Seitan made with Vital Wheat Gluten Recipe | Elephantastic Vegan (2024)

FAQs

Is seitan made from vital wheat gluten? ›

Seitan is a “wheat meat” made from vital wheat gluten. It's high in protein, low in fat, and cheap to make. It's a great substitute for meat, fish, or chicken.

While seitan is a versatile plant-based protein, people with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or gluten allergy should avoid it.

Bread flour: 12–16% protein – Fine-grain, unbleached, white varieties are optimal for making seitan. Bread flour is designed to have higher amounts of gluten which is why just about any brand should be a safe bet, though some still may have more than others.

The answer is, yes! —as long it's part of a well-rounded diet. A 100g serving of seitan has about 141 calories and 25 grams of protein, making it comparable to the amount of protein in chicken or beef. Because the starches are removed from the wheat when seitan is made, it has very little fat and carbs.

Is Seitan Healthy? In many ways, yes, seitan is quite a healthy option. The seitan nutrition facts are hard to argue with: notable amounts of protein, iron, calcium, selenium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. This combination of macro- and micronutrients can result in some pretty impressive health benefits.

In those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, eating seitan can cause adverse side effects like swelling, abdominal pain, diarrhea and cramps. It's also not considered a complete protein and needs to be paired with a well-balanced diet to ensure you're getting the amino acids that you need.

However, while seitan is an excellent plant-based protein alternative, tofu is a complete protein (seitan lacks the amino acid lysine). Unseasoned tofu is typically lower in sodium than store-bought seitan, which can be processed with salt, sugar or other flavors added.

Nutrition and Protein

Seitan is highest in calories and protein, as its main ingredient is vital wheat gluten, which has a similar nutritional profile to protein powder. Tempeh is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, but also low in sodium and carbs.

So seitan is the perfect ingredient for meals in a protein diet. If you're on a protein diet, you often lose a lot of weight in a short time. It's also important to be aware that, at the start, you'll lose quite a lot of fluids. So if you have problems with fluid retention, a protein diet would be great for you.

Typically, leaner cuts like the flank or skirt can be chewy if not prepared correctly. Cooking Method: Overcooking can cause the steak to lose its moisture, making it dry and chewy. Conversely, undercooking can make certain cuts feel tough. Aging Process: Steaks that are not properly aged can be less tender.

Can you buy seitan already made? ›

At the store, you can find seitan in the refrigerated section near other meat substitutes.

Boiling seitan makes it have a brainy spongey texture, frying seitan (without first steaming it) makes it rubbery and spongey, baking it makes it dry and rubbery. Steaming seitan, on the other hand, will yield the perfect meaty, juicy, chewy, yet tender seitan every single time.

The side effects can range from mild (fatigue, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea) to severe (unintentional weight loss, malnutrition, intestinal damage) as seen in the autoimmune disorder celiac disease.

There's some evidence in medical research that wheat gluten may increase the permeability of your intestines, leading to what some health authorities call "leaky gut syndrome." If you find you experience bloating, gassiness, or other digestive symptoms after eating seitan, you may want to avoid it next time.

The main concern about seitan it that it's just plain and pure gluten. In this respect some claim that the human body can easily become over-saturated with gluten, leading to gluten intolerance (aka celiac disease).

Vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient in seitan (SAY-tan, also known as “wheat meat”), which is a much loved meat substitute and has first appeared during the 6th century as an ingredient in Asian cuisine.

Is Vital Wheat Gluten the same as Gluten Flour? Yes, vital wheat gluten and gluten flour are essentially the same things. The names are used interchangeably. But do remember that you cannot completely replace vital wheat flour in place of regular flour in any baking recipe.

Vital wheat gluten is often used by commercial bakeries to produce light textured breads, and can easily put the home bread baker on a par with the professionals. Vital wheat gluten is also a staple ingredient for meat and meat substitutes. It acts as a binder for meatballs, meatloaf, veggie burgers and tofu alike.

Because seitan contains gluten, it should not be enjoyed by individuals with a gluten allergy. If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, then seitan is not the meat alternative for you. Instead, we recommend munching on other plant-based meat alternatives like tofu, tempeh and legumes.