Easy homemade seitan recipe

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4.80 from 5 votes

How to easily make seitan from scratch on the stove or in an instant pot.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Servings:

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Maria

Equipment

Large soup pot
Mixing bowl

Ingredients

Seitan

1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional if you don't have this
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons tahini
¾ cups vegetable broth or water

Simmering broth (for stove top)

6 cups water
1 onion quartered
2 cloves garlic crushed but whole
1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon paste or two vegetable bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons soy sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough

In a large mixing bowl, mix together vital wheat gluten, salt, garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika and nutritional yeast.
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Add the tahini and broth and stir until you make a ball.
2 tablespoons tahini, ¾ cups vegetable broth
Knead the ball for 5 minutes. The longer you knead, the more chewy and dense it will get. Knead for 10 minutes if you want it to be more chewy and firm. Cut the dough into four even pieces and let it rest while your broth comes to a boil.

Stove top directions

Get a large soup pot on the stove and add all of the ingredients from the "simmering broth" section. Bring to a boil then turn down to medium low. Add in the seitan pieces and gently crack the lid. Gently simmer for one hour.
6 cups water, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon paste, 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Make sure it doesn't boil because it will create pockets in the seitan. You want small, gentle bubbles. Check after 30 minutes and add more liquid if it lost too much.
After one hour, the seitan is ready to be used however you like. I love to keep it in a marinade in the fridge, until you're ready to cook it up. Seitan can be used any way you would cook chicken or beef. Cut it into pieces and fry it in a pan in some oil. After it's browned, add your favorite marinade.

Instant pot direcitons

Add a cup of water or broth to the instant pot. Add a steamer basket and place the seitan dough in the basket. Add the lid and set the pressure cooker to seal. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Let it naturally release for 15 minutes then quick release the rest of the way.

Video

Notes

Store seitan in the fridge in it's broth, or a marinade of your choice for about five days.

Drain and seal the seitan and it can be frozen. Let it completely thaw before cooking.

Seitan can be used any way you would chicken or beef. I love marinating it in bbq sauce and then cooking it on a grill. I also love using it in Asian recipes like Mongolian beef.

I didn't show this in the video, but before simmering the seitan, cut it into four even pieces. This ensures that the center gets cooked and that each piece is cooked evenly.

Nutrition