Must-Try Vegan BBQ Rib Recipes

BBQ ribs are a portion of meat cut from the meat chop and served with different sauces. The most popular categories of BBQ ribs are pork ribs and beef ribs.

Pigs made it to the Americas in the late 1400s through Christopher Columbus. And they were brought to America in the early 1500s by Hernando de Soto. Since then, BBQ ribs have become an integral part of barbecuing.  Read more about the History of Barbecue.

The following are the popular kinds of BBQ ribs today: 

1. Baby Back Ribs – They are cut out from the upper portion of the rib cage, between the spine and the spare ribs. Baby back ribs have rounder bones and more meat compared to spare ribs.
2. Spare Ribs – These are taken from the belly side of the rib cage. It is the area below the back ribs section and above the breast bone. The specialty of these ribs is that they contain more bones and fat and lesser meat. Also, they are comparatively flatter in shape. 

Spare ribs are generally broken down further into the following two types of ribs:

a. Riblets – these are flat ribs that are short and uniform in shape and size. It is taken from the upper portion of the spare ribs and cut uniformly into 2-3 inch sections. 

b. Rib tips – These ribs do not contain bones and are cut from the bottom portion of the spare ribs. They are generally short, contain very little bone, and are among the meatiest sections of ribs. 

Vegan BBQ ribs can be prepared with a variety of core ingredients. Each of the following recipes uses different core ingredients and cooking styles for vegan ribs. 

Let us look into some recipes for Vegan BBQ ribs:

Vegan Seitan BBQ Ribs

Seitan is the perfect replacement for chicken, but it also works well as a replacement for beef and pork. It is easy to make and tastes exactly like meat! 

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• ¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• Several grinds fresh black pepper
• 1 cup BBQ sauce of your choice 
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, salad or anything of your choice for servings 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Take an 8×8 inch baking dish. Grease it lightly with olive oil. Set it aside till the other preparations are completed.
2. Take a medium-sized bowl. Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, pepper, vital wheat gluten, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Stir it well.
3. Take a measuring cup. Add the vegetable broth, liquid smoke, soy sauce, and peanut butter. Blend it thoroughly and then pour it into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix it gently until the dough becomes soft. After that, you can knead it with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes gently.
4. Place the mixture into the greased baking dish that you had set aside. Flatten the mix so that it is spread evenly across the entire pan.
5. First, make a cut across the dough lengthwise. After that, cut it crosswise evenly to make slices of 1 inch. This will help to separate the pieces easily after grilling it.
6. Place the pan in the oven which has been preheated. Bake the dish for 25 minutes.
7. While the ribs are getting baked, take a grill pan, oil it lightly, and begin heating it.
8. After the ribs are done baking, remove them from the oven and brush its top with some BBQ sauce. Place the top side down on the heated grill, and coat the other side with the BBQ sauce.
9. Let both sides of the ribs become deep brown in color. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes.
10. Remove the ribs from the heat and serve it with Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, salad, or any of the delicious vegan BBQ sides.

You have your BBQ ribs ready! Add a dip of your choice, and you are all set to dive into this mouth-watering dish!

Vegan BBQ Ribs With Tofu and Cucumber Onion Salad

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of Firm Tofu

For BBQ Sauce:

• 1 large onion
• 1 large apple
• 4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon no-salt BBQ seasoning 
• 1/3 cup dates
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 jar or small can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Liquid Amino Acids
• 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For Cucumber Onion Salad:

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon Liquid Amino Acids
• 3 dates
• 2 cucumbers, sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
2. Slice the tofu into rectangular pieces and drain it well.
3. Take a baking dish and place the sliced tofu. Keep it aside till you complete the other preparations.
4. Take a blender and blend the ingredients for BBQ sauce.
5. Brush the blended BBQ sauce onto the tofu. Bake the tofu for 20 mins.
6. Take a bowl and add the onions and cucumber.
7. Blend the dates, Liquid Amino Acids, and different kinds of vinegar in a blender. 
8. Pour the blended mixture over the onions and cucumber. 
9. After the tofu is baked, get it out of the oven.
10.  Flip the tofu to the other side. Add the BBQ sauce to the flipped side and set it for baking for another 20 minutes.

After the tofu is baked on both sides, serve it on a plate with the Onion Cucumber Salad!

Vegan Honey BBQ Ribs

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 teaspoon 20 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups quartered withe mushroom caps
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mushroom broth
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoon peanut butter or any other nut butter
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 1 tablespoon roasted beet or beet juice ( for coloring, optional)
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire

For the BBQ sauce:

• 2 tablespoon vegan honey
• 1/2 cup ml ketchup
• 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). 
2. Take a 9×9 inch pan and grease it with olive oil.
3. Take a medium skillet and put on medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoon olive oil to it. Add the mushroom and cook for about 5 minutes till they become soft.
4. Take a bowl and add onion powder, wheat gluten, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Mix them thoroughly.
5. Take a blender. Add the cooked mushrooms, broth, peanut butter, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, liquid smoke, and beet puree. Blend it for 1 minute. 
6. Add this blended mixture to the wheat gluten mixture and mix it thoroughly. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes a stretchy, light dough.
7. Spread the dough on the greased pan and set it to bake for 30 minutes.
8. Take a small bowl and add the mustard, vinegar, ketchup, chili powder, vegan honey, salt, cumin, and pepper. Blend it well. 
9. Once the ribs are baked, brush the honey sauce on both sides of the ribs. 
10.  Heat the grill pan and brush with the remaining olive oil. Place the ribs on it and grill for 3 to 4 minutes. 
11.  Once you see the grill marks, take it out and slice it. 

You can serve it with a dip of your choice. Bring out your cutlery and get ready to serve it, munch it, relish it!

Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Ribs

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 20 oz canned green jackfruit (packed in water and not syrup)
• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1.25 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (for the taste)
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 3 tablespoon tamari or coco aminos
• 2 leaves bay
• 3/4 cups water or low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cups fresh chives (for garnish)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
2. Rinse and drain the canned jackfruit thoroughly. Then boil it with a little water, a pinch of salt, and bay leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes till the jackfruit becomes soft.
3. Drain and mash the jackfruit and then shred it with a fork. Remove any tough parts from it.
4. Take a medium bowl. Add all the ingredients in, except the BBQ sauce, and mix it thoroughly until it becomes a dough. You can knead it with your hands for another 5 minutes to ensure that it binds well together. 
5. Take the dough and shape it into a rectangular form. Make it about 1 inch thick. Slice it into half along its length. 
6. Preheat an iron griddle over medium on medium flame. Place the ribs on it and grill it for about 3 minutes. Do it for each side till you notice the grill marks on them.
7. Take a 5×10 inch rectangular shaped baking dish and place a parchment paper on it. First, add a thin layer of the BBQ sauce on the bottom. Place the grilled ribs on the top of the layered BBQ sauce. Now, add another layer of the BBQ sauce on the top of the ribs. Cover the pan with aluminum foil or a lid. Bake the ribs for 30 minutes.
8. Take out the ribs and flip it to the other side. You can brush it with more BBQ sauce on top. Bake it uncovered for another 20 minutes. 
9. Remove the dish from the oven. Let the ribs cool for a few minutes. 
10.  Cut the ribs along the grill marks, and serve. 

Optionally, you can serve it with fresh chives!

Final Thoughts

The best part about Vegan BBQ ribs is that you can prepare the dish with a variety of core ingredients. It gives you the same delicious taste as non-vegan BBQ ribs and leaves you wanting more! 

So, treat your tastebuds with these fantastic recipes and let me know which one you liked best!

Stay tuned to BBQanswers.com for more such Vegan Recipes, and all things BBQ.