You’re sure to love this oil free vegan stromboli! Load it up with your favorite pizza toppings, roll it, and bake to a golden perfection. It’s wonderful for dinner, or as a party or game day appetizer.
Looking for a recipe that’s sure to please every member of your family? A dish that will impress your guests, but is actually easier than you’d think to put together? This is it!
We’re lucky to have many restaurants here in the Portland area that offer vegan options. and one of my favorites is 48 North Pizzeria.
This is where I had my first stromboli, and I fell in love! As soon as I ate it, I just knew I was going to have to come up with my own recipe, but a much healthier version.
It took me a while to get around to experimenting with it, but I finally did. And I’m thrilled with the results!
What is stromboli? Well, it’s basically a big pizza roll. Take your dough, roll it into a large rectangle, layer on your fillings, roll it up, and bake. Slice it up and serve it with some extra pizza sauce for dipping.
What’s the difference between calzone and stromboli?
There’s not a lot of difference between calzone and stromboli. Basically, the dough for calzone is rolled into a circle, filled with pizza fillings, and then folded over to form a half moon shape. Calzone originated in Naples, Italy.
Stromboli is actually an Italian-American dish, and originated in Philadelphia by Nazzareno Romano. It is rolled up jelly roll style, and then sliced after baking.
Stromboli filling ideas:
Typical fillings for stromboli are Italian meats and cheeses. However, you can fill your vegan stromboli with any of your favorite pizza toppings.
- Pizza sauce – I started with a thin layer of my Easy Vegan Pizza Sauce, but you can use any sauce you like.
- Cheese – my Oil Free Vegan Mozzarella is perfect for this recipe. Of course, other vegan cheese can be used.
- Vegan Meats – these are optional, but tasty additions. I had some of my Vegan Andouille Sausage in the refrigerator when I made this stromboli, so I sliced up some of it for part of my filling. It was delicious! Other possible meat substitutes are my Vegan Pepperoni, my Vegan Italian Sausage, or even my Vegan Breakfast Sausage.
- Vegetables – the possibilities are endless! Use any of your favorite vegetable pizza toppings: onions, peppers, mushrooms, kale, artichokes, baby spinach, olives. You name it!
I would avoid vegetables with high water content like tomatoes, because the extra moisture can prevent the dough from fully cooking in the center of the stromboli.
How to make vegan stromboli
While this recipe does take a bit of time, it’s actually quite easy to make.
First make the pizza dough:
Stir the maple syrup and yeast into the warm water. Allow this to sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast is activated and foamy.
Add the flours and the salt and stir together. Knead the dough for about 5 or 10 minutes, until it is no longer sticky.
Place the dough in a large bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a draft free area and allow the dough to rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, prepare your filling ingredients.
Making the stromboli:
Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 15 inches. I used a rolling pin for this, and rolled it on parchment paper to make it easier to transfer to the baking sheet.
Spread a layer of pizza sauce over the dough, leaving about a three inch border at the top, and a one inch border around the other three sides.
Add your chosen vegan cheese, vegan meat, and vegetable fillings.
Roll it up like you’re rolling dough for cinnamon rolls, tucking in the ends. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
Cut about 4 slits in the top for venting. If desired, brush the top with aquafaba (the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans) and sprinkle with Italian herbs.
Bake at 400° F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow the stromboli to sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serving suggestions
Serve this vegetarian stromboli as is, or dip the slices in additional pizza sauce. My vegan Caesar salad would be a wonderful accompaniment to this recipe.
For more delicious Italian meals, see:
And come join my Oil Free Vegan Recipes and Support Facebook group, where you can share your favorite oil free vegan recipes, and give and receive support on your plant based journey.
Vegan Stromboli
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 ¼ tsp yeast
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
Stromboli
- ½ to ⅔ cup Pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded Vegan Mozzarella or vegan cheese of your choice
- Vegan Pepperoni or vegan meat of your choice (optional)
- Vegetable toppings of your choice
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, stir the yeast and sugar into the water and let sit for 10 minutes to let the yeast proof.
- Add the flours and the salt to the bowl and stir into the yeast mixture until combined.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is no longer sticky.
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a draft free area. Allow the dough to rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, prepare your filling ingredients.
Make the Stromboli
- Roll the dough out into a 12 x 15 inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper.
- Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce onto the dough, leaving a 2 inch border at the top, and a 1 inch border around the other three sides.
- Layer on your vegan cheese, vegan meat substitutes, and vegetable toppings of your choice. Do not go overboard on the toppings, or you will not be able to roll the dough.
- Roll up the dough as you would for cinnamon rolls or a jelly roll, tucking in the ends.
- With a sharp knife, cut about 4 slits in the top of the Stromboli to allow for venting.
- If desired, brush the top with aquafaba and sprinkle with Italian herbs.
- Bake at 400° F for about 25 minutes, until it is golden brown.
- Allow the Stromboli to sit for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra pizza sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition calculations are approximate.
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I love stromboli and this one looks fabulous!