Vegan Ham Deli Slices
These Vegan Ham Deli Slices are Smokey, Salty and Savory! Perfect for any sandwich that traditionally uses ham!
Deli Ham was one of my favorite sandwich fillings before going vegan, and even though there’s some decent ones at the store, I prefer the taste and texture of these homemade Vegan Ham Deli Slices way more!
Plus they are way cheaper! According to my estimates they are about 5 times less expensive than store-bought too!
I’ve been eating them almost every day for over a week and have been making a bunch of different sandwiches. My favorite might be this New York Style Ham Egg and Cheese!
You could also make a Cubano!
Or a Monte Cristo!
Ingredients for Vegan Ham Deli Slices
- Vital Wheat Gluten – this is the base and it can’t be substituted unfortunately!
- Cannellini Beans – I normally use tofu like I do in my Roast Beef and Turkey recipes, but I opted for beans this time around. We’re gonna use all the bean juice too. You can also use any white bean, Navy, Northern, or even Chickpeas.
- Miso Paste – For some savoriness! To make the recipe soy-free, you can swap this with Coconut Aminos or Mushroom Powder.
- Nutritional Yeast – This is gonna provide a lot of delicious umami flavor!
- Smoked Salt – This will obviously provide some Salt and Smokiness! You could also just use some regular salt and smoked paprika or more liquid smoke.
- Baking Powder – This is just to cut out the funky aftertaste that seitan can sometimes have.
- Red Coloring – If you want the Seitan to have a red tint, you can use some Red Yeast Rice Powder or Red Food Coloring.
- Other Seasonings – we will use liquid smoke, as well as some pantry staples to overload this seitan with flavor!
How to Make Vegan Ham Deli Slices
If you’ve ever made Seitan this is a pretty straightforward recipe! We basically just need to blend the wet ingredients. Wipe down the sides as necessary and blend until smooth!
Next add in the vital wheat gluten. Blend and knead that in the food processor for 3 – 5 minutes or until it’s stretchy and doesn’t rip apart easily.
I recommend removing half of the seitan once the vital wheat gluten is combined and kneading in 2 batches. Unless you have a large and powerful food processor, this is recommended so you don’t break it or cause it to overheat.
Form it into a ball, and let it rest in a bowl for 20 – 30 minutes to help the gluten develop more.
To cook it, you have a couple options. First you can roll it up with some HEAVY DUTY foil. Wrap it as tightly as possible. I recommend double wrapping it as well. Seitan likes to expand when you cook it. If it expands too much you will get a “bready” texture with a lot of holes instead of a tight and compact texture like deli meat.
Or you can add it to an Oven Safe Ham Press which is my new preferred method for cooking seitan. This not only keeps the seitan from expanding, but it cuts down on waste since you don’t need to use any tin foil.
Then you can either bake it in the oven, or pressure cook in something like an Instant Pot. I highly recommend using a Thermometer to check the internal temp and pull it out once it’s at 180 – 200 F. I also find that baking it standing upright can sometimes cause it to bake unevenly, so I suggest laying it on its side, flipping it halfway through cooking to ensure a more even bake.
If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can use the Instant Pot, or Boil it on the stove top according to brand’s instructions. Just get the internal temp of the seitan to 180 – 200 F.
Then let it cool and rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight. The next day, slice it however you wish. I like using a deli slicer, but a sharp knife or mandolin will work too.
To serve the Vegan Deli Ham, you can optionally either heat it up with a little oil in a pan. Or you can simply rub the slices with a little oil and anything else you like.
Then just pile it up on any kind of sandwich you like!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within a week. You can heat the slices up for a minute or so in a pan over medium heat.
You can also freeze the seitan for up to 3 months. If you slice it first, I suggest portioning it into serving sizes and freezing in between parchment paper so they don’t stick together.
10 Tips for Deli Style Seitan Slices
- Add more vital wheat gluten or liquid to the dough as needed if it is too wet or dry.
- Knead (ideally using a Food Processor) until the seitan is stretchy and resists tearing easily. You want to see some good gluten strands!
- If your food processor is too small to knead all of the seitan at one time, split it in half and knead in 2 batches. Then combine the two halves by simply kneading them together by hand.
- You can either bake your seitan by wrapping it in 2 layers of heavy duty foil, or you can use an Oven Safe Ham Press. I prefer the ham press because it’s zero waste and will get you a nice compact texture, perfect for deli meats. If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can boil it on the stove top (I recommend following the brands instructions).
- You can also pressure cook it in an 6 Quart Instant Pot for 1 hour, with a natural release of 15 minutes, either wrapped in foil or in a Ham Press (doesn’t need to be oven safe for Instant Pot).
- If you can, use a Thermometer and take out the seitan after it reaches 180 – 200 F (82 – 93 C).
- Let the seitan cool and rest in the foil or ham press. Then refrigerate overnight. This step is crucial in getting a good texture so don’t skip it!
- To slice the seitan, use either a sharp knife or mandolin, or if you have the space, I highly recommend using a Deli Slicer! If you think you’ll make your own deli meats a lot, this is a worthwhile investment!
- If for some reason your seitan is a bit undercooked and gummy, you can fry the slices in some oil to finish cooking them.
- Likewise if the seitan is cooked to your preference, you can coat the slices in a little oil if you like, I find it helps the taste and texture, but it’s totally optional! And you can even fry them for a bit in a pan to warm them up and get them a little browned as well.
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Handy Dandy Video here!
Vegan Deli Ham Slices
Ingredients
- 15 oz Can of Cannellini Beans (or Navy, Great Northern Beans, Chickpeas)
- 1 Tbsp Miso Paste (or Coconut Aminos, Mushroom Seasoning)
- 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Salt (or regular Salt and Smoked Paprika)
- 1 tsp MSG
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Tbsp Tapioca Starch
- 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/4 tsp Red Dye (optional for color)
- 2 cups (240 g) Vital Wheat Gluten
Instructions
- Open the can of beans, and do not drain the beans, we'll be using all the liquid they come with as well!In a food processor, blend up the beans and the bean juice (aka aquafaba) along with everything else EXCEPT the vital wheat gluten. Blend until smooth scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add in the vital wheat gluten and blend until combined. Depending on your food processor you may need to take out half and knead in 2 batches.Knead for 3 – 5 minutes or until the seitan is stretchy and firm. If it tears very easily it needs to be kneaded longer. Pull it out and check it every now and again until you get the desired texture. If the seitan feels too wet and isn't coming together, add a tablespoon or so of vital wheat gluten and blend, and repeat until the seitan is dry enough to knead into a firm and stretchy consistency. On the flipside, if it's too dry, add a splash of water until it becomes wet enough to knead into a stretchy consistency. Repeat this with the other half of the seitan and then combine both into a big ball and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.Refer to the photos in the blog or the video for more info if you are new to making seitan!
- Place on a baking sheet, then bake for 1 hour or until the seitan is around 180 – 200 F internally (using a thermometer), flipping halfway through.For more Cooking Options, check the NOTES section!
- Let the Seitan cool to room temp, then rest in the fridge for 8 hours or OVERNIGHT. This is very important for the final texture to firm up. It will be too soft right out of the oven or instant pot.
- Slice up your Ham with a deli slicer if you got one, a sharp knife or mandolin works too! You can also heat up the slices in a pan, but if they are thin don't cook them for too long or they'll get tough.You can also just toss them in a little oil and vinegar if you like, it's optional but delicious!
- Serve on any kind of sandwich that you like!
- ENJOY!
Notes
-
You can pressure cook it on high, in an Instant Pot for 1 hour. Add a cup of water to the Instant Pot and place the wrapped seitan on a steamer basket. Let it natural release for 15 minutes.
-
You can also use a Ham Press (my favorite way as there’s no foil involved and it gives a uniform shape and great texture) If the Ham Press is oven safe, you can bake it at 350 F / 176 C for 1 hour or until the internal temp is 180 – 200 F.
-
If the Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can pressure cook it in the Instant Pot (using the same instructions in Option 1), or you can boil it on the stove top (I would follow the brands instructions) and just make sure the internal temp is 180 – 200 F.
-
Add more vital wheat gluten or liquid to the dough as needed if it is too wet or dry.
-
Knead (ideally using a Food Processor) until the seitan is stretchy and resists tearing easily. You want to see some good gluten strands!
-
If your food processor is too small to knead all of the seitan at one time, split it in half and knead in 2 batches. Then combine the two halves by simply kneading them together by hand.
-
You can either bake your seitan by wrapping it in 2 layers of heavy duty foil, or you can use an Oven Safe Ham Press. I prefer the ham press because it’s zero waste and will get you a nice compact texture, perfect for deli meats. If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can boil it on the stove top (I recommend following the brands instructions).
-
You can also pressure cook it in an 6 Quart Instant Pot for 1 hour, with a natural release of 15 minutes, either wrapped in foil or in a Ham Press (doesn’t need to be oven safe for Instant Pot).
-
If you can, use a Thermometer and take out the seitan after it reaches 180 – 200 F (82 – 93 C).
-
Let the seitan cool and rest in the foil or ham press. Then refrigerate overnight. This step is crucial in getting a good texture so don’t skip it!
-
To slice the seitan, use either a sharp knife or mandolin, or if you have the space, I highly recommend using a Deli Slicer! If you think you’ll make your own deli meats a lot, this is a worthwhile investment!
-
If for some reason your seitan is a bit undercooked and gummy, you can fry the slices in some oil to finish cooking them.
-
Likewise if the seitan is cooked to your preference, you can coat the slices in a little oil if you like, I find it helps the taste and texture, but it’s totally optional! And you can even fry them for a bit in a pan to warm them up and get them a little browned as well.
This is the best deli ham recipe out there!
Yay, so glad you liked it!! Thank you!
Great recipe! Made it this week and was able to get 6-7 sandwiches with one loaf.
Awesome, so glad to hear this!
Excited to make this today. Some questions though, if I use regular salt and smoked paprika, what measurements should be used do you think?
Also, when using your ham press, do you use a plastic bag inside of it or not? Thanks!
Hi, I would say 1 Tbsp of coarse salt, and maybe 1 – 3 tsp of Smoked Paprika depending on how smokey you want it. I don’t use any plastic bags for the ham press!
I’ve tried a few seitan ham recipes and this is by far the best.
The recipe is so easy to follow and using the ham press is a genius play
Thank you so much, will be making this for years to come!
Awesome, so glad to hear this, happy it’s a staple now! Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe and for all your work. A question, why do you use baking powder?
Thanks! It helps to get rid of the aftertaste that seitan sometimes has.
Excellent, however I would like to make it a bit more soft and tender. My slices are stiff even when thin, they do not fall over as in your videos. What approaches could I use. I baked by the way but would instantpot steaming work better? I also kneaded until it reached that stretchy consistency, but many other recipes say to knead until just together, might that work here?
Hi, you could try blending in 2 Tbsp of oil after the gluten has been developed. You might be cooking it too long too, were you able to check the temp with a thermometer? If you under knead the seitan will be like chewing gum, you really need to develop the gluten.
I’m VERY late to the comment section, but I’m wondering what this tastes like. Would you compare it to Tofurkey slices? I really want to make this, but not if the end product will be similar to what I can buy in the store. Thanks for the great content and thanks in advance for all you do!
Hi! I like these better, the tofurky has a strong seitan aftertaste to me. They are also more tender than the tofurky in my experience. I still love tofurkey for convenience, but these are better!
Hi dude!
I was wondering if this recipe would work with tofu for higher protein content? Just subbing out the beans for the tofu like in your amazing turk’y roast. Thanks for all the deliciousness~~~
Hi, it should but you will likely need to adjust the liquids or vital wheat gluten so it’s well balanced!
Very tasty and much less expensive than Tofurky! This was my first use of my ham press! Worked excellent for steaming in the Instant Pot!
Mine was on the dry side. Did I knead it too long or not enough?
Thanks for your excellent recipes! Love the turkey slices!
Just made it today and it’s cooling.
It would be awesome if you can make it clear in the recipe card itself and direction that one should use the beans AND the liquid.
I did not read your whole write up, jumping to the recipe, and ended up having to add a lot of water to make the dough the correct consistency.
Will reply back once chilled over night with feedback.
Hey sorry about that! I’ve updated the recipe so it’s more clear, thanks, hope you enjoy!
Thanks for updating the recipe.
Even using just extra water as we did resulted in a lovely sliced “ham” product.
Looking forward to having these on a sandwich tomorrow.
Thank you for sharing.
Glad it worked out!!
Even my meat eating father liked it and said he’d eat it again in a sandwich.
Heck yes, always love to hear that kind of comment, so glad you both dug it! Thanks!!
What would you use as a substitute for the nutritional yeast? Can’t have it due to an allergy. Thanks! Love your recipes, man!
Hi, you could try using more miso paste or soy sauce instead!
This is the best dang vegan ham seitan! I make it often. No need to find any other recipe because this one is a keeper from the start!
heck yes! makes my day to hear, thank you!!
So easy to follow and delicious. I have made it with chickpeas instead of beans.
Nice, chickpeas work great, glad you liked it!
Hello, recipe sounds lovely and I can’t wait to try! Quick question – I typically use dried beans and boil them fresh for recipes, do you think it would work to sub out the aquafaba with an egg and some water to the same volume?
The cannellini beans were a surprise. Not as difficult as you’d think. My food processor sucks so I kneaded the dough mostly by hand. Almost thought I did it too much but it turned out fine. Being a vegetarian (not vegan) for over twenty years, I don’t remember what ham tasted like but I’m sure this is good enough. I’m going to make the Italian grinder sandwich. Wondering what it would be like on pineapple pizza… 🍕 🤔 Thank you for this one. 😉
Glad it worked out and that you liked it! A pineapple and ham pizza would be good! Thank you!
Hi 🙂 Can this seitan recipe be steamed instead of simmered? If so, do you have a suggestion for the cook time? Also, would substituting corn starch for the tapioca starch still work?
Hi, you can steam it, I would do it for about an hour and just check the internal temp so that it reaches 180 – 200 F. I’m not sure about the cornstarch sub as I’ve never tried it, sorry I can’t advise on that, thank you!
I substituted a can of Kidney beans and it gave it a great red color and also folded in some vegan butter,when I baked the second time added a maple glazeand a rice paper wrapper for a crispy texture!
Oh nice, I’ve been meaning to try folding in some kind of fat and making it like a roast! Thank you, will have to give it a go!
This is terrific! The baking powder really works. I used Badia Ham Flavored Seasoning (it’s accidentally vegan!) in place of the salt. Next time, I’ll increase it as it wasn’t forward enough, but still a really good (s)ham!
Oh excellent, I need to find that ham seasoning! Glad you still dug it (SHAM LOL!)
Wow!! I am in love with this recipe so much, I made it every week in January to stock up on it and because it was just THAT good (it became my preferred protein source). I cannot wait to try it in recipes with “ham” like fried rice, spam musubi and that list only goes on because so far, I’ve only had the patience to use it in a sandwich. I highly encourage everyone to try this because this is the best tasting seitan recipe out there. I didn’t have a ham press, but again, two layers of foil did the trick and kept the texture. Follow this recipe to a T and you’ll be golden! Keep posting your recipes on YT shorts because this is how this one found me 🙂
Oh this makes my day to hear! I really need to make a big batch of it and use it in some other dishes. I wanna try it with some split pea soup!
A little time consuming (don’t have a solid food processor so stirred and kneaded by hand) but this turned out as tasty as I’d hoped. Craving for a deli sandwich satisfied!! Give it a try!
Oh glad it still worked out, yeah kneading by hand takes a while, happy you liked it, thank you!