Looking for an easy, budget-friendly way to add more protein to your meals? This homemade seitan is packed with flavour, simple to make, and incredibly versatile. The finished log can be sliced, cubed, pan-fried, added to sandwiches, or used in soups and grain bowls like the one pictured below.
📋 Recipe Information
🌱 Vegan
Servings: 4–6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rest Time: 10–15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
⌛ Total Time: Approximately 1 hour
🛒 Ingredients
🌾 200g vital wheat gluten
🌶️ 3 tsp paprika
🧄 2 tsp garlic powder
🫚 ½ tsp ginger powder
🌿 2 tsp cumin
🧀 5 tbsp nutritional yeast
💧 250ml boiling water
🥣 1 vegetable stock pod or 1½ stock cubes, dissolved in the boiling water
🥢 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (use 2 tbsp if using regular soy sauce)
🍅 3 tbsp tomato purée
👩🍳 Method
- 🥣 In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- 🍲 In a separate jug or bowl, mix the boiling water with the vegetable stock until fully dissolved. Stir in the soy sauce and tomato purée.
- 🥄 Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
- ✋ Using your hands, knead the dough briefly—just enough to bring everything together and shape it into a log. Avoid over-kneading; 1–2 minutes is plenty.
- 🌯 Shape the dough into a log and leave it to rest for 10–15 minutes, covered.
- 📦 Wrap the log tightly in aluminium foil and seal both ends.
- 🔥 Bake at 180°C (fan 160°C) for 40 minutes.
- ⏳ Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for around 10 minutes before unwrapping.
🍽️ Serving Ideas
You can enjoy this seitan exactly as it is, or quickly pan-fry it to add some extra texture and colour.
For the bowl pictured, I combined:
🍚 Rice as the base
🥒 Greek-style salad with cucumber, carrot ribbons, and feta
🎃 Oven-roasted butternut squash
🫘 Crispy roasted cannellini beans
🌱 Cubes of freshly baked seitan
It also works beautifully sliced thinly for:
🥪 Sandwiches
🌯 Wraps
🫓 Pittas
🥗 Meal-prep lunches
🍜 Stir-fries and noodle dishes
🧊 Storage Tips
📦 Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
After a day or two, the seitan may become slightly firmer or drier, which actually makes it perfect for other dishes. I used the leftovers, cut into cubes, in a warming noodle soup. You can find that recipe here:
🔗 [Link to noodle soup recipe]
Simple, versatile, and packed with protein, this homemade seitan is a recipe you’ll find yourself making again and again.
The Secret Street 
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