Use this vegan beef recipe to make beef-flavored mock meat that you can swap it out for beef in just about any recipe. It's a meaty, tender, juicy, beef-flavored seitan that has been 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.
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❤️ You'll love this recipe
The beef flavor in this seitan roast beef comes from a beefy broth made from mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste which is then pureed and mixed with vital wheat gluten for a meaty texture.
Beef seitan is easier than you may think to make, it only takes about 15 minutes to throw it together, and the only hard part is waiting while it cooks. 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.
🧾 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.
🔪 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.
Step 3 - Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.
Step 4 - Pour the pureed mixture into a large glass bowl and 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 hand until a firm dough ball is formed.
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 once it gets wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
- Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that will get everywhere if you are not careful with it. 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 strong foil, or it will break the foil when it is 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 to make my vegan pot roast or vegan roast beef recipes, you only need to steam it for 1 hour since it will heat the rest of the way 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.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Seitan is not gluten-free and can not 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.
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.
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 much of a meat-like texture as fully cooked seitan. If your seitan is chewy or slightly doughy continue to heat it until it's 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 in a little oil, or bake at 350° F for about 15 -20 minutes until warm. (Times vary depending on how much you are reheating.)
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan beef recipe
Vegan Beef
Equipment
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
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 once it gets wet and will stick like glue to a plastic bowl or a wooden spoon.
- Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that will get everywhere if you are not careful with it. 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 strong foil, or it will break the foil when it is 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 to make my vegan pot roast or vegan roast beef recipes, you only need to steam it for 1 hour since it will heat the rest of the way in the oven.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
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!
You're welcome, Lindsay! I'm happy that you are enjoying so many of my recipes! 🙂
Hello! Just steamed two batches of seitan. One will go in the freezer...but i'm wondering if should roast it first before it goes in the freezer or not?
No need to roast it first. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Monica I'm planning to make this recipe for Easter. I'm wondering if I can make the seitan beef the day before and then cook in the wood fired oven the next day? Would I need to adjust the initial steaming time? Or is it best steamed then baked the same day?
Thanks for your awesome recipes
Linda
You can make it the day before for sure. You will just need to keep it in the fridge overnight. Just steam it for 1 hour and 15 minutes to ensure it's cooked completely. You'll also need to add about 15 minutes to the baking time so that it gets hot enough in the middle since it will be cold from the fridge. Enjoy! Happy Easter!
Thanks Monica. Happy Easter
I was wondering if this would fit in a rice steamer basket before I venture out to buy a steamer basket?
You can probably modify the shape of it to make it fit. I usually make it about 7-8 inches long and about 5 inches thick. You could shape it to fit your rice steamer, but you may have to cook it an extra 5-10 minutes if it's thicker. Enjoy!
This was delicious and very easy to make!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Julie!
An intriguing recipe! My partner usually makes our seitan but I've decided to give it a go this time. Any reason why you couldn't leave out the listed salt and oil then saute with stock, wine, or water?
You can leave out the salt and oil. You can also saute it in flavored broth instead of steaming, but it will expand more and not be as dense. (I do a similar method with my vegan steak recipe and it works well.) Enjoy!
I made this the day before this comment was posted, rolled the seitan in potato starch & seared it on all sides before sauteing it in a simple mushroom stock, without the foil, for around 1 hour, and it turn out absolutely AMAZING!! I found the texture, myself, to be wonderful and the outside had a beautiful toasty roasty flavour. Thank you SO much for this recipe Monica!! Cheers from Australia. 😀
I'm so happy that the recipe worked well for you, Deb! 🙂
I just want to say that I love all your seitan recipes I make them all the time along with all your cheese recipes they are great. I was recently diagnosed as gluten intolerance so I won't be able to eat anymore of your seitan recipes but I will still continue to make them for my family because they love it too. Thanks for all your recipes.
Aww, thanks so much for letting me know that you like them! It makes my day to read comments like this! I'm sorry that you won't be able to eat gluten anymore. Just so you know, almost every recipe on my site can be made gluten-free, except for the seitan ones.
Your welcome. I'll be checking out the gf recipes and thanks again. Have a great day, Lucy.
Comment
I tried this recipe tonight and am pleased that it came out near to a beef texture/flavor; however, I am looking at my loaf and yours and yours is nice and smooth and mine is lumpy and the loaf didn't expand too much!! I didn't want to over-knead. Any suggestions?? I will keep trying!! Thanks so much!
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Amy. You can just roll the loaf around on a flat surface and smooth it out. When you wrap the loaf in foil, try to keep it smooth over the middle and fold the foil at the ends to avoid bumps in your final loaf. I have a video of how to make vegan turkey showing how to wrap the loaf. You can find it here... https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-turkey/#wprm-recipe-container-14640
I wish I could make this but the wheat gluten is the problem. Can I use something else pl?
where does the transfat come from? I do not see any ingredients that would have it.
I'm not sure, Mike. My nutrition calculator says that there is transfat sometimes when there are no ingredients in the recipe that have any. I'm not sure why, I think it's a glitch. I will check with the company that makes it.
Hi, I haven't made this yet, but I have a question. I've read several recipes for seitan and several of them indicate that letting the 'meat' sit in the refrigerator over night, really improves texture. Would you be able to explain why and also why you didn't with your recipe. I plan on trying it soon. All of your recipes really 'call' out to me and I enjoy your take on food. Thank you.
I tested it both ways and it doesn't make enough diffence in the texture to be noticable. I find that using the right about of vital wheat gluten and cooking it to the correct temp makes much more of a difference than letting the dough rest or keeping it in the fridge. It will firm up a little if you put it in the fridge overnight, if you want it even firmer.
I love your seitan meat recipes. I have your cheese cookbook and the kitchen staples cookbook. Would you consider a "meat" cookbook as well? TIA
I really don't understand why vegans want to duplicate meat. That's like drinking NearBeer, and any alcoholic can tell you that that just leads you back to the beginning. If you're going to give up meat, GIVE IT UP ENTIRELY!
I am the only vegan in my household, and it is so nice having recipes like this that I can make and the whole family can enjoy, along with me. It gives my budget a break from shopping for meat, poultry, and fish, and gives them a break from eating only those foods. So that is one reason why this vegan, at least, would want to duplicate meat.
Some of us are transitioning from an omnivore diet to a plant based or vegan diet. It’s comforting to have plant “meats” similar to what we have eaten. If it’s a step in the right direction, why criticize it?
So did you TRY the recipe, Joy, or are you just here to spout that tired old song and dance? 🙄
Not EVERYONE who eats this way is vegan and some of us want a healthier analogue to the beef/chicken/seafood we ate before because we have fond memories of meals that included them. We don’t all nibble grass and drink wheat juice. Don’t you dare to presume to tell me what to eat.
And the recipe is delicious. 😉
I agree 100%!!!
Why are you so sore about this? Do what you like. It's not our business.
If it bothers then why are you here looking at this recipe? It makes no sense!
(Rolls eyes)...sigh. Seriously? THIS argument again???
Next you'll be asking where we get our protein.
Some of us grew up with meat and have fond memories of childhood, sitting around the dinner table with family that may not be here with us anymore, or of holiday dinners with friends long forgotten or now far away. Or maybe we just had a hot dog and some cheesy soft pretzels at the ballpark with our spouse or partner who has since passed on, or a nice plate of biscuits & gravy with over easy eggs and sausage links on a frosty Christmas morning, still in our pajamas, a big pile of torn wrapping paper in the living room that the cat is busy playing in...good memories.
Now we can relive them without harming any animal, and you would trample those memories with your Pecksniffian lectures?
If you don't like it, don't make it. How is my enjoyment of it affecting you in any way? Are any animals being harmed? No? Then please enlighten us as to why you are upset?
I’m an alcoholic who has been drinking n.a. beer for decades, and it’s never become a gateway back to alcohol—for me. I got sober and became vegan in 1987. I always loved the taste and texture of meat, and since becoming vegan, I still do! I’m an ethical vegan, so meat analogs are yummy to me. It’s also nice to be able to make foods that take me back to childhood, like man n cheez or “beef” stew. If it doesn’t feel right to you, don’t do it! But there are many paths, and this is mine.
Ha ha! That would be MAC n cheez!
My grandmother gifted my siblings and I a case of family recipe cards for Christmas. I’m looking through them, handwritten, very fondly. I’m vegan, but still want to honor and connect with my family and my own memories by making dishes like pot roast. I love to cook and still want to pass down recipes to my children or make my mom’s grandmother’s dish for her.
I’ve been vegetarian since childhood, and eating “meat-like” dishes has never “lead me back to the beginning.” I really don’t understand why you are being so rude, Joy.
Sometimes some of have to give up eating meat for medical reasons, doesn't mean we don't miss meat if we are vegan! Move along KAREN! Why are you even here?!