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These vegan BBQ ribs have a smoky, beet-red seitan center, a rich layer of "fat" on the top and bottom, and cinnamon stick bones sticking out the end so you can pick them up and go full caveman. Don't have an outdoor grill? Chill. A stovetop grill pan gets you the same awesome marks and texture.
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
If gluten is your nemesis, this recipe is pretty much out for you. But you could steal some of the flavor ideas from this recipe, and use them in a grill marinade for tofu, or tempeh, right? I know it’s not really the same…
Make the fat dough first, then build the meat dough in the same food processor without washing it. Whisk the roasting liquid while the oven heats.
Rock this out with whatever cheap gluten you can find. Anthony’s is usually pretty inexpensive bought in bigger bags online.
Use reduced-sodium tamari and a BBQ sauce sweetened without refined sugar, like Date Lady's.
No asafetida? A mix of onion powder and garlic powder covers it. No beet powder? No biggie. -The inside just comes out a little less pink.
Melt it, then let it come back to room temperature so it's not completely solid or liquid. Hot oil won't emulsify and the fat dough turns greasy instead of holding together.
Firmly press the meat and fat doughs together before cutting, so the layers don't slide apart.
The covered roast is what makes them tender. A loose cover lets the steam escape and the ribs dry out before they ever see the grill.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
Ribs might just be the hardest meat in the galaxy to fake, and it's not because of the flavor. A slab of saucy seitan is nice, but nobody's ever licked their fingers and gnawed on a rubbery rectangle of crap that's the same texture all the way through. I mean, other than your dad, who eats dish sponges, that is.
The meat itself uses the same 2-dough method as my vegan pastrami and marbled seitan bacon: a smoky tofu and miso "meat" dough sandwiched between 2 sheets of coconut oil "fat" dough. That fat layer is what makes it juicy, but still firm enough to be believably ribby, and slightly more realistic looking instead of being a chewy, albeit tasty sneaker.
Fire up the food processor, 'tis about to get a tad bit wild in here.
Jump to:
Why you'll adore these BBQ seitan ribs
🦴 Bones You Can Actually Get Your Grubby Hands On: Cinnamon sticks slide into each rib and stick out the end, so you get the pick-it-up, sauce-on-your-face rib experience without anyone's ribcage, or costly store-bought wooden "vegan bones" involved.
🔥 Oven Tender, Grill Charred: They steam-roast in stock under foil first, so the grill is just for color and caramelized sauce. That makes them easy to prep ahead when you are sorting out what vegan Super Bowl recipes you want to rock this year.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Over 1,000 recipe testers make my vegan recipes before they go live. If these kitchen freaks can sandwich 2 doughs and jam cinnamon sticks into them without a meltdown, so can you.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
Seitan ribs ingredients
Vital wheat gluten
Both doughs for these ribs are built from the ground up with vital wheat gluten. Blending the meat dough with puréed tofu and miso dilutes the gluten, so it ends up juicy and tender.
I've tested these with several brands of vital wheat gluten, but I usually just use Anthony's, since it's the cheapest I've found.
Seitan still feel like a mystery? My seitan masterclass makes it make sense. Then use the rest of the bag on some vegan pastrami.
Tofu and miso
3.5 oz. (100 g) of extra firm tofu gets puréed into the meat dough with the onion, garlic and stock. That's typically a quarter of a block these days, since the average block mysteriously lost a couple of ounces during the pandemic. And using 2 tablespoons of white miso instead of plain ol' salt, brings complex, almost porky umami, instead of just flat saltiness.
The fat dough
This is refined coconut oil, cold unsweetened soy milk and apple cider vinegar, blended until thick, then bound with vital wheat gluten and tapioca starch. A pinch of garlic, and asafetida give it a savory, kinda brothy-backbone. Can't get your hands on asafetida? Just sub it out with a mix of onion powder and garlic powder.
For sure use refined coconut oil, not unrefined, unless you want ribs that taste faintly like an overpriced airport piña colada.
Beet powder, smoked paprika and liquid smoke
Beet powder is the reason the inside comes out pinkish and meaty instead of beige. Smoked paprika and liquid smoke make it taste like it spent the afternoon in a smoker, even though it spent a short spell in your oven.
Cinnamon sticks
These are the bones. Try to get your hands on long, sturdy cinnamon sticks, since they need to stay intact as the support structure for the meat.
BBQ sauce
You need about 1 cup total: 3 tablespoons in the meat dough, ⅓ cup for the grill, and ½ cup for serving. Pretty much any vegan BBQ sauce you love works here. Organicville Original is a sweet and smoky classic, and Date Lady is sweetened only with dates, which is pretty rad. Plenty of BBQ sauces sneak honey in, so check the label on anything else.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
Variations
Korean BBQ ribs
Swap the BBQ sauce for my Korean BBQ sauce and finish with sesame seeds and scallions instead of chives. Same bones, new passport. Hayyyy.
BBQ Brisket
My vegan BBQ brisket recipe is marbled and insanely gorgeous looking. Plus it's yummy. So, there's that.
Chinese Spare Ribs
My vegan Chinese ribs are takeout-style seitan strips baked firm, seared in sesame oil and tossed in a sticky, red hoisin sriracha glaze.
Thai Seitan Ribs
Swap the takeout glaze for lemongrass, lime, vegan fish sauce and bird's eye chilies. My vegan Thai seitan ribs use the same bake-then-sear strips, then get buried in mad Thai basil and cilantro.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
How to make vegan ribs
Fair warning: this is the arts and crafts portion of the weekend, with 2 doughs, some stacking and a little bone surgery. The steps and photos below walk you through it, and everything's in the recipe card too.
Step One
Grease Is the Word:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a food processor, combine the melted and cooled coconut oil, cold soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vital wheat gluten, tapioca starch, asafetida, garlic powder, and salt. Process for about 60 seconds, until a somewhat grainy, oily dough comes together.
Transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
Step Two
Tofu Legit to Quit:
In the same food processor, purée the tofu, onion, garlic, BBQ sauce, vegetable stock, liquid smoke, olive oil, and miso paste until smooth. Add the vital wheat gluten, smoked paprika, and beet powder, and process until a somewhat stringy, meaty dough forms.
Step Three
Slabba Dabba Doo:
Divide the fat dough into 2 equal portions. Press each one into a rectangle about 14 inches (35 cm) long, 4 inches (10 cm) wide and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Shape the meat dough into a ½-inch (1.25 cm) thick slab, roughly the same size.
Don't freak out if the fat dough breaks apart at this stage. The more irregular, the better.
Step Four
Metro Goldwyn Layers:
Lay the meat dough over one fat dough slab, then cover it with the second one, so the meat is sandwiched between 2 layers of fat. Press the layers together firmly, keeping the slab about 4x14 inches (10x35 cm).
Chill your OCD-butt out. No need to get the fat dough on evenly. Its all gonna get smushed together a bit in the next step or two
Step Five
Indiana Bones:
Cut the slab into 14 equal 1-inch sections. Insert one or two cinnamon sticks lengthwise into each one, with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each stick sticking out of the short side, so they look like rib bones.
Squeeze and stretch the dough as you press it firmly into the cinnamon sticks. This helps the stick in but also naturally marbles the fat and meat doughs together in a more natural, chaotic pattern.
Step Six
Roastbusters:
Whisk together the vegetable stock, tamari, and olive oil, and pour it into a baking dish. Arrange the ribs in the dish with some room between them. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
Step Seven
Grill Murray:
Remove the foil and brush the ribs generously with BBQ sauce. Preheat a charcoal grill or stovetop grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the ribs for 3-4 minutes per side, brushing with more sauce as needed, until the sauce caramelizes and they have dark grill marks.
Step Eight
ExBBQues Me:
Move the ribs to a serving platter, brush with the remaining BBQ sauce, and sprinkle with minced chives.
Serving ideas
Rock these ribs out with a skillet of vegan cornbread and a pan of vegan truffle mac and cheese, then add some extra cheesy vegan elote straight off the same grill, since you have it on anyway.
You know what's super rad if you have leftover ribs?
Chop 'em up and add them to pinto bean chili, vegan tamale pie, or some vegan Frito pie. This way you can stretch out the portioning to under a single rib per person, all with at least one nasty looking sauce stain on their shirt.
Top tips
- Cool the Coconut Oil First: Melt it a little, then let it come back to room temperature so it's not completely solid or liquid. Hot oil won't emulsify and the fat dough turns greasy instead of holding together.
- Press the Layers Together Hard: Firmly press the meat and fat doughs together before cutting, so the layers don't slide apart and so they cling better to the cinnamon sticks. Pressing unevenly, and slightly dimpling the dough together gives you more natural marbling anyway.
- Keep the Foil Tight: This is critical- the covered roast is what makes them tender. A loose cover lets the steam escape and the ribs dry out before they ever see the grill.
Recipe FAQs
Nope, they're just there to hold onto. Pull the meat off and leave the sticks on your plate, same as real ribs. Otherwise you can swap them out for popsicle sticks, which just don't look as rad in my opinion.
Yes. A stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat gives you the same char marks and caramelized sauce.
🧊 In the Fridge: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
❄️ In the Freezer: Freeze the roasted, unsauced ribs in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
🔥 Reheating: Warm them in a covered pan over medium heat with a little oil and a splash of water, flipping once while they steam back to life. Brush on a little more BBQ sauce right before serving.
You'll also love TF out of these vegan BBQ Meat recipes:
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Vegan BBQ Ribs Recipe
Equipment
- baking dish
- charcoal grill (optional)
Ingredients
For the Fat dough:
- ⅓ cup refined coconut oil melted, then cooled to room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsweetened soy milk cold
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon asafetida
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For the Meat Dough:
- 3.5 oz. Extra-firm tofu drained
- ¼ cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 Tablespoons BBQ sauce
- ½ cup unsalted vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon beet powder
For Forming and Cooking:
- 14 cinnamon sticks
- ½ cup unsalted vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup bbq sauce
To Serve:
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- 1 tablespoon chives minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a food processor, combine the melted and cooled coconut oil, cold soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vital wheat gluten, tapioca starch, asafetida, garlic powder, and salt. Process for about 60 seconds until a somewhat grainy and oily dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same food processor, purée the tofu, onion, garlic, BBQ sauce, vegetable stock, liquid smoke, olive oil, and miso paste.
- Once the contents of the food processor are smooth, add the vital wheat gluten, smoked paprika, and beet powder. Process until a somewhat stringy, meaty dough forms.
- Divide the fat dough into 2 equal portions. Press each portion into a rectangle, roughly 14 inches by 4 inches, each about ¼ inch thick.
- Shape the meat dough into a ½ inch thick rectangular slab roughly the same size as the fat dough portions.
- Layer the meat dough over one of the fat dough slabs, and cover it with the other portion of fat dough, sandwiching the meat dough between the 2 layers. Press the layers together firmly keeping the slab still around 4x14 inches.
- Cut the assembled dough into 14 equal sections.
- Insert one or two cinnamon sticks lengthwise into each strip, with about 1 inch of each stick protruding from the short side of each portion, positioning them to resemble rib bones.
- Whisk together the vegetable stock, tamari, and olive oil, then pour the mixture into a baking dish. Arrange the ribs in the baking dish leaving some room between each one. Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and brush the ribs generously with BBQ sauce. Preheat a charcoal grill or stovetop grill pan to medium-high heat. Once the grill is hot, place the ribs on the grates and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, brushing with additional BBQ sauce as needed, until the sauce is caramelized and the ribs have dark grill marks.
- Transfer the ribs to a serving platter. Brush with the remaining BBQ sauce and garnish with minced chives.
Notes
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