Seitan is full of protein and low in carbs and cholesterol, making it a great substitute for meat. Why not try it for yourself with these inspiring and delicious vegan seitan recipes.
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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.
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2. Vegan Seitan Bacon
A vegan fry-up isn’t complete without rashers of streaky vegan bacon, and this vegan seitan bacon recipe is the perfect addition to any vegan brunch or bacon butty.
It has a great smokey flavour and crisps up perfectly in the pan and is a lot simpler to make than you might think.
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3. Vegan Southern Fried Chicken Burger
Forget takeaways, make your own epic Southern fried ‘chicken’ burger using the power of seitan! Stack your plant-based patty high with pickles, salad and plenty of sauce to recreate the tastes and textures of a takeaway burger in your own home.
4. 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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5. 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!
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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!
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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!
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. Vegan Seitan Schnitzel & Warm Potato Salad
This vegan seitan schnitzel served with a warm potato salad is a delicious way to enjoy a plant-based version of this Viennese speciality.
20. Vegan Seitan Stroganoff
Stroganoff is traditionally made with beef and a creamy sauce of mustard and sour cream, but it’s easy to make vegan by swapping beef for seitan.
We’ve used silken tofu to make a rich and beautifully creamy sauce, as well as dairy-free cream to keep the dish low in fat without compromising on flavour.
21. Vegan Doner Kebabs
Missing your usual Saturday night kebab? Swap it for seitan to make a marvellously meaty kebab without with none of the weird ‘what’s actually in it’ brown meat.
22. Vegan Jerk Seitan Skewers
Take your summer BBQ to the next level with these meaty vegan skewers. The succulent seitan pieces are flavoured with Jerk seasoning to give them a fiery kick, and they can be cooked both on the BBQ and the grill.
23. Vegan Cajun Seitan Steaks with Rice
Boost your protein intake with these high-protein vegan steaks made from seitan for a satisfying meat-free meal.
The vegan steaks are seasoned with a blend of Cajun spices to give them bold, spicy flavour that pairs well with a side of savoury rice and veggies.
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!
