Here's a beginner-friendly "chicken" recipe for all vegan Indian food lovers. This vegan pepper chicken is loaded with flavor from ground black pepper and garam masala, with chunky seitan subbing for the chicken. Coconut milk makes the sauce creamy and adds more yum!
You might also like vegan butter chicken, vegan chicken curry and vegan chicken masala.
Table of Contents
Why you should make vegan pepper chicken
This easy vegan pepper chicken recipe is very beginner friendly. It goes from stove to table in under 30 minutes but it's so flavorful and layered, you could pretend you've been cooking it all day. Serve with jeera rice or with bread.
This is the recipe I make on a busy weekend, when I don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen but also want to eat something special with no compromise on flavor.
You don't need many spices to make the vegan pepper chicken. If you love Indian food, you very likely have turmeric and garam masala in your pantry. You can tweak the quantity of black pepper to your tolerance and preference for spice.
The recipe is designed to serve four - or two hearty eaters - but leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen for another day. Each serving is loaded with protein and with just six net carbs, it is very suitable for low-carb diets. The vegan pepper chicken is soy-free and nut-free (be sure to use a nut-free vegan yogurt).
Ingredients
- Seitan: Use unflavored seitan or traditional seitan for this recipe because we will flavor it with a marinade.
- Vegan yogurt: Use any unflavored vegan yogurt of your choice.
- Ginger garlic paste: Substitute with four cloves garlic and a ½-inch knob of ginger. Crush them into a paste.
- Spices: Turmeric, ground black pepper, garam masala and paprika (optional). Black pepper is the main source of heat in this recipe. Try and use fresh-ground black pepper for the best flavor. Paprika is only for color and you can skip it.
- Onions: Red onions are preferred, but white or yellow onions will do.
- Herbs: Curry leaves and cilantro. Curry leaves can be found at any Indian store or Asian store. They add delicious flavor to this south Indian style curry, but if you can't source it use more cilantro instead of curry leaves.
- Tomato paste: This is an umami ingredient that adds more complexity to the rich flavors in the sauce.
- Coconut milk: Coconut milk helps mellow the spice and also brings together all the different flavors in the pepper chicken.
- Mushroom stock: Mushroom stock also adds umami. You can also use a good quality vegetable stock or water.
How to make vegan pepper chicken
Place seitan chunks in a bowl and add vegan yogurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric and ground black pepper.
Mix until the seitan chunks are coated with the marinade spices. If you have time, set the marinated seitan aside for 15-30 minutes. Otherwise proceed to make the vegan pepper chicken right away.
In a Dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onions soften and begin to turn brown, about five minutes.
Add the marinated seitan to the pot and mix well. Continue to saute for five minutes or until the seitan has browned.
Add tomato paste, garam masala and paprika, if using.
Mix the spices and tomato paste into the seitan. Add mushroom stock and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower heat and continue to simmer for five minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and mix. Check seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper as needed.
Add the cilantro. Serve the vegan pepper chicken hot.
Serve
Spoon the vegan pepper chicken over basmati rice or cumin rice. Carrot rice or pomegranate pilaf, with sweeter tones, are also perfect with this sauce. We frequently scoop up the sauce with vegan naan or roti or with any soft bread roll like pav or a soft sourdough roll.
A vegan raita adds a cooling note to the meal. For dessert, serve vegan kheer or vegan thandai.
Recipe FAQs
You can make this vegan pepper chicken with tofu or tempeh. You can also use any other chicken meat substitute, or a can of white beans.
Add quick-cooking veggies like potatoes, mushrooms, carrots or kale to the pot before adding the marinated seitan.
Store the vegan pepper chicken in the fridge for up to four days or freeze up to three months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a bit of water or stock if necessary.
More vegan curry recipes
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Recipe card
Vegan Indian Pepper "Chicken"
Ingredients
- 8 oz seitan (use unflavored or traditional seitan. Tear it into chunks).
- ¼ cup vegan yogurt (unsweetened)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (tweak this to your preference. You can add less at first and more later in the recipe).
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (sub with four cloves garlic and a ½-inch knob of ginger, crushed into a paste).
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 sprigs curry leaves (use 2 tablespoon cilantro as a substitute)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock or water)
- ¼ cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
Instructions
- Place the seitan chunks in a bowl and add the vegan yogurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric and ground black pepper. Mix until the seitan pieces are coated with the marinade spices. If you have time, set the marinated seitan aside for 15-30 minutes. Otherwise proceed to make the vegan pepper chicken right away.
- In a Dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onions soften and begin to turn brown, about five minutes.
- Add the marinated seitan to the pot and mix well. Continue to saute for five minutes or until the seitan has browned. Add tomato paste, garam masala and paprika, if using.
- Mix the spices and tomato paste into the seitan. Add mushroom stock and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower heat and continue to simmer for five minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk and mix. Check seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed. Add cilantro and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Bryan says
All of your recipes are great! Thank you! I look forward to trying this one.
Do you make the seitan from scratch? Do you have a recipe you like that you can share?
Vaishali says
Hi Bryan, I didn't make the seitan, but I am hoping to test a recipe soon. Stay tuned! For this recipe I used Upton's Naturals traditional seitan.