Updated: Hello seitan lovers! I’ve updated the pictures and added a nice printable recipe. If you’re looking for the old “step-by-step” pictures, they’re waaaay at the bottom. Enjoy!
Seitan is probably my favorite meat-substitute, not only because its texture is almost exactly how I remember meat to be, but because it’s delicious and so versatile. I make a batch about once a month and use it on pizza, sandwiches and sometimes in my tofu scrambles. It’s excellent for veganizing recipes left over from my “pregan” days as you can sub it in for any meat. This recipe was adapted from Terry Hope Romero’s Steamed White Seitan recipe in Viva Vegan!, which was my first all-vegan cookbook. Her recipe was meant to simulate chicken or pork, but I think you can use it for pretty much anything.
Are you looking for the Homemade Beef-Style Seitan recipe?
I know you can buy more and more seitan products at the store, but I really believe that home made is best. Not quickest, certainly… and yes, making your own does mean you have to clean your kitchen afterward, BUT I find the texture and the flavor to be far superior.
Seriously you guys, I snack on this stuff straight up- no sauces, no additional seasonings, nothing. Deelish!
I also made a few small adjustments to the recipe… You know, now that I’ve been making it once a month for like 3 years…
- 1.5 cups cold chick'n or vegetable broth (or water and bouillon cube)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten flour
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoons poultry or chicken seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon sea salt (I used a full tablespoon, but I love salt. Some people have found it to be a bit much)
- Aluminum foil
- Wisk together broth and olive oil, and set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together all the remaining ingredients. Once they're completely combined, create a well in the center, then pour in the broth mix
- Stir with a rubber spatula until the entire mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Now it's time to knead!
- Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Your hands may get tired but this step is crucial to develop the gluten. You'll actually be able to see the dough's consistency change, it's pretty cool! You can knead in the same bowl, or you can move it to a cutting board (you'll have to do that later anyway). Keep in mind as you're kneading that you're going to be cutting it into 4 loaves, so working it into a square/rectangle is better than a roundish lump.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes, then knead for another 30 seconds. This is your last chance to get it into a workable shape for cutting. Move to the cutting board if you haven't already, and slice into 4 equal sized loaves.
- From your box of aluminum foil, tear off 4 pieces, each about 6 inches wide. Wrap each piece of seitan by folding the long edges, and then the short edges. You want the loaf to be completely covered, but with room to expand, so don't make it too tight.
- Steam for 30 minutes. If you don't have a steamer, you can use my ghetto-fabulous method. I fill a pot with about an inch of water, and heat it to boiling. I put the foil-wrapped loaves into a metal colander, which I place into the pan (make sure the water level is lower than the loaves themselves, you don't want them to get wet) and cover. If you're using my method, and the loaves are at all stacked, you should switch them around about halfway through.
- Remove from the steamer and let cool for 30 minutes or so before putting it in the fridge for at least an hour. Then you can wrap in plastic wrap or zippie bags.
- Makes 4 loaves, each of which makes about 2 servings. Wrapped tightly, it'll last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Freeze it, and it'll last for months.
- Please don't try my steaming-in-the-colander method unless your colander is metal!
Here’s the old version of the recipe, with photos!
“Chicken-Style” Seitan (4 loaves, each makes about 2 servings)
Recipe adapted from Viva Vegan! Wrapped tightly, it’ll last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Freeze it, and it’ll last for months.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups cold chick’n or vegetable broth (or water and bouillon cube)
- 2 T olive oil
- 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten flour
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1.5 t poultry or chicken seasoning
- 1/2 t paprika
- 1/2 t cumin
- 1/2 t onion powder
- 1/2 to 1 T Herbamere or sea salt (I used a full tablespoon, but I love salt. Some people have found it to be a bit much)
- Aluminum foil
Directions:
1. Wisk together broth and olive oil, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl stir together all the remaining ingredients. Once they’re completely combined, create a well in the center, then pour in the broth mix.
3. Stir with a rubber spatula until the entire mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Now it’s time to knead!
4. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Your hands may get tired but this step is crucial to develop the gluten. You’ll actually be able to see the dough’s consistency change, it’s pretty cool! You can knead in the same bowl, or you can move it to a cutting board (you’ll have to do that later anyway). Keep in mind as you’re kneading that you’re going to be cutting it into 4 loaves, so working it into a square/rectangle is better than a roundish lump. This was mine, about halfway through and before I transferred it to a cutting board…
5. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, then knead for another 30 seconds. This is your last chance to get it into a workable shape for cutting. Move to the cutting board if you haven’t already, and slice into 4 equal sized loaves.
6. From your box of aluminum foil, tear off 4 pieces, each about 6 inches wide. Wrap each piece of seitan by folding the long edges, and then the short edges. You want the loaf to be completely covered, but with room to expand.
7. Steam for 30 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, you can use my ghetto-fabulous method. I fill a pot with about an inch of water, and heat it to boiling. I put the foil-wrapped loaves into a metal colander, which I place into the pan (make sure the water level is lower than the loaves themselves, you don’t want them to get wet) and cover.
If you’re using my method, and the loaves are at all stacked, you should switch them around about halfway through.
8. Remove from the steamer and let cool for 30 minutes or so before putting it in the fridge for at least an hour. Then you can wrap in plastic wrap or zippie bags.
Enjoy!
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I love steamed seitan! It’s so delicious!
Me too! Since I made this last batch I’ve had it on pizza, and chopped up and mixed with taco seasoning, sprinkled on my salad!
i’ve always thought about trying to make seitan – you make it look easy 🙂 can’t wait for your cake recipe too!
Thanks!!
I can’t wait to share it! I also can’t wait to get home from work and have another piece 🙂
I love how you incorporated the step by step pics this time. It’s a huge help for people like me who aren’t as comfortable in the kitchen as others, and like to have visual confirmation that things are going as they should! I’ve only tried making my own seitan once, but the recipe was very different, so I will have to give this one a shot.
I like having visual confirmation too! Unfortunately, now that I’m on this end, it’s not always the most convenient process…
Excellent! What a great play-by-play photo job! I love this post as it reminds me why it is way too easy for me to linger in Whole Foods over all the “seitan” pre-packaged options and end up with them in my cart vs. making my own! I have that cookbook and love it! I need to get “satan” making!
It’s amazing how easy it actually is. I still sometimes buy the pre-made, but then always regret it…
Your ghetto fabulous method is perfect for steaming! You make, making seitan look so easy, I have to try this method!
If you do, let me know how it turns out!
What if I want to eat right away? Do I have to put it in the fridge? Can’t this be eaten warm?
The time in the fridge helps it to firm up, so if you ate it right away it would probably have a different consistency.
Barb, go to Planeat.com it’s a video and has recipes from some folks, one s for Seitan Brisket by Chad Sarno….it’s driving me nutz, cuz I made it and it didn’t work out. See what you think, cuz the flavor is out of this world…..really delish, but (and it’s a BIG but…no, not that kind…) it didn’t hold together and it’s soo smooshy….yuck…but the flavor is stunning….Help??!!??
Actually, I tried to go to Planeat. om ad it didn’t work, so I googled Planeatmovie and it took me to the right site. Please help me…someone..this is really worth trying………
I’ll add it to my “to make” list, it does sound good! I have to warn you though, it’s a pretty long list 🙂 Seriously… I spend way too much time dreaming up new recipes to work on, not to mention pinning and bookmarking other people’s recipes I want to try! But I promise to get back to you when I do!
Thank you….I think it will be worth your while. The flavor is really great, but the texture……..not so much. Again, thank you!
Any reason in particular to using chickpea flour as opposed to something like teff or soy or some other kinds of flour? I always buy different flours for different recipes and sometimes forget what flour is for what recipe so I’ve got too many kinds of flour.
I’ve always got to question things, I know. Have you ever tried teff flour?
The reason is simply that it’s my flour of choice. I’ve never tried it with other types, if I were you I’d google recipes that call for a flour you’d rather use.
I made it tonight and I had to substitute a few things for what I had because I didn’t want to go to the store. Used seasoning that goes on poultry instead of poultry seasoning. Used white flour instead of chickpea. It turned out great.
Great! I’m glad to hear it worked with regular flour, I’ve never tried that!
I also battered it with egg and flour and pan fried it and damn. I grew up eating chicken breaded that way and I really .missed it
I made this seitan yesterday and used it in a recipe today. It was the BEST I have ever made and I’m pretty sure I can use it in place of the crazy pricey tofurky deli slices my kid has been eating. And a helluva lot healthier. THANK YOU!!!
You’re so welcome, and I’m super happy to hear that it works for you!
This is the best seitan recipe thus far!!!! I have to say I try to avoid the whole mock meat issue, however my kids enjoyed the chicken nuggets I made with this and I am currently cooking a second batch to try my hand at a mock chicken salad.
I’m so happy to hear that!! I don’t buy a lot of the mock meats either, I mostly stick with tofu (or just veggies), but I really enjoy home made seitan.
Amazing recipe! Do you know the nutrition facts?
I’m sorry, I never tabulated them. It’s on my “list” to start doing that for recipes, though. Sorry!
Hi Barb,
This look delish. Can you tell me, what brand of chicken seasoning did you use? I am thinking that depending on the brand, there could be a lot of variation in sodium content and if my seasoning has more salt, I might want to cut down on the amount of salt I add to the recipe.
Thanks!
It was the Sunflower Farmer’s Market brand, which probably doesn’t help you much. Sorry!
Hands down, the BEST seitan recipe I’ve tried! I almost gave up on making it from scratch but you renewed my faith. Thank you, thank you!!!!
You’re welcome, and I’m so glad it worked out for you! 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! Thank you for giving me a new staple to work with. (I’ll never go back to store-bought!)
You’re welcome, and THANK YOU!
Wow! I’m really impressed by this recipe – I had it on my list of things to make for a while now, but overestimated the difficulty and underestimated the deliciousness. Last time I tried making homemade seitan, I boiled it in broth and the flavor didn’t really come out that well, and this is an amazingly different thing! Thank you so much for posting this!
Thanks for the great feedback! I made some myself yesterday, and it truly is my FAVORITE!
I cannot find vital wheat gluten where I live in Malaysia. Is there a way to make ones own? I really would like to make my own seitan as I also cannot find this . Thank you for whatever suggestions.
I would recommend buying it online, perhaps through Amazon? I’m not aware of any ways to make your own, sorry. Good luck!
I made this before and had a question on the recipe. I used one tablespoon of sea salt as the recipe suggested. It turned out way too salty, was that a typo? I’m thinking one teaspoon may be more appropriate.
No, I meant a Tablespoon, but I tend to love salt more than other people 😉 I just edited it to add that some people might prefer less, thanks for the feedback!
Would it work if I use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil and just fold it well?? Has anyone tried it? I try to avoid aluminum touching my food, and I like the safer non-stick properties of the parchment paper.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I tried making seitan with another recipe once and it wasn’t even edible, and was a TON of work and mess to clean up. This looks easy and like it would be more flavorful too! Can’t wait to try it!
I’m really not sure… you’d have to do something to make sure the paper doesn’t come unwrapped…
Tell me if you think this would work…..wrapping the seitan loafs in parchment paper using a burrito type fold and having the loose edge sitting on the bottom so it doesn’t open….??
I think that would work, but you do need to flip them halfway through. Perhaps by then the steam will be holding the parchment paper together better? Let me know how it turns out!
Ahhh yes. I forgot about that part. Maybe I could use something like a small plate to weight them down if needed to keep them closed at that point? Or would that make for extra ugly seitan? LOL I will let you know how it goes for sure. Thanks for all your help!
Update- What turned out to be easiest for me was to wrap in parchment paper and then foil just to keep it closed.
Hi there, I’ve seen in several recipes that you can wrap the seitan in parchment then in foil if you want to keep the food from touching the foil! :O)
Can’t wait to try this! Silly question but when you say poultry/chicken seasoning, do you mean chicken flavoured seasoning or seasoning/herbs you would usually add to chicken? can’t seem to find vegan chicken flavoured seasoning easily in UK. Thanks very much
It’s the herbs and spices you would normally add to chicken. Here you can buy it bottled, all mixed together. No need to get a vegan version, they’re all vegan (or should be!)
Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great choice of colors!
I also make my own seitan & love it too! You can make it chewy too!
Your chicken style seitan recipe looks like a real winner,…..OOOh yes! Yummmmmmm.
hey barb, i am in loooove with this recipe…..soooooo much so iv added a link from my blog to here (i hope thats ok) as i just posted my andalucian seitan and rice recipe in which i use your seitan recipe so i put your recipe as a do it yourself option for people so that they can hopefully get away from the premade sduff lol so i thank you barb keep up the good work 🙂 hope you can pop over and see your recipe being used in a yummy way 🙂 http://loveecoliving.wordpress.com/ …..love and peace, natalie xx
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
So good!! I’ve tried various homemade seitan recipes before, but always ended up with something that looked like “nasty brains” with an unpleasant gluten aftertaste. Thank you so much for sharing this…wish I’d found it sooner. Now a permanent addition to my kitchen!
I’m so glad to hear that!!
I’m about to make this, it’s just me and my husband, can it be frozen? And how long will it keep if refrigerated?
It’ll keep a week or two in the fridge, and for months if you freeze it!
Hi Barb,
I hope you still get comments from old posts! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I was new to seitan and the couple other recipes I tried before this were just blech! This one has flavour and really great texture! I’ve got a question about the taste, though. The first two batches that I made with your recipe had really good flavour and texture but there was some kind of funky aroma/aftertaste. It was like flour or something in it had gone bad or rancid. I tried it again a few weeks later and that aroma was even stronger. I sniffed my VWG and it seemed to be the culprit. I got a fresh new bag and did the recipe again. The aroma was not as strong but still very faintly there.
Is that just the way VWG is? If you don’t mind, could you describe the aromas that you smell as you eat your seitan? If that funkiness I’m smelling is not how it should smell, then I’ll have to play around with the other ingredients – maybe it’s the chickpea flour or something??
I’ve never noticed a bad smell.. although it does have kind of an “odd” smell, before it steams. Definitely not bad though. I did some googling and it looks like VWG can go rancid, so maybe that’s what happened? http://www.livestrong.com/article/340714-how-long-will-vital-wheat-gluten-last/
How wonderful of you to reply to such an old post – thank you! Okay, that settles it then. I got a fresh new bag of VWG and got that same funky aroma. It must be one of the other ingredients. I’ll keep trying the recipe! Thanks again Barb!
Could the funky taste come from the nutritional yeast?
I make steamed seitan pepperoni! And this is exactly my technique! I too use the colander and pot method. It works great. The steamed texture ends up the best I have found so far. When I make pepperoni I roll the seitan in a roll instead in the foil so I can make slices. The foil makes the final product hold its shape.
I’ve been messing around with a new sausage seitan recipe, and I love the way the foil helps it hold it’s shape!
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Barb, do you know where to order vital wheat gluten in amounts larger than the one pound Bob’s Red Mill package? That’s all I’ve been able to find locally. Goes too fast and costs too much per serving.
Have you looked online? Amazon or veganessentials.com maybe. I usually buy it in bulk from whole foods or sprouts.
I buy it in 25 bags at a local whole foods type place. It is expensive but cheaper. It tends to last my family of five approx 6 mo.
Guess what!? I found a 5 lb bag which is the perfect size for me (since I’m the only one eating vegan around here) from a site called http://www.healthy-eating.com. Their product is called Instant Gluten Flour. I got 5 lbs for $21 which is far less expensive than the $9 for one pound the Whole Foods charges for Bob’s. I am in gluten heaven and about to get up and make myself a batch.
I’m making mine now. I did use more seasonings of the turkey gravy recipe I have on hand. it is much to make with spices, yet is the closet by far turkey taste I have come across yet. I use it for any white mock out there. from gravies, to broth, and to even season salt veggies. anyway, thank you so much for posting this.. my first time making. I normally just go with the smoothies, juices, and veggies of all. this recipe just looks too good to pass up without trying.
That’s a great idea!
This was my first time making Seitan and your recipe was right on the mark! It was delicious and I enjoyed the texture and the wonderful chicken-like flavor because of the poultry seasoning/herbs. I added a celery stalk, carrots, a bit of bouillon powder and a bay leaf to my steaming water just for extra flavor. I didn’t have chickpea flour and was at a loss on how to substitute for it — so oddly enough I added 1/4 c. panko crumbs and the taste and texture of the Seitan still came out perfect! I will now be making your recipe instead of purchasing the tasteless and expensive varieties at my local health food store. I am trying to eat a mostly plant-based diet — and wonderful recipes like yours make it easier and tastier to live a vegetarian lifestyle. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that!! And great idea about the panko crumbs. Funny how we can make these last minute substitutions, and sometimes they work out perfectly. Good luck with the plant-based eating!!!
I just made your updated recipe and it is the best seitan that I have ever made. The steaming method makes all the difference! This seitan works so well for “chik’n” nuggets. I was so impressed with the taste and also the ease of cooking it. It’s my new go to recipe. I used parchment paper instead of foil to steam in and it worked very well. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear you loved it!!
Hi! I made seitan for the first time and used your recipe and method 🙂 It tastes and has the same texture like the store bought one I once tried before. Amazing! I must teach this to my mum, because her version is very gum-like. I used the seitan in lentil veggie loaf and in stuffed mushrooms, very good!
That makes me so happy to hear!! 🙂
Can I make this without the aluminum foil? I am trying to avoid having my food in contact with aluminum during cooking.
You need it to be wrapped in something, because it’s very soft. Parchment paper might work, but I haven’t tried it.
I ran into the same problem when making a gluten-based veggie sausage, and found that wrapping the dough in undyed flourcloth towels and using these little silicone zip ties works wonderfully and I don’t have to worry about making more waste. This approach might work here too, though you may have to experiment with cook time if you make it into one long sausage of dough.
Interesting! Wanda, if you try it, let us know if it worked!
I’ve been really enjoying this recipe for a while now! Once I ran out of foil so used a clean damp tea towel (or I guess you call them dish towels in the US?!) to wrap the seitan in to steam in one big loaf. Make sure the towel doesn’t smell strongly of laundry detergent or your seitan will too! Probably the flour cloth towels mentioned above would be better. Not sure on exact time for one batch as I tend to double the recipe (it’s so good!) and use a double steamer, shuffling them about a bit so evenly cooks. I would say it’s probably about double the time to cook so around an hour. Does take a bit of experimentation to get the right amount of time and you need to make sure the middle is cooked. I turn it over half way too. Worth a try if you don’t want to use foil!
Oh my heavenly days! I tried your recipe today and the results were fantastic! This is only the second time I’ve ever made seitan, and the recipe and cooking method was spot on. The one thing I did that was different was to add cayenne pepper (’cause I’m a spicy kinda gal…), but other than that, I stayed true to your recipe. And, like you, I found myself just slicing it and eating it once it was done. The seitan has wonderful texture and…and…and…well? It’s just brilliant. Well done, and thank youuu!!
Yay! I love feedback like this, it makes me so happy to know people are using and loving my recipes 🙂
Just made this again yesterday- STILL love it!
Why not one big loaf? I’m trying it in a counter top steamer. One large loaf.
Might be hard to cook all the way through, but I’m curious to hear how it turned out!
Hi, i can’t thank you enough for this recipe : ) i’ve been trying and failing to make restaurant style seitan for ages. I could eat this all day. Thank you : )
I love hearing that! So glad you like it!
This was my first time making seitan… Wow! I am impressed that I was able to make something so yummy and good for me! I did the seasonings to my own liking (less cumin, more garlic, a dash of liquid smoke, etc) so it probably didn’t have the same “chicken” taste as yours. But it was still amazing over avocado on a bagel. This is gonna be one of my new rotating recipes (:
Is wheat gluten flour is different than a whole wheat flour??? If so, where can I buy it. I stay in india.
It’s ‘vital wheat gluten’ and yes, it’s definitely very different from whole wheat flour. If stores in India don’t carry it, you can definitely buy it online!
wow I’ve never seen so many comments on a post I want to try this. Every time I’ve made seitan it comes out rubbery with a capital R!!! I wonder why this one does not what is the secret….
Can this be baked or only steamed?
I’ve never tried baking it, sorry!
Can I and how would I heat this up after refrigeration/freezing?
Thanks 🙂
Use it the way you would any other mock meat- you can fry it in a pan, crumble it in your food processor, slice it thin got sandwiches. Anything! I have tons of recipes using it if you need ideas.
Found your recipe from a link elsewhere. It really is great. My first time making my own seitan. I tried two recipes. The first was the one on on the Bob’s Red Mill package which took a long time and turned out spongey. Yours is easier, faster and much firmer. Tasty too. This is a classic, thanks.
Thank you, I’m glad to hear that!!
Thank you for this recipe! Where I live seitan is pretty hard to find and the ones I’ve bought have been quite expensive and not that tasty. I didn’t realize seitan was so easy to make and turned out very good, definitely will be doing this again 🙂
I love this feedback, thank you!
Thanks for the recipe! It was super easy to make and very filling, though I think I may have done something wrong – mine seems cooked fully all the way through, but tastes a little doughy.
I have my first two loaves in the steamer right now…I guess my steamer’s a little small because I could only fit half the recipe in it! I did a couple of nibbles of the raw dough and I have to say I’m excited about how this gonna turn out! Also, in case anyone out there wonders, I used 1.5 tsp of Mrs. Dash and dropped the salt down to 1/2 tsp.
I do have to ask just to doublecheck that I did it right – is the dough supposed to be fairly wet when you add all the broth and knead it the first time? It was almost falling apart through my fingers, which is nothing like bread dough (which is the only thing I’m used to kneading!). Is that right? Should I have added more flour?
Lunchtime can’t come fast enough!
Hi Lillian, it’s still fairly soft when you first add the liquid, but should firm up as you’re kneading it. How did it turn out?
I have been vegan for more than 6 years and this is by far, the best recipe I have made! Wow, wow Wow! thank you!
Oh my gosh I am so happy to hear that!! It’s one of my favorites too 😊
Is there a way to steam it without aluminum? I want to avoid consuming aluminum whenever possible and if it’s steamed it in , it will leach into the seitan. Any other ideas on how to steam it? Thanks!
It’s the only way I’ve done it… Perhaps parchment paper?
Hello Barb,
I haven’t tried this recipe yet (though based on all of the comments it looks like it’ll be amazing when I do), so I was wondering if you’ve ever used this in a casserole. I have a casserole recipe that I used to make prior to being a vegetarian, which called for chicken, and I’ve been wanting to make it, but could never figure out what to use as a substitute for chicken. Thanks! 🙂
I have, with mixed results. In a “dry” casserole, it’s been fine. One that’s more like stew or soup? Then the seitan got a little soft for my taste. One thing I found that worked was to lightly fry it before adding it, to give it a little crispiness. But if you’re using it in a pasta or cheesy casserole, it should be fine as-is.
Thank you so much for responding! It would be in a casserole that is a bit in between…I know it uses mayonnaise and Swiss cheese as well as onion, celery, and croutons, so I’m thinking that if I pan fry it then it should hold up. Any suggestions for pan frying? (Olive oil, bread it first, how long)…I’ve never cooked with seitan before
Is it possible to substitute something else for the chickpea flour?
I’ve never made it any other way, so I can’t say.
I just tried this recipe today and it’s amazing! It is far better than most chicken-style tofu or seitan that I’ve had before. I used oat flour instead of chickpea flower and added a bit of pepper. I also doubled the recipe (ended up with 8 small loaves) which I recommend doing because, trust me, you’ll want as much of this as you can get!
I have been looking for a good seitan recipe to make chicken fried chicken and was wondering if it was possible to bread and pan fry this chicken after it steams or will that not work? I am new to seitan, I mad either once as Italian sausage but it wasn’t perfect. Thanks in advance!:)
You could certainly bread the seitan and fry it, like I did in my spicy chick’n sandwich recipe! I’ve also seen recipes where people wrap the seitan in rice paper (as a sort of “skin” haha) and make “fried chicken” that way. http://www.thatwasvegan.com/2013/02/20/spicy-chikn-sandwich/
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now. I’m not vegan, but I find the prices of meat on a student budget are just ridiculous… So I’ve taken to substituting my meat meals with seitan quite often. This recipe is my favourite so far! It’s so easy to make and cook… and It hold up well wen reheated. I’ve used my not-chicken breasts in butter chicken, soups, on pizza and for fried chicken! I’m so hooked on this recipe!
Hi, I have yet to try this recipe but I am seeing all these positive reviews and am very excited to and make it. One concern of mine though is I meal prep often and was wondering if the seitan reheats well in a microwave? Thank You.
Hi! I think that would work just fine, as long as you’re not leaving them in the microwave too long and over cooking them. Hope you enjoy!
This was my first attempt at making seitan . I did not know what the texture was supposed to be like and I did not keep track of the kneading time so I was expecting a disaster However it turned out tasting very good. Will definitely be making this again.
Good! It is a rather forgiving recipe 😉
I’m a massively fussy eater and I have huge problems when it comes to trying new food. Took me a couple of days to work up the courage to try these after I made them and OMG I’m glad I did. Made up a dry batter/coating and fried them. It tasted just like KFC I was blown away!!! Thank you so much for this recipie, it is an instant favourite and will probably now be my staple meat alternative.
That’s WONDERFUL news! Gave me the smiles 🙂
I have a pressure cooker that also has steamer and crock pot functions because it’s the transformer of pressure cookers. Do you think the cook time would be still the same? This will be my first time using the steaming method and I’m eager to try it. I’ve always tried the submerged/boiled seitan method but it always turns out too soft and wet in the middle so steaming sounds like a better option.
Eeek… I’m really not sure, but probably? And no, no beef version just yet.
Do you have beef version of this recipe?
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! I’d been making seitan for years but was never really happy with the texture and this is spot on. Made it nearly as written except AP flour instead of chickpea, a bit of sage instead of poultry seasoning (both were all I happened to have on hand), and I left out the olive oil by accident. And I still absolutely loved it. Yum!
I never tire of hearing this kind of feedback 🙂
Just made this yesterday and it came out great! This was only my second attempt at making seitan, but this was first time I’ve actually eaten it. (Yes, that’s how bad the first recipe looked and smelled!) I made the four small loaves and was wondering what a “serving size” would be?
Thanks for sharing, and I can’t wait to check out more of your recipes!
Each little loaf is about 2 servings- and I’m glad you liked it!
OMG!!! My first attempt at seitan! I followed your recipe except left out the salt. This is fantastic!!! Thank you thank you
Yay!
For the final step #8…after it’s done steaming, do you leave it in the foil and let it cool that way in the fridge or do you take the foil off to let it cool? Can’t wait to try! Thanks!
I usually let it cool in the foil, then transfer it to however I’m going to store or freeze it.
I am new to seitan, is it possible to omit the oil? I eat whole food plant based and no oil
I’ve actually never tried to make it without the oil, sorry!
Made this exactly to your recipe. Superb. Chicken cutlets tomorrow! Thank you
Glad to hear it!!
The mixture is super wet and does not hold together. Steaming it now. Couldn’t even knead it. Is 1.5 cups water too much?
I’m so sorry to hear that… 1.5 is the correct amount. I’ve had this happen to me once or twice, and it’s usually when I haven’t been careful in measuring the flour and VWG. When it happens, I let it steam for longer and that seems to help it firm up.
The chicken was delicious! Making it again now and will add water little at a time to control it. Maybe I wasn’t careful. It still came out delicious the first time, just uneven shaped because it was too liquidy!
Thank you for this recipe, it is my go to now! Easy and tasty, makes making seitan no problem!
Yay!!
The dough turned out wetter than the seitan recipe I normally use so I was concerned that steaming wouldn’t work well. Instead, I formed the dough into one loaf and baked at 325 degrees for 90 minutes. Turned out great!
I’m glad it worked! I’ve had the dough turn out a bit wetter a few times as well, and I just steam it longer when that happens.
This was my first time making seitan because I didn’t want to spend so much money on stuff like this (at least $5 a container and it’s not even a lot!!) when you can do so much with a bag of flour(s)! My fiance loves seitan and he loved this! I made the recipe exactly as written (made up my own ‘poultry’ seasoning though instead of buying a prepackaged one). I used used a cheesecloth to wrap it and put it in a rice cooker that also functions as a steamer, with a steamer insert. My seitan loaves came out darker than the picture, though, maybe because my homemade vegetable stock was darker? Still, it tasted great and had a nice texture. I asked him if he would change anything at all but nope, it’s great! We’ve already finished off 3 of the 4 loaves since they were created last night (used them as part of a potsticker and wonton filling and as additions to vegetable soup) so I’ll do this again soon. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
You’re very welcome, thanks for sharing your experience as well! I’m really glad you and your fiance enjoyed 🙂
I tried seitan a couple years ago but wasn’t successful because I got too ambitious with spices. THIS recipe looks good but I have no nutritional yeast. I’ll only be able to order online. Will it still work or is there another sub?
Thanks!
Its more of a flavoring than an active ingredient, so you would probably be okay without it- although I’ve never tried.
Thanks Barb. I actually found a local place that vends nutritional yeast locally, so I’ll try the original recipe, as written.
I’ll let you know!
Les
Hi folks, I made this recipe and its INCREDIBLE! The one un-answered question I see is, “what is the nutritional info data?” So, I pulled out all the labels for what I used, created a spreadsheet, and here are the answers I calculated, per serving.
By Barb@ThatWasVegan.
Disclaimer: I did NOT get Barb’s okay to post this, but I hope she’ll approve. Although the vitamin and mineral values are there, especially from the spices, they were fairly insignificant, so I omitted them except for what I thought was important. Also, I ROUNDED to the nearest MG or Gram.
MY BRANDS:
I used Swanson Vegetable broth (original). Generic Extra Virgin Olive oil. Hodgson Mill Vital wheat Gluten (it takes 1.5 boxes). Publix, DRY chickpeas, finely ground. Bragg (Premium) Nutritional Yeast (Nooch!)
Although these are MY BRANDS, I expect results should be similar no matter which you use (unless you use a low-salt, whatever.)
Per the EXACT RECIPE, which yields FOUR loafs, each being TWO servings, i.e., EIGHT servings per recipe, here’s what I calculated:
Calories: 200
Fat: 8 Grams
Protein: 5 Grams
Sodium: 160 Grams
Carbs: 16
Sugars: 1
I hope this is useful, please correct if I’m in error.
I can’t wait to try different spices, i.e., BBQ, beef, turkey, etc.
I have question concerning the wheat gluten flour. Is there a substitute for that? Is there a gluten free recipe?
There may be gluten free recipes out there, but seitan basically IS just gluten.
Wow, this came out perfect! I used my rice cooker and used the “steam” setting. My rice cooker will only steam for 30 minutes, so I set the roles thru 2 30 minute steamings and they came out fabulous. Makes it very easy! Like it WAY better than the boiling method. My question is if I want to make “sausage” style or “beef” style, so I add the ingredients to the gluten/chickpea mix of afterwards?
I would add other seasonings in at the beginning!
It was my first time making seitan and I was afraid it would fail, but it was surprisingly easy and tasted great! I used the metal colander ghetto method ;). We coated it with cajun seasoning, baked it with zucchini and bell peppers in the oven, then added lime juice and sour cream (we’re not vegan) to make delicious fajitas. This is going in my recipe book for sure, thanks!
I’m glad you found it easy and delicious!