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...
Suzy says
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!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahahahaha! Love it so much, thrilled you can have your steak Sundays again!
Melissa says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!!!! Thrilled everyone loves them so much, Melissa 🙂
Chris says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Chris! Thrilled you enjoyed the steaks so much, and in so many fun ways!
Barbara says
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
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Maureen Cram says
I just measured 1/2 cup of VWG on my scales and it came out to 68.6 grams :).
Marcia says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks so much, Marcia. It says right in the post, a whopping 42 grams per steak! I hope you enjoy the book 🙂
Heather says
I do not eat oil. Can oil be left out of the marinade? I'm excited to try this!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Heather says
Thanks so much!!!
Heather Gilbert says
Hello,
Just one question - Does it matter what type of lentils ( red, green, black ) to use? Looking forward in trying your recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Nope! Whatever kind you prefer 🙂
Angela says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Jenn McCaffity says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Welcome to plants! I hope you enjoy the steaks 🙂
Neil says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Tacy says
I’m thinking of using the instant pot. Any suggestions? I didn’t go thru all the comments to see if you could. Sorry.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Cal says
this looks fantastic. Must make it for my omni beer club guys.
Sam Turnbull says
Oooh that would be awesome!
Deborah says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's so wonderful!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Deborah 🙂
Deborah says
You're definitely on a winner ere, maybe you should market it!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! That would be awesome 🙂
Lori says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Lori 😉
Emily says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Ann S says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Weslei says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!?
Heath says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed the steaks so much, Heath! Woot woot indeed 🙂
Marla says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Dianne says
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.
Susan Staszewski says
THANK YOU!!!! Sam, this is an amazing recipe. The entire family loved it.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! Thrilled it was a hit Susan 🙂