Homemade Vegan Chorizo
Smokey, spicy, savory homemade vegan chorizo! Great for Mexican fillings, pasta, soup, chips, and salads. The best part about making vegan meat alternatives at home is you know exactly what goes in it (and you’d be surprised how easy it is!) With only two main ingredients, this chorizo is minimally processed, and only takes about 30 minutes to make. 64 calories per 1/2 cup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup okara* or one can of beans, see note below
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup vital wheat gluten**
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder more or less to taste for spiciness
- 1 teaspoon umami seasoning optional, I use Trader Joe’s brand
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon coriander
- Dash cinnamon
- Spray oil
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- Apple cider vinegar for deglazing
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet or pot over medium heat. Mash together the okara and tomato paste with a fork in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the vital wheat gluten and all of the spices. Add the gluten mixture to the okara. Stir with the fork until mostly combined into large crumbs.
- Use your hands to knead the okara-gluten mixture just until it is fully combined and no longer crumby. Break the mass into smaller pieces (roughly quarter sized). Spray the hot skillet with oil. Add the okara-gluten chunks the skillet. Sprinkle soy sauce over the top, spray with more oil, and stir to combine. If you are not using a nonstick skillet or pot, your chorizo may stick fairly quickly. Deglaze the skillet with vinegar as necessary, and stir to prevent more sticking.
- If desired, use a spatula to break the chunks into smaller pieces. Allow the chorizo to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the desired texture is reached. After 20 minutes, it should be somewhat dry on the outside with charring in some places, and softer on the inside. Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve as desired (see serving suggestion below.)
Notes
*OKARA is a byproduct of the soy milk making process. It is pulp produced by blending soy beans and water together, and then straining out the liquid (soy milk) and leaving the bean pulp (okara) behind. It’s consistency is soft and light, and it adds a great texture to seitan products. Making soy milk/okara is easy. Type “homemade soy milk” in a search engine to learn how. Alternatively, you can use a can of beans (any kind) in place of the okara - strain and rinse the beans and then process them in a food processor until they are mush. This may affect the texture of the chorizo slightly as the whole beans will contain more moisture.
**VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN is a white high protein wheat flour. Some stores carry it in bulk, or in bags in the natural/organic or baking aisles (Bob’s Red Mill is a common brand.) Other types of flour will NOT work in its place. Its high protein (specifically gluten) content causes it to react differently with moisture and heat, giving the finished product a meaty texture.
Serving Suggestion: Brush both sides of a slice of bread with olive oil. Toast in the oven at low broil until toasty on both sides. Spread vegan cream cheese on one side. Top with VeganEgg or tofu scramble, spinach, fresh herbs, chorizo, and vegan cheese shreds.
Brilliant recipe. Great use of Okara. Didn’t have the umami seasoning but I just used more of the other spices, plus mustard powder, liquid smoke and mushroom powder. Quick prep using the food processor and the kneading blade shaking it a bit to speed up the kneading. I see myself making this often. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Denise, great idea with the food processor! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Mustard powder, mushroom powder, and liquid smoke sounds like a perfect umami combo :p