Homemade seitan
Make your own wheat-protein 'meat' from vital wheat gluten. Makes 4.
- Hands-on
- 20 min
- Total time
71 min, show breakdown
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 50 min
- Clean up 6 min
- Pans
- 1
- Ingredients
- 5
- Cost/serving
- $0.69
Per serving
- Calories
- 157
- Protein
- 31 g
- Fiber
- 1.2 g
- Net carbs
- 6.1 g
- Fat
- 0.9 g
High in (% Daily Value per serving): Thiamin (B1) 125%, Vitamin B12 125%, Riboflavin (B2) 116%, Vitamin B6 89%, Niacin (B3) 60%, Folate 23%, Selenium 23%
Whole recipe (): . Full nutrition facts, vitamins and minerals. All nutrition is estimated; check your own labels.
Everything else is scaled from this.
Nutrition per serving is the whole batch divided by this.
Already vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free.
Ingredients for 4
Tap an ingredient for other units and forms.
You changed this recipe. Nutrition and cost include your changes. This combination hasn't been tested.
150 g vital wheat gluten
Same amount as: 5¼ oz, about 1¼ cups, about 18¾ tbsp.
3 tbsp nutritional yeast, fortified (15 g)
Same amount as: 45 mL.
1 tsp garlic powder (3.1 g)
Same amount as: 5 mL.
1 tbsp soy sauce (16 g)
Same amount as: 15 mL.
¾ cup water (180 g), you may not need all of it
Same amount as: 180 mL.
Use the menu next to each ingredient to skip it, halve it or add more. Nutrition updates as you go. The main ingredient changes with servings instead.
Amount for everything you're cooking. Missing an ingredient? Ask for it.
Healthier swaps
Optional. Nutrition and cost update as you choose; the recipe was written with the original.
- soy sauce
- coconut aminos: About 65% less sodium, and gluten-free. A little sweeter (1 g sugar per teaspoon).
- liquid aminos: Gluten-free and unfermented. Sodium is about the same as soy sauce.
Optional
Adds about 0 kcal per serving.
Quantities are for 4 servings. Keeps 5 days in the fridge in some of its cooking water, or 3 months frozen.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per recipe
Serving size 1 plate (91 g raw)
| Nutrient | Per serving | % DV* | Whole recipe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 157 | ||
| Total fat | 0.9 g | 1% | |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g | 1% | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% | |
| Sodium | 234 mg | 10% | |
| Total carbohydrate | 7.3 g | 3% | |
| Dietary fiber | 1.2 g | 4% | |
| Total sugars | 0 g | ||
| Net carbs† | 6.1 g | ||
| Protein | 31 g | 61% | |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium | 57 mg | 4% | |
| Iron | 2.2 mg | 12% | |
| Potassium | 132 mg | 3% | |
| Vitamin A | 0 mcg | 0% | |
| Vitamin C | 0.01 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin E | 0.01 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin K | 0 mcg | 0% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 1.5 mg | 125% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 1.5 mg | 116% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 9.5 mg | 60% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.5 mg | 89% | |
| Folate | 91 mcg | 23% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 3 mcg | 125% | |
| Magnesium | 18 mg | 4% | |
| Zinc | 0.92 mg | 8% | |
| Selenium | 13 mcg | 23% |
Estimated, not verified. These numbers are calculated from typical ingredient data and haven't been checked against a lab or your brands. Check the labels of what you buy and confirm anything that matters to you, especially sodium, sugar and allergens.
* % Daily Value shows how much one serving adds to a 2,000-calorie day. † Net carbs is not on US labels; it is total carbs minus fiber, allulose, erythritol and half of other sugar alcohols. "To taste" amounts are counted as written. Counted items (eggs, cloves, spoons) use the rounded amount shown in the ingredient list. Vitamins and minerals are from raw ingredients; cooking lowers some, especially vitamin C and folate. How this is calculated.
Steps
In a bowl, mix the gluten, nutritional yeast and garlic powder.
Stir the soy sauce into the water. Pour most of it into the bowl and mix with a spoon, then your hands. Add the rest only if dry flour is left.
Knead on the counter for 3–4 minutes.
Done looks like: A firm, rubbery dough that springs back when poked. Rest 10 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and flatten each to about 1.5 cm (½ in) thick.
Put the pieces in the pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to a bare simmer, never a boil, and cook 45 minutes, turning once.
Done looks like: Firm and springy all the way through. The pieces have swelled. Cool in the water. Slice and use like chicken: pan-fry it, stir-fry it or put it in fajitas.
Equipment
Large pot or Dutch oven, 5 L (5 qt) $30–80
What to look for
- Heavy base so soups and chili do not scorch
- Lid that fits
Skip: Enameled cast iron is lovely but not needed. A heavy stainless pot works.
What goes wrong
| What | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Spongy, bubbly texture | It boiled instead of simmering. | Keep the bubbles tiny. Turn the heat down as soon as it starts to bubble. |
| Very tough | Kneaded too long. | Stop at 3–4 minutes. |
| Bland | Plain water adds no flavor. | Simmer it in vegetable broth, or marinate the slices before cooking. |
Versions
| Version | Changes | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Original | As written. Hands-on 20 min, total 71 min. | 157 kcal 31 g protein 1.2 g fiber 6.1 g net carbs 0.9 g fat |
| Soy-free | Salt instead of soy sauce. Hands-on 20 min, total 71 min. | 155 kcal 30 g protein 1.1 g fiber 6 g net carbs 0.9 g fat |
Reuse it
Notes
Allergies: removing an allergen from the recipe does not remove it from your kitchen or from other products. Check labels for "may contain" warnings.