Seitan (Wheat Gluten): Recipes and Tips

A traditional Asian food used as a meat substitute, you may have encountered seitan in dishes like “Buddhist’s Delight” in Chinese restaurants. Dense and chewy, this product of cooked wheat gluten is almost pure protein—you can see that by observing the high protein content of the dishes in this section. Clearly, though, seitan is not for anyone with gluten sensitivity. Store-bought seitan usually comes in 8-ounce packages or 16-ounce tubs.

Seitan’s “meaty” texture lends itself to numerous preparations. It’s great as a substitute for beef chunks in stews, stir-fries, salads, wraps, and for fajitas and kebabs. Explore the use of seitan if you’re looking for ways to add more protein to your family’s diet other than, or in addition to, soy foods. Obviously, this food is not for those with gluten sensitivity, as it is pure gluten.

Making homemade seitanis not difficult or time-consuming in terms of hands-on time, though you do need to allow time for the various steps and cooking time. If you are so inclined, the recipe below yields greater quantity and economy than store-bought. If the kneading, resting, and cooking go just right, the resulting seitan can be quite tender and tasty. Still, if you’d rather buy your seitan ready-made, natural foods stores and ccops usually offer several options, from locally made to national brands. Try a few and see which you like best, as they are all a bit different in flavor and texture.

VegKitchen’s Seitan Recipes:

• Homemade Seitan
• Seitan and Broccoli Stir-Fry
• Hearty Seitan Salad
• Seitan “Meat and Potatoes” Stew
• Seitan “Peppersteak”
• Buddhist’s Delight Stew
• Sweet-and-Sour Seitan and Vegetables
• Seitan and Polenta Skillet with Fresh Greens
• Jerk-Spiced Seitan
• Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan
• Seitan and Mushrooms in Paprika Cream
• Seitan Gyros
• Tofu and Seitan Sauté with Easy Gravy
• Seitan “Peppersteak” with Bean-thread Noodles
• Sweet-and-Sour Seitan and Vegetables
• Seitan, Mushroom, and Onion Stir-fry
• Hiziki with Seitan, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash

For lots more features on healthy lifestyle, explore VegKitchen’s Healthy Vegan Kitchen page.

Here are more of VegKitchen’s Natural Food Guides.