Author: 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, Vegan Seitan Steak! Mouth-watering, flavor packed, tender, chewy, juicy, flavourful, meat-like texture. You can BBQ, skillet, or pan fry. Then serve whole or slice and put on top of salad for a steak salad or in a vegan steak sandwich. So delicious and satisfying!
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.
What is Seitan?
OK, 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.
How 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 ½" 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.
How To Cook Vegan Seitan Steaks:
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Seitan Steak
Servings: steaks
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Ingredients
For the vegan seitan steaks:
- 1 ½ 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
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the vegan seitan steak marinade:
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
Instructions
To make the 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.
- 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. Do not over-knead the dough, the more you knead it, the tougher the steaks will be, so knead it just until it comes together. Cut the ball into 4 sections, then use a rolling pin to roll out each section into ½" thick steaks. The dough will be very tough and stretchy, but just keep working at it until you get your desired steak shapes.
- Fill a large pot with several inches of water and place a steamer basket inside. Bring the water to a boil, then add the steaks to the steamer basket, overlapping them if needed, and cover with a lid. Steam for 25 minutes, flipping the steaks halfway through, or until their internal temperature reaches at least 160°F (71°C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer. If the temperature goes higher, that's perfectly fine—you can't really oversteam seitan. The steaks will double in size as they cook.
- 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.
To serve the vegan seitan steaks:
- 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! * Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
More vegan seitan recipes you might enjoy...
Bev says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Woot woot!! Thanks so much, Bev! Thrilled and honoured you think they are the best ever!! Thank you for your comment 🙂
Brenda says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Brenda! So very happy you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
elaine says
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.)
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Lucie says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Lucie! Yes, the lentils are for texture and flavour. Glad you loved the recipe 🙂
Barbara says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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! 🙂
Vin says
Well said, Sam.
Tamar says
Hi Sam, made the seitan steaks and they're exceptional! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Woot!!! Thrilled you love them so much, Tamar. Thanks for the fabulous review 🙂
Lea says
Just made this. Yum. Thank you. Trying to control myself and leave marinating for tomorrow
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! I hope you love them, Lea 🙂
Lanae says
How many grams of protein/fat/carbs in theseeee???? 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Says in the post, protein 42g, fat 4g, carbohydrates 22g. 🙂
Mary McGrory says
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?
Tanya says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Wanda J says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Joanne says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! I hope you love it 🙂
Vin says
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.
Joanne says
Great tips! After freezing my hands while keeping regular flour underwater to make seiten, this looks much easier.
Josee says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Vin says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Vin!
Arlene Cohen says
I will let you know! But, I bet it will be great.
Amy Pfaff says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Kristi says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Kristi says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Felice says
This looks unbelievable! What type (color) of lentils do you recommend? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Michelle says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
JOANNE OSULLIVAN says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Jane Toomajanian says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahaha! Love it!
Jane Toomajanian says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
WOW! I'm blown away by your generous comment, Jane! Thank you so much. I am thrilled you enjoyed the steaks so much! 🙂
Arlene says
Looks amazing! I’m making this soon, Sam. Thanks!!! XO
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! I hope you love it, Arlene 🙂