The best meaty, juicy, vegan steak you will ever eat! Made from onions, mushrooms, vital wheat gluten, and spices then simmered in a flavorful marinade and seared to perfection. These meaty mock steaks will satisfy your beef cravings for sure! This seitan steak recipe will get meat lovers eating vegan and loving it! They work great on the grill too!

A vegan steak on a iron skillet with a fork sticking it it.

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I’ve been making homemade seitan recipes for over 20 years and I have a ton of them on my blog like vegan turkey, ham, chicken, hot dogs, beef, and salami just to name a few. I have spent years tweaking my steak recipe and held off on publishing it until it was perfect.

I start off by sauteing onions and beefy portabella mushrooms and pureeing them in a beef-flavored broth before mixing them with wheat gluten. Then, the secret to a delicious juicy steak is simmering it in a flavored broth and then searing it to perfection.

Even meat-eaters will love this seitan recipe! It’s the closest thing to a real steak that you can make

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

  • Portabella Mushrooms – for a beefy flavor and texture in your steak. You can also use baby Bellas.
  • Onion – for flavor.
  • Oregano – for flavor. You can use fresh or dried.
  • Garlic Powder – for flavor.
  • Steak Seasonings – for flavor. I use a basic steak seasoning mix, but you can also make your own blend using this steak seasoning recipe.
  • 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 it out for nutritional yeast or red wine if you want.)
  • Smoked Paprika – to give your steak a red color and a slightly smoky flavor. You can also use regular paprika and a dash of liquid smoke.
  • Vital Wheat Gluten – this is a wheat protein that is used for the base of the seitan. 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 order a large bag from Amazon to make lots of seitan recipes. When you buy a large bag, the seitan comes out to only $0.33 per serving!
  • Light Olive Oil – or any neutral-flavored oil for sauteing the onion and mushrooms and searing the steaks.
Four vegan steaks on a skillet and one being cut into slices.

🔪 Helpful tools

  • A food processor – you can also use a blender or an immersion blender to puree the onions and mushrooms with the broth.
  • A large skillet with a lid – to simmer the steaks in. You will need a pan with a well-fitting lid.
  • An iron skillet – or grill pan to brown the steaks after you simmer them. I like to use a griddle to make charred lines on the steaks. You can also grill the steaks after they have simmered in the broth.
A vegan steak on a white plate with a slice cut off of it and green beans on the side.

🥄 How to make seitan steaks

Step 1 – Dice a small onion and saute it in 2 tablespoons of oil for about 3-4 minutes.

Step 2 – Cut 2 portabella mushrooms into small pieces, add to the onions and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Then saute the mushrooms and onions for about 5 more minutes until tender.

Step 3 – Add 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 2 teaspoons steak seasoning, and stir well.

Step 4 – Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth paste.

A collage of 4 images showing onions and mushrooms being sauted then blended with broth into a paste to make steak seitan.

Step 5 – Transfer the mixture to a large glass bowl, add 1 cup of vital wheat gluten, and mix well. Add another 1/2 cup of wheat gluten and mix again.

Step 6 – Add the final 1/4 cup of wheat gluten and knead it in with your hands until you have a firm dough that no longer feels wet to the touch. (The amount of wheat gluten needed may vary slightly depending on the amount of moisture in your onion and mushrooms.)

Step 7 – Flatten the seitan dough in a circle on the countertop and cut it into 4 equal pieces (or 6 smaller ones.) You can use a rolling pin to help you flatten the dough.

A collage of 4 images showing the mushroom mixture in a bowl and wheat gluten being added until it forms a firm dough, then cutting it into 4 pieces.

Step 8 – Shape the gluten into steaks and fry them in a little oil in a large frying pan. (This sears the gluten and stops it from expanding too much when you simmer them.)

Cook the steaks

Step 9 – Make a broth by mixing 2 1/2 cups of water 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoons steak seasoning, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.

Step 10 – Pour the broth over the seared gluten steaks. This should just barely cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer at a slow boil for 45 minutes. (Flip the steaks after 25 minutes)

A collage of 4 images showing a piece of raw steak seitan being fried and then broth added and a lid put on the frying pan for simmering.

Step 11 – After they have simmered for 45 minutes, most of the broth will have been absorbed or evaporated and there will be a little sauce left in the pan. (At this point your seitan is cooked and can be eaten, but if you want to give it a charred steak flavor, grill or sear it in an iron skillet.)

The vegan seitan steaks in a frying pan after simmering in broth for 45 minutes.
The steaks after simmering in the broth for 45 minutes.

Char the vegan steaks

Step 12 – Heat an iron griddle, skillet, or outdoor grill until it is very hot. Coat with a small amount of oil and cook the vegan steaks for about 3-4 minutes on each side until it they get a nice char on both sides. (You can use any of the remaining sauce in the pan as a steak sauce.)

A close up of vegan steak being cooked on a skillet.

🥘 What to serve with vegan steak

You can also slice up these vegan steaks into strips and use them to make vegan fajitas, plant-based steak sandwiches, or vegan beef and broccoli.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that can get messy. When pouring the flour into the bowl, hold it low in the bowl so it doesn’t splash out or make a cloud of dust.
  • Gluten needs to be cooked, don’t eat it raw. You know that it has cooked enough when it is firm and meat-like and no longer has a doughy texture.
  • After you simmer the seitan for 45 minutes, it is safe to eat, you can then dice it up and use it as vegan beef in other recipes if you wish.
  • Use only a glass bowl and silicone spatula. Wet gluten is very sticky and hard to clean.
  • Wash your bowl and utensils in very hot water. This will help to reduce the stickiness of the gluten. You may want to use an old rag that you can throw away after you clean up.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can I make gluten-free seitan?

No, seitan is made from concentrated wheat gluten, so there is no way to make this recipe gluten-free. The closest thing that I have seen to gluten-free seitan steaks is a gluten-free seitan roast recipe from A Virtual Vegan.

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 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: You can keep your vegan steaks in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.

Freeze: Seitan steaks freeze well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them defrost overnight in the fridge.

Reheating: Reheat the steaks by pan-frying them in a little oil until heated through.

A vegan steak on a white plate with green beans on the side.

If you like this vegetarian steak recipe, be sure to check out my other seitan-based red “meats” like vegan beef, seitan pot roast, and vegan roast beef.

🌟 More seitan recipes

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

📋 Vegan steak recipe

A vegan steak on an iron skillet cut into slices with a fork in it.
Diet
High Protein Icon
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5 from 7 rating

Vegan Steak

Yield: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Grilling time: 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
The best meaty, juicy, vegan steak you will ever eat! Made from onions, mushrooms, wheat gluten, and spices and cooked to perfection.
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 medium portabella mushrooms, (about 2 cups chopped mushrooms)
  • 1 small onion, (about 1/2 cup diced onion)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, or regular paprika
  • 2 teaspoons steak seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten

For the broth to simmer the steaks

To sear the steaks

  • 1 tablespoon oil, (for searing the steaks)

Instructions
 

Make the seasoned seitan dough

  • Dice a small onion and saute it in 2 tablespoons of oil for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Cut 2 portabella mushrooms into small pieces, add to the onions and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Then saute the mushrooms and onions for about 5 more minutes until tender.
  • Add 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 2 teaspoons steak seasoning and stir well.
  • Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth paste.
  • Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and add 1 cup of vital wheat gluten and mix well. Add another 1/2 cup of wheat gluten and mix again.
  • Add the final 1/4 cup of wheat gluten and knead it in with your hands until you have a firm dough that no longer feels wet to the touch. (You may need to adjust it a little – the amount of wheat gluten needed may vary slightly depending on the amount of moisture in your onion and mushrooms.)
  • Flatten the gluten dough in a circle on the countertop and cut it into 4 large steaks (or 6 smaller ones.)
  • Shape the gluten into steaks and fry them in a little oil in a large frying pan. (This sears the gluten and stops it from expanding too much when you simmer them.)

Make the simmering broth

  • Make a broth by mixing 2 1/2 cups of water 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoons steak seasoning, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.

Simmer the seitan steaks

  • Pour the broth over the seared gluten steaks. This should just barely cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer at a slow boil for 45 minutes. (Flip the steaks after 25 minutes) (Check on the steaks frequently towards the end of simmering to make sure all of the liquid did not evaporate. If the liquid is low add a few more tablespoons. If you still have lots of liquid at the end of cooking simmer for a few more minutes with the lid off. See the picture above of how it should look after simmering.)
  • After they have simmered for 45 minutes, most of the broth will have been absorbed or evaporated and there will be a little sauce left in the pan. (At this point your seitan is cooked and can be eaten, but if you want to give it a charred steak flavor, grill or sear it in an iron skillet.

Sear your vegan steaks

  • Heat an iron griddle or skillet until it is very hot. Coat with a small amount of oil and cook the vegan steaks for about 3-4 minutes on each side until it becomes a little blackened. (You can use any of the remaining sauce in the pan as a steak sauce.)

Notes

  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that can get messy. When pouring the flour into the bowl, hold it low in the bowl so it doesn’t splash out or make a cloud of dust.
  • Gluten needs to be cooked, don’t eat it raw. You know that it has cooked enough when it is firm and meat-like and no longer has a doughy texture.
  • After you simmer the seitan for 45 minutes, it is safe to eat, you can then dice it up and use it as vegan beef in other recipes if you wish.
  • Use only a glass bowl and silicone spatula. Wet gluten is very sticky and hard to clean.
  • Wash your bowl and utensils in very hot water. This will help to reduce the stickiness of the gluten. You may want to use an old rag that you can throw away after you clean up.
Serving: 1steak, Calories: 337kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 881mg, Potassium: 452mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 983IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 126mg, Iron: 5mg
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