21 vegan seitan recipe ideas even meat-eaters will love

What is seitan?

Seitan is a vegan meat replacement which is also known as vital wheat protein, textured wheat protein, wheat gluten, and vital wheat gluten. Wheat gluten has been a popular protein source in China for thousands of years thanks to its realistic meaty texture. 

The Chinese also like wheat gluten as it has a flavour similar to MSG.  The Japanese name for wheat gluten is seitan pronounced ‘say-tan’ and was introduced in the 60s as part of the macrobiotic diet.

You can buy seitan in tins or jars, cooked and marinated and ready to eat, or you can easily make your own. 

Is seitan good for you?

Gluten is high in protein and eaten in moderation for most people causes no adverse effect. However, as enjoying seitan is made from concentrated gluten extract, it is not suitable for those with a gluten allergy or intolerance. 

How to make seitan

Seitan is traditionally made by creating a dough with wholewheat flour and water. You then rinse the dough to remove the wheat starch, bran and other water-soluble proteins, leaving you with a piece of pliable insoluble gluten that forms the base of your mock meat. 

It’s easy to make seitan at home using the ingredients from your storecupboard. You can find our basic seitan recipe here.

If you want to make the process even simpler, you can use vital wheat gluten flour and mix it with water. 

Now you know how to make seitan, you can make these delicious vegan seitan recipes!

1. Vegan Sticky BBQ Seitan ‘Ribs’

Smothered in a sticky BBQ sauce, these vegan ribs are a real treat and are one of our favourite seitan recipes. The more you knead the seitan, the meatier the texture will be.

Plus, we’ve added in some jackfruit too to make them even meatier.

2. Seitan & Black Bean Chilli Nachos

This one’s for all the Mexican food lovers out there! Loaded up with black bean chilli, vegan cheese and served with avocado, these vegan nachos are great for movie night.

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3. Vegan Seitan Twizzlers

This vegan take on the classic ‘Turkey Twizzlers’ recipe is made with seitan and is so much healthier even Jamie Oliver would approve!

4. Lincolnshire Vegan Seitan Sausages

Whether you like yours stuffed in a hot dog bun or served with mash and peas, we all enjoy a good sausage. This recipe for vegan Lincolnshire sausages uses seitan to give them a meaty chew that’s just like a real sausage, minus the meat of course!

5. Pulled Seitan Vegan Pork with Pineapple Salsa

The tangy flavours from the pineapple salsa really help to make this pulled ‘pork’ dish made from seitan a mouth-watering meal even sceptics will want seconds of.

6. Vegan Seitan Chilli Tacos

Bored of beans in your vegan tacos? Take them to the next level with seitan that will give them a temptingly meaty bite. A lot of seitan recipes take a while to make, but because these are made from ready-mades seitan they’re perfect for a quick vegan meal.

7. Vegan Seitan Kleftiko

Traditionally Kleftiko is a slow-roasted lamb dish, but we’ve made this vegan roast using seitan. It’s so convincingly meaty that it’s guaranteed to make an impressive centrepiece for your Sunday roast.

8. Vegan Steak Diane

For an incredible vegan steak, blend together a variety of ingredients for a whole new taste experience. It looks and tastes like meat but is entirely meat-free!

9. Vegan Seitan Saag

This super saag recipe is packed full of healing spices like turmeric to warm you up from the inside out. This is a great way to use up any store-bought seitan you have at home because you cook everything together in one pot so it’s light on washing-up too.

10. Vegan Shiitake Stuffed Seitan Plait

This impressive vegan seitan plait is sure to wow your guests at your next Sunday roast! Bursting with an irresistible umami flavour, this pastry plait is a great recipe for vegans and meat-eaters alike.

11. Vegan Seitan Kiev (Kyiv)

Cut into these seitan kievs and discover their buttery garlic centre ready to devour. We love to serve them with hand-cut chips and a side salad for a tasty and comforting vegan dinner.

We think this is one of the most delicious plant-based seitan recipes we’ve ever eaten!

12. Vegan Seitan Deli Slices

Looking for a vegan sandwich filling that’s not falafel? These meaty slices will help you take your lunches to the next level. They’re great to have on hand when you’re feeling peckish and you can use them to create impressive vegan platters too.

13. Vegan Seitan Mole

This sweet and spicy vegan mole recipe is such a hit with its rich flavours. The addition of cacao adds a wonderful depth of flavour to this traditional Mexican recipe while seitan gives it a great, meaty texture.

14. Vegan Seitan Gyros

Enjoy all the textures and fresh flavours of this Greek classic thanks to the power of seitan! This recipe is perfect when you fancy a takeaway but don’t want to wait.

15. Vegan Crispy Chilli Beef

Did you know that people in China have been eating seitan for almost 1,500 years ago? That makes it the perfect ingredient to replace meat in this classic takeaway dish.

16. Seitan Tacos with Homemade Flatbreads & Cucumber Dressing

Put a new spin on traditional tacos with these refreshing recipes. Fluffy homemade tacos are topped with minty seitan chunks and fresh cucumber dressing to delight your tastebuds.

17. Chorizo Style Seitan Hot Dogs with Caramelised Cider Onions

Seitan smokey sausages taste delicious in these vegan hotdogs! Great for vegans and carnivores alike, they’re great for BBQs, casseroles, or even by themselves.

18. Smoky Seitan Kebabs with Peanut Sauce

These seitan kebabs taste best with fresh lime and mixed herbs, topped with peanut sauce. They’re great year-round food for the whole family to enjoy.

19. Vegan Mongolian Seitan

This vegan version of Mongolian Beef is made by pan-frying seitan and coating it in a sweet, spicy Asian-inspired sauce. Best paired with rice and vegetables.

20. Vegan Seitan Carne Asada Tacos

Try this twist on Taco Tuesday! Make the seitan a little while before, then combine with your favourite taco fillings in the classic crunchy shells.

21. Seitan and Vegetable Stir Fry

Seitan seems to taste like whatever you cook it with, so why not cook it with mixed vegetables and a great vegan stir fry sauce? Sounds incredible to us!

Got a can of banana blossom in your cupboard that you just don’t know what to do with?

Give it a try in one of these tasty vegan banana blossom recipes!