You can easily make seitan from scratch following this instant pot seitan recipe! With just a few ingredients, you can make this versatile chicken alternative that is meaty, juicy, and protein-packed.
Seitan is one of my favorite meat substitutes ever! It has a chewy mouthfeel that resembles that of meat and is incredibly high in protein. Although I love my seitan Italian sausages, vegan steaks, vegan chicken burgers, and vegan bacon, I gravitate toward this basic seitan recipe as it is highly versatile and can be added to many dishes.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Juicy, meat-like, and well-seasoned
- A good source of plant-based protein - a serving contains more than 20g of protein!
- Fuss-free and quick to make
- Highly versatile and can be used to make a variety of dishes
🤔What is seitan
Seitan is a popular meat substitute made from rehydrating vital wheat gluten, a flour consisting of the wheat protein, gluten. Hence, it has an incredibly juicy and chewy texture that resembles chicken meat.
Seitan is a versatile and protein-rich food that readily absorbs and takes on the flavors of seasonings. This makes it an excellent substitute for transforming into various meat-based dishes.
🧅What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Vital wheat gluten - The main ingredient used in the making of seitan. DO NOT substitute wheat gluten with other kinds of flour; it simply will not work!
- Tofu - Balance out the toughness of the gluten, yielding a more tender seitan. I recommend using extra-firm or firm tofu that has been drained and pressed beforehand.
- Nutritional yeast - Gives seitan some umami flavor. Feel free to omit it.
🔪How to make
In a food processor, add all ingredients except vital wheat gluten. Blend until a smooth batter forms.
Add wheat gluten and pulse until the dough comes together.
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Allow to process for 1-2 minutes or until the dough is slightly elastic to the touch.
Shape it into a log.
Tightly wrap the dough up with foil.
Fill the inner pot of the Instant Pot with a cup of water, then insert the steamer rack. Place the wrapped dough onto the rack.
Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally.
Allow to cool completely before slicing/carving.
✅Helpful tips
- Experiment with the kneading time - The longer the seitan is kneaded, the tougher and chewier it will be. I recommend processing it for 30-60 seconds in the food processor for a softer, more tender texture. Go up to 2 minutes for a chewier seitan.
- Allow seitan to cool before slicing and serving - Freshly cooked seitan appears soft but will firm up upon cooling.
- Making seitan on the stove - Place shaped and wrapped seitan in a steamer basket and allow to steam for an hour.
- Customize the flavors - Switch up the herbs and spices used to suit your preference, such as Italian herbs, paprika, cumin, and chili powder.
- Slicing seitan - Seitan can be cut however you like! My favorite way is to tear it apart using my hands to form a shredded chicken texture, but you can also slice or dice it.
🌯How to cook with seitan
Below are some of my favorite ways to prepare seitan:
Add to stir-fries - I love adding a portion of diced or shredded seitan to my veggie stir-fries like this Chinese eggplant stir-fry and gochujang stir-fry vegetables. It adds a nice boost of protein, making a more satisfying meal.
Use in sandwiches and wraps - This Instant Pot seitan works excellent as a substitute for deli meat in sandwiches! Either serve it cold or lightly reheat it in a pan before using.
Make traditionally meat-based dishes - Make vegan teriyaki chicken, or substitute tofu with seitan in this vegan orange chicken recipe.
Seitan ground beef - Another favorite way to enjoy it is to blend it in a food processor until finely ground, then pan-fry ground seitan in a pan.
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - The seitan can be refrigerated for a week. Keep it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag to prevent it from drying out.
Freezer - I recommend slicing seitan and portioning it out using Ziplock bags or containers before freezing. Seitan can be frozen for 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating - Seitan can be reheated in the microwave. You can also bake them in the oven for a few minutes or pan-fry them until hot. Alternatively, add them to any dishes that call for seitan.
?Commonly asked questions
Thoroughly cooked seitan will be slightly elastic and firm to the touch. To confirm its doneness, slice it down the middle, ensuring there is no uncooked dough.
If your seitan is tough and chewy, you likely over-kneaded it. The next time you make seitan, reduce the kneading time by 30-60 seconds. You will want the dough to be elastic but soft enough to be shaped.
As seitan is a cooked dish, you do not need to pre-cook it before adding it to dishes of choice.
On its own, seitan is plain and without much flavor. However, seitan absorbs flavors well and can easily take on the taste of any seasonings or sauces added.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Seitan
Ingredients
- 7 oz extra-firm tofu or firm tofu (around ½ block)
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or other neutral oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- In a food processor, add all ingredients except vital wheat gluten. Blend until a smooth batter forms.
- Add wheat gluten, and pulse until the dough comes together.
- Allow to process for 1-2 minutes or until the dough is slightly elastic to the touch.
- Shape it into a log. Tightly wrap the dough up with foil.
- Fill the inner pot of the Instant Pot with a cup of water, then insert the steamer rack. Place the wrapped dough onto the rack.
- Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Allow to cool completely and firm up before slicing or carving.
Notes
- Experiment with the kneading time - The longer the seitan is kneaded, the tougher and chewier. I recommend processing it for 30-60 seconds in the food processor for a softer, more tender texture. Go up to 2 minutes for a chewier seitan.
- Allow seitan to cool before slicing and serving - Freshly cooked seitan appears soft but will firm upon cooling.
- Slicing seitan - Seitan can be cut however you like! My favorite way is to tear it apart using my hands to form a shredded chicken texture, but you can also slice or dice it.
- Making seitan on the stove - Place shaped and wrapped seitan in a steamer basket and allow to steam for an hour.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Pyatrus says
Note: The recipe "multiplier" (i.e., 1x, 2x, 3x) works for the "block" value at the left, but does NOT work for the "tofu" ingredient amount values at the right. It stays at the "200g/7 oz" value. (if/when this is fixed, it can be removed from my comment, of course.
I found this recipe to be excellent! The instructions are clear, accurate (e.g., the 45 minute Instant Pot cook time), and it is easily adapted and modified, as suggested. The end results are perfect!
I like the inclusion of tofu too; something I didn't expect in a seitan recipe.
And I often like the "shredded" look for many seitan recipes, and that works out perfectly as well (e.g., vegan fajitas with nopales).
Of course, as with making any dough, adjusting the liquid or the flour may be needed to have the proper consistency (e.g., I needed more liquid/broth than listed). Using a food processor makes preparing small batches of dough (I also use it for pizza) very convenient.
Tofu-tub style seitan in liquid is no longer available in my area, so making my own seitan is very convenient; experimenting with various seasonings is interesting too -- and something I should have tried a long time ago (I've been vegan for over 30 years). 🙂
In my area of the USA, I buy firm tofu in a 1 lb container and Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten in the 20 oz (567 gram) bag. I double the recipe and use a 1 lb (453 g) block (package) of tofu and 1/2 bag of Vital Wheat Gluten (~ 2.25 cups / 10 oz / ~ 283.5 grams). Using these amounts makes it "easier" (for potential waste, leftover amounts, etc.).
Jim Mee Sha says
Thanks for the kind comment! Appreciate your feedback and am glad to hear that you like it. 😊 I have fixed the recipe card, hopefully it's clearer this way.
Sarah Jean Morris says
Recipe looks great. Please could you update to include grams of tofu. Half a block could be varying amounts depending on the size of the tofu block! Thanks
Jim Mee Sha says
Thanks for the feedback! I will do so now.
Megan says
Could you alternatively cut up and shape your seitan pieces and wrap individually in foil? I want to make steaks and shape them.
Jim Mee Sha says
I have yet to try that, but I imagine it will work!
Angella says
Made this today and also added in some vegan 'chicken flavored stock granules'. Absolutely delicious. Definitely a keeper that will be on rotation in my household. Not too chewy or dry but just right, even goldilocks would be impressed 😋Thank you.
Stephanie says
I have been looking for a seitan recipe for a few weeks. I was excited to find yours because it uses the IP and only requires a few ingredients.
Today, I made it for lunch. The seitan is delicious and tender. In fact, we ate the entire loaf this afternoon! Shortly after, I made a double batch so we would have homemade seitan all week. Thank you Meesha!
Jim Mee Sha says
Glad to hear that, and thanks for the kind comment!
Conni Miller says
Made it today. I am not a vegetarian but I like to use alternative proteins sometimes so I used Worcestershire sauce. I also used butter on top when I cooked it in the foil.
It turned out phenomenal! Only kneaded it a few times and it was very tender. I cannot wait to use it in some recipes this week.
Meesha says
I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for your kind comment. 😁
Jennifer says
How much is one serving?
Meesha says
As the prices of ingredients vary between countries, I could not give you an exact number, but I think it is in the 2-4$ range.😅
Chris says
I make this just like you but can here to see the IP instructions.
Couple things I do differently:
Instead of Gluten and Nutritional Yeast I use beef and lamb.
Kidding.
What I really do is bake or dry this after. Gives it the crispy edges like real gyros.
5 stars for your recipe.
Meesha says
Haha, thanks for the suggestions!🤣
Endomorph says
This was the first seitan recipe I ever attempted, and it made things so easy! I consistently use this as my base recipe when expermienting, or just looking for something with consistent taste/texture.
I highly recommend using chickpea flour for the fiber, in addition to a bit of ACV to cut down on the VWG taste, which I personally don't mind.
Get creative!
Meesha says
I am glad that you like it! Thanks for the suggestions.😊
Michelle says
Did you recently change the recipe? I used to make seitan from your site all the time but it was a different recipe.
Jim Mee Sha says
Yes, the recipe has been recently updated and the recipe improved.😊
Tara says
Do you have the original recipe archived somewhere? I really liked that it didn't require tofu before (as much as I enjoy tofu) as all the ingredients were shelf stable so I could make it on a whim.
Tara Srofe says
Are you putting the log WITH the foil around it in the instant pot or do you remove the foil then cook inside instant pot?
meesha says
I am putting the foil around it in the instant pot ! This will help the seitan maintain its shape.