Use this vegan beef recipe to make beef-flavored mock meat that you can swap out for beef in just about any recipe. It’s a meaty, tender, juicy, beef-flavored seitan, seasoned and cooked to perfection. Use this faux beef to make vegan beef stew, vegan roast beef, pot roast, vegan beef and broccoli, soups, or stir-fries.

Vegan beef seitan sliced on a cutting board with potatoes and carrots on the side.

You’ll love this recipe

The beef flavor in this seitan roast beef comes from a beefy broth made with mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste, which is then pureed and mixed with vital wheat gluten to achieve a meaty texture.

Beef seitan is easier than you may think to make; it takes about 15 minutes to throw together, and the only hard part is waiting for it to cook. Once your mock beef has steamed, it’s ready to baste and bake, or simply slice and dice and add to your favorite recipes that call for beef.

Another winner! I like to build up a good freezer stash every spring so I don’t have to think or cook too much once summer hits. Made this one today to add to the stash, which already has The Hidden Veggie’s bologna, hot dogs, Italian sausage, and chicken nuggets. I’m working my way through the website/ebooks until my freezer is full! 😬 It’s going to be a delicious summer! Thanks Monica!

—Lindsay

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Olive Oil – for sauteing the onion and mushrooms.
  • Mushrooms – for a beefy flavor and texture. You can also use white mushrooms, baby Bellas, or portabella mushrooms. (Mushrooms are a key ingredient in this recipe to give a beefy flavor and help the seitan retain a juicy texture when cooked.)
  • Onion – for flavor.
  • Oregano – for flavor. You can use fresh or dried.
  • Black Pepper – for flavor. You can also use red pepper flakes if you want a little heat.
  • Salt – for flavor.
  • Garlic Powder – for flavor.
  • Soy Sauce – for a beefy flavor. You can also use Tamari or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
  • Tomato Paste – for an umami flavor and red color. (You can swap this for nutritional yeast or vegan red wine if desired.) (The acidity in the tomato paste helps subdue the gluten flavor in seitan.)
  • Smoked Paprika – to give your vegan beef a red color and a slightly smoky flavor. You can also use regular paprika.
  • Vital Wheat Gluten – for the base of the meat substitute and what gives it a meaty texture. This can not be substituted with any other ingredient. (I’m sorry, but this recipe can not be made gluten-free.) You can usually find it in the Bob’s Red Mill section or the specialty baking section of large grocery stores. I ordered a large bag from Amazon to make lots of seitan recipes.
Vegan beef cut up into cubes on a wooden cutting board.

Helpful tools

  • Blender or Food Processor – to puree the cooked mushrooms and broth.
  • A Steamer Pot – or pressure cooker or Instant Pot with a steam basket.
  • Thick Foil – heavy-duty aluminum foil works best, so it doesn’t break when cooking the beef.

How to make vegan beef

Step 1 – Peel and dice 1 small onion and wash and slice 2 cups of mushrooms. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet and saute the diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Step 2 – Add 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 2 tbsp tomato paste, and mix well. Then stir in 1 cup of water and turn off the heat.

Onions and mushrooms sauteed in a frying pan with spices, soy sauce, tomato paste, and water added for the flavor base of beef seitan.
Sauté the mushrooms, the spices, and the broth.
The beef flavored broth with mushrooms and onions pureed in a food processor before add the wheat gluten.
Puree the mushrooms, spices, and broth.

Step 3 – Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.

Step 4 – Pour the pureed mixture into a large glass bowl, add 1 1/2 cups of vital wheat gluten, and stir with a silicone spatula.

Step 5 – Kneed in the last 1/2 cup of wheat gluten with your hands until a firm dough ball forms.

A frim ball of setain flavored to taste like beef before it is wrapped and steamed.
Kneed it into a firm ball.
The vegan beef roasted wrapped in foil in a steamer basket to cook.
Wrap it tightly in foil.

Step 6 – Shape your dough ball into a loaf shape and wrap it tightly in thick foil.

Step 7 – Place the wrapped roast in a steaming basket and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Or in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for 55 minutes and then let the steam escape naturally.)

Step 8 – Allow the vegan beef to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.

How to use beef seitan

You can now use it for a seitan roast beef, a vegan pot roast, and a meatless beef stew. Slice it up for vegan Mongolian beef, vegan Philly cheesesteaks, vegan beef and broccoli, lettuce wraps, vegan beef stroganoff, seitan gyros, or vegan fajitas.

You can serve the vegan beef with mashed potatoes, vegan brown gravy, and roasted balsamic vegetables for a hearty meal.

Pro Tips

  • Use a glass bowl and a silicone spatula to mix your seitan. Vital wheat gluten is very sticky when wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that can get everywhere if you are not careful. Pour it low down and slowly over the broth mixture so it doesn’t splash out of your bowl.
  • Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that’s a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 60 seconds, so your wheat meat doesn’t get too chewy.
  • If you don’t want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the mock beef in parchment paper first, then wrap the foil around it.
  • Seitan expands when it cooks, so be sure to use sturdy foil, or it will tear the foil while steaming.
  • Be sure to steam the seitan for a full hour and 15 minutes. The internal temperature needs to reach 160° F.
  • If you are going to bake the roast after steaming it for my vegan pot roast or vegan roast beef recipes, you only need to steam it for 1 hour, since it will finish heating in the oven.

This mock beef freezes well, so slice it up into small pieces and store it in the freezer so you always have some on hand for quick weeknight meals. You can simply toss it into stir-fries or vegan soups for extra protein. Your whole family will love this great recipe, and even meat-eaters will be surprised by how much this tastes like the real thing.

A vegan pot roast made with a vegan beef loaf with potatoes, carrots, and onions.
Vegan beef pot roast.

Frequently asked questions

Is vegan beef gluten-free?

Seitan is not gluten-free and cannot be made gluten-free, since the main ingredient is wheat gluten. You can rehydrate Butler Soy Curls or TVP soy chunks in a gluten-free beef-flavored broth for a gluten-free alternative. You can use these in soups and stir-fries, but you can’t make a meaty loaf with them.

Is vegan beef healthy?

Vegan beef made from seitan has much less fat than beef, no saturated fat, and no cholesterol. Plus, this mock beef recipe has 33 grams of protein and 17% of your RDA of iron per serving.

Can seitan be eaten raw?

Seitan can not be eaten raw; you must cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F before it is safe to eat. If your seitan is undercooked, it will not have as meaty a texture as fully cooked seitan. If your seitan is chewy or slightly doughy, continue heating it until fully cooked.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: This mock beef will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 – 5 days.

Freeze: Beef seitan freezes well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Cut it into small pieces before you freeze it if you plan on using it for soups or stir-fries. You can reheat small pieces directly from the freezer.)

Reheating: You can reheat the vegan beef in the microwave for about 5 minutes, pan-fry it in a little oil, or bake it at 350° F for about 15 -20 minutes until warm. (Times vary depending on how much you are reheating.)

A vegan roast beef cut into thin slices on a wooden cutting board.
Vegan beef seasoned to make roast beef.

More mock meats

Vegan beef recipe

A large piece of vegan beef made from seitan on a cutting board with some slices cut off.
Diet
High Protein Icon
Nut Free Icon
Vegan Icon
5 from 11 rating

Vegan Beef Seitan

Yield: 6
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
Mock beef made from seitan. This vegan beef can be used in place of beef in most recipes.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 cups mushrooms, (sliced)
  • 1/2 cup onion, (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika , (or regular paprika)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste, (or vegan red wine)
  • 1 cup water, (or low sodium veggie broth)
  • 2 cups vital wheat gluten

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Peel and dice 1 small onion and wash and slice 2 cups of mushrooms. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet and saute the diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp salt.
  • Add 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 2 tbsp tomato paste, and mix well. Then stir in 1 cup of water and turn off the heat.
  • Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.
  • Pour the pureed mixture into a large glass bowl add 1 1/2 cups of vital wheat gluten and stir with a silicone spatula.
  • Kneed in the last 1/2 cup of wheat gluten with your hand until a firm dough ball is formed.
  • Shape your dough ball into a loaf shape and wrap it tightly in thick foil.
  • Place the wrapped roast in a steaming basket and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Or in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for 55 minutes and then let the steam escape naturally.)
  • You can now use it for a seitan roast beef, a vegan pot roast, slice it up for vegan Mongolian beef or use the seitan strips in a lettuce wrap. (Allow the vegan beef to cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.)

Notes

  • Use a glass bowl and a silicone spatula to mix your seitan. Vital wheat gluten is very sticky when wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that can get everywhere if you are not careful. Pour it low down and slowly over the broth mixture so it doesn’t splash out of your bowl.
  • Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that’s a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 60 seconds so your wheat meat doesn’t get too chewy.
  • If you don’t want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the mock beef in parchment paper first and then wrap the foil around that.
  • Seitan expands when it cooks, so be sure to use sturdy foil, or it will tear the foil while steaming.
  • Be sure to steam the seitan for a full hour and 15 minutes. The internal temperature needs to reach 160° F.
  • If you are going to bake the roast after steaming it for my vegan pot roast or vegan roast beef recipes, you only need to steam it for 1 hour, since it will finish heating in the oven.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 216kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 695mg, Potassium: 260mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 417IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!