This homemade vegan seitan recipe is meaty, versatile and incredibly budget-friendly to make! 

This vegan seitan recipe was so much fun to create. It will elevate any of your meat alternative recipes! You will find the texture of seitan to be very meat-like, and it will be bound to fool any meat-eater. This is a great option to veganize any meat-based dish like ground round, deli slices, steak, roasts and bbq chicken!

This recipe is straightforward to follow and is budget-friendly compared to options sold at the grocery store. The flavor is delicious, and you can season it as you desire! I’ve made recommendations, but you can be adventurous with your spices. This recipe will for sure become a household staple!

What You’ll Love About This Vegan Seitan Recipe

Once you make this vegan seitan, you’ll never buy store-bought again. Here’s why you’ll love it.

  • The flavour: This recipe has a delicious mild flavor and uses spices like garlic powder, poultry seasoning, paprika and sea salt. This flavor combo is perfection.
  • It’s versatile: You can use seitan as a meat alternative for a variety of recipes, for example, taco crumbles, nuggets, vegan steaks, ‘chicken’ strips, roasts, burgers and much more!
  • Fridge and freezer friendly: Not only is this recipe a fraction of the cost of purchasing store-bought, but it’s extremely economical since it lasts up to 10 days in the fridge and can be frozen for up to 6 months. This is a perfect meat alternative for families or anyone that is on a budget.

Tips On How To Make The Recipe Better

Take this recipe to the next level with my go-to tips!

  • Kick up the flavor: Depending on the dish, you can adapt the spices to fit the flavor profile; for example, if you’re using this recipe as a taco crumble, add chilli powder, black pepper and cumin.
  • Take it to the grill: Seitan is one of my favorite plant proteins to use on the BBQ; I usually BBQ my seitan when making vegan steaks or bbq chicken.
  • Make it saucy: Once you’ve prepared your seitan, you can add just about any sauce to it; my favorites are a classic BBQ sauce, vegan honey mustard or a peanut sauce.

What Is Seitan Made Of?

Seitan can be made by using either wheat flour or vital wheat gluten. This is made by washing the wheat flour with water until all the starch is removed, leaving only the wheat gluten protein. Once this process is complete, it will leave you with a large elastic loaf of gluten ready to be prepared into seitan. Those with a gluten allergy or celiac disease should not consume seitan.

What Does Seitan Taste Like?

Seitan has a meaty texture and can be compared to a hearty chicken consistency. It has a savory and mild taste on its own, but when you add it to other recipes, the flavor can be improved by using herbs, spices, and sauces. My favorite recipes to add seitan to are my Best Ever Salad and Portobello Pot Roast. 

Is Seitan Better Than Tofu?

Seitan is known as a higher carbohydrate source that has less fat compared to tofu. Seitan also has about 18 grams per serving, while tofu has an estimated 10 grams. On the other hand, tofu’s nutrient profile is more abundant than the nutrients found in seitan. As well as tofu is low in carbohydrates and fat.

Therefore, they both have benefits, and not one can be deemed “better” than the other. I would recommend always incorporating various whole plant foods in your diet to receive the ultimate amount of daily nutrients. If you are purchasing store-bought seitan, I would review the nutritional facts to check for any added ingredients.

How To Make This Vegan Seitan Recipe

To start, grab a large mixing bowl and mix the flour and water.

Then you will have to knead the mixture until you can form a smooth ball. Do this to the best of your ability since it can be tricky to work with.

The next step will be to cover the seitan with a clean cloth or foil to rest for an hour.

Once you’ve let the seitan rest, you will have to rinse it by adding water to the bowl with the seitan ball and knead it submerged in the water.

Then transfer the ball to a colander, rinse and repeat, until the water runs clear.

The idea here is to get rid of all the starch and only have the gluten protein remaining for a hearty chicken texture. This rinsing sequence took around 10 minutes.

Transfer the seitan to a clean dish and add your spice mix. Knead the mixture into a dough, then break it into small “chicken-sized” pieces. You will then cover it again and allow the seitan to rest for one more hour.

The final step will be to simmer the seitan and cover it in 3 cups of vegan chicken broth until the broth is absorbed. Once complete, you can pan fry until crispy and enjoy!

Other Recipes You’ll Love

Vegan Ground Beef Substitute (Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Plant-Based) 

Vegan Sloppy Joes 

Herb Tofu Steaks 

Tempeh Bacon Recipe

The Recipe: Vegan Seitan Recipe

The best plant-based meat alternative!
5 from 2 ratings
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Servings: 6
Prep Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

How to Make Seitan

  • 7 cups White flour
  • 2¼ cups Water

Spices:

  • 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 tbsp Poultry seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • ½ tsp Sea salt

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, mix the flour and the water together. Then knead until you are able to form a smooth-ish ball. Cover with a clean cloth or foil to rest for an hour.
  • Now rinse. Add water to the bowl with the ball, and knead in the water. Then transfer to a colander, rinse and repeat, until the water runs clear. The idea here is to get rid of all the starch and only have the gluten protein remaining for a hearty chicken texture. This rinsing sequence took me around 10 minutes.
  • Transfer to a clean dish. Add your spice mix. Knead it into the dough, then break into small “chicken sized” pieces. Cover and allow to rest for one more hour.
  • Simmer covered in 3 cups of vegan chicken broth until absorbed. Then pan fry until crispy and enjoy!
Cuisine: American
Course: dinner
Author: carleigh
Vegan Seitan Recipe