It finally happened. I’ve posted my first ever seitan recipe. And it isn’t just any old seitan recipe either, I decided that if I was going to post a seitan recipe, it should be THE seitan recipe. It’s go big or go home time, so I went all the way to the top of the seitan game, straight to a VEGAN SEITAN STEAK.
YES, THAT IS VEGAN!!!!! Caps lock on. So much excitement. Can’t help it. Yes, I made this vegan steak from scratch in my kitchen, and you can too! I know, it’s mind-blowing.
So first, let’s talk about seitan. Unfortunately, in the vegan world, there are a lot of unappetizing named foods. Nutritional yeast, tempeh, quinoa, and then you have seitan. If I could re-brand some vegan foods I totally would, but what can you do?
Seitan (not satan 😈) is a chewy, protein-packed, meat-like food made from vital wheat gluten (another horrid name for a food).
Vital wheat gluten is a flour made by removing the starches from wheat, leaving behind just the gluten. Gluten is the main protein in wheat and it’s also the part of wheat flour that makes dough stretchy and chewy, which is why it’s difficult to make gluten-free baked goods that have that same bouncy, chewy texture.
So, vital wheat gluten can be used to make seitan which has this amazing, chewy, meat-like textured dish that wows. A lot of the vegan meat substitutes you see in grocery stores or in restaurants are often seitan. If you’ve ever had a vegan meat and asked: “are you sure this is vegan?” you were likely eating seitan.
Despite the weird name seitan can be pretty dang healthy too (assuming you don’t deep fry it). One of my vegan seitan steaks contains: 295 calories, 42g protein, 22g carbohydrates, 4g fat, 5g fiber, 27.7% iron. Pretty cool right?
Ok but now, let’s get to the real meat of the matter (tee hee), DOES IT TASTE GOOD?
The answer: silly rabbit, surely you know I would never post a recipe on my blog that isn’t (in my opinion) straight up delicious. It took a LOT of experimenting, but I finally nailed the texture and flavours to be incredibly mouth-watering scrumptious. This vegan seitan steak has the perfect chew, is juicy, a little smoky, umami, satisfyingly yum for each and every bite.
To make vegan seitan steaks: add all of the vegan seitan steak ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed until everything is well mixed. Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor you can first mash the cooked lentils with a fork or potato masher, then add everything together in a large bowl and mix well.
Now you know I’m not a fan of hard to find ingredients, but for this recipe, vital wheat gluten is crucial and it’s worth the search. If you’re lucky, your local grocery store may carry vital wheat gluten, but if not you will be able to find it in a health food store or here on Amazon.
Once mixed, it will look something like this.
Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and begin to knead it together. It may be a bit crumbly at first, but keep kneading it for a few minutes until it comes together into a tight ball.
Cut the ball into 4 sections, then use a rolling pin to roll out each section into 1/2″ thick steaks. The dough will be very tough and stretchy, but just keep working at it until you get your desired steak shapes.
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Put the steaks in the steamer basket and cover with a lid. It’s ok if they are overlapping a bit. Steam for 25 minutes, flipping the steaks halfway through so they steam evenly. They will double in size.
Steaming the seitan first, cooks the dough through, and makes it juicy and tender. In my experimenting, I also tried boiling and baking the seitan, but steaming it was by far the best method for the ideal texture for a vegan steak.
In a large ziplock bag or air-tight container, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. The oil won’t really combine, but that’s fine. Remove the steaks from the steamer and coat in the marinade. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes before cooking, or for as long as several days when kept in the fridge.
I love that I can make these in advance and let them hang out, ready to be grilled up when I desire. They also freeze well pretty well. Just pop the steaks in the marinade and freeze the entire thing, marinade and all. I have found that after frozen and thawed the steaks might suck up more of the marinade so you might want to whip up extra marinade for brushing on when cooking.
Inspired by the amazing recipes for vegan steaks by The Happy Pear and Veggie Rose.
Yes, it's vegan!! Mouth-watering, tender, chewy, juicy, flavourful, meat-like texture. Amazing! BBQ or pan fry then serve whole or slice and put on top of salad for a steak salad. So delicious and satisfying!
- 1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1 cup cooked lentils (I used canned)
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
Add all of the vegan seitan steak ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed until everything is well mixed. Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor you can first mash the cooked lentils with a fork or potato masher, then add everything together in a large bowl and mix well.
Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and begin to knead it together. It may be a bit crumbly at first, but keep kneading it for a few minutes until it comes together into a tight ball. Cut the ball into 4 sections, then use a rolling pin to roll out each section into 1/2" thick steaks. The dough will be very tough and stretchy, but just keep working at it until you get your desired steak shapes.
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Put the steaks in the steamer basket and cover with a lid. It's ok if they are overlapping a bit. Steam for 25 minutes, flipping the steaks halfway through so they steam evenly. They will double in size.
In a large ziplock bag or air-tight container, mix together all of the marinade ingredients. The oil won't really combine, but that's fine. Remove the steaks from the steamer and coat in the marinade. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes before cooking, or for as long as several days when kept in the fridge.
When you are ready to enjoy the vegan steaks, heat a frying pan, grill pan, or barbecue. When hot, fry or grill the steaks a couple of minutes on each side until grill marks form. Brush the steaks with leftover marinade while cooking to keep them juicy, and also right before serving.
Serve however you desire. I like mine served with a potato and some greens. I also enjoy mine sliced and put on salad. So many possibilities!
To freeze the steaks: pop the steaks in the marinade and freeze the entire thing, marinade and all. I have found that after frozen and thawed the steaks might suck up more of the marinade so you might want to whip up extra marinade for brushing on when cooking.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Not bad. It definitely needs to be pan seared or grilled to really get some good flavors going. As is, like straight out of the marinade, it’s kind of eh. Guys, don’t be shy on that all purpose steak seasoning with this. It adds lots of flavor!
Made these and the “chicken” version. Both are great! Just had one with roasted broccoli as a post workout dinner! Love the protein! I’ve shared this recipe with about a bajillion people now!
so! so! YUMMY!! thank you for this great recipe! i kneaded the dough by Hand after mixing all ingredients except the gluten in my Little magic maxx blender. i learned from other Seitan recipes that it turns out better if you “tear” the dough so it will build fibers. don´t know how to explain this better… and be sure not to overwork the dough. i kneaded, pulled and folded it until all gluten powder was worked into, then i stopped and cut it into 4 parts wich i pressed down on the table. i needed a Little bit more liquid for this, Maybe 4 tablespoons. then i steamed it in my Rice cooker 😀 it turned out good, but i will add 10 minutes steaming next time. the amount of Marinade was too small. NO Chance to cover only 1 of those 4 big Steaks with the Marinade. so next time i will make 6x the Marinade recipe for this 🙂
the texture was amazing after pan-frying the Steaks. the taste was great, too.. but next time i will add more salt (Maybe smoked salt?), it was a Little bit “boring” although i added a teaspoon of lamb-spicing from our turkish Supermarket. and if you want the Steaks to be flesh-like, you could try to use red beet Juice instead of water.
all in all the result was sensational! all the stuff i buyed in supermarkets was not half that good! thank you soo much and Keep on experimenting 😀
vegan love!
These are awesome! Best vegan steaks I’ve ever had, including bought ones. I did change the recipe a bit (can’t stick to any recipe), but it was only using red wine instead of water.
Yay!! So happy to hear you loved them, uta 🙂
OUTSTANDING!!! Best seitan recipe ever (and I’ve tried them all). Totally delicious, perfect mouth-feel and SO SIMPLE! Sam, you’ve outdone yourself – this recipe is a masterpiece. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Aww shucks, thank you so much, Sam! Great name by the way 😉
I have made many versions before this, and all different and good in their own way. This one, however, has been the only one my incredibly fussy husband has said was excellent and please can we not have any of the others again, please, thank you, please! Magic!! Thanks Sam….btw, goes really well with a side of mushroom bacon which I cook using sliced portobello mushrooms and homemade chips (a la easyvegan) with homemade coleslaw….! X
That’s amazing, Jo! So thrilled this one has become the fave 🙂
I love this recipe. I’ve made it twice now! I’ve seen many beef substitute recipes, but ever a pork chop substitute recipe. I’ve even gone as far as asking my local vegan diner and they haven’t come up with a recipe. Can you please tell me the ingredients in the seitan you would change to make it taste like a savory pork chop and marinade ingredients as well? I look forward to your future recipes and thank you for making vegan eating easy for those of us that aren’t as creative.
I would have to do recipe testing to know that answer as the texture and taste would need to be very different. I will add it to my idea list 🙂
Awesome post. Planning on trying it.
Which type of lentils do you find best? Can you sub with another pulse/bean?
I use canned brown lentil for their convenience. I did try other beans when recipe testing these steaks but I found they left bean skins spotted throughout the steaks which weren’t the ideal texture. Enjoy!
Do you drain the lentils?
Yes, drain and rinse the cooked lentils before using. Enjoy!
Hi! This recipe is amazing. I’ve done it regularly for my family for a few months now and we all love it.But I have a question: I want to prepare a large amount for a party and my steamer is very small (it only allows two steaks at a time). I wonder if they could be somehow steamed in the oven of if you can suggest any other way in which I could do it rather than spend several hours steaming them two by two.Thanks in advance.
Hi Ema, so happy you enjoy the recipe so much! It’s ok if the steaks overlap a so you could try squishing in more at a time. You could also make a DIY steamer so you can have a second or third pot going at the same tie. Hope that helps!
You can use a colander as a steamer inside a pot with a lid on top!
Followed the recipe….but not sure why, it came out REALLY chewy. The recipe calls for frying / bbq’ing a couple minutes each side…is that enough? I found that ‘resting’ it made it a bit tougher (good thing). Except for the liquid smoke, didn’t really get much flavour. What am I doing wrong?!
Hi Mike, it’s difficult to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you, but seitan gets chewier the more you knead the dough, so it is likely that you may have kneaded the dough too long. Marinating it overnight also will make it more tender. As for flavour are you sure you measured the seasonings exactly? There are lots of added flavours in this steak. Hope that helps a little!
What blade do you use in your processor?
Just the regular S blade.
I tried this recipe and it came out awesome. How I approached it was I put all the “steak” ingredients in a blender except the vital wheat gluten. I blended it into a fine paste then poured it into a mixing blow. I then slowly added the vital wheat gluten, a half cup to start with then a quarter cup after that, working it in as I went. I ended up using a little less gluten then the recipe called for but it came out really tender! I totally agree, steaming is KEY! I’ve tried boiling a similar recipe and it came out very chewy.
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed it, John! 🙂
There are so many comment here so I may have missed this if someone else asked this question. I have an Instant Pot. Could I steam the steaks in that as opposed to the method you mentioned in the instructions? If so, any recommendations to how long, etc?
Hi Lesley, I don’t have an Instant Pot, so I can’t help you, but a reader left a comment about using her Instant Pot. Elke Speliopoulos said “Oh. My. First time EVER liking seitan anything. That was delish!
The dough was the best formed I have ever worked with.
I used my Instant Pot to steam the steaks. Depressurized mid-way through, turned them (I have a great steamer basket) and repressurized. Perfect!
We threw them on the grill, and the result was pure magic. I had roasted potatoes and a salad with it and a bit of steak sauce. Absolutely delightful. Thank you so much! Your recipes have always been hits.
I froze the other three (hubby is meat eater, so he didn’t partake) to use with your steak sandwich post from yesterday!”
Hi Sam, I love Seitan and will be trying these (having baked tofu bites tonight yum) On the nutrional notes is it 295 calories per steak or for the recipe? My husbad is watching his weight. Thanks Jean
Per steak. Enjoy!!
Thanks Sam, the recipe is amazing and my husband loves em too…we have not eaten meat for over 40 years so we are calling them Stakans as can’t remember what meat tastes like or it’s texture….love love love your recipes
Haha love it! SO thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much 🙂
Oh. My. First time EVER liking seitan anything. That was delish!
The dough was the best formed I have ever worked with.
I used my Instant Pot to steam the steaks. Depressurized mid-way through, turned them (I have a great steamer basket) and repressurized. Perfect!
We threw them on the grill, and the result was pure magic. I had roasted potatoes and a salad with it and a bit of steak sauce. Absolutely delightful. Thank you so much! Your recipes have always been hits.
I froze the other three (hubby is meat eater, so he didn’t partake) to use with your steak sandwich post from yesterday!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygzVXhgtZb/
Amazing! So thrilled you loved them so much, Elke 🙂
Looks amazing but damn thats alot of sodium 🙁 id try it with less soy sauce and see if it is still good.
The sodium mainly comes from the soy sauce. All of the marinade isn’t likely consumed so you make actually be getting less when enjoying these seitan steaks. You could substitute a low sodium soy sauce. Enjoy!
Hi Sam,
Will this recipe work without liquid smoke?
Ps. Sorry I did not know how to comment normally, could only click on a reply button from replies.
Hi Lin, just wanna say that I’ve made this a few times and always without the liquid smoke. Still very good!
Yes, but it will lack a bit of flavour. If you can’t get your hands on liquid smoke, try smoked paprika instead. Enjoy!
I made these for dinner last night and something amazing happened that never happens. My ENTIRE family ate it all! My kids are 3 and 5 and it’s always so hit or miss and they never like the same things. WILL be making much more! Thank you!
Wonderful!!! So thrilled everyone loved it so much, Laura!
Hi, Sam! I tried these and they were amazing. It tasted very similar to a well done steak. I had two left over and I froze them, but didn’t freeze them in a marinade. I just froze them dry.
Do you think the steaks will still work? Or should I toss them and make a new batch? We’re going to make steak fajitas with them next time! Yum!
Hi Cait, so happy you love them! The steaks should still work but they may be a bit dry so I would whip up a larger batch of marinade and marinated them once thawed. Enjoy!
I made this about a month ago and it was so good! It freezed really well too! I gotta say though it was kind of “creepy” how much it is like eating an actual steak. I had to keep telling my self, “…it’s not meat, it’s not meat”!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hahaha!! I’m glad I creeped you out a little 😉
Is that frozen before or after cooked.
In the marinade?
Steam, pop it in the marinade, and then pop it in the freezer. Enjoy!
You nailed it! First time ever I liked a seitan recipe.
Been trying a lot of different approaches but this recipe with the steaming is the best.
Thank you so much, Jack!! I agree, steaming is the best, everything else I tried didn’t compare 🙂
I want to try this tonight. What is the difference if I use uncanned lentils?
You would just have to cook the lentils first. Enjoy!
I have been experimenting with different seitan recipes for almost a year now. I just made it and so far it looks better than anything I have ever made. I am sure the taste will be great as the ingredients aren’t too different from others I have made. It is marinating now and I can’t wait to try it.
Ok. Just cooked it up. Oh my goodness. That was good. It would have been even better on the grill but it rained. I can think of so many uses for this. Thanks!
Haha! You’re most welcome, Annie! Thrilled you enjoyed 🙂
Aww wonderful!! I hope you love it, Annie 🙂
I made Seitan from spelt flour, can I substitute it for Vital WHEAT Gluten, as I am allergic to Wheat.?
No, vital wheat gluten is mandatory for making seitan, unfortunately.
I think something went wrong for me, I steamed on a hob but deviated from the recipe using chickpeas instead of lentils but the whole thing came out gluey/ doughy any chance I could have overmixed in my blender? I made 4 steaks, so I have some left over but am a bit nervous about cooking them after last night’s catastrophe
Seitan is very picky so if you change the recipe or don’t measure exactly, it can yield unpredictable results. If you found that the seitan was gluey/doughy before steaming, that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be! If it’s after steaming than it sounds like you might have not steamed it long enough. It will be doughy when raw and will be sliceable and chewy when cooked. Hope that helps!
This is amazing! I went off grid a little bit and cut mine into strips to use a “chicken ” in fajitas. I used the same marinade and they came out fantastic.
So happy you loved it, Amber! You might also enjoy my Vegan Seitan Tenders recipe which is designed to be a little more chicken-y in texture and flavour 🙂
This was great! It was super easy to follow and make. I was somewhat surprised after reading some comments. Just follow the recipe and you will make an impressive vegan steak! My husband had a bad experience recently so he was most hesitant to try but LOVED it! Already coming up with ideas for other “meat” dishes! Thanks so much Sam!
That’s so wonderful, marianne! Very happy you and your husband loved it so much 🙂
I have made these several times and they are the absolute best! I package them individually, each in different marinades then freeze them. Pull one out in the morning to defrost in the fridge and they are ready to grill or pan fry for dinner. I am vegetarian., my girlfriend is not and she even likes them. The best seitan recipe I’ve tried.
Ah that’s so very wonderful, Josh! So thrilled you love them so much!!
We failed at this one. We tried microwave steaming. Is that why they turned out rock hard and inedible? We followed everything else except the processor.
Hi Sarah, I had the same problem! After plenty of scrolling I found someone with the same issue and Sam did say it probably won’t work with microwave. I’m going to try this out again with an actual steamer!
Yes, I’m afraid a microwave would change the texture of the seitan. I recommend steaming in a pot on the stove.
Do you have an instant pot, by chance? It’s an electric pressure cooker, and I’ve become so obsessed with mine that I now own FOUR of them (it’s not a problem till I say it’s a problem, darn it!). I put the steaks into the pot on a steaming rack, steam for 25 minutes at high pressure, and let the pressure come down for about 10 minutes before quick-releasing the steam and pop it into the marinade straight away. No flipping needed. Try it. Life-changing and easier than stovetop steaming.
It’s not the recipe. It’s totally the microwave. This recipe is one of the best things on the internet. I use black beans instead of lentils to make the steaks darker more like a “steak” should. So good.
I dont have a pressure cooker cause I saw a video of a woman whose cooker blew up on her and she got shards of glass and metal flayed into her face, and the hot water in the pressure cooker globbed onto her skin and melted it. She needed major reconstructive surgery but doesnt look anything like a human.
So I jsut stick to my crock pot.
That woman must have done something wrong. People have been using pressure cookers for half a century. It is a great cooking method if you are not stupid. One incident is no reason to never have anything to do with something again. Millions of people drink and drive and crash. Does that mean you will never drive or ride in a vehicle again?
Agree with you BB Salzburg!
Agree 100%! And yes, once opened too soon and was spaghetti on the ceiling! Never did that again but love both my pressure cooker and crocko pot! Just follow instructions and use prpperly.
you can not screw up with the modern pressure cookers and the Instant pots are totally safe, nothing like your grandmother or great grandmother might have used, totally different, totally safe!
Hah, and my family woder why I want two! Thanks for the tips too, will be trying.
Hi Sam! I don’t have a food processor so tried using my blender, which (mostly) has worked as a substitute for a food processor. Well, it didn’t work with the seitan ‘dough’ and I really wasn’t able to get thedough smooth enough because of the lentils. Finally I finished the recipe and it was good enough (though crumbly) that I tried again a few days later. My secret weapon: my coffee grinder! I usually use it to grind up seeds for herbs but it ground up the dry lentil seeds quickly. The lentils were ground up so fine they didn’t take long to cook. Mixing and kneading was easy and the seitan steaks turned out great! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Wonderful! Glad you were able to find a good solution, Joe 🙂
If you read the recipe it says to use cooked lentils.
Hi Sam! I just tried the recipe today and IT TASTES REALLY GOOOOOOD but my steak texture is a bit off! It’s a bit spongey and chewy, which I don’t mind, but it doesn’t look like yours. I steamed it using a microwave steamer so I definitely didn’t go 25 mins. I was wondering how you can tell that it is done steaming other than it expands. Thanks!
Hi Tyas, I imagine the problem is due to the microwave steaming, which is pretty different than steaming in a pot on the stove and would result in a very different texture. I recommend doing it on the stove instead. Enjoy!
Redid it. It worked!! Thank you Sam! Now I’m really sure I don’t have to miss meat!
Haha! Amazing 🙂
I have made these at least 6 times now and they are so fantastic!! My husband absolutely loves them too (I have even left him a batch in the fridge when I’ve gone out of town), so good grilled on my cast iron grill pan. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I am so incredibly thrilled you love them so much, Lauren!!
I make this recipe often and often ‘make it my own’. Sometimes I cut the steaks into strips, crisp them up in a pan then add them to stir fried veggies (works well in teriyaki or black bean sauce!). Or I just eat the crisp skin strips dunked in vegan mayo and BBQ sauce (droooool). Today I’ve made it into balls and will add them to curry and pasta sauce during the week. I don’t really do Instagram so I’ll send you the pics (Sam) for your interest 🙂
So happy you are enjoying the steak recipe in so many different ways, Toni! 🙂
Best seitan ever!!!
Can’t get a better review than that!!
I’m not sure why some folks are having issues. I suck at baking and I followed the proportions and got amazeballs results. I did alter the marinade, but that’s just a taste preference thing. Everyone wants to season it there own way. I’ve done a more Asain style steak or even a southwestern. There are so many ways you can go with a marinade and these steaks just soke up the flavor. I even did a pesto wrap with some steak strips. I believe someone else asked about the prospect of adding mushrooms into the mix. What would your thoughts be on that. I found that to be a very interesting question.
Thanks so much Tara! Thrilled you are enjoying the steaks so much. See below for my comments on mushrooms. Enjoy!
Have you tried adding mushrooms to this?
That’s a good question. I would like suggestions on that as well.
I would not recommend that. The measurements and ingredients have been tested thoroughly to get the best results and altering them could unpredictably change that. I would recommend sautéing some mushrooms and serving them alongside the steaks. Enjoy!
Obviously people should be smart enough to catch this, but as so many people are gluten-free these days and some even have celiac disease, it would be great if there was a warning that seitan IS gluten and if you are avoiding gluten, you should not be eating seitan! Again, fairly obvious but I wonder if there are people who just don’t get it – they see “vegan” and they just think “healthy! I can eat that.”
The first ingredient is gluten. If they don’t understand that gluten has gluten in it then there are a fair few more issues going on than just a gluten issue.
Best seitan recipe EVER!!
True, but it’s astounding how dense people can be.
Probably the same people that need a warning on peanut butter. ‘MAY CONTAIN NUTS’.
I have tried a couple other seitan recipes but this is the best so far and will be my go-to seitan recipe going forward! Thank you for sharing
Woohoo!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Vanya 🙂
I am an uncommitted cook (I am just not into cooking), and building my vegan tecipe repertoire. This was my first try at seitan and it was VERY DELICIOUS. I followed it to the letter – but with no food processor, thoroughly mixed the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately before combining them with a fork and then by hand in a bowl.
Added more soy and maple to the frying pan at the end to reduce into a sticky “sauce” to pour over the fried steaks and mash. It was spectacularly delicious.
Am about to make my second batch, with my husband urging me for the past few weeks to show him how.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.
Helen
Australia
Wow that’s wonderful, Helen!! I’m so thrilled the recipe worked out perfectly for you, and that you are getting adventurous in the kitchen! 🙂
I’m thinking of making this tomorrow but im wondering…
If I steam the stakes in an Instant Pot, should I use low or high pressure? also, should I steam them for 25 mins still?
Hi Julie, I’m afriad I don’t have an Instant Pot and have never cooked with one so I cannot give you any guidance on that.
When you steam in an Instant Pot, you don’t use the pressure function.
Yeah I learned that later that day lol, thank you anyway!
I use the steam function with the pressure valve closed and it’s fine. Totally fine. 25 minutes on high pressure for this seitan recipe, 10 minutes natural release then QR and pop in the marinade. For the “chicken” one, I do 23 minutes steam with closed valve on LOW pressure, and then 10 minutes before quick-release. Also comes out perfect.
Thank you, Suzanne for the Instant pot tips, I have this recipe in the refrigerator and plant to grill it for Father’s Day to morrow, steamed it in the Instant Pot, I can;t wait after all these great reviews!!!
Yellow lentils are what you use in this recipe?
I used brown but any lentil will work. Enjoy!
I haven’t made these yet but I plan to because I love your seitan tenders recipe and have been sharing it on all my WFPB and vegan online groups. I do have one question, what type of lentils are used? I don’t have any canned lentils but I have green and red and could make either in the IP fairly quickly. just not sure whether the red would work to add color but change the flavor.
thanks again!
Hi Emily, so happy you enjoy the tenders so much 🙂 Any kind of cooked lentil will work well, so add whichever one you like best. The canned variety I use are brown lentils. Enjoy!
I made this for the first time tonight. My wife and I thought it was very good. Thank you for the recipe. One thing we would like to change is to make it a bit softer texture. Do you think adding more lentils or perhaps some tofu would accomplish this? Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it, Bob! If you found it too chewy, you probably over mixed it a little. The more the dough is kneaded, the chewier it will get. Also, the longer you marinate it, the more tender it will get, so try marinating it for a few days. Enjoy!
Wondering if I can leave out the lentils or use chickpea flour instead?
I haven’t tried that myself, so I am unsure of the result. I imagine it would make the dough dry, so you may need to add more moisture.
I am now marinating the steaks, and they look and smell great. I love that you don’t use oil in the recipe.
I’m wondering if you know of a good marinade that doesn’t have oil as well. Thank you.
Hi June, thanks so much! You can substitute aquafaba for the oil in this marinade. Also, check out these 12 seitan marinades, for the ones that contain oil, aquafaba can be substituted. Enjoy!
Hi Sam!
These are almost exactly like the Chickpea Cutlets by Isa Chandra Moskowitz that the Internet has been loving for about 10 years (here’s a recipe: https://www.isachandra.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/). Don’t you think at least mentioning this inspiration would be nice?
Hi Paula, I’m not sure why you think my recipe is exactly like Isa’s as we have only two ingredients in common and the cooking method is completely different. I was actually inspired by Veggie Rose and The Happy Pear, and I credited them both at the beginning of the recipe. Hope that helps clarify!
There is almost nothing in common between the two recipes. They are shaped similar, but that’s about it. Did you even read the recipe ingredients?
Ciao bella in questi giorni la replicheró sicuramente! Solo a guardarla è un capolavoro, ho già comprato tutti gli ingredienti e anche i misurini americani perché qui in Italia usiamo i grammi.
Mi serve solo un’ultima informazione 1 Cup di lenticchie sono secche o cotte?
Cooked (cotte).
Hi Deborah, the lentils are cooked. Enjoy!
Came across your recipe today and definitely plan on trying it. I love reading the comments where I can get additional information and I like how you pay attention and respond to the comments. I’ll definitely be checking out the rest of your recipes. i do have a question. Here where I live, there is no nutritional yeast. I could order it online but most online sources here always seem to be out of stock and ordering from Amazon or some other source outside the country is just too expensive. Do you know of anything I can use instead? I’ve read a bit of miso works and miso is easy to find here. Obviously that changes the liquid ratio but I’m not sure it would change it too much. Any other suggestions? Thanks!
Thanks so much, David! In this recipe, nutritional yeast is just a little flavour booster and it would be fine if you just skipped it. You may want to bump up the flavours a tad to make up for it, but it won’t make or break the steak. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
OMG! I made these and they are awesome!! I bbq’d one on my grill with my cookina mat and didn’t have to baste with the extra marinade. I served it with a store bought bbq sauce I can buy here in Canada. President’s Choice Poblano and Lime….it’s my new fav!! Anyway, I tried a 2nd steak tonight on my salad with fried onions…the French’s kind. I sliced the steak in thin slices and heated in a fry pan with the bbq sauce and a little white wine. Best salad ever!! Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge through your recipes!!
Aww you’re most welcome, Lisa! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much. I will have to try that BBQ sauce too, I live in Toronto 🙂
This is the 3rd time I’ve made it and it comes out perfect every time! Thank you!
You’re most welcome, Cheryl 🙂
Hi Sam!
I’m new to Vegan cooking and am looking forward to trying lots of recipes in your book, which I already have! I’m wondering if you think I cook cook this in the air fryer rather than pan frying in oil. Trying to keep calories down.
Thank you!
Hi Patty! Thanks so much for being a fan! Once you finish steaming it, you can prepare it anyway you think a steak might be delicious prepared, so yes I think an air fryer should work well. It may get a bit dry so be sure to splash it with marinade. Enjoy!
Thank you, Sam! 🙂
I made these the other day and although tasted great they were a bit like eating bubble gum so i think i did something wrong. I steamed them for 25 mins as the recipe says.
It sounds like you may have over kneaded the seitan. You just need to collect the dough into a ball, then cut and shape. The more you knead it the chewier it will become.
Made this. It turned out great. Used the instant pot. Steamed for 20 minutes then nature release for 5 minutes. Love it!! Thank you so much.
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Mc 🙂
Excellent! This is a regular for my fiancé and I. I don’t have a food processor, so what I do is put everything except the vital wheat gluten in my bullet blender until it’s a nice and smooth paste and dump it in a big bowl and work it into the VWG with my hands. This also works with chickpeas.
Wonderful!! So happy you love it so much, Kris!
I just did the same thing! It was the first time I’ve made seitan and I loved it so much I ate two steaks
Haha! Amazing!
Hi Sam, looking forward to trying this “steak”. I do not have a steamer but have a steaming function on my microwave. Do you think it would work out? All my previous attempts at seitan anything has not worked out so great so hoping this one is it! Don’t want to ruin though just because of the steaming. Thanks!
Hi Maria, I have no idea if the streaming function on the microwave would work or not but my instinct is no. Steaming is crucial to the texture and the recipe turning out correctly. If you don’t have a large steamer you can pick one up fairly inexpensively or you can make a DIY steamer using one of these hacks. Hope that helps!
I don’t have a decent size steamer. Could these be cooked in broth, like some seitan recipes are, or will it alter them to that icky, rubbery texture, I wonder?
That would change the texture to a weird spongey squishy thing. Not good! Haha. If you don’t have a large steamer you can pick one up fairly inexpensively or you can make a DIY steamer using one of these hacks. Hope that helps!
I just made these for dinner tonight and I can only say “oh my goodness”!! I am pretty finicky on textures but this was off the charts. My favorite part was when my 5 yr old said “ this is great steak mom” What???? This child has an amazing gag reflex for most faux meats I make so you couldn’t have gotten higher praise!! Thank you
Haha! That’s amazing!!! Delighted you and your daughter enjoyed the steaks so much, Valerie 🙂
I love this recipe! I made these seitan steaks on Sunday night and marinated them overnight in the fridge! I cooked them for a friend the next day. We pan-fried the steaks and served them over pasta with gravy! It was delicious! 10 out of 10 would make again!
I think I may play around with the marinade for next time and substitute something for the maple! It was very good and added a nice smokey flavor. It wasn’t too sweet, but I’m excited to see what other marinades will taste like.
Thank you for posting this recipe. It was fantastic! I look forward to making this many more times and freezing. (Also excited to try your other recipes!)
Thanks Lindsay! So thrilled you loved the steaks so much. You can try one of my 12 seitan marinades here if you like. Enjoy!
Hi , thanks for the amazing recipe.
One question though , can I add beetroot to make it redder ?
Add additional ingredients will change the texture, so I wouldn’t recommend it. Enjoy!
Yay, the food stores are open again in New Zealand and being summer here, we are well in to BBQ weather. My local bulk food store sells vital wheat gluten so I am looking forward to giving both your seitan recipes a try. The local store owner tells me that canned banana blossoms are all rage as a fish alternative. The Thai canned variety is cheap here. Any banana blossom recipes in the offing? Great work and my wife is not complaining at my new found enthusiasm for cooking great new things from your fail proof recipes. Thanks
So happy you’re enjoying my recipes so much, John! I don’t have a banana blossom recipe yet… I haven’t seen those for sale anywhere here in Canada yet. Hopefully soon!
Just finished making these and wow!!! Definitely the most successful vegan meat I’ve made. The fact that they are high protein is a huge plus. I didnt have lentils so I substituted pinto beans and it seemed to work out fine. It’s also one of the easiest seitan recipes I’ve come across. Definitely going to be a staple in my house!
Awesome!!! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Jessica 🙂
Amazing recipe! Very good. I used them to make a Vegan Chicken Fried Steak. Worked out very well.
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed, Doug 🙂
Sam, I absolutely adore you because EVERY. SINGLE. RECIPE. comes out exactly as described when I try anything from your blog or cook book. My mind is blown! I have tried several pies, sides, and last night I attempted the steaks thinking I’ll probably somehow mess it up. NOPE. They are delicious. I feel like you helped me crack that make-it-taste-like-store-bought-seitan code. Thank you for that. I followed the recipe exactly, but swapped out the maple/agave syrup for Cholulah hot sauce.
Awwww shucks, thank you, Kate!! So happy you enjoyed the steaks so much, and all of the recipes you have tried 😀
Hello! I read the recipe, it sounded pretty straight forward so I never looked at it again- in my haste I missed the steaming step and only pan froed them- they were like bubble gum! Lol WOOPS!!! The taste was great though… we only cooked two and have the other two im the marinade… i’m wondering if they would come out okay if i steam them in a coupme days when we are ready toncoom them… any thoughts on this? Thanks!
I can’t say that I have ever prepared the steaks in such a way so I cannot know if they will turn out ok. You’re welcome to try tho. Best of luck!
I haven’t made this yet but I was wondering how long can I store this in the freezer for? Can I substitute lentils for Chickpeas?
I would say 1 – 2 months. Chickpeas work ok, but their skins don’t mix to well so it works a little less successfully, but still good. Enjoy!
I just tried and my liked it. =) My hubby called it devil steak. (Satan steak)
I was wondering….would it be weird to marinate the dough and then steam it?
Thanks
Haha! Funny. That might change the texture. I recommend marinating after it is steamed. Enjoy!
Hi.
I want to try making there this weekend as I’ve recently adopted a vegan diet.
I want to get these right so what is the weight (grams) of the Seitan and is the drained weight of the lentils around 265g? I’m in the UK so want to check pls.
I’m looking forward to the weeks. And experimenting making a Saturday night steak meal!
Thanks
Hi Robin, welcome 🙂 I don’t know the weight of the seitan and the drained lentils as I didn’t do those specific measurements when writing the recipe. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Hello! I would use dried lentils and cook them. What color of lentils would you recommend?
Thank you!
Brown or green. Enjoy!
Where can you get Seitan and is it in powder?
This recipe is to make seitan. To make seitan you need vital wheat gluten which is a powder and you will be able to get it at any health food store or online.
Hi, Sam.
Is there a different way to steam or prepare these? I only have a small-ish pot that comes with a steamer basket and I am sure it won’t work for this (plus, it’s not really a basket, per se; it just comes with the pot and only has holes on the bottom). I have a larger pot but nothing to use as a steamer. Maybe there’s no other way, but I figured I’d ask! Thank you!
They need to be steamed in order to have the correct texture. If you don’t have a steamer basket for your large pot you could use one of these methods to make a DIY steamer. Hope that helps!
Hi, just made this, it’s terrific. I made a few changes, of course… I don’t care for liquid smoke and used a teaspoon of smoked paprika instead. Also, I added 2 teaspoons of porcini powder. So tasty, thanks for all you do!
You’re most welcome, Karen! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Wanna try out your recipe!
Is steaming better than pressure cooking? I usually pressure cook my seitan so am more familiar with that!
I don’t have a pressure cooker, so I’m not sure. I know steaming works beautifully for this recipe, I have no idea how it would turn out in a pressure cooker.
Hello
You are saying 1.5 cups of vital wheat plus the ingradiants serves 4?
Trying this recipe and have noticed that when I put the ingredients into my fitness app it says each serving is 84g protein not 42g. Have you got your figures incorrect?
Vital wheat is between 70-75 % protein which means 1,5 cups, in the uk 375g works out to be 300g protein. Split into 4 is 75g. just for the vital wheat, that’s not including the lentils and other ingredients.
Can you confirm please?
Is your comments where you say each strak is 42g protein in relation to a serving for 8?
It also says double the calories per steak when having the recipe as 4 steaks. so 590 calories instead of 295 as you say.
Seems a bit of a coincidence of how it is exactly double.
Please confirm. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Rob, the recipe makes 4 steaks. For the macronutrients, the recipe plugin I use calculates the nutrients, and it was for one steak. Hope that helps!
ok. How much vital gluten wheat are you using for 4 steaks?
Your recipe states 1.5 cups (375g) for 4 steaks. 375g is roughly 300g protein. 300g divided by 4 is 75g protein per steak before adding the protein from other ingredients. Once they are added it is 84g protein per steak?
Regards
Rob.
Well maybe my nutrition program is off on the vital wheat gluten! Trust the program you are familiar with. Enjoy!
Your figures are off Rob. 1.5 cups of wheat gluten is 180 grams, not 375 grams. The calories and protein are accurate when using 180 grams of wheat gluten in the recipe.
We LOVE this recipe so much, and have passed it (and your blog, and cookbook) along to many others to enjoy! Thanks for creating it! I wonder if you are up for a challenge… how about creating a seitan chick’n nugget recipe the kids will love? Sort of like a fast food version? My kids eat soy nuggets like they’re going out of style, but I really think the seitan would lend itself nicely to that flavour. What are your thoughts?
Aww thank you so much, Emily!! I don’t have a seitan style nugget yet, but I do have these baked tofu bites which are my current obsession 🙂
I am definitely trying this method. since you are seitan expert I wonder did you ever hear that someone prepare seitan in the sea waves? I recently discovered that method at small no-traffic Croatian island Zlarin. I think you might like it, so I share with you this sea-seitan unique recipe
Yes, I have heard of that. There’s no sea near me tho!
I have been meaning to send you and comment about these steaks. The first word that comes to mind is FANTASTIC! My husband made the first time back in June. The were so delicious we decided that they would be part of our camping menu for July and again in August. We can’t say enough about how fabulous these taste and how much my whole family loves them. We’ve even had left overs the next day and made steak sandwiches!
You have great recipes and I will continue to tell my friends about all the goodness you create!!
Thanks!!
Thank you so much, Christine! I really appreciate your kind words, they totally make my day 🙂 So very happy you are enjoying my recipes so much!
First triedseitan while on holiday in Tuscany at a vegetarian place…theirs was very thin and brown with a very soft texture like liver…it was ok but not great, but the idea of seitan intrigued me. Just tried your seitan recipe and it came out great!
Made two larger steaks in marinade and left in the fridge, and tonight had two slightly smaller ones that I breaded and fried to make yummy crunchy burgers.
This is a foolproof fantastic recipe I’ll be using again and again!
Quick note…liquid smoke isn’t that easy to get in the UK so I substituted with a teaspoon of truffle oil and a tablespoon of Hawkshead relish (vegetarian Worcestershire sauce).
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe Sam.!
That’s wonderful!! So thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Steve. Another great sub for liquid smoke is smoked paprika, not sure if that is easily available?
Hi Sam,
Smoked paprika is a great tip, I’ll try that, but I see we can get liquid smoke in the UK from online retailers, so I’ll get hold of some for that extra special flavour.
Just made my second batch today (this time with a can of drained lentils instead of chickpeas) and it came out just as good as last week.
Don’t have a steamer and our colander is plastic, so improvised with a non stick perforated pizza tray over a large brim deep pan and used the pan lid over the four steaks.
This recipe is so much fun…thanks again Sam!
Wonderful!! So glad you are enjoying it so much 🙂
I just tried grilling one and it tastes and feels like the seitan hasn’t cooked properly. It’s soft and doughy, much like it was before I steamed it. I tried steaming for another 25 minutes but nothing much has changed.
Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas about what it might be.
My suggestion would be to make the “patties” a bit thinner at first. Or, you can do what I do. (1) Make the steaks quite large and quite thick. Steam them fully. Then, take these and cut each big piece into cutlets. These go into the marinade. Then, pan fry or bake. The texture comes out great for me…I have not had a “bad” batch yet. Hope it works for you as well.
That’s never happened to me before. My guess would be that a measurement was off. It’s difficult to know without being in the kitchen with you. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Hi Sam! Could you please help? We followed your recipe to the T and somehow, the texture was tough and chewy. Is there something we missed in terms of kneading, steaming, etc? We steamed for 25 min, marinaded for 30 and kneaded a good 20 min. Thanks!
There is no need to knead the dough for 20 minutes. I knead it just until it comes together into a tight ball. That’s probably what made it tough. Also the longer you marinate it, the more tender it will get. Hope that helps!
The same thing happened to me 🙁 very gummy and soft. I suspect that I might have added too many lentils.
That could be the problem, Mandy. This recipe is more like baking in the sense that it is chemistry, so it is important to follow the measurements and steps as closely as possible. Hope that helps!
My wife is vegan and I don’t eat red meat. Prepared lost of veg with marinade and thought it would be nice with a steak. So while she was taking 40 winks I found your recipe. Trying it for the first time on the bbq. Will let you know how it goes.
I hope she loves it!
I just made this recipe for the first time and I had a few issues. I could only find dried lentils, which I’d never made before. I wasn’t sure about the water-to-lentils ratio or the cooking time. I tried to sort them well before cooking and to cook them enough to be soft. I’ve made a different seitan recipe before, and this mixture was softer out of the food processor and not as gummy. The finished “steaks” are gritty and soft. Did I make a mistake cooking the lentils or processing the mixture? I’d like to make this again if I could resolve these issues. Thanks.
Hi Ginger, it’s difficult to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you, but your experience doesn’t sound right at all. I hope they work out for you next time!
Hi, am looking forward to having a go at making your seitan steaks but I live in the UK and am not entirely confident when using cups for measuring (heaped or not heaped etc!) so wondered if you could tell me how much gluten flour to use in grams. Many thanks in advance. Michele.
I don’t know the grams as cups are a volume measurement, not a weight measurement. Check out this guide properly use measuring cups. You don’t need to stir your flour though. 🙂
1 1/2 cups of wheat gluten came out at 175g for me.
I have made this 3 times now and it only keeps tasting BETTER! I have only made Seitan 4 times now, with one being a chicken style. This is simple to make The second batch I added the exact amount of cayenne pepper and it was pretty hot. I then let it sit in the fridge a few days and the heat waned a bit. The 3rd batch I just mashed the lentils with my hands so it looked more like a pepper steak. This is an amazing recipe and as a newbie at making Seitan, you got me HOOKED!!! This will be my go to recipe anytime I want yummy amazing food!! Thank you so much for posting this delicious recipe!!!
Sounds so good! Do you think I can sub white beans for the lentils? I don’t have lentils at the moment. ……
That should work fine.
It did! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Debra! I’m thrilled you love it so much each and everytime 🙂
Reading these comments, I’m convince that the ‘Vegan Steak’ is tasty. I’m making this for my food and hospitality assignment. WISH ME LUCK
Good luck!
This recipe is so amazing, the steak is full of flavor, the texture is perfect and my non-vegan family loved it! I use this steak for tacos, with a delicious sundried tomato pesto, avocado and caramelized onions, INCREDIBLE!
Awesome!! So thrilled you and your family enjoyed it so much, Sofia 🙂
My husband has made many versions of seitan over the years. And never been entirely sold on the texture or taste.
He made these Vegan Steaks yesterday, on a whim. Whilst the stand mixer was whizzing the ‘dough’ together he declared it was by far the easiest seitan to prepare.
We had our ‘steak’ with spuds, peas and corn for dinner.
What a delight! That’s it. The search for perfect seitan has ended. The only challenge will be to ensure there is always some squirrelled away, in the freezer.
Thank you Sam.
Haha that’s amazing!!! Thrilled you and your husband finally found a seitan recipe you love 🙂
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! To be honest I have yet to made something from this website that wasnt amazing! Thank you so much!
Aww shucks, so happy to hear that! Thanks Katye 🙂
I just made this as I just started cooking Seitan and I’m amazed. It is very tasty with just the right amount of heat and the texture is perfect. This will be a regular meal in our home. Thanks for sharing you wonderful Seitan recipe.
Wonderful!! So thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
OMG! This is the only recipe one needs to make the perfect steak. I am literally blown away on the taste, texture and ease of making this delicious steak! Cheers to you!!
Thank you!!!
Hi Sam, I received your recipe from my daughter and I was really excited to try it. I must have done something wrong because my steak was really soft and mushy. It looked like all the pictures but the texture was weird. I didn’t even need teeth to eat it. When I measured the lentils was it supposed to be in a measuring cup or by weight. Any ideas as to why it came out so soft?
Yes that definitely sounds very wrong! The lentils are measured in a cup as written, not by weight as I did not include a measurement for that. It’s difficult to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you, but if you measured by weight that would definitely be a problem. Hope that helps!
I’m going to try again today. Wish me luck!
new to vegan love your bubbly personality steak looks good cheers paul
Thanks so much, Paul! Welcome 🙂
how would this do for buffalo wings in your opinion?
I would try my Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower recipe instead. 🙂
Please share if you have substitute for olive oil for those that are oil free? This recipe looks delicious and the benefit of extra protein. Thank you!
Hi Cindy, as the oil is only in the marinade you can skip it. Just add more water or seasoning to the marinade and be sure to brush the steaks liberally while they cook so they stay moist. ENjoy!
Omg this was so delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome! So happy you loved it.
Hi Sam,
Can’t wait to try this, I just have 2 questions. Would a nutri bullet work instead of a food processor? And do you know what I could do if I don’t have a steamer?
Many thanks
I wouldn’t suggest a nutri bullet and would instead suggest doing it by hand. It’s a lot of dough and I don’t think it would fit nor blend well. You can fit a metal strainer basket into a pot and top it with the lid. Enjoy!
This was my 1st time making seitan as I was always a little nervous of texture, complexity etc. I’d used gluten flour but not like this. Well..my 1st steak attempts were AAAAMAZING! My newly vegan hubby was stunned & ate 3 in one sitting! And I’ve used this recipe with tweaks now as the basis for; stroganoff, pot pies, ‘beef’ in black bean sauce, tandoori pieces, chorizo – & didn’t THAT open up a world of vegan food adventures?! This recipe is a fail proof for me, every time. PLEASE…a ‘chicken’ seitan recipe really soon???
Oh that’s so wonderful, Tova!! Thrilled you and your hubby enjoyed them so much and used them in so many ways! A chicken like recipe is on my idea list. Hopefully I perfect it soon 🙂
I’ve made this several times by now because it is DELICIOUS and an easy fallback meal when I’m feeling lazy since it can just marinate in the fridge a while! I like to swap out some or all of the soy sauce for vegan Worcestershire sauce for an extra steak-y taste. It’s great. I normally don’t like seitan on its own, but this has proven to be the exception 😀
Wow that’s so awesome Sawyer. Yes, I am the same as you! I often have a bunch of these just hanging out in the marinade in the fridge, ready to be grilled up when hunger strikes!
hello! We loved this recipe! I made a batch and sliced them up to make a stirfry in blackbean sauce! its delicious! The texture is fab and i used a little more oil for the stirfry. Absolutely fab 🙂
check out instagram conbo_food Stir fry baef in black beans sauce
happy cooking and thanks again for the brill recipe!!
Sounds super yummy!!! So happy you enjoyed them, Christine 🙂
Hi Sam,
I’d never had a seitan steak so can’t say how it stacks up. But it was easy, steaks came together easily, rolled out pretty easily, looked like meat. After marinating I pan fried them. Hmmm, I liked them, but sort of tasteless/bland. And chewy/rubbery. I think I’ll try them again but with the 1T. of vegetable shortening someone else mentioned. And marinate in the marinade I used for beef steaks.
But my husband, the meat eater, said no, didn’t like the texture or lack of flavor. But I will try it again, I was just excited that they came together exactly as you wrote it. It worked!
Sherry
Hi Sherry, these steaks a full of spices and flavour so if you felt they lacked flavour I am guessing there was a measurement off somewhere along the lines. Sorry you didn’t enjoy them more!
I didn’t have tomato paste so used crushed with puree same amount. That is the only change I made and they came out so tough we could hardly cut them even with a steak knife! So… I am going to grind the leftovers (I pan fried all of the steaks) and then use the mixture for something with more liquid – maybe in a chili :).Any other suggestions why they would be tough? Did I steam them for too long? I used a timer but did leave them in the steamer after the time was up to cool down… maybe that was it?
Oh no! It’s hard to know without being in the kitchen with you, but it sounds as tho a measurement may have been off somewhere along the line. They definitely shouldn’t be that tough!
Very likely a measurement as I am in our US home and am using or was using cups and spoons that are not the ones I really know (I just bought a complete new set of cups and spoons in stainless steel)! But I ground it all up and made it into a great stew and we ate it all with mashed yellow potatoes two nights in a row :).
Awesome!
Wonderful stuff Sam! I’ve made this 3x already and my husband loves it. The only change I made was the addition of 1 tablespoon porcini mushroom powder. I’ve been making seitan for years and found this really amps up the flavor, Thanks again for posting this.
Awesome!! So happy you both love it so much 😀
Hi,
I’d like to use this in a steak pie. Would that work?
How would you recommend doing that? If I cook it for as long as you say in the recipe, then put it into a pie and cook the pie, surely the steak would over cook? Would you recommend just making the dough, then cutting that into pieces and just cooking it in the pie?
I’m sure you’ll just be guessing, same as me, but I’d love to know your thoughts.
Thanks
You will need to steam the seitan steak first. This not only cooks it, but it also gives it its unique steak texture. After that, you can treat it as you would traditional steak. You don’t have to worry about overcooking it. I believe steak pies usually start by browning the meat in a pan before adding it to the pie. I would do the same thing. Marinate the seitan steak as directed in my recipe, brown it in a pan and proceed with the pie recipe. Enjoy!
This recipe is game-changing! So far, I’ve served it three different ways: grilled on the BBQ, in a wrap (thinly sliced and sauteed with onions and mushrooms and topped with marinated, grilled eggplant and vegan mayo), and as steak and tomato croustini. It’s great in any form.
After the first time, I took some online advice about tenderized seitan and added a tablespoon of vegetable shortening to the mixture. It did seem to make it less rubbery. The second time I also used my husband’s standard tenderizing marinade (2 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic, 1 part pineapple juice, 1 part soy sauce, ground oregano and fresh garlic). Very yummy!
So thrilled you are loving it so much and in so many different ways, Mary! 😀
This is so good! Perfect texture and none of that weird “wheat” taste you get from some seitan. I let my mom have a taste and she was super impressed, even said it was so meat-like she was surprised I liked it, lol 😀
Will definitely be making a double batch to keep in the freezer.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Kelly!! (And like it even though it’s so meaty) haha
This recipe has changed my life! Amazingly easy and delicious! I have been craving meat lately, which I haven’t eaten in 5 years. Thank-you so much! Now if only you could give us a great chicken seitan! PLEASE? I can’t find one that really satisfies.
I’ve added it to my idea list!! So happy you enjoyed this one 🙂
Could I use the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid for the kneeling?
The dough is very stiff, and you only knead the dough for a minute or two. Most of the kneading is just collecting the dough together. I don’t imagine a dough hook would work for that, but you are welcome to try!
I have used the dough hook quite successfully. Just make sure you lock the mixer down properly into the bowl first, and your bowl tightly onto the base. And if you see particles in the bottom that haven’t been incorporated into the dough, try adding a few more drops of liquid, or just pressing the dough ball into the dryer particles with your hand, then letting the mixer work it in a little more until smooth…hope it works for you!! I have a lot of pain in my hands, so working the dough can be difficult at times without the mixer. But I do love seitan, so if I can’t get my appliances to work for a certain recipe, I still think kneading this dough by hand (when necessary) is worth the pain that results!!
Oh! One more tip in regard to using your Kitchenaid with the seitan: if, like me, you tend to prepare large batches of seitan at once (to freeze ahead), be sure you only add a moderate amount of the mixture into the Kitchenaid bowl at a time. If the bowl us too full, as it gets firmer (which happens really quick), it will just flop all over the place and you’ll end up with a mess on your hands (and countertop, and machine, and everywhere else ☹). Leave a good 3 or more inches at the top of the bowl and just repeat until you use up all of your mixture. If you divide it into 2 batches, just add about half the liquid to each batch. If 3 batches, try 1/3 of the liquid, etc. If a batch is too dry, just add a few more drops of liquid at a time until the dough is the right consistency…you’ll learn to gauge it by feel and texture pretty quick! And if it seems too sticky, do the same thing, but with more of the dry mixture instead. Good luck!
Great tips, thanks Melodie 🙂
4th time I have made these will be this afternoon! Wow! Oh Wow! What an amazing recipe. Thank you ever so.
That’s so awesome!!! Thrilled you love the recipe so much, Casey 🙂
These look so good. I don’t use oil and like to be gluten-free so my questions are will the marinade come out leaving out the oil? And is there anyway to make this gluten-free? Thank you.
Hi Naomi, yes you can leave out the oil in the marinade but it does help make the steaks juicy so I might double the marinade and keep brushing them while they cook to keep them moist. This recipe cannot be made gluten-free, however.
Sorry to jump in on this question but I have made this recipe gluten free … and it works … by using a product called “Gluten Free Gluten Substitute” in a 1:1 ratio to substitute the seitan. A company called Orgran make it.
Wonderful! I have never heard of that product before. Thanks for the tip, Diana. 🙂
Doh!was very hopeful on this but am also allergic to maize. Any other substitutes that you know of?
Thanks
Pippa
The primary ingredient is gluten. You can’t get gluten-free gluten.
This products works perfectly instead though, making this recipe gluten free.
http://www.orgran.com/products/gluten-free-gluten-substitute-gfg/
Hi Sam!
Instead of lentils,Can be used chickpeas?
Same amount ?
What do you think ?
Love your book and my girls love the pillowy pancakes ❤thanks Sam
Awesome! Yes you can just chickpeas. The skins of the chickpeas will be visible in the steaks and will fall out of the dough a bit, so be wary of that, but it will still taste great!
Next time I will try with peeled chickpeas. This time I folowed your recipe and used red lentils..
Let me tell you that this is the most amazing and tasty Seitan I ever had. All my family loved that. Thank you so much
That’s so awesome! So happy you enjoyed it, Isabel 🙂
WHOA!!!!!!!! This is amazing!!! I was skeptical but I just tried out this recipe and WOW – they are so tasty. I fried mine up in a cast iron pan on medium-high heat with some butter, whole garlic cloves, cremini mushrooms, and tomatoes and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. I pre-made these to bring to my family bbq on Thursday where me, my partner, and my sister-in-law are the only vegetarians out of the 8 of us.. can’t wait for them to try these!!!
Thank you, Sam, for sharing these easy, delicious recipes that make being a vegetarian more delicious and easy than ever before!!! I legit had all of these ingredients on hand so this was SO EASY.
ps. I’ve been eating vegetarian for 2 years now and I’m working my way to a vegan diet. It can be tough though, as you say in your video, when you grew up in a animal product consuming household all your life, and have to break so many habits!!! This vegan steak gave me some renewed hope and browsing your recipes makes me both hungry and excited to leave behind more animal products and align more purely with my values for a more just and healthy world. Have a great day.
.
Awesome!!!! So very happy you loved it so much, Hannah!! Congrats on your journey towards veganism, let me know if you ever need any support 🙂
Oh my yes! This recipe is life changing! We used to always have a steak on Sunday. When we went plant-based, we stopped obviously. Steak Sunday is back baby!! 😀 I halved the recipe for the 2 of us, and I’m actually going to cut it down by another 1/4. We found the portion generous. I served with steamed green beans. So here’s how Friday mornings will look in summer. Get up, Make “steaks.” Pack camper. Put steaks in fridge of camper. Set up camp on Friday night. Open beer. Grill steaks. Say ahhhhhhhh and yummmmmmm several times! Thanks so much!!!!
Hahahahaha! Love it so much, thrilled you can have your steak Sundays again!
I’ve made these twice now and the whole family loves them! My 5 year old and 10 month old devoured them, and hubby and I enjoyed our marinaded in chimichurri sauce.
Awesome!!!! Thrilled everyone loves them so much, Melissa 🙂
This is the best tasting recipe for seitan I’ve come across. Really delicious. We froze the rest of the steaks, then sliced thinly and used in fried rice, stir fried noodles and casseroles. Really good value and such a time saver for midweek meals. Nice to have a change from tofu too. Thank you very much.
That’s wonderful, Chris! Thrilled you enjoyed the steaks so much, and in so many fun ways!
Hi Sam, sorry for bothering you with such questions but I couldn’t find a reliable answer on internet. SO how much is that 1/2 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten in gramms? I found different sources but want to make sure to get it right as you meant it. Thanks for your answer 🙂 Barbara
Hi Barbara! I’m afraid I don’t know. I don’t generally weight my ingredients as I use volume measurements (cups/ spoons). Sorry, I can’t be more help!
I just measured 1/2 cup of VWG on my scales and it came out to 68.6 grams :).
Hi Sam,
This vegan steak looks absolutely fabulous!! Just bought your book and can hardly wait to receive it. Do have one question….how much protein is there in this steak!! Keep up the great work…..you are an inspiration to all vegans, new and seasoned!!
Thanks so much, Marcia. It says right in the post, a whopping 42 grams per steak! I hope you enjoy the book 🙂
I do not eat oil. Can oil be left out of the marinade? I’m excited to try this!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Yes it can! I find the oil helps keep the steaks juicy, so if you are skipping it, maybe make more of the marinade and continually brush it on the steaks when they are cooking. Enjoy!
Thanks so much!!!
Hello,
Just one question – Does it matter what type of lentils ( red, green, black ) to use? Looking forward in trying your recipe!
Nope! Whatever kind you prefer 🙂
Hi Sam, I love your cookbook and can’t wait to try this recipe! Question -how important is the tomato paste? I’m allergic to tomatoes and usually just leave it out of recipes. However, I’ve never made seitan before, so I don’t know how important it is to the recipe working. If it’s important, can you suggest something other than tomato paste? Thanks!
Thanks so much, Angela! In this recipe, I think it is important to replace (not just skip) the tomato paste to maintain flavour and texture. I would say mashed sweet potato, squash, pumpkin, or something like that would be the right texture. Tomato paste is quite intense in flavour so you may need to add more seasonings to taste. Enjoy!
I just made these, and so far I’m pretty impressed. They just came out of the steamer. I use a bamboo one and the grates in my steamer imparted a grill-marks pattern on them. I’m excited to marinate them and grill with them next time my husband wants a steak. I’m on a ketogenic diet, so the lentils didn’t work for me. I subbed them with hemp hearts and extra vegetable broth that I used instead of water. Thanks for this recipe! I’m new to the whole plant-based diet world. It’s a far departure from the traditional ketogenic diet of bacon and more bacon!
Welcome to plants! I hope you enjoy the steaks 🙂
Damn! I’m not joking, this was fantastic. I’ve been through many many seitan recipes looking for one that gets the flavour and texture right and this is it. Sliced it into a broccoli and ‘beef’ stirfry. Delish. Afterwards I was wondering if the umami, beefy flavour could be boosted even further with a little bit of ground dried shitake or oyster mushrooms. What do you think? If it’s not a terrible idea, how much would you try to begin with..a teaspoon or a Tablespoon? Thanks so much for this. Going to order your book now.
Haha, awesome! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Neil. For sure, feel free to play around with the flavours as you desire. I haven’t experimented with mushroom powders myself so I don’t have much advice there. I hope you enjoy!
I’m thinking of using the instant pot. Any suggestions? I didn’t go thru all the comments to see if you could. Sorry.
Hi Tacy, I don’t have an instant pot so I am not sure, but I believe some people in the comments had tried it. Enjoy!
this looks fantastic. Must make it for my omni beer club guys.
Oooh that would be awesome!
I’ve been making vegan meats for a long time but have never made a steak like this one. Truly amazing! I ate 2! I felt guilty but it was sooo good! Thank you!
Oh that’s so wonderful!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Deborah 🙂
You’re definitely on a winner ere, maybe you should market it!
Haha! That would be awesome 🙂
Wow, this is the best recipe yet!! Loved it and so did my grandson! I am having another serving tonight with some mushrooms on top.
Awesome!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Lori 😉
I’m excited to try these! They have been steamed and are marinating right now. They already look delish! If freezing, would you do that after steaming but before cooking? Or would you do it after cooking? I was confused about your reply above. Can’t wait to cook these up for a Father’s Day treat!!
If you want to freeze them you can put the bag with the steaks in the marinate straight into the freezer. Freeze them in the marinade. I hope you enjoy them!
This looks great, Sam! I watched the video and appreciated your comments about vegans eating things that replicate animal based foods. It’s all about familiarity, culture and history, isn’t it? This got me thinking that once you’ve steamed the steaks you could marinate it in anything. My mom’s London Broil marinate comes to mind (haven’t had that in decades!), or there was a Jim Beard shishkabob marinate that my family would use for our 4th of July barbeque every year when I was growing up. That might work great with your seitan. I could bring back family favorites (with a vegan twist) that I thought I had given up forever. Thank you for this, I’m really looking forward to trying it out!
Thanks so much, Ann! Yes, you could absolutely marinate the steaks in anything. I would focus on your marinade adding a bit of fat and moisture for the best texture, but flavourwise go nuts! I hope you love the steaks, Ann 🙂
Hi Sam! I can’t wait to cook this recipe again for non-vegan friends and make them realize how simple and tasty a vegan diet can be. My steak turned out to be delicious and as gorgeous looking as yours, which is rare (LOL). My partner was also impressed by the texture and the similarity to a normal steak, even in colour. What I liked the most is that your recipe introduced me to the “art of seitan” (ok, this sounds like a cult) and now it does not seem intimidating to play with the ingredients and get new flavours.
I don’t know what happened to my batch, but the dough was already ready in the food processor, I barely had to knead the mixture because it was a dough after blending. Maybe it was because I cooked the lentils and they were a bit warmer than canned lentils would be. Anyway, it did not affect the final result.
Thanks again for sharing. You are a star!
You’re most welcome, Weslei! I’m so happy you enjoyed the steaks so much and that I was able to introduce you to seitan. Pretty cool right!?
Sam, these were fabulous. I made one batch where I tried mashing the lentils and still had some whole ones in the steak. I thought I messed up and then used a food processor for another batch. Both turned out great and my wife was totally shocked at the taste and flavor. We both agreed the mashed lentil batch had a more stringy steak consistency of the animal brand. We were former meat eaters until about a year ago when we transitioned. Loved this recipe and you site. Woot! Woot!
That’s wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed the steaks so much, Heath! Woot woot indeed 🙂
Making these today, but have a quick question. I remember reading that it is possible to steam seitan in the Instant Pot. Would that work for this recipe, and if so, any idea for the settings? Thanks, and I love all your recipes and cookbook!
Hi Marla! I don’t have an instant pot so I’m afraid I have no recommendations for this. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Check out Connie’s Rawsome Kitchen. She has a video on steaming seitan in the instant pot. I’ve done it for a recipe of pepperoni seitan sausages that she makes.
THANK YOU!!!! Sam, this is an amazing recipe. The entire family loved it.
Yay!!! Thrilled it was a hit Susan 🙂
These are the BEST Seitan Steaks ever!!! I have made several delicious recipes including unsteak and a Filet Mignon style that I paid for. My husband and I agree that this one is the very best!!! Thanks again, Sam, for sharing your genius with us! I can see using this for Philly-style sandwiches and, more. Delicious, toothsome and very satisfying!
Woot woot!! Thanks so much, Bev! Thrilled and honoured you think they are the best ever!! Thank you for your comment 🙂
This is by far, the EASIEST seitan recipe I have ever made. And the TASTIEST!! I love how when you grill it, it gets a nice crispy, crackly surface over both sides of the steak!!
I only had a handful of lentils in the cabinet, and when I cooked them up, they only measured about 2/3 cup in volume. I guess I could have reduced everything else accordingly, but I had some plain pinto beans in the ‘fridge, so I just topped off the 1 cup with those, and it seems to have come out just fine!!
Thanks Sam, for another fantastic recipe.
That’s wonderful, Brenda! So very happy you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
This is by far the best tasting, easiest steak recipe I have tried so far! I was really intrigued that you used lentils, plus you didn’t wrap the steaks in foil for steaming. They came out fantastic. The texture was better than any other recipe I have tried, where beans are used. I’m having some strips on a salad, but my head is buzzing with all the other dishes I can now do!
(One note…I found that I needed to add some more water to get the dough liable like others I have prepared. I believe I used another 1/4 cup. That can probably vary depending on how the lentils are cooked.)
Boom!! Thrilled you loved it so much, elaine! I’m so happy you loved them so much, it took a lot of recipe testing to get it just so 🙂
These came out really well. I’m curious, since I’ve never made seitan before. Are the lentils to lighten up the texture, or for flavor? Thank you. I loved making these.
So happy you enjoyed it, Lucie! Yes, the lentils are for texture and flavour. Glad you loved the recipe 🙂
This looks great and I’m looking forward to trying it!
One thing though…tempeh, quinoa & seitan are words in languages other than English, for foods that pre-date the “vegan world” by over a 1000 years. I’m sure you don’t mean it like this, but the comment about how unappetizing they sound might be percieved as culturally insensitive.
Ah yes, I certainly mean no offence to any language or culture. None of the words are vegan exclusive, of course, and come from a range of languages. Seitan is a Japanese word coined in 1961 but wheat gluten has been enjoyed in China since the 6th century. Old stuff! Yeast has a history that dates back to Egyptian times. Tempeh originates from Indonesia, and quinoa is thousands of years old from Andean culture. I, of course, mean nothing against any culture, to me, the words just don’t sound very appetizing. There are lots of words in the English language I also find unappetizing! 🙂
Well said, Sam.
Hi Sam, made the seitan steaks and they’re exceptional! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Woot!!! Thrilled you love them so much, Tamar. Thanks for the fabulous review 🙂
Just made this. Yum. Thank you. Trying to control myself and leave marinating for tomorrow
Hahaha! I hope you love them, Lea 🙂
How many grams of protein/fat/carbs in theseeee???? 🙂
Says in the post, protein 42g, fat 4g, carbohydrates 22g. 🙂
I notice you say they freeze well but do you freeze them in the marinade or do you marinate them once they come out of the freezer and have defrosted please?
I was going to ask the same. I was thinking they would freeze well after steaming but before marinading or with the marinade. Looking forward to hearing Sam’s thoughts.
Hi Mary and Tanya! I should have been more clear about that, just pop the steaks in the marinade and freeze the entire thing, marinade and all. I have found that after frozen and thawed the steaks might suck up more of the marinade so you might want to whip up extra marinade for brushing on when cooking.
Hi Sam! Making my steaks now! I had a handful of dry lentils so I’m cooking them now. Since you bought some already cooked, I would imagine they were seasoned as well. I cooked mine like I normally do with a little garlic & onion powder and a little salt. Do you think I’ll need to add any additional seasoning? Did you drain the lentils completely before measuring? I love trying different seitan recipes, as I’m used to making it the old-fashioned way. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Hi Wanda, yes drain the lentils before using, and no added seasonings are needed, there are plenty already in the rest of the recipe. Enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this! I have made seitan before using the under water, kneading technique. Turned out great, but I didn’t feel like doing it very often. I have a seitan chimichurri recipe that I love so I will be trying this as soon as I get my special flour.
Awesome! I hope you love it 🙂
Making seitan from regular flour is fairly labor intensive, so using vital wheat gluten is a time/energy saving game–changer! Sam is right in incorporating kneading after the food processor. This may sound redundant post processing, but a short amount of kneading really activates the gluten, which as Sam says will tighten it up. This ultimately provides a nice dense chewiness to these yummy steaks.
Great tips! After freezing my hands while keeping regular flour underwater to make seiten, this looks much easier.
Can you cook these right on the bbq or do you need some type of pan? I’ve had a few mishaps cooking storebought veggie burgers that did not fare so well on a bbq grill . I would not want my steak to fall through the cracks.
You can cook them on the BBQ! They are nice and firm and won’t fall apart. You would have to cut it with a knife to cut it apart! Also if you are looking for a BBQ friendly burger that won’t crumble I have a great one in my book Fuss-Free Vegan 🙂
The steaming step pre–cooks the steaks, so when grilling, you’re really just providing that lovely coloring and char to the finished steaks without the concern of making sure it’s “done inside”, too. Sam really does focus on the Fuss–Free when preparing her recipes for us!!
And, yeah, her cookbook’s Boss BBQ Veggie Burger is AMAZING!! Get it!! Your hand will default to picking her cookbook up from your bookshelf over & over, trust me.
Thanks Vin!
I will let you know! But, I bet it will be great.
I got a wood pellet grill/smoker for Mother’s Day. How do you think these will do on it? I have a wood blend of apple, cherry and hickory.
I am sure these would be great in there! You might want to skip the liquid smoke as you will get plenty of smoke flavour with your grill/smoker. Enjoy!
Are you kidding Sam?!!? I’m so excited to try this! This is a silly question, but I don’t have a steamer basket and don’t really understand how the work. Are they the collapsible things with a metal rod in the center? Or is there a better one? How much water do I put in the pot? I tried one a long time ago, but it collapsed in my put of water. LOL Also, I don’t have a good processor, but keep tossing the idea around. Any idea what size I need to make recipes you one them for?
Haha! Yay!!! Thrilled you are excited, Kristi! Not a silly question at all. There are different types of steamer baskets but they all work basically the same. Add a couple inches of water to the bottom of a pot, when the steamer basket is inserted the water shouldn’t be touching the basket. Bring the water to a boil and put whatever you are steaming into the basket. Because the food is not touching the water it gets steamed instead of boiled. I have this set of pots which came with a steamer basket insert, this one is a classic and fits into any pot, although it doesn’t sit that hight so you may need to keep topping off the water as it evaporates. Or you could make your own by putting a metal strainer into a pot. As for food processors, I have this one which is an investment but I love it. It is really large but has a smaller processor insert so you get the best of both worlds. You can also buy more affordable processors that work just fine. Hope that helps!
That helps a ton, thank you! I just ordered a steamer. I remembered that I have a 5 cup food processor bowl that came with a Ninja (I only ever use the single serving cups for smoothies), so I will see if that works. I don’t know if I would use a food processor often enough. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I hope you enjoy it 🙂
This looks unbelievable! What type (color) of lentils do you recommend? Thank you!
Thank you! Whatever kind you have will be fine. I just looked at the can of lentils I bought (Unico brand) and it actually doesn’t even say what kind they are. As long as they are cooked so they can be mashed they will be good to go. Enjoy!
Wow! Did you read my mind?? My husband (vegetarian of 28+ years!) recently commented that he’d love for me to find a vegan steak-like recipe and now you have provided just what we’ve been looking for! Can’t wait to try this out once I get to the store to pick up some vital wheat gluten! Thanks again Sam for this and all of your other wonderful recipes!
Hahaha! It’s not the first time I have been accused of reading peoples minds! So excited you’re looking forward to this one, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I am definitely trying this method. Curious if you tried kneading the ingredients in the food processor and if so, what textural differences did you observe? I ask because I steam seiten loaves often and always rely on the food processor to develop the gluten rather than hand kneading. Wondering if you have any experiences with that?
I am sure you can knead it straight in the food processor if you have a dough hook. I’ve actually never tried. As long as it comes to a firm stretchy ball you should be good to go. Enjoy!
I’m going to make this tonight. My husband (the carnivore) will be grilling steak tonight and I’ll freak him out by making my own “steak” to grill!
Bahahaha! Love it!
Update. Made the steaks. Dinner the other night was fantastic! I grilled tons of mushrooms to put on top and ate it with steak fries that I also grilled. I have been buying and sometimes making my own seitan for many years. I was intrigued by your recipe because of the inclusion of lentils. This recipe makes by far the most superior seitan ever. I’ll be saving this recipe for the future and I’m sure I’ll use it many times. By the way, I froze the other 3 steaks (The recipe made 4). I left 5 stars, but it deserves 10.
WOW! I’m blown away by your generous comment, Jane! Thank you so much. I am thrilled you enjoyed the steaks so much! 🙂
Looks amazing! I’m making this soon, Sam. Thanks!!! XO