Vegan Steak Recipe

This best Vegan Steak recipe is the perfect wonderfully delicious substitute for your next fancy meatless steak dinner. A dreamy blend of cannellini beans, wheat gluten, and aromatic spices fused together to create an incredibly delicious protein packed dish. Just as meaty, tender  and juicy as any filet mignon, you’ll be head over heels with the first bite.

What is Vegan Steak Made Of?

The ingredients can vary from recipe to recipe, as it can be made in various ways. I like to use vital wheat gluten or wheat protein along with creamy cannellini beans and a thick homemade tomato sauce in my recipe. No washing the flour required! This creates a perfectly tender, succulent and also chewy vegan steak. Lentils, soy protein and potato protein are just as commonly used as the wheat protein in different variations of the recipe.

Prepping Seitan Steaks

1. 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.
2. 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, a couple of minutes or so.
3. Cut the dough – Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, stretching each one until they’re between ½-1 inch thick.
4. Boil – Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the seitan for 25 minutes. You could also steam it but I prefer boiling to achieve a more chewier texture.
5. 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.
6. Cook again – Heat a cast iron griddle or 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 + Variations

• Storage – If storage is necessary, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Reheating – These steaks taste great right after they’ve been cooked. They are also good cold or reheated sliced up in a cast iron skillet for a couple of minutes. I love them mixed in with grilled peppers and onions and served with some tzaziki sauce like a gyros!
• Add Ins– For an extra “beefy flavor” you may add up to 2 Tbsp marmite into the mix when making the seitan.
• Can you freeze plant based steaks? – Definitely! Freeze them after boiling/ steaming but before you fry them, in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Thaw out in the fridge overnight, marinade and grill when ready to eat.
• What is seitan? – Seitan is a food 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.

What to Serve With

Just like any other steak dinner, this recipe can be served with most of the classic sides you’re used to. Some of my favorites are:

• 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
• Potato Salad with Dill
• Cacio e Pepe Pasta
• Citrus Rice.

Serving Sauces

I haven’t found very many sauces that don’t just sing when added to the top of these steaks. There are too many to choose from! You’ll fall in love with any one on the list below, for me the cherry tomato and mango basil will always be the favorites.

• Cherry Tomato Sauce (as pictured)
• Argentinian Chimichurri
• Savory Mango Basil Sauce
• Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
• Heirloom Tomato Suce
• Chive Pesto or Vegan Aioli
• Italian Peperonata Sauce
• Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
• Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
• Peppercorn Sauce.

Vegan Dinners

• Best Vegan Ribs Recipe
• Potato Jackfruit Stew
• Vegan Zuppa Toscana
• Sauteed Cabbage with Onions and Soy Curls
• Vegan Chicken with Broccoli
• Ultimate Vegan Chicken
• Mushroom Gyros
• Air Fryer Tofu.

how to make vegan steak

5 from 3 votes

Vegan Steak

This Vegan Steak is the perfect cruelty-free substitute for your next steak dinner. A dreamy blend of cannellini beans, wheat gluten, and aromatic spices fused together to create an incredibly delicious protein packed dish. Just as meaty and tender as any filet mignon, you’ll be head over heels with the first bite.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:35 minutes mins

Marinade:30 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cannellini beans cooked (you can use chickpea, lentils or even black beans)
• 1.25 cups wheat gluten
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, shoyu or coco aminos
• 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
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp grated beets for color (optional, i didn’t use any in these photos)

Marinade

• 4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or liquid smoke)
• 1 pinch red chili flakes
• 3 Tbsp water

US Customary - Metric

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 then start pouring in the water. Process until a nice dough forms that isn’t sticky.
  3/4 cup cannellini beans, 2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, shoyu or coco aminos, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1/3 cup tomato sauce, 1.5 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1.25 cups wheat gluten, 1 tsp grated beets for color, 1/3 cup water
• 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 ingredients until combined: soy sauce, brown sugar for caramelization, olive oil, onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika, water and chili flakes for some heat.
  4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar), 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 pinch red chili flakes, 3 Tbsp water
• Add the cooked sietan steaks to the marinade in one layer and make sure to coat all over. Allow to sit for 10 minutes then flip over and marinate another 10 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 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.

Video

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, you can reheat any leftovers using the microwave or throw them into a skillet for a couple of minutes and use in sandwich with Tzatziki sauce or sliced up cold on a salad.
• Alternative cooking options - For classic grill marks, use your typical outdoor grill or a cast iron griddle.
• Add Ins - for an extra "beefy flavor" you may add up to 2 Tbsp marmite into the mix when making the seitan.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2004mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 581IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 3mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: seitan, vegan meat, vegan steak

Servings: 4 steaks

Calories: 157kcal

Author: Florentina