I've also included instructions for making the seitan ribs without mushrooms and/or jackfruit in case you want to simplify the process.
UPDATE: The ribs won 1st place at the BBQ cook off! Turnout was amazing, and we had a great time while raising money for two local animal rescue organizations.
Ingredients
- vital wheat gluten - I use this one by Anthony's. Bob's Red Mill is another widely available brand.
- almond butter - some added fat is important for the overall texture of the ribs. Almond butter is nice because of its neutral, roasty flavor. For a nut-free option, you can substitute tahini or oil.
- vegan "beef" seasoning - for 3 of the test batches I used Orrington Farms Vegan Beef Flavored Powder. I also tested one batch using a homemade beefy seasoning with mushroom powder, and it turned out great! So if you don't have the Orrington Farms product, head over to the vegan beef broth recipe to see how to make your own. Or use plain mushroom powder.
- BBQ sauce - try my healthy homemade BBQ sauce or use your favorite store-bought sauce to save time. The sauce is a huge part of the overall flavor profile, obviously, so use one that's bold and flavorful.
- jackfruit (optional) - look for jackfruit packed in brine, not syrup. It's usually labeled as "young" or "green" jackfruit. I usually purchase jackfruit at Trader Joe's, but there are several other brands available in stores and online.
- mushrooms (optional) - I tested the recipe both with and without mushrooms. They give the seitan a more savory, moist, and succulent quality, so even though it adds two steps to the recipe (sautéing and blending), we decided it was worth the extra effort. Feel free to omit.
Full ingredient list and instructions are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Vegan Ribs
To make basic seitan ribs without the jackfruit, skip ahead to step 3.
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- Drain the can of jackfruit, and place the pieces on a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze it over the sink to remove as much of the brine as possible.
- Use your hands to separate the seeds and tough pieces (the pile at top of photo 2) from the stringy parts of the jackfruit (the pile at bottom of photo). We're only using the stringy pieces that look like shredded meat. Discard the seeds and tough pieces.
Note: you should end up with about 1 ⅓ cups of shredded jackfruit.
- Combine vital wheat gluten and all remaining dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and whisk very well.
- Toss the shredded jackfruit in the dry mixture.
- Saute the onion and mushrooms until dry, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add minced garlic, and cook for another minute. By the way, your pan will look more full than this. I was making a half-batch when I took the photo.
- In a blender combine the sautéed mixture with the remaining wet ingredients, using only ½ cup of the barbecue sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Knead the seitan dough for about 30 seconds, until fully combined. This is a fairly soft seitan dough and should not feel overly firm.
- Lightly oil a 9x13-inch glass or ceramic casserole dish. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Use a butter knife to cut into 16 or 20 pieces, depending on how large you want the ribs to be. For very thin ribs cut into 24 pieces.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and brush with ½ cup BBQ sauce.
- Bake for another 25 minutes, then remove from oven. Use a spatula to flip sections of the ribs, and brush with another ½ cup BBQ sauce. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until piping hot and sticky. Let rest for at least 1 hour before serving. Preferably, refrigerate overnight, and reheat the next day using a grill, stovetop grill pan, or microwave.
Substitutions
- Mushrooms - As mentioned above, I also tested a mushroom-free version. It was good, but we do prefer the ribs with the sautéed mushrooms and onion. Find details on omitting the mushrooms the Notes section of the recipe below.
- Jackfruit - If you don't have canned young jackfruit - or you simply want to skip a step - just omit it! It's that easy. When I'm making ribs at home just for us two, I usually skip the jackfruit to save time and money.
- Beef-Flavored Seasoning - If you'd rather not use the Orrington Farms beef flavored seasoning, it's easy to make your own with mushroom powder, salt, and nutritional yeast. See the Recipe Notes for exact amounts, or simply use plain mushroom powder.
Top Tips
How to measure vital wheat gluten - Making seitan is similar to baking in that you need the correct wet-to-dry ratio. I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour.
Click on Metric in the recipe card to see the weight. If you don't own a scale, whisk the vital wheat gluten first, then spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top.
Let the seitan rest - The texture of seitan ribs improves with rest. Straight from the oven they're a little soft. After cooling for just one hour you'll see an improvement, but an overnight rest is even better.
Batch size - The recipe makes a large amount, about 5 to 8 servings depending on everyone's appetite. But even in our 2-person household we had no problem eating a full pan of ribs over the course of a few days. They're great for meal prep!
You can also halve the recipe and use a 9-inch square baking dish. Glass or ceramic is best.
I hope you love these vegan ribs as much as we do! Serve 'em up with some vegan coleslaw and savory vegan cornbread, and dig in!
RELATED: If you like the seitan-jackfruit combo, try my vegan wings next!
Recipe Video
Watch how vegan ribs are made.
Recipe
Best Vegan Ribs (Seitan With Jackfruit)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 ⅓ cups vital wheat gluten - Click Metric above to see weight in grams
- 2 tablespoons Orrington Farms Vegan Beef Flavored Powder - See Notes for a homemade blend, or use mushroom powder
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Wet ingredients:
- 1 (20 oz) can young jackfruit in brine, optional
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 6 ounces baby bella or white button mushrooms, sliced, optional - See Notes for mushroom-free version
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce, divided
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup unsalted smooth almond butter - or 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole dish with oil.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk very well so that the spices are fully incorporated.
- (If not using jackfruit, skip to step 5.) Drain the can of jackfruit, and place the jackfruit on a lint-free tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze it over the sink to remove as much brine as possible. Use your hands to separate the seeds and tough pieces from the stringy parts of the jackfruit. The seeds and tough parts can be discarded. Once you have a pile of the meaty, stringy part of the jackfruit, make sure it is well shredded and separated. You should end up with about 1 ⅓ cups of jackfruit.
- Add the shredded jackfruit to the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Set aside.
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook the onion and mushrooms until dry, about 7 minutes. Add minced garlic to the pan and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- In a blender combine the sauteed mushroom mixture, ½ cup barbecue sauce, water, nut butter, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and soy sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Knead the seitan dough for about 1 minute. It should feel somewhat soft (this is a moist dough).
- Press the dough evenly into the casserole dish, and use a knife to cut into 16 or 20 pieces, depending on how wide you want the ribs to be (refer to photos above). Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with ½ cup BBQ sauce, and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and use a spatula to carefully flip the ribs (I do this in sections, not individually). Brush with another ½ cup BBQ sauce, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until piping hot and sticky.
- Let the seitan rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving (this allows the seitan to firm up). Preferably, let the ribs cool completely, then refrigerate overnight and reheat the next day using a grill or on the stovetop.
Notes
- 1 Tablespoon mushroom powder
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- and a few dashes each of onion and garlic powder
- omit the onion, mushrooms, and cloves of garlic (and skip step 5, obviously).
- increase onion powder and garlic powder to 4 teaspoons each.
- increase water to 1 cup.
- decrease soy sauce to 4 teaspoons.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Patty says
This is fabulous! I used a scale to weigh the vital wheat gluten. I have trouble finding jackfruit so I used a package of palmini...it's hearts of palm made to mimic spaghetti. You can find it by the pasta in a pouch or can. Follow the directions for the jackfruit but there is nothing to pick through. I gave mine a chop after squeezing it dry. I tried a piece an hour after baking and it was very good but I liked it even better the next day after heating it in a skillet, gave it a little crust. I followed the recipe for seasonings and wouldn't change a thing. Thank you sooo much!!!
Sonia B says
These are fantastic! I made a half batch and spent the entire time eating them regretting that I didn't go for the entire thing. So two days later, that's what I'm doing! I'm really excited to share this with meat-eating family. One weird thing- I used the metric measurements and the measurement for soy sauce is not accurate when converted to metric. It wasn't a huge deal but I noticed it after cooking.
Sharine Borslien says
Lori, these ribs are absolutely delicious! I made them with your BBQ Sauce recipe, ooo la la! I served them with a Cajun Slaw of red & green cabbage, shredded carrots, sliced red onion, dried cranberries, and a homemade creamy cashew-based dressing. It was the perfect spicy, crunchy complement to the meaty ribs! It's just me and my husband here, so I have leftovers. I think I'll save a few ribs to chop up into a BBQ Chick-Un Salad. I'm salivating again😋.
Paul Vinett says
These ribs are fantastic. We're whole food plant based and served these ribs to family members who are meat eaters. They devoured them and couldn't stop talking about how delicious they were. And they thought the barbecue sauce was the best they ever tasted!