Vegan Buffalo Wings

Name: Vegan Buffalo Wings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 5 servings
Ingredients: 1 (20 oz.) can young jackfruit in brine; 7 ounces firm tofu, drained; 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar; ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional; ½ cup water; 150 grams vital wheat gluten (1 ¼ cups); ¼ cup nutritional yeast; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning blend; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; scant 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 Tablespoon cooking oil, optional; 3 to 4 Tablespoons vegan butter, preferably Miyoko's; ½ cup Frank's Red Hot Original hot sauce; a few dashes cayenne pepper, optional, to taste; a few dashes garlic powder, optional, to taste

User Reviews

5.0

54 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings
5 servings
Calories
254 kcal
Course
Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine
American

Vegan Buffalo Wings

Finn Russell

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These vegan wings are saucy, tender, and "epically delicious" in the words of one taste-tester. This recipe is the perfect balance of simple and delicious - no batter or breading to fuss with and no frying - just amazing, high-protein vegan wings paired with a classic vegan buffalo sauce! Oil-free option.Yield: makes 20 wings; serving size 4 pieces

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Ingredients

Servings

1 (20 oz.) can young jackfruit in brine If you can only find a smaller can (14 oz.) that's fine, too.

Wet ingredients:

7 ounces firm tofu, drained Do not press.
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
½ cup water

Dry ingredients:

150 grams vital wheat gluten (1 ¼ cups)
¼ cup nutritional yeast If necessary, can replace with 2 tablespoon flour.
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning blend Or a few dashes each of ground sage and thyme.
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
scant 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Finishing the wings:

1 Tablespoon cooking oil, optional
3 to 4 Tablespoons vegan butter, preferably Miyoko's See Notes for oil-free option.
½ cup Frank's Red Hot Original hot sauce
a few dashes cayenne pepper, optional, to taste
a few dashes garlic powder, optional, to taste

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Instructions

Prepare the jackfruit:

Drain the jackfruit and rinse under running water. Place on a clean, lint-free towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, hold it over the sink, and squeeze the jackfruit VERY well to remove as much brine as possible.
Use your hands to separate the seeds and tough pieces from the stringy parts of the jackfruit (refer to process photos in the post above as needed). The seeds and tough parts can be discarded. Once you have a pile of the meaty, stringy parts of the jackfruit, make sure it is all well shredded and separated. Set aside.

Blend wet ingredients:

In a blender or food processor combine the wet ingredients. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.

Make vegan wings:

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the shredded jackfruit to the bowl, and toss well. Pour the blended tofu mixture into the mixing bowl, and stir to form a dough. Next use your hands to make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated. It will be a fairly dry dough. NOTE: there's no need to intentionally knead the seitan.
Place the dough ball on a cutting board and pat into a square shape. Cut into 4 pieces, then cut each of those into 5 somewhat equal-size pieces (you'll end up with 20 wings). Use your hands to shape each piece of dough into varied shapes like wings or large nuggets.
Add about an inch of water to a pot with a steamer basket. Lightly spray the basket with oil (optional). Arrange the wings in a single layer. I use a 2-tiered steamer, and it's the perfect capacity for 20 wings. If using a smaller steamer, it's okay if the wings overlap a bit, or steam them in batches.
Steam the wings for 30 minutes, flipping at the halfway point, then remove from heat.
Preheat a large cast iron pan or other heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. If using oil, add the tablespoon of oil to the pan. Cook the wings 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden. Transfer to a plate.
Turn off the heat. Add the butter to the hot pan and allow to melt. Add Franks' hot sauce and the cayenne and garlic powder, if using. Stir to combine. Return the wings to the pan, and toss to coat with sauce. Serve with vegan ranch and fresh celery and carrot sticks.

Notes

Storage - store leftover vegan wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can be reheated or even enjoyed cold in wraps and on salads.
Seitan wings also freeze well. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat briefly in the microwave or in a covered pan on the stovetop.
Oil-Free - since the seitan wings themselves contain no oil, it's actually pretty easy to make oil-free wings. Here's how:
When searing the wings in a skillet, make sure it's fully preheated before adding the wings, and use a good quality, heavy bottomed pan, preferably cast iron.
To make buffalo sauce without butter, try this Oil-Free Buffalo Sauce recipe by This Healthy Kitchen. If I'm feeling lazy I've also been known to just use plain Frank's hot sauce.