Vegan Steak
This vegan steak is everything you want in a plant-based swap, with a hearty texture and smoky, deeply savoury flavour. Made with marinated seitan, it’s far tastier than store-bought options!
If you’ve made my vegan chicken before, good news: you’re already familiar with how to make this vegan steak! That’s because both are made with homemade seitan, one of my favourite stand-ins for meat. It’s got a satisfying meaty texture, savoury flavour, and it’s protein-packed too. In this steak recipe, I blend in caramelised onions, miso, soy sauce, and spices to amp up umami flavour. After steaming to create the perfect texture, the steaks are brushed with an herbaceous marinade and grilled until lightly charred, adding some fantastic smokiness. So good!
What Makes This Vegan Steak Recipe a Standout
Friends, you are going to flip for this recipe. It takes a little bit of time to make the seitan from scratch, but oh is it worth it!
- Rich, savoury flavour. These seitan steaks aren’t just seitan. Blending in caramelised onions, miso, and other flavours makes for a much more layered, authentic taste. And then there’s the thyme marinade on top of that for even more smoky, umami flavour.
- Firm, meaty texture. Vital wheat gluten gives the steaks an awesome chewy texture that’s also firm enough to stand up to grilling without falling apart.
- Great for meal prep. Make the seitan ahead of time, then marinate and grill when you’re ready to eat. You can also freeze the vegan steaks for later!
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan steak recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and full instructions. P.S. This post has been edited post photos shot to remove the maple syrup as it was found unnecessary.
- Onion – I used yellow onion, but white onion is fine too.
- Olive oil
- Red beans – These help create a tender texture.
- Vegan bouillon – Plus water to dilute it. You can also use 1 teaspoon vegetable stock paste per bouillon cube.
- Dark soy sauce – For umami flavour.
- Miso paste – A common ingredient in vegan substitutes to add depth and yes, more umami. (Steak has a lot of umami, after all!)
- Seasonings – Onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground coriander, and dried oregano.
- Vital wheat gluten – If you’re gluten-free, I’m afraid this recipe isn’t for you. Wheat gluten is essential here and there are no substitutes. If you can’t find this at your grocery store, you can order it online.
- Thyme grill marinade – For this you’ll need olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, fresh thyme, and black pepper.
How to Make Vegan Steak
Below you’ll find step-by-step photos showing the process of making this vegan steak, but the full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cook the onion. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until soft and deeply golden. Stir in the maple syrup and salt and cook for a minute or two. Set aside half of the onions for serving.
- Blend the seitan base. Add the remaining onions to a food processor along with the red beans, bouillon, water, soy sauce, miso paste, and spices. Blend until smooth and thick.
- Form the dough. Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse until you have a thick, slightly tacky dough that pulls away from the sides of the processor. Knead for 30 seconds, then let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Shape and steam. Divide the dough into four pieces and shape them into ovals. Wrap tightly in foil and steam over simmering water for about 50 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Make the marinade. Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and black pepper in a shallow dish.
- Marinate. Brush the seitan steaks with the marinade on both sides and let them sit for at least 20 minutes.
- Grill. Cook the steaks on a hot grill pan or outdoor grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side until lightly charred and heated through, brushing with additional marinade as they cook.
- Serve. Top with the reserved onions, along with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper.
Tips for Working With Homemade Seitan
If this is your first time using vital wheat gluten to make vegan steak or seitan, I have a few tips to help you along the way!
- Don’t over-process the dough. Too much mixing can make seitan dense and tough instead of tender.
- Let the dough rest. A short rest helps the gluten relax so you can shape the steaks more easily.
- Steam before grilling. This is a non-negotiable! Steaming sets the seitan, so it always needs to steam before you sauté, grill, or bake it.
Serving Suggestions
These vegan steaks are an amazing pairing with classic steakhouse sides like mashed potatoes, vegan scalloped potatoes, or a wedge salad with vegan ranch dressing and vegan bacon crumbles. They’re also fantastic sliced onto a salad, sandwich, or pizza.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store cooked vegan steaks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the steamed (but ungrilled) steaks for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before marinating and grilling.
- To reheat: Warm in a skillet or grill pan over medium heat until heated through.
More Vegan Main Dish Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan steak recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Steak
Ingredients
Seitan Base
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped 200mL
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, 60mL
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1.5g
- 2/3 cup canned red beans, drained, about 120g
- 3 tablespoons water mixed with vegan bouillon cube, 45mL
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 30mL
- 1 tablespoon miso paste, 18g
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1.5g
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1.5g
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2.5g
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1g
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 0.5g
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (at least 0.5g)
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten, 250g
Thyme Grill Marinade
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, 30mL
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 15mL
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 5g
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1.25g
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 0.75g
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, very finely chopped – 1g
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Seitan Steaks:
- Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until soft and deeply golden. Add sea salt and cook for 1–2 minutes more until glossy and caramelised. Remove from heat and reserve about half of the onions for serving.
- Add the remaining caramelized onion to a food processor along with the red beans, bouillon water, dark soy sauce, miso paste, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground coriander, oregano, and black pepper. Blend until very smooth and thick, scraping down the sides as needed.
- With the blended mixture still in the food processor, add the vital wheat gluten. Pulse 8–12 times until the mixture comes together into a thick, slightly sticky dough and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough feels too dry and crumbly, add 1–2 teaspoons water. If too sticky, sprinkle in 1–2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten.
- The dough should be firm, dense, and slightly tacky but not sticky. It should form one cohesive ball, pull away from the sides of the food processor, and feel elastic when stretched. When pressed, it should spring back slowly.
- Too dry: If you have a crumbly, cracked surface, and the steak won’t fully come together, or tears easily. Then add 1 teaspoon water at a time and pulse briefly.
- Too wet: If you have a very sticky mixture that smears on the bowl, or feels soft and loose. Then add 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten at a time and pulse briefly.
- Then process continuously for about 15 seconds, just until the dough becomes elastic and cohesive. Do not over-process, as this can make the seitan too dense.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface and gently knead by hand for about 30 seconds to finish bringing it together, if needed. Let the dough rest for 5–10 minutes before shaping.
- Flatten the dough into a thick disk and cut into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a steak-like oval. Wrap each one tightly in aluminum foil. Steam over simmering water for 50 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.
Cook the Steaks:
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the olive oil, dark soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, chopped fresh thyme, and black pepper.
- Unwrap the seitan steaks and brush generously with the marinade on both sides. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes (or up to overnight in the refrigerator).
- Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill over medium-high heat and lightly oil it. Grill the steaks for 3–4 minutes per side until well-charred and heated through, brushing with extra marinade as they cook.
- Top with the reserved caramelized onions, a drizzle of olive oil, and extra black pepper.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store cooked vegan steaks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the steamed (but ungrilled) steaks for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before marinating and grilling.
- To reheat: Warm in a skillet or grill pan over medium heat until heated through.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
