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Seitan is a plant-based meat substitute made out of wheat gluten.
It’s made by rinsing prepared wheat dough to remove the starch, leaving a sticky mass of protein that can be flavored, cooked, and used in a number of dishes.
Seitan is a vegan meat substitute made from vital wheat gluten
While it may seem that you should pronounce “seitan” similarly to the name of a certain religious figure, the correct way to pronounce it is "say-tan" or "say-tawn".
Seitan is often sold in slices, cubes, or strips but can also be easily made at home. The result is a dense, brown, somewhat chewy vegan meat alternative with a savory flavor.
Use strips of seitan in stir-fry, cubes in stews, and slices in sandwiches in place of foods like lunchmeat, beef, and chicken. In addition to a powerful nutritional profile, seitan contributes a unique and satiating texture to these dishes.
Seitan is high in protein and low in carbohydrates, but some people wonder whether there are downsides to eating something made entirely from gluten.
you can also make it at home using just a few ingredients.
All you really need is vital wheat gluten, which is a dried powder usually sold in the baking section with the nontraditional flours, and a liquid, such as water or vegetable broth.
However, many recipes also call for small amounts of other ingredients such as nutritional yeast, liquid aminos, or soy sauce, as well as herbs or spices like garlic and onion powder to add more flavor to homemade seitan. Some recipes also include chickpea or soy flour.
You’ll simply mix all the ingredients together to form a dough and then slice the dough into pieces and simmer them in liquid to cook them. From there, your homemade seitan is ready to use in any dish.
Note that while you can mix seitan by hand, the dough quickly becomes thick, so it may be easier to use a countertop mixer.
How to use seitan

Whether you purchase premade seitan or make your own at home, there are a number of ways you can use it.
Some delicious ways to use seitan include the following:
sliced and layered onto sandwiches
used as a ground beef substitute in spaghetti sauce or tacos
sliced into strips for fajitas or stir-fry
slathered with barbecue sauce and served as a main dish
breaded and deep-fried like chicken strips
simmered in hearty bean and vegetable stews
threaded onto skewers with baby potatoes and vegetables and grilled as kebabs
What does seitan taste like?


Seitan has a dense, slightly rubbery texture that many people say more closely resembles meat than tofu or tempeh.
It has a savory flavor that you can enhance by adding seasonings and sauces if you make it at home. Using nutritional yeast in your homemade dough, for instance, can give your seitan a nutty, cheesy flavor. Adding soy sauce can give it a saltier flavor.
If you’re using premade seitan, you can boost its flavor by marinating it or briefly cooking it in vegetable broth before adding it to a dish.

Seitan vs. tempeh
You may be wondering how seitan compares to other popular plant-based meat alternatives, such as tempeh.
While seitan is a soy-free option that contains gluten, tempeh is a gluten-free option that contains soy.
Tempeh is a protein-rich cake made from fermented soybeans. It comes in a densely packed rectangular shape and can be sliced and used in stews, chili, pasta, casseroles, and breakfast scrambles.
You can use tempeh in many of the same ways you would use seitan, but tempeh is more easily crumbled into foods like sauces or tacos.
Nutritionally, tempeh and seitan are both high in protein, offering 20 and 25 grams per 100-gram serving, respectively. They’re both low in carbs, containing only 6–7 grams per serving. Compared to seitan, tempeh is slightly higher in calories and contains more fat (1Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
As for preparation, seitan is made by combining wheat gluten with liquid, whereas tempeh is made from whole soybeans that have been fermented. Tempeh is then blanched and packaged to optimize its shelf life.
Seitan has a smooth, slightly rubbery, dense texture and a savory flavor. Being a cake of whole soybeans, tempeh has a bumpy texture and is also dense.
Tempeh has a bitter flavor that some people don’t like, but you can reduce this by steaming the tempeh for a few minutes before using it in a recipe.