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Vegan Hot Dogs #2 / Paprika Seitan Sausages

Disappointed by bland grocery store veggie dogs? The veggie dogs that look and taste sad compared to their traditional counterparts? BE SAD NO MORE! Make these fat, juicy, delicious paprika seitan sausages. These vegan hot dogs are perfect for your next cookout/BBQ/potluck/feast!
Click here for the printable recipe.

Video Tutorial for Vegan Hot Dog Recipe // Paprika Seitan Sausages

What is seitan? Not to be confused with the lord of darkness, seitan is a high-protein food made from wheat gluten (ie. not for those with gluten allergies). As traditional as a mock meat can get, it has been made by Buddist Monks since the 7th century by rinsing wheat dough with water. Now, we can get the gluten without rinsing anything! You can find Vital Wheat Gluten in the baking sections of grocery stores, at health food stores, or online. It can also be labelled “gluten flour” or “pure gluten.”

vegan-hot-dogs-paprika-seitan-sausages-finished

Readers/viewers seemed to love my last hot dog recipe, Scallion Seitan Sausages. Those use whole scallions for their rich flavour and cashews to add juiciness with minimal salt to make them both delicious and healthy. Which is great when you want a vegan hot dog that you can have all the time with no dings to your otherwise healthy diet. But what if you don’t want a “healthy” hot dog? What it you want all the salt? All the fat? ALL THE FLAVOURRRR??!!

Hot Dog Spices + Herbs

Hot Dog Spices + Herbs

In that case, you’ll want to make these Paprika Seitan Sausages.

How to Make Paprika Seitan Sausages

In this vegan hot dog recipe, we use spices and herbs found in conventional hot dogs. Salt is not held back at all so these hot dogs have a comparable sodium level to the full flavoured gourmet bratwurst sausages that you might find in your local grocery. And refined coconut oil gives us the fat that keeps these sausages even juicier without being overly oily.

vegan-hot-dog-liquid-blending

Making vegan hot dogs is super easy in this case. Blend all the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten (AKA pure gluten flour).

paprika-seitan-sausage-dough

Add the gluten to the liquified ingredients, a portion at a time. Gluten flour kicks up really easily so adding it in slowly prevents a mess. Plus, it’s easy to add a bit too much gluten. That would not completely ruin your vegan hot dogs but would make them denser and firmer than regular hot dogs.

There isn’t any kneading to be done to this dough. Simply mix until all the dry gluten is absorbed and then divide up the dough.

This is a bit much for one sausage. These days, I'd make them more like 75g each.

This is a bit much for one sausage. These days, I’d make them more like 75g each.

In my video, I divided the dough into six. However, this makes sausages that are oversized and just one of those will fill me up. So these days, I divide one batch of dough into eight parts which makes large but more reasonably sized servings.

dividing-paprika-seitan-dough-foil

You don’t need to oil the foil before wrapping up the raw seitan sausages. Just press the dough into a log shape first. The dough will spring back a bit but that’s ok.

Don’t want to use aluminum foil? Wrap up the sausages with parchment paper or cheesecloth and secure the ends with kitchen twine.

wrapping-vegan-hot-dog-1

Take the side of foil closest to you, up and over the seitan.

wrapping-vegan-hot-dogs-2

Tuck it into the other side and use your fingers to press the seitan more into a long log shape. I like to use a hot dog bun as a guide to see how long I want to make the sausage.

wrapping-vegan-hot-dogs-3

The sausage will expand during cooking so don’t worry if it looks a little skinny.

wrapping-vegan-hot-dogs-4

The foil I have in this picture is a little short. If you don’t use enough foil, the hot dogs tend to expand unevenly. So if you want perfectly shaped vegan hot dogs, you should use enough to envelope the sausages twice.

Secure the ends and they are ready to steam.

wrapped-paprika-seitan-sausages-steamer

These paprika seitan sausages are too long to fit into my regular steamer baskets so I’m using a large pot with a wire rack at the bottom.

Fill the bottom with water (I use hot water to speed things along), but leave a little room between the surface of the water and the top of the rack. You want to steam these vegan hot dogs, not boil them.

Cook for 45 minutes to one hour over medium high heat. The nice thing about steaming seitan is that it’s pretty difficult to over cook them. When they are done, let them cool a bit before removing and unwrapping them.

vegan-hot-dogs-paprika-seitan-sausages-topview

Once cooked, these parika seitan sausages are ready to eat. You can have them as is, but I like to pan fry or grill them a little first to a crispy texture on the outside.

And that’s it! Enjoy!

More Seitan Recipes:

Printable Recipe for Vegan Hot Dogs 2 // Paprika Seitan Sausages


Yield: 8 vegan hot dog sausages

Vegan Hot Dogs #2 / Paprika Seitan Sausages

Vegan Hot Dogs #2 / Paprika Seitan Sausages

These fat, juicy, delicious vegan hot dogs perfect for your next cookout. This easy recipe uses spices and herbs found in gourmet hot dogs, plus refined coconut oil keeps these vegan sausages juicy and bursting with flavour. High in protein, as well as taste, these vegan hot dogs are sure to satisfy!

By the way, don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients; most just go in your blender! And of course, you can substitute or omit the some spices according to what you have on hand. These are YOUR vegan hot dogs and there are no rules!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water (240ml)
  • 1/4 cup diced onion (60g)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast* (20g)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon mushroom seasoning powder/granules**
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon caraway
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups vital wheat gluten (8.46oz / 240g)***

Instructions

  1. Blend all the ingredients, EXCEPT for the vital wheat gluten, until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
  2. Add about a third of the vital wheat gluten flour and mix in with a fork. When it's totally incorporated, slowly add the rest of the flour until a soft dough develops. The dough should be fairly loose. Do not over mix or the dough may become overly stiff. Divide the dough into 8 even pieces
  3. Prepare 8 pieces of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap the sausages twice (this ensures they expand evenly during cooking and don't break through). Place one piece of seitan dough in the middle of sheet and roll up starting from the end closest to you, and roll up. See the video for demo. Secure the ends by twisting.
  4. Steam the wrapped sausages over medium high heat for 45 minutes. Remove carefully with tongs.
  5. Grill/fry them to finish them just before serving. Brush on some oil to prevent them from drying out. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the outside to really enhance the flavours. See notes for storage tips.

Notes

Storing your Vegan Hot Dogs

Let the paprika seitan sausages cool before placing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 5-7 days. You may also freeze the sausages.

*What is Nutritional yeast?

Nutritional Yeast can be found in many health food and bulk stores, as well as in many major grocery stores and online. It is NOT the same as baking yeast or brewer's yeast. If you cannot get nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons of good quality miso paste makes a good substitute.

**What is Mushroom seasoning ?

It's NOT ground up dried mushrooms. Instead, it's an extract that is used like powdered bouillon and adds an unique meaty savory flavour. I highly recommend using it for this recipe. If you cannot obtain mushroom seasoning, you can substitute with dry vegan chicken soup mix or vegetable bouillon powder. Mushroom seasoning doesn't have as much salt as most vegan bouillon powders so you may need to reduce the amount of celery salt added.

***What is Vital Wheat Gluten (VWG)?

Also known as PURE gluten flour, is not the same as the wheat flour used in baking. It contains mostly protein and does not taste or behave the same way. The brand that I buy most often is Bob's Red Mill. It is also sold as gluten flour at Bulk Barn.

VWG measuring tip

I like to measure vital wheat gluten by weight rather than volume since the weight I get seems to differ every time I do the "scoop and level" method with it. If you don't have a kitchen scale, make sure to add your gluten a little at a time, stopping when you form a loose, wet dough. Refer to the video to see the desired texture.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 273Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 451mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 45g

Nutritional Information automatically calculated by a plugin and may not be correct.

Did you make this recipe?

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Showing 48 comments
  • Kelly
    Reply

    Ooh, these look amazing. Thanks for sharing!

    • Mary
      Reply

      Thank you! I hope you get to try them sometime 🙂

  • Carolyn
    Reply

    Mary, I procured mushroom seasoning from Amazon this past year and so far have just been using it as a sprinkle seasoning in rice dishes and such. I love making home made veggie dogs though and will try yours now, but also this gives me an idea of how to use mushroom seasoning in other recipes of similar quantity: thinking veggie burgers or sausage logs would be good apps too.

    • Mary
      Reply

      Yes! I’m happy you found lots of uses for your mushroom seasoning 🙂

      • María Rodríguez
        Reply

        How I can get ripe of the vital gluten flavor. I followed the recipe but still having that flavor

  • Heather
    Reply

    This was my first try with seitan and I was surprised how easy it was. I am wondering if my dough was a bit too dense.

  • Reena
    Reply

    I made these. I found them a bit too soft for my liking but when I sliced them and sautéed for use on home made pizza, they were perfect.

  • Danette
    Reply

    Made these hot dogs. Amazing so yummy. Also buns, I don’t think my yeast was fresh so hot dog buns were not perfect. But hot dogs are yummy just dipping in ketchup! Thank you! I also tried your 5 spice roast. I don’t know which I like better….I guess I don’t have too! I have never used 5 spice before I really liked it. My broiler does not work so I just browned in the 400 degree oven for 12 minutes both sides and it glaze browned fine. Very yummy. This is not going to last long in my house.great recipes and fun to make. Wrapping hot dogs isn’t hard just a little time consuming but end product worth it.i think l got 13 hot dogs!Froze half. I used pizza sauce instead of tomato paste in the hotdogs.

    • Mary
      Reply

      That’s wonderful! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the seitan recipes 🙂 Thanks for sharing your workaround for broiler-less ovens too!

  • Nancy
    Reply

    Hi Mary,
    Your hot dogs sound so deliscious but I am gluten intolerant. I was wondering what I can use to make seitan instead of vital wheat gluten.

    • Mary
      Reply

      Seitan’s main ingredient is wheat gluten; like soy is the main ingredient in tofu. Unfortunately, there is no simple substitution.

  • Jennifer Taylor
    Reply

    I made this today! It came out pretty good. I used someone’s suggestion from YouTube and used 1/4 cup of chickpea/garbanzo flour…didn’t have any tomato paste so I used sundried tomatoes and just a bit of ketchup. Also have never used celery salt before so will have to buy some next time!

    • Mary
      Reply

      Nice! Thanks for sharing your experience! <3

  • Diane
    Reply

    Hi, if I don’t have a rack for steaming in a pot is there another method I can use to steam, not boil them? Thank you!

    • Mary
      Reply

      You could crumple up foil into balls so you can set a heat proof plate on top for a makeshift steaming rack. Whatever you do, just be careful!

  • Ret
    Reply

    Your link for the mushroom seasoning isn’t working. What brand would you recommend? Is it the mushroom soup seasoning mix?

    • Mary
      Reply

      It is not mushroom soup seasoning mix. I just checked the link and it does go to the right amazon product page for me. Did you see it? The brand was PoLoKu Trading. It’s an extract made from mushrooms. If you can’t get it, you can use veggie bouillon.

      • Ret
        Reply

        Thank you for your quick response, Mary. I tried the link again and it still didn’t work but I was able to find it on Amazon. I noticed one of the comments noted that they were able to find it in a local Asian market for much less. Think I’ll give that a try!
        I can always use the veggie bouillon as you suggested.

      • Paulieboi
        Reply

        I just ground some dried shiitake mushrooms in a coffee grinder; worked great for me.

  • Shae
    Reply

    Thanks for the fantastic recipe! I’m curious if you have experimented with making these in a pressure cooker

    • Mary
      Reply

      Thank you! I haven’t tried in a pressure cooker. I don’t have a pressure cooker but it seems like I really should!

  • Deborah Baker
    Reply

    Hi, Mary! I just made these dogs in my Instant Pot. They turned out perfect. Thank you!

    • Sarah Bromley
      Reply

      Hello Deborah, can I ask how long you put them in the instant pot for?

      • Tom
        Reply

        I cooked them in an instant pot and did 40 mins and natural release and they’ve come out good

        • Mary
          Reply

          That’s wonderful to hear, Tom. Thanks so much for sharing!

  • Emm
    Reply

    Looks delish! How long can they last if they’re frozen?

    • Mary
      Reply

      I would say 2 months. That’s the limit I would use for frozen meats back in the day.

  • Lesley
    Reply

    Wonderful, would you recommend freezing before or after cooking?

    • Mary
      Reply

      Thank you! I haven’t tried freezing before cooking, only after which works nicely. Let me know if you decide to try the other way 🙂

  • Vicky
    Reply

    Hi Mary,
    I have followed the recipe exactly and made a double batch so at this very moment I have 16 hotdogs steaming away on the stove.
    I can’t wait to see how they turn out and if we like them.
    Hopefully we do or we will have a whole bunch of hotdogs :-))
    I trust your recipes, hence double batch :-))

    • Mary
      Reply

      How’d it go? Hope you enjoyed them 🙂

  • Maret
    Reply

    Absolutely delicious! I didn’t have any caraway so I omitted the coriander, caraway, fennel and nutmeg and used 1 1/2 tsp of garam masala instead. Must have worked because they are amazing…even my very carnivorous sister enjoyed them! I found the mushroom seasoning at an Asian market and have used it in a recipe I developed for tofurkey for the holidays. It is a great find and wouldn’t have even known about it without this recipe so thank you for the find AND the recipe!

    • Mary
      Reply

      That’s awesome! I’m so happy you got so much out of this post <3

  • Jade
    Reply

    I’ve made these twice, and they worked perfectly both times! Thank you so much!!
    P. S, I’ve got a Gluten allergy and so I replaced the vital wheat gluten for all purpose gluten free flour. For anyone with you gluten allergy you can for sure use this it works really well

    Thank you so much Mary!!!!

    • Mary
      Reply

      Wow, Jade! Really? I wouldn’t expect gf flour to work but now I’ll have to give it a try myself. I’ve been trying all sorts of things trying to come up with a good gf version but never tried all purpose gf flour before. Do you mind sharing the brand or recipe of gf flour that you used? Thanks so much for sharing your experience!

  • Marix
    Reply

    Hi Mary! 🙂

    I’m planning to make vegan hotdogs using this recipe soon. 🙂 I was just wondering how long is the shelf life if I store them in the freezer? Thanks! 🙂

    • Mary
      Reply

      Max 2 months in the freezer. 🙂
      -Mary

  • Cathy
    Reply

    Hi Mary, This recipe looks wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing! I will be excited to try it. But I have some questions…I was wondering if I may use some banana leaves, grape leaves or parchment paper instead to wrap the sausage to steam, instead of aluminium wrapping foil? As I don’t particularly prefer steaming items in aluminium foil. Also another question on your chickwheat shreds video. I saw that you wrapped the chichwheat shreds in parchment first and then aluminium foil. Again, I was wondering if you may have a non aluminium foil alternative for wrapping this? Can I just use parchment paper and then cling wrap or glad wrap instead of aluminium foil? Or banana leaves or grape leaves after parchment paper instead? (grape/banana leaves would be my first preference compared to cling wrap and parchment combo.) But I’m not sure if that will work?

    • Mary
      Reply

      Hi Cathy,
      Great questions! All of those wrappers you mentioned will work for the seitan sausages. For chickwheat, you can use cheesecloth or even a regular clean kitchen towel to wrap instead of foil. You can secure the wrap with kitchen twine to make it secure. You just want to wrap it very securely so it can’t expand. Don’t use cling wrap; I don’t think it will stand up to the heat.
      Hope that helps!
      -Mary

  • Sarah
    Reply

    Hi! I am planning on making these today, and I was wondering if you thought it would be alright to substitute the coconut oil for olive or canola oil. I’m out of coconut oil, but I didn’t know if the properties of coconut oil (solid when cold, liquid when warmed) were an important part of your oil choice in this recipe. Thanks!

    • Mary
      Reply

      Hi Sarah,
      While refined coconut oil is more ideal for this recipe, you can sub olive or canola.
      Cheers,
      Mary

  • Kara
    Reply

    Anyone who’s on the fence about making these…
    do it! The flavor is really good, and it has a really nice texture. It’s not rubbery like seitan can get, and is super easy to make. Thank you, Mary, for sharing this recipe!

    • Mary
      Reply

      Thanks for the glowing review, Kara!! <3 It means so much <3
      Cheers,
      Mary

  • Paulieboi
    Reply

    Delicious! I was adventurous and substituted stout beer for the water. Great dogs, thanks for the recipe!

  • Paulieboi
    Reply

    Delicious! I made them oil-free and substituted stout beer for the water. Great dogs, thanks for the recipe!

    • Paulieboi
      Reply

      BTW, Guinness is now considered vegan.

  • Lara
    Reply

    These are amazing – thank you for sharing. I didn’t have the caraway seeds, or the nutmeg, or the dried oregano, or the coriander, or the tomato paste (Lock down sucks), but I subbed tomato ketchup and fresh home grown oregano and coriander (! – I know…) and it still came out so well. I didn’t quite get the texture you have, as I think I may have over worked the gluten stirring everything in, but they are still extremely tasty. Very delicious.

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