Yup, it's Vegan

Plant-based recipes for everyone

Home » Basics » Basic Homemade Seitan

Basic Homemade Seitan

By 272 Comments

Print Recipe Jump to Recipe

If you’ve been wondering how to make seitan yourself rather than paying $4 for a tiny box of it at Whole Foods, then this is the recipe for you! This is my go-to, easy, basic homemade seitan recipe that I make in batches and then use throughout the week.

Slices of homemade seitan on a white appetizer plate, with a large piece of seitan in the background

If you’re not familiar with seitan (I haven’t shared any seitan recipes in a while!), it’s a vegan meat analogue made from wheat gluten. After wheat berries are ground up and the starches are washed away, what’s left is called vital wheat gluten.

Seitan is very high in protein, and it’s also really chewy. Some might even call its texture… meaty. But it doesn’t taste like meat! It’s mostly a blank slate, with a hint of wheat-y flavor. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’s tasty!

Slices of freshly-made DIY seitan on a white plate with a gray wooden table.

You can technically make seitan from flour yourself, but I’ll save those instructions for another day. I’ve done it before and it’s a big pain ;). By starting with vital wheat gluten, this becomes a very easy recipe and is much more economical than purchasing seitan in the store.

Also, maybe I’m biased but I think it tastes better. Both because it’s fresh and because we’re going to add some umami to it, which isn’t present in all store-bought seitan. This recipe also calls for a bit of chickpea flour to mellow out the wheat flavor.

Overhead view of homemade seitan cut into pieces on a plate atop a picnic table

Some more advanced seitan-making methods call for baking it, but those have a tendency of exploding in the oven. To protect you from that horror, in this recipe we will be steaming it and it is unlikely to explode. You can then use it in any recipe calling for seitan.

After the homemade seitan is steamed and ready, you can slice it up into cubes or “steaks”, season it and add it to everything from stir fry to chili! Slather it in BBQ sauce… fry it chicken style… do your thang. It’s a great way to veganize recipes that require you to substitute something for beef or other meat. May I suggest using it to make a batch of vegan Mongolian beef?

Homemade seitan strips in a sweet and savory soy sauce glaze, with scallions, broccoli, sesame seeds, and a blue patterned background

Learning how to make seitan opens up a lot of healthy and delicious possibilities! Give this DIY seasoned gluten recipe a try and go forth.

Homemade Seitan | How to Make Seitan
Print Pin
4.77 from 78 votes

Basic Homemade Seitan

An easy recipe for homemade seitan, also known as seasoned wheat gluten. A versatile vegetarian and vegan meatless protein that can be used in stir-fries, curries, and beyond! (Recipe times do not include rest time.)
Course basics, Main Course
Cuisine nut-free, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword homemade seitan, seasoned gluten
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 1 pound (8 servings)
Calories 141kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is softened slightly.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is softened and fragrant. Add the sweet paprika and other spices to the pan, stir, and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
  • Use a spatula to transfer the onion-garlic mixture, including oil, to a blender or food processor. Add the tomato paste, vegetable broth, soy sauce if using, chickpea flour, and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth. (Raw chickpea flour tastes terrible so I don't recommend sampling this).
  • Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten, then stir until evenly combined. Once stirred, use your hands to knead the mixture until it becomes more firm and a little bit springy, about 2 minutes. Do note that this will feel wetter and moister than many other seitan recipes, due to the fact that we are steaming it rather than boiling it. The dough will be quite loose and moist, so this won't feel similar to kneading bread.
  • Prepare boiling water and a steamer (see notes for a description of my setup). Be sure to add plenty of water since this will be steaming for a long time. Form the dough into a vaguely log-shaped blob and then roll it up tightly in a piece of tinfoil, twisting the ends tightly. Depending on the size and shape of your steamer, you may need to separate it into two pieces.
  • Once the water is boiling, steam the wrapped gluten dough for 1 hour, carefully flipping it over halfway through (I use tongs).
  • Let the cooked seitan cool to room temperature, then unwrap it and place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. For best results, slice the seitan as needed for recipes rather than pre-slicing it. The homemade seitan in log form will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Video

Notes

STEAMER SETUP: I don't own a bona fide steamer. I use a mesh colander placed over boiling water in my regular ole' saucepan, and then cover it with the usual lid for that saucepan. That doesn't give me a lot of space, so rather than challenge myself to roll one perfectly shaped seitan log, I split mine into two.
SEASONING BLEND: If you keep any all-purpose seasoning blends around, use them here. I still had leftover blackening seasoning from my blackened chickpeas so I used that this time. In the past I've also used berbere, Old Bay, jerk seasoning, Trader Joe's 12 Seasoning Salute, etc. in this recipe. An equal mix of garlic and onion powder would also work well.
SALT LEVEL: If you use unsalted vegetable broth and omit the soy sauce, increase the salt to 1/2 tsp. Reduce the salt a little bit if your seasoning blend includes salt; mine does not.
FREEZING: The steamed and cooled seitan freezes well for 3-4 weeks. I have not yet tried freezing it for longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ounces | Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Recipe adapted from a variety of sources, but especially Teff Love (one of my absolute favorite vegan cookbooks!).

P.S… if you like this recipe you might also enjoy my seitan-based homemade vegan meatballs!

Vegan Meatballs Recipe with Chickpeas and Seitan | Yup, it's Vegan

Comments

  1. Jeanette M Murphy says

    Hi! Just want to make sure I do this right. Do the log(s) need to be covered the entire time they are steaming?

    Reply

  2. Cynthia says

    5 stars
    My husband is vegetarian. I did not have a versatile protein for stir frying, etc. I happened to come across the idea of making seitan. Today I tested your recipe and all I can say is I am hooked. My batch came out delicious. The texture is super firm and chewy just like it should be. I made pad thai with it. I replaced a couple of your flavorings, used no vegetable broth, just added water, and added some all purpose seasoning. Thank you so much for the recipe. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Reply

  3. Ally says

    5 stars
    I just want to say thankyou for this recipe! It’s perfect and tastes delicious. I have converted my carnivore partner to enjoying this too! Would this work as a burger/ Pattie too?

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      I believe others have done this successfully. I haven’t tested it yet but I’m planning to soon. I recommend using a flour that’s high in protein content for the best texture, e.g. whole grain brown rice flour or sorghum flour. You can also probably substitute a 50-50 combination of additional gluten and additional nutritional yeast

      Reply

  5. Nicola says

    I’m excited!! I’m new to vegan life and trying to navigate my way through it all. I really like the idea of making seitan as I feel all of the frozen, boxed meals I’ve been preparing aren’t healthy. After all that’s why I made the switch to vegan life.
    I heard spelt flour is super healthy, would you recommend it in place of chickpea flour? Also, I would need to make enough seitan to feed family of three-double the recipe?

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      I think the chickpea flour is nicest for texture/flavor/protein content in this but it’s definitely open to experimentation. I know some people add brown rice flour or sorghum flour so I don’t see why another whole grain flour like spelt wouldn’t work.

      This makes 8 2-oz. servings of 141cal/20g protein each. So a family of three could have two servings each with another two servings leftover. Up to you whether you want to double!

      Reply

  6. Nicole says

    I’m confused about the serving size. When I log it into My Fitness Pal the nutritional information changes. The entire recipe makes 1lb and a serving is 2oz?

    Reply

  7. Robin Shields says

    5 stars
    This was delicious, thank you so much! I hope this will become a staple in a lot of dishes. I wondered whether the calorie calculation might be slightly high, I calculated about 110 calories in 2oz.

    Reply

  8. Heidi Freestone says

    5 stars
    What a great discovery! I was discouraged by rubbery flavorless commercial seitan after my favorite brand disappeared from the market. You have the proportions just right…everyone loves the texture, even a 5 year old picky eater was asking for it in sandwiches.
    I did substitute rehydrated Principe tomatoes for tomato paste and I braised the loaf unwrapped (I worry about aluminum foil) in a covered oval cast iron casserole with a couple of inches of flavorful soy sauce broth, at 350 degrees for the hour, turning once. Only challenge was turning it (hot, steamy) and having to make it again right away since it was so good!
    Thank you very much for this recipe!

    Reply

  9. Ambré says

    I really liked how simple this recipe was. However, my loaves were still very squishy. Cutting them was like cutting gum and when I made some in the oven, there wasn’t as much firmness there as I’d hoped. I followed the recipe to the T. This was my first time making this myself. Is it supposed to be this way?

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      This doesn’t sound quite right. It should be somewhat tender, but not gummy. It sounds like you may need a little bit more gluten flour next time, or less liquid. I should probably note in the recipe that I measure my flour for this by scooping or pouring, not by spooning like one might do with a cake recipe.

      This is also a possible symptom of undercooking – if your steamer isn’t airtight you may need to steam for longer, and be sure to let it rest for the full allotted time because the cooking process continues while the seitan rests.

      Hope this helps.

      Reply

  10. Greg Brandon says

    5 stars
    I made this last night. Used the exact recipe with jerk seasonings. Tried it this afternoon. Hands down the best and most flavorful seitan I have made. So moist too. Thanks 5 stars!

    Reply

  11. Amy says

    5 stars
    Made my first loaf this weekend and it’s amazing. I have a large bamboo steamer and kept it on the upper level. Next time I plan to make a double batch and freeze some. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Reply

  12. veggieguy says

    Does anyone know where I can buy organic vital wheat gluten?. Due to chemical
    sensitivity, organic foods tend to work better for me. I’ve thought
    of making seitan using organic flour, but that takes a lot of work
    and a lot of water..

    Reply

  13. Dave says

    First attempt, seitan burst thru the foil and I guess since it was leaning on the pot, the sides burnt. I’ll try it again with maybe a better foil wrap…?

    Reply

  14. Emma Batchelor says

    5 stars
    Hi Shannon,

    I’m keen not to use tin foil and can’t get my hands on cheesecloth. Do you think it would work to contain it in bread / cake loaf tins within the steamer?

    Great recipe!

    Emma

    Reply

  15. Donna A Levin says

    5 stars
    Thank you Shannon.
    This was my first seitan that wasn’t a disaster (soggy mess).
    Steaming is a great method -The foil wrap worked well. I took care to place my steamer high in the pot to avoid having any water reach the loaves.
    The texture was nice and chewy, reminding me of tofurky.
    I did change one aspect of the prep. After following both steps of the saute I used the broth to “wash” out the pan into my mixing bowl.
    I used my immersion blender right in that mixing bowl, then added the flours in and used the mixer dough hook to knead.

    Reply

  16. Amy says

    5 stars
    Just got my ingredients together to make this today. I couldn’t source plain chickpea flour so am using gram flour. We shall see. I’ll check back this evening to let you know how it went 🙂

    Reply

  18. Erica says

    hi! i can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂 i had a question about steaming–do you keep it boiling for the entire hour, or do you reduce it to simmering after a bit? i guess i’ve never steamed anything this way so i’m a bit worried about having water boiling for an hour. thanks!

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      Hey Erica! Yep, you do boil the water for the whole hour. I know, it’s kind of ridic. Make sure to fill it with plenty of water so it doesn’t all evaporate. Also, when you flip the seitan over partway through you can check if more needs to be added.

      Reply

  22. Bianca says

    5 stars
    I’ve made this twice now and both times they came out fine, the last time I added mushrooms and poultry seasonings. And I only put some of the mushroom/onion/ garlic mixture in the blender and kneaded the rest of the mixture with the vita wheat flower so it would have some texture and it was great!

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      Thanks for sharing! I’m glad to know that mushrooms are a nice addition – I hate them but I know a lot of y’all love them so it’s helpful that you tried it out and shared your experience 🙂 Love the idea of leaving some of the saute mixture chunky for texture. I do something similar in my vegan “meatball” recipe!

      Reply

  23. Gordian Dev says

    Can I just use the following:

    Vital Wheat Gluten, Olive Oil, Nutritional Yeast, water to make Knead

    Boiling water to cook above knead.

    Does it taste good if I do like this?

    Reply

  24. kiefkief says

    5 stars
    Hello!

    is it possible to cook with some after it has cooled to room temperature or is it critical I put in fridge for 8 hours?

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      Hi there. It’s safe to use it right away, but opening it up and cutting it before it rests for the full rest period may result in seitan that is more dry. The long rest period helps lock the moisture in. Also, be careful about escaping steam if you open the foil while the homemade seitan is still hot. Good luck!

      Reply

  25. Henry says

    4 stars
    Thanks for the recipe. Have done two versions already..first one good, but too dense. Fried with awesome SA sauce. I am going to add checkpea flour and also wrap it properly in foil.

    Reply

      • graime says

        hey, shannon. my folks started using gluten when i was young. we are all vegetarians. we would mix the flour and cold water to make a rubbery log, wrap and refrigerate. saute onions and garlic till carmelized, add water and marmite to make a highly flavored broth. slice 1/4″ medallions off log and drop into boiling broth. cooking time affects consistency. soft or meaty. these cutlets fry nicely and the thickened broth makes great gravy.

      • XAVIER says

        5 stars
        Yes, that is what it sounds like. I was raised an SDA and my mom used to make gluten as well.

        By the way, GREAT recipe! Thank you for sharing.

  27. Joanne says

    Im definitely making this version. Can this be wrapped in anything else? What happens if you don’t wrap it at all?

    Reply

    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      Hey Joanne! This question came up on my Facebook page. I don’t recommend leaving it unwrapped because it will spread out everywhere and may have a wonky texture. Wrapping it in foil helps it stay dense enough and really “snap” into shape. You could try replacing the foil with a sous vide bag tied with twine/string. Some commenters also recommended wrapping it in cheesecloth. Let me know if you give it a go!

      Reply

  30. Deb says

    5 stars
    Looks great! This seems like it has a lot more flavor than “plain” seitan but is still flexible with how you can use it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Learn More

Never miss a recipe! Join my newsletter.



Design by