This vegan Seitan Steak is juicy and super easy to make! You can combine all the ingredients in a food processor - so no kneading required! By adding sparkling water and canned chickpeas to the mix, our seitan is softer than many of the tough seitan cutlets you can usually buy in stores. It goes perfectly with roasted potatoes and herb butter.

I'm absolutely in love with how these vegan Seitan Steaks turned out! I've been working on the perfect recipe for years and I think I've nailed it!
Seitan always seems a bit intimidating to make, but with the use of vital wheat gluten, it's actually really easy.
These Vegan Steaks are
- made without animal products
- juicy
- much softer than the tough seitan cutlets you can buy in stores
- super easy to make (no kneading required!)
- perfect for grilling!
These seitan steaks are steamed, which I prefer to cooking them in water. A grilling pan or contact griller will add nice grilling marks.
If you want to blend in at festive dinners, this is the way to go :D I don't think meat-eaters would think this is not meat from the looks of it. Vegan in disguise
I've brushed the steaks with a simple herb butter and served them with roasted potatoes and BBQ sauce. This was the perfect combo!
Tricks for vegan Seitan Steaks that aren't tough, spongy and rubbery... but juicy!
My #1 super secret ingredient for these seitan steaks that have 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 steaks soft and juicy (even the next day or the day after!).
How to make Seitan Steaks
The steaks are AMAZING with homemade herb butter, roasted potatoes, and BBQ Sauce. But of course, you can serve them with your favorite steak sides.
More Seitan Recipes you will love
- 15+ Seitan Recipes - The perfect meat substitute
- Basic Seitan made with Vital Wheat Gluten
- Seitan Sausages
- Seitan Schnitzel
- Vegan Hot Dogs
- Seitan Roast with Bread Stuffing
Love it? Rate it!
I hope you enjoy these vegan Seitan Steaks as much as I do! Let me know if you give them a try!
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Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Seitan Steak
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Seitan Steak
- ½ tablespoon canola oil
- ½ large white onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup sparkling water
- ¾ cup vital wheat gluten
Ingredients for the Herb Butter Spread
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives finely cut
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely cut
- 1 pinch salt
Ingredients for the Roasted Potatoes
- 5 medium-sized potatoes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt and more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
Instructions for the Roasted Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 480°F/250°F.
- Peel (if necessary) and cut the potatoes into large chunks.
- Toss them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and dried rosemary.
- Bake them in the oven until golden and crispy.
Instructions for the Herb Butter Spread
- Mash together the vegan butter, chives, parsley, and salt. Set aside in the fridge.
Instructions for the Seitan Steak
- In a large pan with canola oil, sautée the chopped onion and garlic cloves until soft. Add the caraway seeds and fennel seeds. Let it cook further 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 the water to a boil.
- Divide the seitan into 2 equal pieces and roll them with a rolling pin until ½- inch thick (1-2 cm). Add the seitan filets into the steaming basket and let them steam for about 20 minutes, flipping them after 10 minutes.
- For perfect grill marks, cook the seitan steaks for just 1-2 minutes on each side in a grilling pan. They are delicious topped with the Herb Butter and served with a side of baked potatoes and BBQ sauce.
Kathleen M Henry says
This looks fabulous!! We actually had steak and potatoes last week for breakfast :D I love seitan steak! Using sparkling water is genius, Bianca!
Bethery says
Very clever adding sparkling water. Thanks!
Bianca says
The nutrition value is that per steak or the whole recipe? I’m steaming them I write this, so far they smell great and look good...
Bianca says
The nutrition value is for the steak, herb butter, and roasted potatoes. Per person.
Bianca says
So, I made these and I must say we all liked the texture but next time I’m going to try to add different seasoning as we all didn’t care for them that much...But they were easy to make and looked great......I’ll keep you all posted on the results
Karrie says
Loved it! We omitted the fennel seed but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. So easy (not always the case with vegan recipes) and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Franca says
Hello,
can you substitute the chickpea with chickpea four? If yes, which quantity?
Tim Arnett says
I will mosdef try this recipe. My daughter is more forward at trying out these recipes, but I will try making a batch to surprise her, only I will substitute the canola with olive oil. Do you think it would be a bad idea to add some pecan or almond meal? Just thought about adding even more flavor.
Sophia VANVINCKENROYE says
Hi Binca,
Can we frost this seitan?... if yes how?...
I will try them tonight ;)
Xx s
Bianca says
Yes! Definitely! I always freeze some of the seitan for later use. I'd freeze after steaming. Then defrost and cook it in the pan.
Michaela says
I want to try this recipe & I wanted to confirm that when you steam the seitan you don't wrap it in foil, just put it straight into the steamer as is?
Bianca says
Yep, the steaks don't need to be wrapped in foil.
Irene says
Excellent. Easy to Follow!!!