Masterclass

How to cook seitan.

Seitan is made from wheat gluten, so it's pure protein with a real bite. Store-bought is great. Homemade is cheap, easy and lets you season it all the way through. Not for anyone avoiding gluten.

Store-bought

25 g protein · 141 cal per 100 g

What to buy

Store-bought strips or chunks
Ready to eat. Upton's Naturals and Sweet Earth are easy to find. Slice thin and sear hard.
Vital wheat gluten
The flour you make seitan from. It's about 75% protein and one bag makes a lot of seitan.

Prep it right

1Pat store-bought seitan dry and slice it thin against the grain.
2For crumbles, pulse it in a food processor or tear it by hand.

Cook it

Pan sear

5 to 6 min

Very hot pan, a little oil, don't move it until it's deeply browned. Sauce at the end.

Air fryer

390°F · 8 to 10 min

Slices or chunks in one layer, a light spray of oil.

Crispy cutlets

400°F · 10 min

Dip thin slices in plant milk, then panko, and air-fry or pan-fry until golden.

Make it taste great

Seitan loves bold flavor. Smoked paprika, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper.
Finish with a sauce that clings: teriyaki, BBQ, chimichurri, gravy.

Mistakes to skip

Boiling homemade seitan hard, which makes it spongy
Cutting it thick, which makes it tough
Using it on a gluten-free plan

From scratch

Homemade seitan

About 1 pound, 4 servings

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour or nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika
• ¾ cup cool vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Extra broth for simmering

1Whisk the dry ingredients. Add the broth and soy sauce and stir into a shaggy dough.
2Knead for 2 minutes until it feels springy, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
3Shape it into a log or two cutlets.
4Simmer gently, never boiling, in broth for 45 minutes. Or wrap it tightly in foil and steam for 30 minutes.
5Cool it in the broth, then slice. It keeps a week in the fridge and freezes well.

Put it to work