Vegan Yakitori Recipe (Japanese BBQ Skewers)

🌶️ Seitan Yakitori Ingredients

Vital Wheat Gluten

Gluten-free folks, cover your ears. If you were hoping for a GF tofu yakitori, this ain't it, so scram, bum.

Vital wheat gluten, made by hydrating wheat flour to extract gluten, is packed with protein and forms the base of the seitan.

Generally speaking, there are two ways to make seitan: either rinsing high-gluten flour to remove starch and bran, or using pre-made vital wheat gluten, as I do in this recipe.

My Seitan Masterclass covers both methods, and then you can use that glorius stuff to make dishes like vegan tikka masala, vegan pepperoni, or vegan fried chicken. For this recipe, using vital wheat gluten ensures reliable, consistent results with minimal fuss, even if you've never messed with making vegan meats before..

Miso

Miso, a fermented soybean paste, adds a punch of umami to the seitan base. Other than in the glaze, this is the primary source of saltiness in this recipe. I like white miso best in this recipe, but if you don’t mind the darker color, Korean doenjang (which I sometimes use for making vegan bulgogi or Korean tofu soup), Chinese bean paste (which I use in my vegan chicken recipe), or taucu all work nicely here too.

Ichimi Togarashi (or Gochugaru)

Ichimi togarashi is a bright red Japanese chili powder that brings just a touch of heat to this vegan yakitori recipe.

Japanese grocery stores typically have it. But if you can’t find any, my top two substitution recommendations are gochugaru and Aleppo red pepper flakes. If you have either of those leftover after making this, gochugaru can be used to make vegan kimchi, while Aleppo pepper flakes can be used in vegan Turkish recipes like ezme and bulgur pilavi.

Bamboo Skewers

Bamboo skewers are just sturdy enough, ideal for holding the seitan in place while cooking and grilling. When I make vegan kofta, I think it’s a good plan to soak the wooden sticks in water before use to prevent burning. But this recipe doesn’t require that because the skewers get steamed with the seitan on them for a while before they ever enter the oven.

Mirin

Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine. For this recipe, I encourage you to use natural, unseasoned mirin because a lot of the “seasoned” stuff is full of corn syrup and the tears of a thousand sad puppies, or whatever.

If you 100% just can’t get mirin, replace it with equal parts rice vinegar and agave nectar.

Sake

Sake, a Japanese rice wine, adds depth and complexity to the tare sauce. Shaoxing cooking wine or a light white wine can be used as substitutes if necessary.

White Pepper

White pepper provides a very gentle heat and smokey vibe to the tare sauce, subtly complementing the other flavors. Black pepper can absolutely be used in a pinch, though it’s not going to have the same subtly earthy complexity.

If you have some leftover from making this recipe, a few awesome things you can use it in are vegan pad see ew, tempeh mendoan, and my vegan Alfredo sauce recipe.

Shichimi Togarashi (optional)

Shichimi togarashi, a Japanese seven-spice blend, adds citrusy heat and the subtle buzz of sansho pepper as a garnish to the finished, glazed skewers.

If you don’t see it at your local Asian market, I have a superberly-slammin’ shichimi togarashi recipe that will only take you minutes to whip up if you have the ingredients on hand. I use the stuff to garnish my vegan tofu katsu and my vegan sushi bake recipe too.

📖 How to Make Vegan Yakitori

Nail this Japanese vegan BBQ classic on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.

Step One

Seitanic Panic:

Add the vital wheat gluten, olive oil, water, miso, minced garlic, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, and ichimi togarashi to a food processor. Process for 90 seconds until the mixture becomes an elastic, slightly stringy-looking dough.

Step Two

Divide and Conquer:

Cut the dough into 8 portions, placing them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Let them relax for 5 minutes, which will make forming the skewers easier.

Step Three

Taming of the Skew’

Wrap each dough portion around a bamboo skewer, shaping each into a slightly uneven cylinder that sorta resembles chunky meat.

Step Four

It Was All a Steam (I Used to Read Word Up Magazine):

Bring water to a boil in a steamer and place the skewers on parchment paper to prevent sticking. Steam over medium-low heat for 30 minutes until just firm. Remove and let them cool enough to handle.

Step Five

Tare it Up:

Combine tamari, mirin, sake, water, brown sugar, and white pepper in a saucepan. Cook the glaze ingredients over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 4-6 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.

Step Six

Grill, or Roast:

Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) or fire up your grill to high heat. Brush the steamed skewers generously with tare sauce. Roast on a parchment-lined sheet for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through, or grill, rotating every 2-3 minutes, until charred in spots all over.

✅ These are best cooked on an outdoor grill over a charcoal fire, but you can make them all year round either in a grill pan or by roasting them instead.

Step Seven

Brush Limbaugh:

Give the skewers a final brush with tare sauce to create a shiny, juicy final gloss.

Step Eight

Donald Duck’s Nephews: Huer, Dewer, and Skewer:

Arrange the vegan yakitori on an attractive serving plate. Sprinkle with sliced spring onions, radishes, lettuce, and shichimi togarashi.