I love seitan. Love. Love love. But others either don’t seem to have heard of it or think it’s really scary and weird for some reason? Or maybe unapproachable? Or just a total and complete mystery and you clicked on this article out of sheer curiosity because you have no idea what I’m talking about?
I get it. Seitan seems like a really vegany vegan food, Like alfalfa sprouts and tree bark and other weird things no one ate growing up.
Making your own seitan seems extra intense too. It seems like a long term, “I’ve been vegan since the 70s,” forage my own greens, make my own seitan level of vegan commitment.
It’s actually super easy, and once you make it, you get that accomplished feeling. There are tons of super complicated recipes that take all day and night to prepare, but who has time for that? This seitan recipe is quite simple and doesn’t take any more time than making pancakes in the morning. Like if you can make a soup or a batch of pancakes, I feel like you can make seitain.
But … what is it?
What is seitan?
Seitan is made from vital wheat gluten, the protein found in a wheat berry. In the production, the starch is separated from the gluten, so when you use this flour, you are getting a protein packed, low carb bang. Many bakers use a tablespoon or so for every 2-3 cups of traditional flour in breads to add a spongey texture, but it is more commonly used to produce seitan.
Seitan is a vegan meat substitute that is high protein and versatile. It is commonly used anywhere chicken would be served - as a dumpling filler, over top of leafy green salads, and even good on it’s own with a dip in a faux chick’n tender-esque fashion.
How Do I Make Seitan?
So I use a food processor for this, but you could use a hand mixer, or even a spoon if you’ve got more muscles than I do.
I start by putting vital wheat gluten in a food processor, and then I add in 1/3 cup nutritional yeast. Total side note buttttttttt….. I’m sure if you’re at the point where you’re ready to make your own seitan, you know all about nutritional yeast, but if not …. this is vegan gold.
Full of B vitamins and naturally cheesy seeming, it adds a complexity to your seitan that is hard to match. You can definitely skip this step if you don’t have any, in which case just make sure you’re using lots of spices and good sauces when preparing your seitan.
Add in chickpea flour and oil, and your other spices to the mixing bowl or food processor. Stir in water and bouillon, or you can just swap in veggie broth if you don’t have bouillon.Then mix until the whole thing forms a solid mass, similar to the dough of bread. Remove from the bowl and cook in one of the following ways:
To bake: Put on a lined sheet pan and bake at 400° for about 30 minutes. I always use a silicon mat to prevent sticking, and these are amazing because you don’t have to use any oil or deal with crusty stuck pans. Simply rinse when you’re done, and you’re good to go. Serve chunked or sliced for things like chick’n salad or lunch meat for sandwiches like a vegan reuben.
To steam: Bring a pot of water to a boil and use a steaming dish or a colander over top of the water to put the seitan in. Steam for about 20 minutes. You can also use the pressure cook or steam function on your Instant Pot if you like. It would take about 6-7 minutes to pressure cook small hunks of seitan the size of chicken strips.
To air fry: Simply put small chunks of seitan in the air fryer and cook at 400° for about 18 minutes. I like this method for pieces of seitan the size of cauliflower florets, and then when they’re super crunchy and crispy, I toss in a sauce to make things like barbecue seitan wings.
Applications:
Seitan can be used pretty much anywhere chicken is used if following this recipe. There are definitely other recipes to check out though that make faux sausage, burgers, and even meat loafs, so be on the look out if you’re wanting to add a little diversity to your vital wheat gluten.
Ways I’ve used this chicken version of seitain include:
The biggest and most delicious vegan Reuben sandwich with cole slaw on homemade potato bread. This is super easy, simply slice the seitan from a mini loaf pan thinly, and layer between two peices of bread with vegan thousand island, plant based cheese, red onions, and cole slaw.
Vegan chicken salad with grapes and pecans. Mix with vegan mayo, dried cranberries or grapes, and pecans or walnuts, and serve atop a salad or as a sandwich.
In vegan buddha bowls in place of beans. This is my favorite because it’s a solid way to reduce food waste by adding a little bit of all of your leftovers to one big, flavorful bowl.
Use a green like collards, spinach, or kale, add a protein (seitan, tofu, or beans usually), and a grain like couscous or plus any array of fresh, sauteed, or steamed veggies you like. There’s no rhyme or reason to Buddha bowls, which is the beauty of the concept. The one pictured here is air fried seitan, asparagus and brussels sprouts, sauteed mushrooms and onions, white bean chive dip, avocado, and cherry tomatoes on a bed of fresh spinach.
In casseroles - seitan is perfect in spicy Mexican casseroles with plenty of rice and veggies an vegan cheese.
Buffalo or barbecue wings are obviously a classic. Simply bake or air fry, then toss in your preferred sauce. I tossed in barbecue sauce, sprinkled with kale for a healthy, cruciferous crunch, and served with vegan ranch dressing.
Southern Fried Chicken. Omg. I just made this for the first time recently, and there are no words. Batter and then roll in bread crumbs, and bake or fry in oil. I will be posting the recipes for all of these bad boys soon, I promise. But in the mean time, feel free to use seitan anywhere you would use chicken, it’s the perfect vegan meat substitute. 
STORAGE:
Seitan can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up for five days. Once cooked, it can also be frozen for up to two months. You also do not need to make anything with your seitan dough right away. I often make a double batch of the seitan base itself and refrigerate a portion for a day or two until I decide what I want to make with it. The raw base will stay good in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days, so no need to rush. Mull over these recipes and pick the one you’re craving most.
For More Information:
If you are a new vegan or are curious about plant based lifestyle: Please join our Facebook Group: New Vegan Recipes and Advice Community to ask questions about vegan recipes, lifestyle, personal products, restaurants in your area etc. It’s a forum and support group full of other plant-based food bloggers and seasoned vegans who would love to help you o your journey!
Check out my Pinterest page if you’re interested in more vegan dinner ideas and vegan protein swaps to make sure you’re getting the most out of your meal. I love seeing recreations of my dishes, so feel free to leave me a comment here if you make this, or share your photo on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to tag @chickpea_and_herb and hashtag #recipea so I can see it.
Seitan
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups of veggie broth (or sub 1 1/2 cups of water + 1 tbsp veggie bouillon)
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour (sub plain flour if not available)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Start by putting vital wheat gluten in a food processor or bowl to mix wit a hand mixer.
- Add in chickpea flour and oil.
- Add in nutritional yeast, and other spices to the bowl.
- Mix in water + bouillon or veggie broth and mix until coagulated.
- Remove from the bowl and cook in one of the following ways:
- Bake: Put in a baking tin and bake at 400° for about 30 minutes. Serve chunked or sliced for things like chick’n salad or lunch meat for sandwiches.
- Steam: Bring a pot of water to a boil and use a steaming dish or a collander over top of the water to put the seitan in. Steam for about 20 minutes.
- Air fry: Simply put small chunks of seitan in the air fryer and cook at 400° for about 18 minutes.
Leave a Reply