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...
Vanni says
Hello! I would use dried lentils and cook them. What color of lentils would you recommend?
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Brown or green. Enjoy!
Katelynn says
Where can you get Seitan and is it in powder?
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Adi says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Karen says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Karen! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Nina says
Wanna try out your recipe!
Is steaming better than pressure cooking? I usually pressure cook my seitan so am more familiar with that!
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Rob says
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?
Rob says
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 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Rob says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Well maybe my nutrition program is off on the vital wheat gluten! Trust the program you are familiar with. Enjoy!
Caitlyn says
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.
Emily says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Mom the Muse says
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
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, I have heard of that. There's no sea near me tho!
Christine Jost says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Steve says
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.!
Sam Turnbull says
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?
Steve says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So glad you are enjoying it so much 🙂
Charlotte says
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.
josh says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Lourdes says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Mandy says
The same thing happened to me 🙁 very gummy and soft. I suspect that I might have added too many lentils.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Derek says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
I hope she loves it!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Michele hodgson says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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. 🙂
Steve says
1 1/2 cups of wheat gluten came out at 175g for me.
Debra Pease says
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!!!
Samantha says
Sounds so good! Do you think I can sub white beans for the lentils? I don't have lentils at the moment. ......
Sam Turnbull says
That should work fine.
Samantha says
It did! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
You're very welcome, Debra! I'm thrilled you love it so much each and everytime 🙂
Alexander says
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
Sam Turnbull says
Good luck!
Sofia says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! So thrilled you and your family enjoyed it so much, Sofia 🙂
Nina Vee says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha that's amazing!!! Thrilled you and your husband finally found a seitan recipe you love 🙂
Katye says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww shucks, so happy to hear that! Thanks Katye 🙂
Debralynn says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Debra Pease says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you!!!
Mary Wach says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Mary Wach says
I'm going to try again today. Wish me luck!