if you aren’t make homemade vegan seitan steaks this is your sign to start! these seitan steaks are a fun recipe, packed with protein, and perfect for a summer dinner.
I went vegan in 2016 and it took almost 2 and a half years after to finally try making seitan. While I was very skeptical I was pleasantly surprised. Since then I have been working on different seitan recipes and a recipe that always comes out delicious is a seitan steak! This recipe is a little time consuming but the results are well worth it!
what is seitan?
Before we even get into the ingredients for this recipe I want to discuss about what seitan is in case this is your first time hearing about it. Seitan is a mockmeat made with vital wheat gluten. So, if you can’t have gluten unfortunately this isn’t a recipe for you, but feel free to check out my amazing vegan tofu steaks. Now you may be wondering, what is vital wheat gluten? It is the protein found in bread. No, we aren’t making bread. When the vital wheat gluten is kneaded and mixed with other ingredients it turns into a meat-like texture. It works perfectly to make amazing meaty mockmeats!
the ingredients
- Vital Wheat Gluten: the main ingredient in vegan seitan steak. It is the protein component found in gluten. It is very protein rich and creates a nice meaty texture.
- Cannellini Beans: the beans help to add texture and create a softer consistency in the seitan. You can also use chickpeas.
- Pomegranate Juice: when cooked it creates a beautiful brown color within the vegan steaks.
- Soy Sauce: adds umami and color the vegan steaks.
- Liquid Smoke: this is optional but it adds in a nice smokey flavor as if you just grilled them.
- Seasonings: feel free to play around with the seasonings you add in! I like to do garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and black pepper, and salt.
- Water: this helps to bring the mixture together to form it into a steak shape.
how to make seitan
For some people making seitan seems like an overwhelming process. It definitely intimidated me before I ever made it. However, it is actually much easier than you think. All you need to do is mash up the cannellini beans, add in the pomegranate juice, liquid smoke, and soy sauce. Mix it all up and then you will add in the vital wheat gluten and seasonings. Knead if for a few minutes until it comes together. From there you cut it in half, roll it out into steak shapes about ½ inch thick. Then you have to steam them and after they are done steaming you can either cut it into bite sized strips or you can sear the piece of seitan steak whole. Add in some fresh herbs, garlic cloves, olive oil, and vegan butter while you cook it and then you will have delicious vegan seitan steaks.
best ways to cook the vegan seitan steaks
While there are many ways you can cook the vegan seitan steaks my favorite way is to pan sear them after they are done steaming. If you want to grill these I would suggest using a grill pan or an electric pan, don’t use an outdoor grill as they may stick. When making these vegan seitan steaks you can either keep them whole which results in a softer, tender piece of seitan or you can cut it into strips and then sear both sides which makes it a little crispier. Both are delicious it just comes down to texture preference.
more seitan recipes
vegan seitan steak faq
- Is this recipe gluten free? No, the main ingredient is vital wheat gluten. If you want a similar recipe that is gluten free feel free to check out my tofu steak.
- Is this recipe soy free? No, but just swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari.
- Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
- How long do these last? After cooking up to 3 days in the fridge. I haven’t tried freezing them.
- My seitan always comes out too chewy, what did I do wrong? You are most likely over kneading. Make sure to knead the seitan by hand and you don’t need to do it for more than 5 minutes.
- Do I have to steam the seitan? Yes. It helps to keep the seitan soft and tender.
- Can I use other flavors on this? Of course, this is a pretty generic recipe. If after steaming you want to put it in teriyaki sauce or taco seasonings or cook it with peppers and onions. The options are endless.
- Can I substitute the pomegranate juice for beet juice? I personally wouldn’t as the pomegranate juice helps to give it that dark brown color! However, if you all you have on hand is beet juice and you won’t mind if it is a little more pinky/purple looking you can use it.
- Can I marinate them? Sure! After steaming them you can place them in a marinade for up to 12 hours in the fridge.
ORDER MY COOKBOOK
Looking for more delicious vegan comfort recipes? Order my cookbook Plantiful: Over 75 Vibrant Vegan Comfort Foods! Filled with all types of recipe from bites, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desserts and more! Available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, Walmart, also available in stores.
Sharing direct links to recipes and pictures is highly encouraged, please do not copy and paste my recipes or share my pictures without permission. I work very hard on my blog and don’t want to see my recipes popping up anywhere. Thank you so much.
Vegan Seitan Steaks
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Steaks
- ½ cup cannellini beans, mashed
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup water
Pan Cooking
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 4 to 6 small garlic cloves
- Fresh parsley chopped
- Optional: 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice mixed together for drizzling overtop after
Instructions
- In a big bowl combine the mashed cannellini beans, pomegranate juice, and soy sauce. Mix until well combined.
- Pour in the vital wheat gluten and seasonings. Mix together and then slowly add in the water until it forms a crumbly mixture.
- Use your hands to knead the gluten mixture for about 5 minutes into a ball. It should hold it’s shape, be slightly sticky, and have a slightly striated appearance.
- Cut the ball in half and then use a rolling pin to roll each seitan piece into a steak shape. I like to roll it to be about ½ inch thick.
- Steam the seitan for 20 minutes over medium heat either using a steamer basket or see the note below.
- Once done steaming allow it to cool before handling. In the steaming process it should become larger and almost double in size. You can now either cut the seitan into strips or leave it whole.
- In a large pan add the oil, vegan butter, whole peeled garlic cloves, and any fresh herbs you like. I do about 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley. Allow the vegan butter to melt over medium heat.
- Once melted add in the seitan. Cook on each side for 5 to 7 minutes until a sear forms. Then flip onto the other side. You can season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Once the seitan is done cooking if you want it to have a juicy look you can pour the pomegranate juice and soy sauce mixture. Garnish with more fresh chopped parsley, black pepper, and flaky sea salt.
Video
Notes
- You do not necessarily need a steamer basket to steam. You can also take a large strainer and put it over a pan of water, cover with a lid, and then you can steam that way.
- If this is your first time making seitan please feel free to watch the YouTube video for visuals.
- Seitan can be a bit tricky with how much water it needs. I usually end up almost always using a different amount. So start with a ¼ cup (60ml) if you need to add up to ½ cup (120ml) of water that is okay. However, you don’t want the seitan to be too wet and gloopy either.
Did you try this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @plantifullybased to let me know how it went. If you enjoyed this recipe please be sure to leave a comment or review, it is so helpful for the blog. Thank you!
Plantifully Based® is part of the Amazon Affiliate Partner Program. Links on here may be from Amazon or other affiliate programs. If you decide to purchase through a link I will receive a small commission. This helps to run the blog and make more recipes.
Loved this recipe and will definitely be making it again.
This was my first time making any seitan recipe. I loved how simple it was. Even the uncooked mixture smelled delicious.
I did need to use closer to a 1/2 cup of water to get all the vital wheat gluten incorporated (first timer error?)
Hi! oh I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it!! that is totally fine. to be honest almost every time I make seitan I feel like I use a different amount of liquid. for some reason this was coming together fine with only 1/4 cup but I have had other times I have made it where I needed 1/2 cup so don’t worry about that! thank you so much for trying it and leaving a review/comment!
What purpose does the pomegranate juice serve and what could I sub for it? Just asking to see if I can use something I already have in the house.
Hi Sheila from the FAQ section of the blog post “Can I substitute the pomegranate juice for beet juice? I personally wouldn’t as the pomegranate juice helps to give it that dark brown color! However, if you all you have on hand is beet juice and you won’t mind if it is a little more pinky/purple looking you can use it.”
I’ve been poking around vegan cooking the last year and a half, but it’s always seemed labor intensive and one recipe I tried wasn’t very good; none of them were great. It was always what I expected – a little bland and/or poor texture.
This seitan steak was absolutely delicious! I took your suggestion and made half of the mixture a steak and the other half strips. I really liked the crunchiness of the strips, but the steak was great, too. I deglazed the pan with the optional, addition of 1 T of soy and 2 T pomegranate and pour it over the top. Excellent! And it looked just like yours!!
I’m now going to make your bagels. I have high hopes! I may be able to do this vegan thing after all! Thank you! Keep up the great work!!
Hi Gail! Yay I am SO happy to hear how much you enjoyed it. Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to comment and review. I am so happy this recipe is giving you the confidence to think that being vegan may be possible. Can’t wait for you to try out the bagels, let me know how it goes 🙂 xoxo
The instructions say to cut the dough in half and then roll. Are we really cutting into fourths? To get 4 steaks? I’m trying this tonight! 🙂
Hi Suzy, sorry I am a little confused. We are cutting the ball in half so we will have 2 steaks. If you would like to make 4 steaks you can it into 4 pieces. Hope you enjoy! Francesca
The recipe says it yields 4 steaks. But only has us cutting the seitan mixture into 2 pieces. That’s where my confusion comes from. Maybe I should have asked if the recipe products two steaks or four? Thanks much! 🙂
Hi Suzy, yes so it will make 2 steaks but they are quite large so it will make 4 servings total. Does that make sense? Also, of course a serving size is just what I assume a persons appetite and serving size to be, that of course can vary from person to person.
I see- thank you for the clarification. So if you cut the dough in half, make 2 and eat a whole one, you’re doubling the calories, etc., correct? The nutritional value is calculated for 4 servings?
Hi Suzy, yes that would be correct.
This was the best vegan steak I’ve made yet!! Thanks for an awesome recipe!!
Hi Karen! yay I am so so glad you enjoyed it! Thank ypu so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a comment and review I really appreciate!
Do you think balsamic vinegar would be a good sub for pomegranate juice?
Hi Linda, sure you can try!
Making these again, second week in a row.. just love the flavor and texture, and quite simple to make!! These will be on regular rotation I am sure, along with your high protein bagels which are so so good 🙏
Hi Jo, yay I am so glad you enjoyed the seitan steaks and the protein bagels. Woo!! thank you for the kind words xo