Wheat Is The Ingredient You Need To Perfect Homemade Vegan Deli Meat

Though there are dozens of ways to make delicious vegetarian sandwiches, having vegan deli meat on hand is probably the simplest way to make a filling, flavorful, meat-free sub. The only hitch is that buying a package of it in the grocery store seems to be getting more expensive by the day. It can be hard to justify the cost of plant-based meat slices when looking at the rest of your shopping list. The good news is that making vegan deli meat at home is actually quite simple!

@sarahsvegankitchen

The cost of Tofurky is too damn high. 😵‍💫 Make your own vegan deli slices at home. 💸 #veganfood #whatveganseat #veganrecipes #tofurecipes #tofu #homemadefood

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All you need is extra firm tofu, olive oil, cornstarch, bouillon, liquid smoke, and nutritional yeast. Simply blend together all the ingredients and add plenty of spices that suit your taste. Then, mix in the secret ingredient: wheat gluten, which acts as a glue to hold the ingredients together. Typically, gluten forms when liquid is added to flour, and kneading or mixing a dough strengthens the gluten bonds. The stronger the gluten is in a dough, the chewier and more elastic it will be.

When it comes to vegan deli meat, the gluten from wheat flour has been isolated into an added ingredient. Mixing the wheat gluten into your recipe will help your vegan roll maintain its shape and give it a springy texture.

Though making your own vegan deli meat isn't complicated, there are a few tricks to guarantee that it comes out springy and delicious. First, make sure you use extra firm tofu. Silken or even standard firm tofu won't have the same heft, and could leave your vegan meat runny. When blending your ingredients, make sure the mixture is smooth and without lumps, so that your resulting deli meat will slice evenly. 

And don't skimp on the spices or bouillon — while tofu has a wonderful ability to absorb different flavors, it needs plenty of seasoning. Too little spice can leave you with very bland results. For an even deeper flavor profile, try adding various herbs like dill, oregano, basil, rosemary, or chives. You can even apply a spice rub to the outside of the log just before baking — consider using something like Old Bay or a buffalo rub for extra flavor.

When it comes time to bake your roll, you can either wrap the log in some tinfoil or in a cheesecloth and cook it in your air fryer. Voilà! You now have a log of vegan meat ready to cut into deli slices.

Once you have your vegan deli meat, what should you do with it? The joy of these meat-free slices is their versatility — they can be substituted into all sorts of sandwiches.

Try a bánh mì sandwich with the same spicy cilantro, pickled carrots, and radish, but swap in your tofu meat for the flank steak. Or, make a melty Cuban sandwich, but instead of pulled pork, layer the vegan slices with pickle spears, mustard, and creamy Swiss cheese. You could even try a Reuben with tangy sauerkraut and rich Russian dressing, but none of the meat.

These vegan slices can also be fried to create something like a plant-based version of bacon. Just toss a few slices in olive oil on high heat until they become crispy and brown. Enjoy your alternative bacon on its own or in a meat-free BLT sandwich.