It's finally here: the best vegan seitan burger ever!!!!!!!!!! To say I'm excited is an understatement. This girl, loves a good veggie burger, and when I say good I mean it. In my opinion a good veggie burger has certain requirements. It need to have a nice bite and chew (no mushiness!), it needs to be juicy and packed full of flavour, and it has to be strong enough to hold up on the grill. These vegan seitan burger patties are all that and more!
To make this recipe, I decided to combine my very popular beet burger recipe with my seitan steak recipe to make the most perfect homemade vegan burger there is. And it worked!
The secret to making these burgers the best ever is the combo of ingredients.
The beets in this recipe add a deep earthiness that really makes these burgers taste authentic. Now if you aren't a beet fan, don't be scared, my Adam is a beet hater but is obsessed with these burgers! Lentils add heartiness, soy sauce adds salt and umami, peanut butter (trust me on this) adds just a bit of richness and good fat, liquid smoke enhances the meaty taste, and the vital wheat gluten is the key that gives these vegan burger patties the meatiest texture.
As with all of my setian recipes, these vegan seitan burgers require a few steps to make, but each step is super easy to follow. These burgers need to be prepared at least one day in advance, so this is the perfect recipe to meal prep and have ready to go for later. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze beautifully as well. So whip these up when you have time and then when burger time comes, just fry them up or grill them!
To Make The Best Vegan Seitan Burgers:
Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush.
Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. You could alternatively make mini patties for sliders!
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes.
How to Shape Seitan Burgers:
The seitan burgers patties can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping, working in batches if needed. Or you could use layered bamboo steamer baskets if you have them.
Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture.
How to Serve Seitan Burgers:
Steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through.
Place the seitan burger patties on a burger bun and top with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle or whatever your favourite vegan burger toppings are. And then... prepare to bite into the BEST vegan seitan burger ever!!
Common Questions:
Can you freeze seitan burgers?
Yes, these freeze beautifully. For best results, freeze after steaming (prior to cooking). If kept wrapped tight or in an airtight container, they should last 2-3 months. To defrost, take them out of the freezer and let them defrost either in the fridge or on the counter. Once defrosted, grill or fry and enjoy!
Can these be made gluten-free?
As seitan is essentially gluten, the answer is no.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
The Best Vegan Seitan Burger
Ingredients
- 1 large raw beet (200g) (about 1 cup), peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ cup cooked lentils (I used canned brown lentils)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (sub any other nut or seed butter)
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough. Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. You could alternatively make mini patties for sliders!
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes.For the best shape: the burgers can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping, working in batches if needed, or you could use layered bamboo steamer baskets if you have them.
- Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve: steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through. Place on a bun and top with your favourite vegan burger toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Rachel says
These are fantastic! I made them for the family the other night and served them on homemade vegan pretzel buns with your mushroom bacon (made with portobello mushrooms for longer strips), a smoky cashew cheeze sauce, and all the other burger fixin's. I have missed good burgers since becoming vegetarian in 1996. These are juicy and tasty and we will make these again and again. Thanks for the recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!! So thrilled you loved them so much, Rachel 🙂
Trish Aussem says
Hi Sam, I just made these burgers for the first time. I used the instant pot to cook them so hopefully they won’t be dry. I have a question. I assume steaming the burgers cooks them. It they are cooked what do they have to go in the refrigerator overnight before eating them? Your meatballs can be eaten right away. I’m guessing it has something to do with texture. Also, is there a worry about being left unrefrigerated for several hours since there is essentially nothing that spoils like real meat in the ingredients.
Thanks so much! Trish
Kaylyn Taylor says
In the directions, she stated the overnight refrigeration helps with the texture. I have left seitan similar to this out for a few hours to cool before freezing and it was fine.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Trish, that's correct they get the best texture after they are left in the fridge overnight. They should be fine for a few hours at room temp. 🙂
Jacob Masters says
Hey I haven't made these burgers yet but just wanted to know if I could get away with not using a nut butter as I'm not a fan of peanut butter like things.
Sam Turnbull says
You can't taste the peanut butter, it just adds to the perfect texture and taste. 🙂
Kelly says
Another fabulous recipe - thank you so much! My hubby is non-vegan but plays along when I make food (I do most of the cooking) & we both think these are better than the two big name meat substitute burgers (which have a strange almost chemical odor before they are cooked). These are so good - this recipe will definitely be added to my rotation!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing!! So happy you both enjoyed!!
Jo says
Amazing. This was my first experience of cooking with vital wheat gluten and I really picked the right recipe!!! So much better than I ever could have expected. Far and away the best burger I've ever made. Just a note... I didn't chill them overnight. I refrigerated them for 5 hours and they had a perfect burger texture.
Lisa Woolery says
Best recipe for vegan burgers ever! They are delicious and hold up well in a bun! Excellent!!!
Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww so happy you think so!! Thanks Lisa 🙂
Amy says
These look delicious! Is there anything I can substitute for nut/seed butter? We have allergies in our household. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Here's a list of peanut butter alternatives 🙂
Lisa says
So I've made this recipe twice and found that a few modifications made for an amazing burger.
Using raw beets gave the burgers a strong taste of beets but cooking them beforehand (boiling them till fork tender) eliminated the beet taste. I also reduced the soy sauce to 2 tbsp as 4 tbsp made for a really salty patty. Also reducing the soy sauce gave me the room to use the seitan as grounds in other recipes. Lastly, I doubled the liquid smoke which made the burgers taste even meatier.
Remember to not overwork the dough and stop mixing when it just comes together or you'll get a tough patty.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Irene says
I'm a new vegan and really appreciate your daily recipes that you send me.
Would this recipe work for meatballs in spagetti sauce?
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! I would recommend making my seitan meatballs instead 🙂
JP says
Another genius recipe! So quick to make and totally delicious, nice texture, great flavour. I have to admit I didn't have any beets so I used 200g of a mix of carrot and sweet potato instead and added a spoonful of beetroot powder (which I strangely happened to have). Anyway, even with those changes, they worked out great! Definitely on the "to-make-again" list. Thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So fan you enjoyed them JP 🙂
Zach says
Hi Sam, I made these yesterday and cooked one up today. The flavor was fantastic but the burgers weren't chewy like I expected, they were almost soft. I will admit I ended up with 5 burgers instead of 6 so perhaps mine were too big and needed to steam longer? I am still new to making my own seitan so not quite sure how to get the texture right but these tasted so good I really want to make sure I get them perfect next time!
Sam Turnbull says
These burgers should have the perfect burger like bite. Are you sure you measured everything exactly and didn't miss an ingredient? Seitan is more like baking in that the ingredients and techniques have to be followed exactly for the best results. Hope that helps!
Zach says
Thanks for the reply Sam!
I definitely measured everything correctly although I will add that I used my instant pot to "steam" them by pressure cooking them on low. I have done this successfully with your meatballs but since they are smaller they might be less prone to understeaming whereas my burgers ended up doughy because I should have steamed them for longer?
Sam Turnbull says
That's definitely a possibility! I would up the time for steaming next time. You can steam seitan for a long time and it won't affect it much so better to steam for longer to be safe 🙂
Suzy says
I had the same results. They were gummy. 🙁 They didn't have a "burger" mouth-feel at all. The flavor was good, but the texture wasn't. I followed directions to a T and I steamed in a regular steamer (I also got 5 burgers, each 4 ounces).
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Suzy, if you only got 5 burgers it sounds like the burgers were too thick and therefore would need longer to steam fully through. I would add another 10 - 15 minutes of steaming to fully cook them if you're going to make them bigger. This will ensure they are fully cooked and not gummy.
Sara says
This recipe is AMAZING! I actually used my Instant Pot on the steam setting to steam the burgers and it worked like a charm - and so easy in the heat. These burgers are absolutely delicious Sam! You always have recipes that wow, but this one is off the charts. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks, thank you so much, Sara! 🙂
Stephanie says
Can you provide settings & time for instapot please? I’ve only cooked recipes in the instapot that have specific instructions and don’t know how to modify.
Jessica says
This was a huge hit in my house. My partner couldn't believe how much it tasted like the real thing. It wasn't a surprised for me, though. All your seitan recipes are so fantastic!
Here's a blanket 'thank you' for all of your amazing recipes! You have made vegan cooking so easy, affordable and delicious.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, thank you so much, Jessica!! I'm so thrilled you loved them 🙂
Steve says
Wow these are fantastic. I did a little improv with goods on hand. No lentils but i had made a pot of pinto beans so went with that. Tossed in teriyaki instead of soy. Skipped the liquid smoke and doubled up on garlic since i was out of onion powder. Grilled them up with a splash of bbq sauce and all the burger fixins!!!
This is my go to burger recipe and much cheaper than buying store bought patties! Fantastico!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled you loved them so much, Steve 🙂
Iris says
Hi Sam, first of all, thanks for sharing all your great (and really easy to make) recipes. I made the seitan burgers, they tasted great. But... The texture is not so meaty as I loved it in your italian meatball recipe. Or maybe I did something wrong, the burgers are like smooth not "chunky" inside, I hope you understand what I mean, english isn`t my native language:-) Do you mash the beet (i used fresh uncooked) and lentils (i used brown canned ones) until they are like puree? Maybe I should leave that mixture more chunky? Any advice?
Thanks a lot and big hi from switzerland
Iris
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Iris! Glad you enjoyed. The burgers are supposed to resemble a classic ground meat burger, so the recipe isn't intended to have any kind of chunks in it. If you prefer my meatballs you can always form them into patty shapes and enjoy them as burgers. Enjoy!
Marie says
Sam, I made these to the letter except I do not use black pepper. First time I made seitan. These were EXCELLENT! They looked just like your pictures every step. Amazing! Served them to 4 other people and everyone said they were delicious, I was the 5th! My husband put claims on the 6th one left after eating one. :-))) I'm going to make them again and freeze them, even to give as gifts to people to let them see and taste a good vegan burger; and tell them about your site. We are thankful for your hard work. OOOO Hugs!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful Marie!!! SO thrilled they were such a hit. And I love that you want to give them out to people too!! 🙂
Sue says
Mine are steaming now and realized I forgot to add the peanut butter! Keeping my fingers crossed. First time using Vital Wheat Gluten.
Carly says
Wow. 100% amazing. Made exactly as the recipe stated and we are blown away, including omnivore husband and children. These will be my go-to for burgers from now on! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!!! SO happy you loved them Carly 🙂
Lisa says
Hey Sam! I made these today and my mixture after I added the VWG didn't look like yours. It was very dry. I'm wondering if you measure your VWG with a scale or if you use cups/spoons. I added 180g (30g = 1/4 cup). They tasted pretty good regardless but definitely looked more bread like than yours. Letting them chill overnight and hoping for the best. <3
Lisa says
Sam!!! I just wanted to follow up: These were great!
So my mix/patties looked a bit drier than yours but they tasted fantastic. I ended up slicing the patties in half to reduce chewiness/thickness. I served each patty halved with cashew cheese sauce smothered in between, an herbed mayo slathered on the homemade bun and some quick pickles. It was the best burger I’ve had in a while. You r let me down.
Lisa says
You never let me down *
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved them so much!! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Lisa, I always use cups as that's what's customary here in Canada and also in the US. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. Were you sure to add the soy sauce, water, and the correct amount of beets? That's what adds most of the moisture. Hopefully, they turn out for you!
Jobie says
Sam, you are a culinary genius. I made these burgers for my dinner tonight and they were amazing. 1000x’s better than any store bought product I have tried, admittedly not many as they all have a funny texture and after taste but these, these are off the chart good. I don’t have a powerful food processor so next time I will chop the the beets first before adding the other ingredients because I had a few chunkies of beets to pull out during the shaping process. I steamed the burgers in my instant pot on high for 15 minutes and allowed them to sit for 10 before releasing the pressure. This worked well. The hard part was waiting overnight before tucking into one of those burgers. Thank you for another great recipe and I love that it fits into my WFPB lifestyle. Stay healthy.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Jobie! And thanks for sharing your Instantpot tips 🙂
sue says
I detest beets, but took a leap of faith. These were amazing. Next time I think I'll add some chopped onion to the dough. Thanks (again) Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing! So happy you loved them Sue 🙂
Alexa Wright says
Amazing! I used this recipe to make meatballs. They are perfect. Perfectly meaty and savory. I always get excited when your recipes hit my inbox!
Thanks, Sam!!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome, glad you enjoyed 🙂 I also recommend you try my vegan seitan meatballs recipe 🙂
Alexa Wright says
Ah! Yes! I’ll definitely try that, thanks!!
Dani says
I just made these and it was so yummy! I didn't have liquid smoke so I omitted it (didn't replace it with anything since I didn't have anything similar) and the burger was BOMB! Thank you so much for this recipe, I'm so glad I found your website!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Dani 🙂