Vegan Chinese BBQ Pork Buns | Vegetarian Char Siu Bao | 素叉燒包

Name: Vegan Chinese BBQ Pork Buns | Vegetarian Char Siu Bao | 素叉燒包
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine; 1 teaspoon mushroom bouillon powder (Asian style); 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder; 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; 1/4 cup water; 3/4 cup (3.3oz) vital wheat gluten; 2 1/4 cups flour; 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons warm water (105°-110°F); 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (one envelope); 2 teaspoons sugar; 2 teaspoons cooking oil; 1 slice ginger (1/4" thick, 1" diameter"); 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons maltose (preferred) or corn syrup; 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine; 1 teaspoon light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce; 1 cup diced King Oyster Mushroom (3.5oz); 1/2 cup diced red onion or shallot (2.5oz); 1/2 cup water; 2 tablespoons flour; 1/2 teaspoon mushroom bouillon powder; red food coloring

Instructions

Prep:3hCook:15min

These delicious vegan bbq pork buns are made with seitan and king oyster mushrooms to replace the lean and fatty parts of the bbq pork normally found in steamed bbq pork buns found at Chinese dim sum restaurants. In Cantonese, these steamed buns are called 叉燒包 (pronounced char siu bao or char siew bao). It's wonderful to use bamboo steamers with this recipe for an authentic flavour but you can also make do with other steaming sets, or improvise with other methods. If you'd like the baked version found commonly at Chinese/Hong Kong style bakeries, use my vegan milk bread recipe instead of the steamed bun dough. See notes for baking instructions. If you'd rather not make the seitan from scratch, you can buy pre-made firm seitan or use super firm pressed tofu instead. Check the notes for details. This recipes makes 16 small buns. They can be frozen after steaming. Check notes for details.

Updated at: Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:44:54 GMT