Easy Vegan BBQ Seitan Ribs are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Slathered in a homemade barbecue sauce, these ribs are sticky, succulent, meaty, and guaranteed to satisfy your vegan BBQ desires. Oil-free!
If you have been missing BBQ ribs at your last few cookouts your life is about to change. This is one of my favorite summertime recipes and sure to be one of yours too.
Need something special to take to that next vegan picnic? These BBQ Seitan Ribs will be a hit on a veggie burger bun but were made to be eaten with messy fingers. And, you’ll be amazed at how easy they are to make.
These ribs are quick and delicious, and even meat-eaters will love them.
It’ll be like you’re eating the ribs you remember but without all the fat and cholesterol. And, more than likely you’ll have to remind yourself you are eating plants!
These vegan BBQ seitan ribs are succulent, meaty, sticky, sweet, smoky, and perfect for a summer cookout or bbq. Be sure and bring the vegan buffalo chicken dip, Hasselback potatoes, and vegan mac and cheese.
These ribs can be baked and grilled. What more could you want?
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love Vegan BBQ Ribs
- Easy to throw together and requires very little time and effort. Making vegan ribs sounds complicated but it could not be any simpler.
- Seitan is a food that is very high in plant-based protein.
- This is a great recipe to serve at any picnic, potluck, or gathering. My non-vegan family members love this recipe.
- You can toss these ribs on a grill just like the real thing.
What Are Vegan Ribs Made From?
Vegan BBQ Ribs are made using Seitan. It’s often called “wheat meat.”
Seitan is fairly bland and tasteless on its own. But, when spices like onion powder and soy sauce are added it becomes a very savory and meaty dish.
Some recipes using seitan call for tahini, almond butter, or another nut butter for adding fat and depth of flavor. But, I have omitted those from this recipe to keep it low in fat yet full of flavor.
If you are trying to eat less meat then seitan is a great way to get there.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need are a few spices and your favorite homemade BBQ sauce to make these unbelievable vegan ribs.
Dry Ingredients
- Vital Wheat Gluten: Vital wheat gluten is the primary ingredient in seitan or “wheat meat.” It’s like wheat flour on steroids and it’s pretty much pure protein. It’s a meat replacement and first appeared during the 6th century as an ingredient in Asian cuisine.
- Nutritional Yeast: this adds an earthy nuttiness, especially to savory dishes like these vegan ribs.
- Spices: smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin
Wet Ingredients
- Vegetable Stock: water is an option as well, but I prefer using low-sodium vegetable broth or vegetable stock for added flavor.
- Soy Sauce: used in a marinade or adding an umami flavor but can also add color to your dish.
- Liquid Smoke: optional, but adds a smoky flavor without the actual fire, but it makes the vegan ribs taste as though they came from a smoker.
- BBQ Sauce: I prefer to use my own DIY homemade BBQ Sauce. It’s cheap, super easy to make, and uses everyday ingredients already in your pantry and fridge.
How To Make Seitan Ribs
These seitan ribs are easy to prepare, delicious, and a great choice for so many occasions.
Start by preheating your oven to 375˚F and line a baking sheet or 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
Combine all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk everything together. Then pour the wet ingredients, except for the BBQ sauce, into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form.
Use your hands to finish mixing and continue kneading the dough for 45 seconds to 1 minute. If the dough is too dry add a tablespoon of water or vegetable stock at a time.
Transfer the seitan to a clean surface and press the dough out into a rectangle shape about ½″ thick. You can use a rolling pin if needed.
Cut the seitan in half creating two equal pieces and get ready to base with some sauce. From here you have a couple of options. You can just bake them right away but I love to grill them first.
This will give you the appearance and texture of ribs.
Simply preheat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat and grill each half of the seitan ribs for about 3 minutes per side. It will create those griddle marks everyone loves.
Once you’ve finished grilling them place the ribs on the prepared baking sheet, brush with homemade BBQ sauce, and bake for 10 minutes.
Flip the ribs, brush with more sauce, and bake for 10 more minutes.
Remove the seitan ribs from the oven and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Slice the ribs with a sharp knife, drizzle with more BBQ sauce, and enjoy!
I love serving these up with macaroni salad!
Tips and Substitutions
- Vital Wheat Gluten: There are no substitutes for wheat gluten. But, if you prefer a less chewy seitan use ¾ cup of wheat gluten and ¼ cup chickpea flour.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer low-sodium soy sauce, but Bragg’s Liquid Aminos is a great option.
- Rest: The texture of seitan ribs is best when allowed to rest a bit. If you serve them immediately out of the oven the ribs will be soft. Letting them rest for just a few minutes makes a big difference. I like to let the seitan sit in the fridge overnight and then reheat.
How To Serve BBQ Seitan Ribs
Enjoy these vegan ribs just like you would real ones. Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve alongside:
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
- Vegan Coleslaw
- The Best Vegan Cornbread
- Crunchy Baked Cajun Fries
- Vegan Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins
Storage
Refrigerator: vegan seitan ribs can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: place leftover seitan ribs in a freezer-safe container and keep them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
I hope you enjoy these Easy BBQ Seitan Ribs. Please leave a comment below with a star rating. And, be sure and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!
Print
Easy BBQ Seitan Ribs (Vegan Ribs)
Easy Vegan BBQ Seitan Ribs are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Slathered in a homemade barbecue sauce, these ribs are sticky, succulent, meaty, and guaranteed to satisfy your vegan BBQ desires.
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 ribs 1x
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1 batch Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk everything together.
- Pour the wet ingredients, except for the BBQ sauce, into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Then use your hands to finish mixing. Add a tablespoon of water or vegetable stock at a time if needed if the mixture is to dry. Knead the dough for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Transfer to a clean surface and press the dough out into a rectangle shape about ½″ thick. Slice the seitan in half creating two equal pieces.
- NOTE: This step is optional but I like to do it for appearance and texture. Preheat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat and grill each half of the seitan ribs for about 3 minutes per side until griddle marks form.
- Place the grilled ribs on the prepared baking sheet, brush with BBQ sauce, and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the ribs, brush with more sauce, and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the ribs to set for about 5 minutes.
- Slice the ribs with a sharp knife, slather with more BBQ sauce, and enjoy!
- Serve with mashed potatoes, Hasselback potatoes, or macaroni salad.
Notes
Vital Wheat Gluten: There are no substitutes for wheat gluten. But, if you prefer a less chewy seitan use ¾ cup of wheat gluten and ¼ cup chickpea flour.
Soy Sauce: I prefer low-sodium soy sauce, but Bragg’s Liquid Aminos is a great option.
Rest: The texture of seitan ribs is best when allowed to rest a bit. If you serve them immediately out of the oven the ribs will be soft. Letting them rest for just a few minutes makes a big difference. I like to let the seitan sit in the fridge overnight and then reheat.
Refrigerator: vegan seitan ribs can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: place leftover seitan ribs in a freezer-safe container and keep them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Vegan Main Dishes
- Method: Bake, Grill
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 ribs
- Calories: 152
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 229.5 mg
- Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.6 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 26.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegan ribz, vegan seitan ribs, vegan bbq ribs, bbq seitan ribs, easy vegan recipes, plant-based, oil-free recipes
Oh my gosh, I made these “ribs” last night, they were sooo delicious and super easy! Easy is important for me and I will be making these for friends this weekend. I know they will LOVE them too! Thanks Shane for ALL your wonderful recipes!
★★★★★
AWESOME!!!
Wow the easiest Seitan recipe ever and I used some chickpea flour, taste so much better. Made it around lunch time put it in the refrigerator to firm up then reheated on a Foreman grill. Ate it like steak. I need to meal prep with this recipe.
★★★★★
Just made these yesterday and BOY were the delicious! So darn easy to make and didn’t take hours to prepare. They were even better today ! Love your recipes.
★★★★★
These were so simple and so delicious! I made them exactly per the recipe and they came out perfectly. I have made so many different rib recipes and most much more complicated (one even required first baking, then sautéing, and finally grilling the seitan) and none of them were as tasty. These had a great chewy texture with a wonderful barbecue flavor! Thank you- these are a keeper!
★★★★★
I just baked and sliced the ribs and I’m letting them sit in the fridge till ready to heat and serve. I kneaded longer than a minute because I’ve read kneading makes seitan tougher. I also added extra gluten to make the dough dryer and more manageable. The result: delicious, great texture and an easy recipe to prepare. I will be making this again but will follow the suggestion to add less broth rather than adding more gluten. Thank for sharing this amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Is there an alternative to chickpea flour I could use?
★★★★★
You could remove it and an equal amount of wheat gluten back into it. Rice flour might be an option as well.
I made these and the flavor was Amazing.!!! However, they had the texture of a gummy worm, for track of a better description and were were bouncy chewy. Help!!! What did I do wrong???
Hi, Ann! I’m sorry to hear that. It’s possible they might have been a little too moist. Try cutting back on the liquid just a bit and knead very well. You could also add 2-4 Tbsp of chickpea flour as well. I hope this helps.
What is the best way to reheat them the next day? I was thinking crock pot? Any suggestions would be grateful.
I usually just warm them up in the oven or toss them in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
This recipe was super simple and incredibly delicious! I was super surprised how good they were. My husband had seconds and he said they were a 10! He said the greatest thing is that you can enjoy them without all the fat and cholesterol. Yay! This recipe is a winner! Thanks Shane for hitting this one out of the park!
I made these and they definitely met the bbq ribs craving for sure. I have never mad seitan before and man was it crazy stretchy to work with. It kept shrinking back into itself. I think I’d like a less rubbery texture. Maybe I should try using some chickpea flour as you suggested? It was really tasty and your sauce is banging good! Thanks, Shane!!
★★★★★
Thank you, Meagan! Yes, reduce the amount of wheat gluten by 1/4 cup and replace it with chickpea flour.
I will definitely try this recipe, but it also inspired me to try making my family-favourite BBQ Greek Ribs with seitan rather than pork ribs (we all miss them soooo much)! I spice them (lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, oregano, coarse salt, pepper and cayenne) and my husband grills them on the BBQ for 40-45 minutes. I’ll have to experiment!
Just heard you on PlantStrong podcast and had to come check out your site. This looks awesome. Have you ever done these ribs cooked on a smoker or grill? If so, any tips?
Hi, Sarah! I’m so glad you’re here and thanks for reaching out. I’ve done both the grill and smoker but baked them first. It cooks best in the oven then I toss them on the grill for the marks and flavor. Hope this helps and again, welcome!
Thanks so much! I’ll give them a try in the oven and then on my smoker.
Did you try the smoker? I’m making these tomorrow and want to know how to proceed!! Thanks
Super easy recipe which I love! Taking them to a family bbq today…I will let you know if they like them. I am only the plant based eater other than my one daughter in law who is vegetarian .
I KNOW I WILL BE ENJOING THEM!!!!
I am a huge fan of your recipes!
★★★★★
Hello. For us celiacs what can we substitute for Seitan knowing it won’t be the same. Thanks!
Hi, Sara, and I’m so sorry to hear about your celiacs. Unfortunately, there is no sub for seitan. BUT, you could follow the same procedure with the sauce, baking, and grilling with the super firm or extra firm tofu. And, you might want to check out my BBQ Tempeh Ribs. We love making sandwiches with them. Let me know what you think!
https://shaneandsimple.com/vegan-bbq-tempeh-ribs/
Easy Vegan BBQ Seitan Ribs are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Slathered in a homemade barbecue sauce, these ribs are sticky, succulent, meaty, and guaranteed to satisfy your vegan BBQ desires. Oil-free!
★★★★★