These perfectly spicy and dehydrated vegan meat sticks are full of flavor and such a delicious snack. The vegan jerky sticks are nutritious, gluten-free, paleo, low carb, and so tasty!
Lately, I was inspired to make raw dehydrated snacks, so I dusted off my dehydrator and pulled out one of my favorite recipe books, Blissful Raw Food Recipes from Café Bliss.
If you are ever in Victoria B.C. Canada, check out Café Bliss, where you can purchase the recipe book, grab raw food snacks, or enjoy the best smoothies and juices!
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These vegetarian pepperoni sticks are slightly modified from the spicy nori sticks recipe in the book Blissful. I made the spicy nori sticks years ago and loved them, so I decided to make them again with a couple of tweaks.
I added in almonds and nutritional yeast, which enhances the other flavors and adds a touch of cheesiness. Plus, nutritional yeast is an excellent source of vitamin B12 that can be difficult for vegans to obtain dietarily.
The filler for these vegan meat sticks is made with:
The garlic, ginger, miso, chili powder, and nutritional yeast provides a unique and mildly spicy flavor that vegans are bound to love.
Tips for making the vegan jerky sticks
Soak the sunflower seeds in water for 6 hours, then place all the ingredients for the base in a food processor and mix.
I then use nori seaweed wraps that are cut in half to make the best vegan meat sticks! Seriously, nori wraps are the best way to make mock vegetarian pepperoni sticks.
Place the filling for the vegan jerky sticks into a medium-size ziplock freezer bag, then cut the tip off the bottom corner of the ziplock bag.
Cut the nori sheets in half, then lay a nori sheet on a cutting board. Squeeze the filling out of the bag into a thick straight line. Aim for a 1.5 cm diameter.
Now roll up the nori wraps the same way you would make sushi. Have a bowl full of water to dip your fingers into and wet each side of the nori wraps so that they stick together and look like vegetarian pepperoni sticks.
It helps to place the bottom side down where the nori wrap is sticking together to keep the vegan jerky sticks in place while dehydrating.
The filler will make 20-24 vegan jerky sticks, so you will need at least ten nori sheets cut in half.
Once dehydrated, these vegan jerky sticks have a texture similar to a pepperoni stick that is perfectly chewy and slightly moist. The primary difference between these vegetarian pepperoni sticks is they are much healthier for you!
Benefits of Vegan Peperoni Sticks
Ginger and turmeric are culinary herbs with many health benefits. Miso adds the perfect salty taste and is a fantastic probiotic-rich food for gut health.
The nori wraps are an excellent source of iodine, which is a crucial nutrient for thyroid function. Nori is also rich in many trace minerals.
Brazil nuts are high in the mineral selenium, which is an antioxidant and essential nutrient for the immune system.
There are also many benefits to eating foods high in enzymes such as these dehydrated vegan jerky sticks. So, hop into the kitchen and get cooking!
Vegan Meat Sticks
These dehydrated vegan meat sticks are nutritious, gluten-free, low-carb are so tasty! The vegan jerky sticks are perfectly chewy and the best substitute for pepperoni sticks.
Soak sunflower seeds in a bowl covered with water for 6 hours. Strain excess water before putting in the food processor.
Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into a a ziplock back then cut a 1.5 cm hole to squeeze the mixture out.
Cut 10 nori sheets in half parallel to the lines on the sheet. Squeeze a long thick line lengthwise along the nori sheet. Roll up and seal the edges with water so they stick together.
Place the nori wraps on a dehydrator tray with the seam facing down.
Dehydrate the vegan jerky sticks wrapped in nori for 18 hours at 50° celcius or 120° Farenheight.
Notes
Store the vegan jerky sticks in a ziplock bag in the fridge. These should last weeks if they are not eaten right away!
Cut against the grain when slicing meat. Use a marinade with at least one acidic ingredient. Marinate the meat strips for about 24 hours. Watch the meat strips closely while cooking/dehydrating to make sure they don't get too tough (that is, lose too much moisture).
Beyond Meat Jerky is a plant-based jerky that is marinated and slow roasted for a full- flavored snack that delivers the delicious, tender bite of traditional beef jerky, with the benefits of plant-based protein.
The best cuts of meat for beef jerky are Top Round, Bottom Round, Lifter and Pectoral, but a variety of cuts can be used such as Flank Steak and Skirt Steak. These cuts of beef check all the boxes for beef jerky—economical, lean, and full of flavor. Selecting a lean cut of meat that has very little fat is key.
Tofu is another protein-rich ingredient that serves as a good substitute for meat. When marinated in barbecue sauce, maple syrup, and other seasonings and baked in the oven, it takes on that chewy, leathery quality synonymous with traditional Jerky.
Slicing against the grain of the meat yields a softer jerky. Slicing against the grain breaks down the long, tough muscle fibers. Think of slicing against the grain like doing a little pre-chewing.
Place the whole bag into the fridge to thoroughly marinate for up to 24 hours, but no fewer than 4 hours. The longer you marinate, the deeper your flavor and tenderizing action. The most convenient process is to simply refrigerate overnight and start your next step, the drying process, on the following day.
A leaked internal document revealed Beyond Meat products manufactured at the plant had tested positive for the harmful bacteria Listeria at least 11 times in the second half of 2021 and the first half of this year, Bloomberg reported on Monday.
Mushroom, watermelon, coconut, banana and soybean are all common fruits and vegetables used to make plant-based jerky. Some brands even use jackfruit, eggplant and other meaty fruits and vegetables to mimic the texture of beef, pork, chicken or turkey.
Beyond Meat Jerky, the first product to emerge from the firm's 'Planet Partnership' joint venture with PepsiCo, is being discontinued less than two years after launch, Brown told analysts after posting a $155 million net loss on sales down 7.8% to $73.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Venison, or deer meat, is a popular choice for dehydration due to its lean nature and rich flavor. Venison jerky is a classic example, and it can be made using both muscle and ground meat, as well as dehydrated sausages and various offal products.
Beef jerky is as American as apple pie. Yet, most people don't realize that there is a better way to make jerky than your typical dehydrated meat: the best beef jerky is smoked to perfection.
Over-dehydrated jerky loses its chewy and palatable texture. Instead of that enjoyable tug and pull, you might find yourself dealing with a brittle, crumbly piece that lacks moisture and feels like biting into a piece of hard bark. Flavor, too, takes a hit with over-dehydration.
Perhaps the most aptly named brand on this list, Beanstalk's line of vegan jerky is made from soybeans. Tender and chewy, this on-the-go snack packs nine grams of protein and is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Cooked legumes such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils can be swapped for a lot of ground beef recipes. Buying canned or dried beans instead of meat can also save you money. In addition to protein, beans, and legumes are packed with health-beneficial fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Lightly brush the jerky with a liquid and let it sit for a few hours and up to 24 hours in a sealed environment. You can use any liquid. Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable, beef, or chicken broth, liquid smoke, and water all work wonders. We recommend matching whatever liquid was used in the original recipe.
It's important to keep jerky sealed in its original pouch when it's not being eaten. The more oxygen exposure it gets, the tougher the jerky will become. Also, the shelf life drastically decreases once the package has been opened, so try to finish it within a day or two.
Dehydrating beef jerky for too long can lead to over-drying. While this may not pose as immediate a health risk as undercooking, the implications for your taste buds are dire.
You cannot overdry foods you plan on putting into storage. The drier it is, the better it will store. You might over dry fruit leather or jerky a little more than your taste preference is, but you cannot overdry food meant for food storage.
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