This Best Vegan Steak recipe is the perfect cruelty-free substitute for your next fancy steak dinner. A dreamy blend of cannellini beans, wheat gluten, and aromatic spices fused together to create a super delicious dish. Just as meaty and tender as any filet mignon, you’ll be head over heels with the first bite.
Yes, I know that this recipe might seem odd to some people. Steak that isn’t meat? How can it be steak then? Well, friends, you’ll have to take a swing at this incredible recipe to fully grasp the concept. Will it be different at first? Of course, all new things are. However, I promise one thing, it will be a wonderfully delicious substitution on top of it being cruelty-free.
Winner Winner Meatless Dinner!
How to Make + Cook Vegan Steak
- Process the wheat gluten – In a food processor, combine all the steak ingredients until a dough forms. Don’t forget the tomato sauce, it’s what makes those steaks extra tender and juicy.
- Transfer to a cutting board – Knead the dough a few times and add more wheat gluten if it feels sticky. Knead until a fibrous texture is created as seen in the process photos above.
- Cut the dough – Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, stretching each one until they’re between ½-1 inch thick.
- Boil – Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the seitan steak for 25 minutes.
- Marinate – Whisk together all the marinade ingredients and lay the steaks in a single layer in the sauce. Let sit for 15 minutes on both sides for a total of 30 minutes.
- Cook again – Heat a cast iron skillet with a drop of olive oil in it and sear the steaks on each side until char marks form. Alternatively you can place them directly on your outdoor grill. Serve and enjoy with your favorite sauce!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Storage – If storage is necessary, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheating – These steaks taste best right after they’ve been cooked. However, if you must, you can reheat them using the microwave or throw them into a skillet for a couple of minutes.
- Can you freeze plant based steaks? – I don’t prefer these steaks after they’ve been frozen. However, it’s possible to freeze them before you fry them. Simply combine them with the marinade in a sealed container and freeze them for up to 3 months.
- What is seitan? – Seitan is made out of the main protein found in wheat called “gluten.” It mimics the texture of meat. Wheat flour and water are kneaded together until the strands of gluten emerge, separating from the rest of the wheat. Seitan are those sticky strands of gluten.
- Serve Italian style – Serve this recipe with this amazing cherry tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach listed below for an Italian affair.
- Alternative cooking options – For classic grill marks, use your typical outdoor grill or a cast iron griddle.
FAQ
What to Serve with Vegan Steak?
Just like any other steak dinner, this recipe can be served with most of the classic sides you’re used to. I enjoy going all out and making a decent spread with these steaks as they make a nice, hearty dinner dish. Some of my favorite side options and choices are listed below.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
This Vegan Creamed Spinach
Coconut Spinach Rice Pilaf
Roasted Broccoli
Grandpa’s Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
Best Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks.
What Sauces Can I Serve Vegan Steak with?
I haven’t found very many sauces that don’t just sing when added to the top of this sietan steak recipe. There are too many to choose from! You’ll fall in love with any one on the list below. I just can’t pick a favorite.
Cherry Tomato Sauce (as pictured)
Argentinian Chimichurri
Savory Mango Basil Sauce
Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
Heirloom Tomato Suce
Chive Pesto or Vegan Aioli
Italian Peperonata Sauce
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Best Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
Peppercorn Sauce.
What is Vegan Steak Made Out Of?
The ingredients can vary from recipe to recipe, as it can be made in various ways. I like to use wheat gluten or wheat protein along with creamy cannellini beans and a thick homemade tomato sauce. This creates a perfectly tender and chewy seitan steak. Soy protein and potato protein are used just as commonly as the wheat protein as well.
Popular Vegan Dinner Recipes:
Best Vegan Ribs Recipe
Potato Jackfruit Stew
Vegan Zuppa Toscana
Sauteed Cabbage with Onions and Soy Curls
Vegan Chicken with Broccoli.
As always If you make this recipe make sure to leave a comment rating below, snap a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it always makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s
Best Vegan Steak
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cannellini beans cooked (can use chickpea, lentils or even black beans)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce thick homemade preferably
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika (or 1/4 tsp liquid smoke)
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1.25 cups wheat gluten
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp grated beets for color (optional, i didn’t use any in these photos)
Marinade
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar maple syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch red chili flakes
Instructions
- To the bowl of a food processor add the cannellini beans, tomato sauce, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic and onion powders, dijon mustard and wheat gluten. Press the pulse button a few times the start pouring in the water. Process until a nice dough forms that isn’t sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a cutting board and kneed a few times. If it appears sticky just sprinkle with a little bit more wheat gluten and keep needing until incorporated and the dough isn’t sticky anymore. Continue to kneed and stretch until a nice fibrous texture is achieved.
- Cut the sietan dough into 4 pieces and stretch each one into uneven 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick pieces.
- Bring a medium sauce pan filled with water to a rolling boil. Add the sietan steaks one by one and boil for 25 minutes. Drain and pat dry each steak on a kitchen towel.
Marinade
- In a shallow bowl / tray whisk together the marinade the ingredients until combined: soy sauce, brown sugar for caramelization, olive oil, onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika and chili flakes for some heat.
- Add the cooked sietan steaks to the marinade in one layer and make sure to coat all over. Allow to sit for 15 minutes then flip over and marinate another 15 minutes.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium low flame. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the sietan steaks. Work in batches here unless you have a big enough skillet that fits all 4 of them. Pan sear for a couple of minutes on each side until nice little char marks form.
- Alternatively you can cook these vegan steaks in a cast iron griddle or on the outdoor grill for extra smokiness and classic grill marks.
- Serve Italian style with the cherry tomato sauce, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach or any of the sauces suggested above.
Notes
- Storage - If storage is necessary, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheating - These steaks taste best right after they’ve been cooked. However, if you must, you can reheat them using the microwave or throw them into a skillet for a couple of minutes.
- Can you freeze them? - I don’t prefer these steaks after they’ve been frozen. However, it’s possible to freeze them before you fry them. Simply combine them with the marinade in a sealed container and freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Alternative cooking options - For classic grill marks, use your typical outdoor grill or a cast iron griddle.
Nutrition
You’ll Also Love:
Hearty Vegan Stew
Vegan Ramen
Heirloom Tomato Pasta
It looks wonderful, but where is all that sodium coming from? There’s no salt in the recipe, and it’s easy to find low or no sodium tomato sauce and beans. Soy aminos can be used instead of regular soy sauce. 2004 mg per serving is incredibly high, and certainly not healthy!
It is most likely from the soy sauce marinade but don’t forget you are going to toss that anyways afterwards, however the nutrition calculator doesn’t know that. Enjoy ~ Florentina.
Is there a way to make it gluten Free?
Sorry Gigi, I have not tested this recipe gluten-free.
What would you suggest for gluten-free eaters? I can substitute tamari for soy sauce, but seitan is wheat gluten.
Thanks
I’m sorry Bunny but I have not tested this with a gluten free alternative, I’ll make sure to update if I get a comparable result in gf form.
This was really really good, deci they recommended and we’ll be making it again soon. My husband is already asking if we have any leftovers.
Absolutely delicious, haven’t had luck with sietan before but these steaks changed my mind, very impressive!