• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Conscientious Eater
  • START HERE
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Meal Plan
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • 8-Week Meal Plan
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • 8-Week Meal Plan
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home | Recipes | Vegan Main Dish Recipes

    Basic Seitan Recipe

    Dec 7, 2022 by Faith VanderMolen

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Made with just four ingredients and cooked in a pressure cooker, this Basic Seitan Recipe couldn't be easier to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes!

    lump of seitan on a table

    When I first decided to adopt a plant-based diet, I never thought I'd venture into the realm of faux meats. I probably didn't even know what products like tempeh or seitan were in the beginning, and I'm not even sure if I had ever cooked tofu before. I believe it was through visiting restaurants and traveling that I first discovered faux meat and cheese products like seitan. Thankfully the amount of plant-based meats, cheeses and milks in America and other countries are starting to expand dramatically and that's super exciting and will people more easily transition to a plant focus diet if they desire. 

    Today I want to share with you the easiest Basic Seitan Recipe. And by basic, I really mean basic. The spices I used for this recipe are just garlic powder and salt, but if you know what recipe you'll be using this seitan in after it's cooked, feel free to add in extra spices that will pair well with your recipe.

    My hopes is that after reading this post, you'll be less intimidated by faux meats and will have some new inspiration for your next meal! I love using my pressure cooker to cook seitan, but there are other methods for cooking seitan too.

    lump of seitan dough
    lump of seitan dough sliced into three sections

    The dough for this Basic Seitan Recipe comes together in seconds...literally seconds. In a bowl you just mix together the dry ingredients. Then once you add in the water and start stirring, you'll see a dense, squishy dough form in a matter of seconds. After a little bit of kneading you'll be ready to cut up your seitan and cook it.

    I absolutely love my pressure cooker for so many reasons, but especially when it comes to cooking seitan. By using a pressure cooker you don't have to monitor the seitan as it cooks and I find that my pressure cooker creates perfect seitan every time. But like I mentioned above, if you don't have a pressure cooker you can easily simmer (not boil) the seitan in a mixture of veggie broth, soy sauce and water for about 45 minutes. 

    Please let me know if you try out this Basic Seitan Recipe or if you have any tips or tricks for how to cook Seitan without a pressure cooker. 

    chunks of seitan dough on a table
    seitan chunks in a pan
    seitan chunks starting to cook
    seitan chunks fully cooked
    a piece of fully cooked seitan on a fork
    pieces of seitan in a bowl

    📖 Recipe

    Basic Seitan Recipe

    Basic Seitan Recipe

    Faith VanderMolen
    Made with just four ingredients and cooked in a pressure cooker, this Basic Seitan Recipe couldn't be easier to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
    4.89 from 18 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 16 minutes mins
    Total Time 26 minutes mins
    Course Vegan Main Dish Recipes
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 45 kcal

    Equipment

    • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¾ cup water

    Instructions 

    • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
    • Add in the ¾ cup of water and stir the mixture together. A squishy dough will come together immediately, but just keep stirring until all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the dough.
    • On a cutting board, knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes until you press your finger into the center and the dough bounces right back.
    • Chop the dough into bite-size pieces and place them in an even layer on the bottom of your pressure cooker.
    • Pour water into the bottom of your pressure cooker until water is almost covering the top of the seitan pieces. It's okay if some of the seitan is still above the water line.
    • Cover your pressure cooker and cook the seitan on the manual or meat setting for 16 minutes.
    • After 16 minutes, release the pressure and remove the pressure cooker lid.
    • The seitan will have expanded so feel free to cut the seitan chunks into smaller bite size pieces.
    • Use the seitan in stir fries, curries, or on top of pizza.

    Notes

    For other ways to cook seitan you can read this post or this post.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 45kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 9gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 237mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.01gVitamin C: 0.004mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

    More Vegan Main Dish Recipes

    • Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
    • Vegan Zuppa Toscana
    • Vegan Chickpea Salad (No Mayo!)
    • Vegetarian Taco Bowls (with Walnut Meat!)


    Plant Biased Cookbook


    Plant Biased cover
     

    Plant Biased is my new cookbook and beginner's guide to eating a more plant based diet! I describe it as "the book I wish I had when I went vegan back in 2013."

    Plant Biased includes...

    90+ beginner recipes! My top breakfast, main dish, dessert & snack recipes!
    Why Plant Biased? Understand the "why" behind your choice to go plant-based!
    Vegan Cooking Basics: What you need to know and what to avoid when cooking.
    Grocery Shopping: How to confidently find healthy, unprocessed foods at the store.
    Nutritional Guidelines: Make sure you meet all your nutritional needs!
    Kitchen Essentials: Learn to create a place where you'll LOVE to cook!

    Buy it now for only $18.95 $9.95!

     
    Preview & Buy!


    buy Plant Biased on Amazon  

    Customer Reviews
    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4.8 out of 5


    31 All-Time Greatest Eats Cookbook!

    For a limited time, I'm giving away a 68-page cookbook of my reader-favorite recipes called my "31 All-Time Greatest Eats"!

    Just click the cover image above or the Download button below and it will take you directly to the PDF!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tami H says

      June 07, 2023 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      I made this seitan a couple of days ago. LOVE the ease of preparation, quick cooking time and minimal ingredients. It tastes great in a stir-fry sauce I made. However, it did come out a bit chewier than I would like. Any tips on what I could be doing wrong? Over kneading? Although, I only kneaded a minute or two until it sprang back when poked with my thumb… Do I need to knead it longer? I really want to perfect this because this is so simple and a game changer! Thank you so much for all your recipes and all the work you do. I truly appreciate it. I just got your book and I’m looking forward to working my way through your recipes.

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        June 20, 2023 at 12:05 am

        So glad you enjoyed the ease of this recipe! I can be a little chewy as I use very few ingredients. If you used some blended veggies or lentils instead of some of the water it could have a better texture. I've been experimenting with this seitan burger recipe, which also talks about how freezing the seitan makes for a better texture. So you could try freezing it! I'm honestly still a newbie, but I hope to share more recipes and tricks as I keep recipe testing!

        Reply
    2. Rachel says

      May 28, 2023 at 6:29 am

      5 stars
      This was the easiest seitan recipe ever! Instead of the seasonings I just dissolved some vegan chicken bouillon paste into the water to give my seitan a chicken flavor. So good!

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        June 20, 2023 at 12:08 am

        Brilliant! I'm definitely going to do that next time!

        Reply
    3. sherice says

      February 28, 2021 at 5:02 pm

      I'm so excited to try this recipe! I grew up in a seventh day adventist family and have been eating soy meat and gluten steaks (what my family calls seitan) my whole life.. (not on the daily mind you)
      There's a canned brand called veggie scallops that I LOVE which is basically Seitan! I will coat them in some nooch and red chili flakes and fry them up crispy in coconut oil and put them on caesar salad or just munch on them by themselves!! I'd much rather eat this than the canned version!!

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        March 03, 2021 at 7:33 am

        Hi Sherice! I really hope you enjoy this simple recipe! And the say you plan to cook the seitan sounds amazing...I'm coming over for dinner!

        Reply
    4. Laura says

      July 29, 2020 at 1:10 am

      Greetings to you! I cannot eat wheat, I know there is a version of seitan you can make out of chickpeas but I have not tried it yet cause I have bot had the chickpeas, Have you made it? I really appreciate your wonderful recipes and all pf your hard work. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        July 30, 2020 at 1:12 am

        Hi Laura! I've actually never tried or even heard of seitan made from chickpeas, but it sounds amazing! I wish I could be more help. I hope you find a wheat-free recipe that works for you. Thanks so much for saying hi!

        Reply
    5. Aunna says

      February 29, 2020 at 5:01 am

      Can you freeze this seitan?

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        March 01, 2020 at 8:30 am

        Hi Aunna! I haven't tried it, but I think it should work fine. Keep me posted on how it goes if you try it!

        Reply
    6. Anne Harrison says

      July 29, 2018 at 2:15 pm

      thanks mate, just what i needed, basic. basic. basic.

      Reply
      • Faith says

        July 29, 2018 at 4:23 pm

        I'm so glad you found this recipe helpful Anne! Thanks so much for letting me know and feel free to rate the recipe so others can find it!

        Reply
      • Dency says

        September 26, 2019 at 10:58 am

        5 stars
        Oh boy! I feel so bad I just found out this great blog today! And yes I was looking for something basic too! Thanks a bunch!

        Another Malaysian fellow,
        Dency

        Reply
        • Faith says

          September 26, 2019 at 8:33 pm

          Thanks for commenting Dency! Nice to meet another friend from Malaysia!

    7. Lesley Mussett says

      September 15, 2017 at 7:18 pm

      What is vital wheat gluten?

      Reply
      • Faith says

        September 16, 2017 at 3:40 am

        Hi! Gluten is the protein found in wheat. Vital wheat gluten is gluten made into flour form. Hope that helps! You can find it on websites like iHerb and Amazon.

        Reply
    4.89 from 18 votes (15 ratings without comment)

    Please Leave A Star Review In The Recipe Card! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm a plant-based digital nomad mom-of-two living in Malaysia. Meet Faith!

    For a limited time, I'm giving away a free cookbook of my Top 31 recipes!

    Get it while you can!

    Free Download

    Eat Healthy in 2023!

    • Healthy Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

    • zucchini bread baked oatmeal
      Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal

    • creamy tomato zucchini soup topped with grilled cheese croutons
      Creamy Vegan Tomato Zucchini Soup

    • Vegan Broccoli Potato Soup (Dairy-Free!)

    • Vegan Soba Noodle Recipe!

    • Refreshing Green Smoothie Recipe!

    Most Popular Recipes

    • whole wheat artisan bread on a cutting board
      Easy Whole Wheat Artisan Bread Recipe

    • Easy Homemade Oatmeal Date Granola Bars

    • Whole Wheat No-Yeast No-Rise Vegan Pizza Dough

    • Sweet and Spicy Roasted Cashews

    • 5 Vegan Overnight Oats Recipes You Can Meal Prep!

    • two glasses of oat milk next to a jar of oat milk
      Homemade Oat Milk Recipe

    8-Week Plant Biased Meal Plan Cover

    DON'T think about recipe planning for weeks!

    ✅ Save Time

    ✅ Reduce Stress

    ✅ Eat Healthy

    Preview & Buy!

    Sourdough Heaven!

    • Vegan Sourdough Waffles

    • Sourdough Pumpkin Bread (Vegan!)

    • Sourdough Banana Bread

    • Easy Sourdough Muffins

    • Vegan Sourdough Pancakes (6 Ingredients!)

    • Vegan Sourdough Bread (Beginner-Friendly!)

    Footer

    The Conscientious Eater

    • START HERE
    • All Recipes
    • Plant Biased Cookbook
    • 8-Week Meal Plan

    Sponsorship

    Sponsor My Emails
    Sponsor Youtube, IG, Website

    My Recipes

    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes by Cuisine
    • Main Dishes by Recipe Type
    • Condiments
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Snacks
    • Breads
    • WIAW

    Important Stuff

    • Privacy Policy
    • Site Accessbility
    • No AI Training
    • Disclosure
    • Contact
    • Some icons from flaticon.com

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 This website was designed using the Seasoned Pro Theme from Feast Design Co.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.