Easy Vegan Seitan Steaks

These easy vegan seitan steaks are a classic, easy high protein staple in our household. They're fast to whip together and do require a bit of attention the stove but not much. They're best prepared in advance so they have time to rest, but you can eat them immediately if desired. The texture is softer and gummier when freshly cooked, but given resting time, they have more firmness and chew. Dress them up with your favourite sauce or seasoning and enjoy!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Resting Time8

Total Time8 55

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: high protein, seitan, tofu steak, vegan protein, wheat gluten

Servings:

Calories: 382kcal

Equipment

food processor
heavy bottomed skillet I used a cast iron one

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

200 g vital wheat gluten flour
30 g chickpea flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika

Wet Ingredients

160 ml water
1 tsp concentrated bouillon paste or mushroom broth powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

To fry

3 tbsp vegetable oil

To Simmer

250 mL water for simmering
1 tbsp mushroom broth powder or you can just use 1 cup of vegetable broth for simmering

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the seitan dough

In a bowl, combine wheat gluten flour, chickpea flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika together to make the dry mix.
200 g vital wheat gluten flour, 30 g chickpea flour, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika
In a measuring cup (or pour-able vessel) combine water, concentrated bouillon paste/mushroom broth powder, soy sauce, vegetable oil, and red wine vinegar and mix to combine to make the wet mix.
160 ml water, 1 tsp concentrated bouillon paste or mushroom broth powder, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
In a food processor, add the dry and wet ingredients and process for about 2-3 minutes until it comes together as a shaggy dough. The longer you process, the denser/firmer the seitan will be. Once processed, let sit for about 5 minutes. Your dough should be around 450 g total.

Fry Simmer Fry method

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, preheat to medium heat and then add 3 tbsp of vegetable oil.
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Meanwhile, shape your dough into your desired shapes (you could do 4-6 slabs for "steak" or about 20 pieces for more of a nugget shape).
Add them to the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until seared (golden brown).
In a measuring cup, combine water and mushroom broth powder (or broth paste, or just 1 cup vegetable broth total) and mix to dissolve the powder/paste you're using. Pour that over the seitan and then cover immediately with a lid. The liquid may submerse the seitan, but mine usually only goes up halfway up the steak slabs.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for about 25 minutes for 6 steak slabs, 35 mins for 4 steak slabs, 25 min for 20ish nuggets). I like to flip the seitan halfway through or partway through just to evenly cook but that's just my preference.
1 tbsp mushroom broth powder, 250 mL water
After simmering for 25-35 minutes, remove the lid. You can remove the liquid and then fry again to crisp up the edges OR you can simmer and add a cornstarch slurry (about 1-2 tsp should be plenty) to make a bit of a gravy.
For best results, store the seitan with a bit of liquid for moisture in the fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours). This allows the gluten to relax and firm up again. You can eat it freshly cooked (especially the nuggets), but they have a much softer texture at this point and is not suitable for slicing.

Nutrition