Learn how to make your own seitan with this 20-minute easy seitan! Meaty homemade nuggets are pan-fried and tossed in a sticky ginger garlic sauce. If you thought making your own seitan at home was difficult, then try this recipe!
Try more of my meaty vegan seitan recipes, like Vegan Steak, Vegan Chicken, Vegan Wings, Carne Asada, and Fried Chicken.
Have you tried making your own seitan? Once I learned how, I couldn’t stop! From seitan-based Vegan Pepperoni to Vegan Turkey Roast to Vegan Holiday Ham Roast, it’s one of my favorite plant-based meat substitutes to play with in the kitchen.
Whether you’re new to seitan or have made it a few times, you’ll love this Easy Seitan recipe. It’s easy to follow, uses less than 10 ingredients, and only takes 20 minutes, so any level of home cook can master it!
What is seitan?
Seitan (say-tan) is a vegan meat substitute made from vital wheat gluten, spices, and vegetable broth. These simple ingredients are kneaded into a dough before it’s cut into smaller pieces and cooked. The texture, taste, and look are almost scary similar to real meat!
Why this is the best seitan recipe
- It’s foolproof – Even if you’re new to seitan, you’ll have an easy time making this recipe and adding the meaty bites to your favorite meals.
- The best vegan meat substitute – I adore tofu and tempeh, but the meaty texture and flavor of seitan make it a superstar meat substitute!
- Served with a great sauce – The bites are pan-fried and tossed in a sweet, savory, and tangy “honey” ginger sauce. Every bite will make your taste buds tingle!
How to make seitan
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Stir the vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and salt together in a large bowl.
Pour the broth and olive oil into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
Dump the dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with vital wheat gluten, then knead it with your hands for a few minutes. Tear the dough into bite-sized pieces.
The dough should be somewhat moist to the touch. If it’s dripping or too messy to work with, it’s likely because too much broth was added.
Place a steamer basket into a large pot filled with a couple of inches of water. Place the seitan pieces in a single layer in the steamer and steam for 15 minutes.
If you’re using the honey ginger sauce, whisk the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, agave, seasoned rice vinegar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
Craving a different sauce? Toss the bites in kung pao sauce, teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or any of the sauces listed in the Serving Suggestions below.
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the steamed seitan pieces and fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
Lower the heat and pour the sauce over the seitan. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and the bites are glossy and coated.
Serve the bites with rice or the cooked grains of your choice and steamed veggies, like broccoli or cauliflower. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
Like tofu and tempeh, I like these seitan bites best tossed in a sauce and served over rice with veggies. Here are a few more delicious ways you can enjoy these meaty bites:
- Toss them in BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, sesame sauce, gochujang sauce, bang bang sauce, or any other sauce you love!
- Skip the sauce entirely and enjoy the nuggets with french fries and dipping sauce, like vegan ranch or ketchup, on the side for a fun meal.
- They’re the best protein-packed topping for grain bowls, burrito bowls, green salads, spaghetti, or stir fry.
- Chop them up and fold them into a casserole, a pot of chili, or your favorite soup for more protein.
Frequently asked questions
Unfortunately, no, seitan cannot be made gluten-free because vital wheat gluten is an essential ingredient.
Make a DIY steamer basket instead by placing a few balls of aluminum foil on the bottom of the pot. Set a heat-safe plate on top for the seitan bites, then steam as normal.
Nope! You can cut the ball of dough into thin strips or 4 to 6 larger pieces, similar to my Vegan Chicken. They will need to steam for longer though.
After steaming and pan-frying the bites, place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Seitan also freezes well; however, I prefer the taste and texture when it’s fresh.
Easy Seitan
Ingredients
Easy Seitan
- 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour or all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup vegan no chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Honey Ginger Seitan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup agave
- 2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme and salt. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the broth and olive oil in the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir well with a large spoon until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl.
- Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands for 2-3 minutes. It will be a messy dough.
- Tear the dough into bite sized pieces.
- Prepare a large pot with a steamer basket with 1-2 inches of water on the bottom. Place the pieces of seitan in the basket and steam for 15 minutes.
- If using the honey ginger sauce, add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, agave, seasoned rice vinegar and cornstarch to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a large sauté pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the steamed seitan pieces and pan fry on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Lower the heat and pour the sauce over the seitan. Stir constantly until thickened and the seitan is coated in the sauce.
- Serve immediately with rice, if desired and perhaps a side of steamed broccoli.
Is chickpea flour preferred or will it not make a difference to use all purpose flour?
I prefer chickpea flour but all purpose works well. If it’s all you have, go for it. Enjoy!
Great recipe!! I used this is Indian curry, so I didn’t add any herbs, just salt and pinch of turmeric, made chicken tikka masala…turned out great!! Thank you…
What a great way to use this! Thanks for your wonderful idea and encouraging feedback! Happy cooking!
Finished product resembled parboiled brains. Texture was off-putting. Didn’t change from sticky texture even upon frying. Followed directions to a T. Disappointed.
Sorry to hear this didn’t work out well for you. It shouldn’t be sticky after frying, but cooked and meaty/chewy. I’m not sure what went wrong here but something for sure. Did you steam the seitan? Leave any ingredients out?
I would love to try this recipe but I’m on a very low sodium diet so the vegan broth you suggest is way out of limits for me. Could you suggest a substitution? Thanks!!
No problem, just use a low sodium vegetable broth. I don’t have a specific brand in mind, but there are typically a few options at most stores. Hope that helps and enjoy!
Thank you yet again Nora. You’re officially my primary source for recipes now. I was pleasantly surprised to find this new one when I went to look up your seitan chicken recipe. Delicious as usual! I’m training for a body building competition, so for my meal prep I tripled the recipe, reduced the oil, and used a low cal marinade. It was still incredible. I look forward to having it again just the way you created it when I’m not on prep. Thanks for all your amazing creations!!!!
Thanks Kyma! I’m honored that my website is a primary source of recipes for you. I’m glad this seitan recipe is helping as you train, that’s awesome!
I make various recipes of seitan weekly. This one was in fact quite easy and delicious. It’s going in the weekly rotation!
I love that this will be on your meal rotation list! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback. Wishing you happy cooking!
This is a great way to enjoy bite sized seitan. My family loved the recipe. For the sauce, I chose to use your ‘Marinated Tofu’ recipe instead and included a tablespoon of cornstarch. It turned out great and we will definitely have it again. Thanks for a great recipe.
You are welcome, Bob. I’m thrilled your family loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback and review!
Hi Nora,
I’ve only made homemade seitan one time and it was okay. Will this recipe work to make a seitan loaf that can be sliced for lunch ‘meat’? I thought I’d add some poultry seasoning for a no turkey loaf.
Thank you,
Angie Wright
It could be adjusted to do this, yes, but it might be easier to follow my other recipes, like this Vegan Turkey Roast or Vegan Chicken.
I loved this! Made it for my family tonight and it was a huge hit. I loved making seitan this way, it is so simple and quick! Definitely making it again several more times! All of my kids absolutely loved it!
How wonderful the recipe is a hit with your family! Thank you for sharing this wonderful and fun feedback! Happy cooking!