If you follow me on snapchat (@minimalistbaker), you know I’ve been trying to make vegan pepperoni for a while now. It’s been one of those recipes I dreamed up and then struggled to perfect. But, after many failed attempts, I’m happy to report I cracked the code!

Say goodbye to the days of vegetables-only pizza (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Vegan pepperoni to the rescue!

Origins of Pepperoni

It’s thought that the technique of curing meat with salt and spices to preserve it originates as far back as the Roman Empire. Spicy sausages were then curated in Italy and pepperoni is thought to have originated in the US as an adaptation from the Italian versions. Pepperoni began appearing in delis and pizza shops in New York City around 1919 and is now many people’s favorite pizza topping!

The following is our plant-based version made with similar spices and flavor, but without the meat!

Vegan Pepperoni

For the base, I experimented with tofu, tempeh, and chickpeas, trying each individually and mixed to find the right texture.

While tempeh seemed to yield the right texture initially, when baked it gets pretty dry and crumbly. The same goes for chickpeas. Tofu, however, lends itself perfectly to the texture of pepperoni because it bakes up beautifully and holds it shape! Plus, it’s neutral in flavor and does an excellent job at absorbing all of those pepperoni spices.

In total, this recipe requires just 10 ingredients and comes together in less than 1 hour! Some versions I tested required more than 1 full day to prepare, but I knew that wasn’t realistic. I think it’s pretty awesome that you can make this pepperoni from scratch for dinner tonight! (Pats self on back).

What spices will you need? Excellent question!

A blend of sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flake, paprika, garlic powder, ground anise, fennel (this one’s important!), ground mustard, and coconut sugar for a little sweetness. I didn’t have all of these spices on hand, but now that I have them, I can’t wait to experiment with other uses.

In addition to being relatively easy to make, these pepperoni are considerably healthier than their animal-based counterpart. They’re very low in fat – less than 1 gram fat per pepperoni – and relatively high in protein – about 1 gram protein per pepperoni! If you ate all the pepperonis (like I did), that would be 30 g protein. That’s a lot of plant-based fuel!

I hope you all try and love this recipe! It’s:

Spicy

Hearty

Smoky

Salty

Perfectly tender + crisp

& Seriously delicious

This is the perfect topper for vegan and gluten-free pizzas, as well as deep dish, portobello, and butternut! I could also see these tucking beautifully inside of calzones! The options are endless. I just love that the texture is so close to the real thing, and they’re addictively salty and spicy.

If you give this recipe a try, let us know what you think! We love your comments, ratings, and especially your photos tagged #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see how yours turn out. Cheers, friends!

