Seitan is a vegan meat alternative that you can use for steaks, sausages, schnitzel, stews, gyros and many more typical meat dishes. This seitan is quick and easy to make and is not as hard or rubbery like many store-bought seitan products are. You can make the seitan in a food processor (=almost no kneading at all!).
I love seitan but it took me exactly 4 years to master making it at home! Seitan always turned out too hard, too chewy, too rubbery. Does anyone else thinks that store-bought seitan is rubbery as hell?! So that wasn't an option for me either.
I'm really proud of this seitan recipe. The seitan is soft and fluffy, while still having a nice meaty texture. Thanks to two tricks, this seitan is different from any seitan you've ever had (more about that below).
You can make seitan by washing out flour until all the starches have washed away. But this takes a lot of time. For this seitan, we're using vital wheat gluten instead. This makes it so much faster!
What is Seitan?
Seitan is a vegan meat alternative. You can use seitan in any dish in which you want to substitute meat. Seitan is especially great for steaks, schnitzel, sausages, gyros, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, pepperoni, curries, goulash or stews.
Is Seitan healthy?
If you can't eat gluten, you shouldn't eat seitan because seitan is pure gluten. Other than that, seitan is a great source of protein, calcium, and minerals.
What is Vital Wheat Gluten?
Vital Wheat Gluten is made from the protein found in wheat. You can buy vital wheat gluten in powder form and it looks just like flour! It's the key component for making seitan. It makes the seitan chewy, gives it a nice meaty texture and binds all the ingredients together. It's pure magic. Except when you're gluten intolerant. Then it's not for you.
How to make Seitan
Now... what do you want to make?
Do you want to know how to make vegan Schnitzel or vegan sausages with this seitan base? Or you can grill the seitan filets in a grilling pan, add herb butter on top and enjoy as seitan steaks!
How to make Seitan that isn't spongy/rubbery/tough?
My #1 super secret ingredient for this seitan that has just the right balance of soft and firm is sparkling water! It’s just a simple substitution with a huge effect. Trick #2 is to use canned chickpeas instead of chickpea flour. This makes the seitan soft (even the next day or the day after!).
Can you freeze Seitan?
Yes, I've tried it with this seitan recipe and it works great! Let the seitan cool off completely, place the seitan in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag, freeze. When you're ready to eat the frozen seitan, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours, then grill/cook/roast/whatever you want to do with it! It's good as new!
More Seitan Recipes you will love
- 15+ Seitan Recipes - The perfect meat substitute
- Seitan Sausages
- Seitan Schnitzel
- Vegan Hot Dogs
- Seitan Steak
- Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing
I hope you’ll enjoy this homemade seitan as much as I do!
Let me know if you give this recipe a try! I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.
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Cheers, Bianca
Seitan made with Vital Wheat Gluten
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- ½ large white onion - chopped
- 2 garlic clove - chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ cup cooked chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ cup sparkling water
- 1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- In a large pan with canola oil, sautée the chopped onion and garlic cloves until soft. Add the cumin and fennel seeds. Let it cook for another minute until the spices are toasted.
- In a food processor, add the chickpeas, onion-garlic-spices mixture, tomato paste, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, soy sauce, and sparkling water. Pulse until it’s saucy. Then add the vital wheat gluten and pulse again until it comes together in a ball.
- Prepare a large pot (filled with a couple of inches of water) with a steaming basket and bring it to high heat.
- Now you can bring the seitan in the shape you want.For sausages: Divide the seitan into 8 equal chunks. Roll and press the seitan into a sausage shape. Roll each sausage in parchment paper and aluminum foil (roll it tightly). Twist the ends so that the seitan is completely covered in foil. Add the seitan sausages into the steaming basket and let them steam for about 40 minutes, flipping them after 20 minutes. For steaks or to use them for Schnitzel: Cut the seitan into 4 pieces for large steaks or 8 for smaller ones. Roll them out flat. Steam in the steamer for at least 10 minutes on each side. You can grill the seitan steaks afterward for nice grill marks.
Nutrition
This post was first published on November 8, 2014. Updated on August 10, 2018.
Bonnie says
I've only ever used gluten flour to make seitan so I'd like to try the other method someday, but I agree that VWG is very convenient. Your version with curry and paprika sounds perfect for gyros.
bianca says
Making seitan by washing out wheat flour is such a long procedure, but it somehow feels like meditation, it's really relaxing. I actually just have a seitan roast in the oven now. After seeing so many great thanksgiving-recipes in various vegan blogs I really got into the mood to have a feast tonight.
Bianca says
I used a dry veggie broth mix. If you don't have it at home, you could use veggie broth instead of the water.
Kerrin says
This looks so much easier than a lot of seitan recipes - why sparkling water?
Bianca says
It is much easier and faster! Sparkling water makes the seitan softer! :)
Jana says
What type / size food processor do you use! This looks like a great recipe and technique!
Bianca says
I'm using a Bosch Food Processor (MCM3100W) with a 2.3 liter container. Love it!
Jaidev Kesavan says
Thank you, Bianca, for the quick Seitan recipe. I made it today and it was my first complex dish in the kitchen. :) It came out very well. You've measured and mentioned the proportions of the ingredients superbly. I tested two pieces, one out of the pressure cooker and the other one pan fried after pressure cooking. The pan fried version was excellent, just like the Seitan I used to buy from the stores nearby my house.
I've thanked you in my Facebook post as well. I'll be following your recipes closely. Thank you for the help and keep up the good work. :) God bless.
Bianca says
Thank you so much for your review, Jaidev!! So glad you liked it! Oh my god, yes, I love pan-fried seitan! :)
Rhona says
Hi, I am new to seitan and m6 first experience making it produced a texture I didn’t like so I am lookiñg forwárd to trying yours.I would like to make a substitute for quorn mince do you know if it is possible using seitan.Thank you.
Rhona
Salini says
Hi,
I would like to make this recipe but I don't have a food processor can I use a blender. Or what do you suggest I use in place of a processor.
Thank you
PAt says
I haven't made the seitan yet. Can you use a instapot?
Sarah says
This is the first Seitan recipe I've come across that uses Chickpeas or chickpea flour in the recipe. Would I be correct in thinking that adding the chickpeas would turn this Seitan recipe into a more complete protein?
Lori says
I wondered the same thing. It also seems to give it texture
Cyena says
How do I store it?
Should I steam, then freeze or steam, grill, then freeze?
How long will it keep in the fridge? Again, steam, and then fridge or steam, grill, then fridge?
So many unanswered questions.
Bianca says
You will get best results if you steam it, then put it in the freezer/fridge. It should keep in the fridge for approx. 4 days!
After freezing, let it thaw, then grill. Just grill after taking it out of the fridge. No need to resteam it :)
Nanette says
I can’t wait to try this recipe, can I use the same for meatballs? I miss spaghetti and meatballs .
Nanette In Hawaii
Alex says
I've made this recipe twice now and was very happy! I like using chickpeas as opposed to chickpea flour, if only because I don't really like chickpea flour... The first time it turned out super well - I steamed it in two massive sausage rolls for an hour and used it the next day in a saucy Asian-inspired dish. It browned super well!
The second time I made it, I over-extended myself and doubled the recipe... Only to realise I didn't have double the amount of vital wheat gluten. I added some extra flour to it, but in the end, I got something like ground beef. It had difficulty unsticking from the aluminum foil, but I used it to make a pasta sauce and got something that really resembled a meaty pasta sauce! I've frozen the other pieces, so we'll see how they turn out after defrosting them, Although I still prefer the proper ratio, if you decide to cut back on the vital wheat gluten, you will still get something that comes together, albeit wetter and a bit messier.
Melissa Powell says
My husband and I are going to try your seitan recipe!
Kayleeemayra says
Kneading isn’t necessary??? Does pulsing in food processor take place of the kneading?
Lee says
Hello! Just wanted to let you know that I really like your method of steaming the Seitan. I don’t know if that technique is specific to your recipe but I guess I’ll find out as I try different recipes on how to make Seitan. I started eating plant-based me in January of this year and just recently started making my own “wheat meat” . So far my family likes pretty much everything I’ve made. And with your method of steaming the wheat meat I feel a little more confident in what I’m doing so thank you very much. Also if you’re interested I had a “craving” for Café Rio’s sweet pork Barbacoa which has pork in it. And so since we are now eating plant-based protein I decided to concoct my own recipe and using your method of cooking the seitan and the sweet pork Barbacoa style sauce I sautéed strips of this seitan in a little sauce so it caramelized a little bit bell peppers , onions and made a burrito and inside the burrito was lime cilantro brown rice, black beans, pico de gallo and avocado my family ate it up so fast it made my head spin! I’ll be making that recipe again for sure😉