This is my go-to quick and easy seitan recipe when I want to add some meaty protein to a meal, but it doesn't need to look fancy. I use this recipe to make seitan chunks that I'm going to stick on kababs or chop up and add to soups, stews, stir-fries, and casseroles. This wheat meat recipe works perfectly for vegan chicken salad and vegan "chicken" noodle soup too.
I have numerous recipes for seitan on my blog, including vegan beef, vegan turkey, vegan ham, vegan chicken, and more. I even have a seitan cookbook where I teach you how to make nearly every type of faux meat out of wheat gluten, but this is my go-to recipe when I need some seitan to add to meals without the fuss of shaping it.
It's not the prettiest seitan, but it fills up my hungry teenage boys and makes hearty protein-packed meals.
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❤️ Why make this recipe
This quick and easy recipe is perfect for making ahead of time and keeping in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to add to meals as needed. I like to make a double batch so I always have some on hand to toss into various dishes for a little extra protein!
This basic seitan recipe is great because you don't need to form it into a shape, wrap it, or cook it in a steamer basket. Just rip off small pieces of the dough and simmer it in broth and you have vegan meat!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Vital Wheat Gluten - this is an isolated wheat protein. It comes in a fine powder that becomes a sticky dough when wet.
- All-Purpose Flour - to lighten up the gluten a little and make it less dense. (I usually do this with beans or another protein like tofu, but to make it super easy, this recipe just uses flour.) You can also use chickpea flour instead of regular flour.
- Garlic Powder - for flavor.
- Onion Powder - for flavor.
- Herbs and Spices - poultry seasoning for chicken-flavored seitan or oregano and soy sauce for beef-flavored seitan. (You can also add 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast for more of an umami flavor if desired.)
- Salt - for flavor.
- Vegan Broth - I use not chick'n broth if I want chicken-style seitan or not beef broth for beef-flavored seitan. You can also use vegetable stock and add 1 tsp of soy sauce for each cup of broth for a faux beef flavor.
🔪 Helpful tools
- Large pot for simmering the seitan.
- A glass bowl and silicone spatula so the gluten doesn't stick when you are making the seitan dough. It will stick to plastic or wooden spoons.
- A container with a lid for storing the cooked seitan.
🥄 How to make easy seitan
Step 1 - Measure all of the dry ingredients (wheat gluten, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, and salt) into a large glass bowl and stir until well combined.
Step 2 - Stir in 1 cup of vegan broth with a silicone spatula, then knead with your hands until all of the flour is incorporated. (You may have to add an additional tablespoon or two of water to the dough to get all of the flour incorporated.)
Step 3 - When you have a firm rubbery dough, bring 3 cups broth and 3 cups water to a boil. Rip off small walnut-sized pieces of dough and drop them into the hot broth. (They will double in size when cooked.)
Step 4 - Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low and simmer at a slow boil for 35 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow it to cool for about 1/2 hour.
Step 5 - Transfer the cooked seitan along with the liquid to a container with a lid and store in the fridge until ready to use. (You can use it immediately, but it will be firmer and more meat-like the next day.)
💡 How to use these seitan chunks?
You can fry this easy meat substitute or slice up the seitan chunks and add them to meals like ...
- Vegan Chop Suey
- Vegan Chicken Piccata
- Green Curry
- Vegan Thai Red Curry
- Teriyaki Seitan Kebabs
- Vegan Chicken Piccata
- Rasta Pasta with Vegan Jerk Chicken
- Vegan Beef Stew
- Vegan Beef and Broccoli
Use seitan for sandwiches
- Vegan Buffalo Chicken
- Vegan Pulled Pork with Vegan BBQ sauce
- Vegan Chicken Salad
- Seitan Gyros
- Vegan Chicken Wraps
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- The texture of the seitan will continue to firm up and become more meat-like if allowed to cool overnight in the fridge. However, you can use it after it simmers if you don't want to wait.
- Use less salt and low sodium broth for lower sodium seitan.
❓ Frequently asked questions?
No, seitan is made from wheat gluten and therefore mostly gluten. No other product will give you this result.
Yes, store the seitan in the fridge or freezer in the cooking broth. This will keep it moist and allow it to continue to soak up more flavor.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This quick seitan will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: Seitan freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat quick seitan chunks by simmering in the broth or simply cutting them up and cooking them in soups, stir-fries, or casseroles.
🌟 More seitan recipes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Easy Seitan Recipe
Quick and Easy Seitan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs (poultry seasoning for chicken flavor or oregeno for beef flavor)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup broth (to mix with the dry ingredients to form a dough)
To simmer the seitan
- 3 cups broth (chicken flavored or beef flavored vegan broth)
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Measure all of the dry ingredients (wheat gluten, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, and salt) into a large glass bowl and stir until well combined.
- Stir in 1 cup of vegan broth with a silicone spatula, then knead with your hands until all of the flour is incorporated. (You may have to add a tablespoon or two of water to the dough to get all of the flour incorporated.)
- When you have a firm rubbery dough, bring 3 cups broth and 3 cups water to a boil. Rip off small walnut-sized pieces of dough and drop them into the hot broth. (They will double in size when cooked.)
- Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low and simmer at a slow boil for 35 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow it to cool for about 1/2 hour.
- Transfer the cooked seitan along with the broth to a container with a lid and store in the fridge until ready to use. (You can use it immediately, but it will be firmer and more meat-like the next day.)
- Cut up cooled seitan and toss it into any meal. Use as you would pre-cooked meat in any recipe.
Notes
- The texture of the seitan will continue to firm up and become more meat-like if allowed to cool overnight in the fridge. However, you can use it after it simmers if you don't want to wait.
- Use less salt and low sodium broth for lower sodium seitan.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Wonderful recipe! I have two questions:
(1) What kind of flour should I use, including any alternative flours?
(2) Can the cooled cooked chunks be frozen for future use?
Thank you!
Maxine
Monica,
My earlier questions were premature! I had jumped to the recipe without reading all of the post first! The answers were right there in the post.
I can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
I'm glad that I answered your questions in the post. Enjoy! 🙂
This was so good and surprisingly easy. Good to know how easy it is so I can make it anytime.
I tought that the seitan dough needs to be rinsed many times in water to recover the proteins. Is
rinsing necessary? Because I have a problem with wasting water
Thanks for explaining very wel the culture of Vegan. Its new for me.
Thanks for answaring my question.
Anne , from Belgium
You are thinking of the washed flour method of making seitan. That is when you use flour and wash the starch out of it leaving the protein behind. This recipe use vital wheat gluten which already has the protein washed out of it, so you can just form it into a dough and cook it. Enjoy!