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Delicious seitan in a pressure cooker

* updated from 2012

This has been one of the most-read blog posts on my website since 2012. As far as I remember, I was one of the first people to post about making seitan in a pressure cooker, way before pressure cooking and the Instant Pot became hip. This recipe is so versatile and has been tried with success by thousands of people. I hope you enjoy it too!

If you are not convinced yet that you need to own a pressure cooker, check out this video on how to make the most delicious seitan ever. When I’ve made it by boiling it in a pot, I never got the texture I wanted. Maybe I needed to knead it more, maybe I’m just doing it wrong, but when I use this method in the pressure cooker, it always comes out nice and dense.

This recipe was created to create a subtly flavored seitan that can be used for any other recipe. It might not be great to eat on its own, but I think it’s just fine. I do love to smother it with bbq sauce! As you can see above, I serve it as the plant-based protein of many meals, like a Vietnamese noodle bowl.

Keep in mind that this is made in a stove-top pressure cooker (I have a Fagor). I have no idea what the time is to cook seitan in an Instant Pot or other types of pressure cookers. But check out JL’s blog and books, because she probably has the answer for ya!

I love seitan and products made from it. I’m not allergic or gluten-sensitive, but I do feel better when I don’t eat too much of it. If you don’t want a slightly Italian-flavored seitan then feel free to change up the spices or just leave them out and season the seitan after it’s cooked.

Check out the video for the process! Keep in mind this video is pretty old 😉

Pressure-Cooked Seitan

1 1/2 cup wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup barley flour (or other whole grain flour)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon each sage, thyme and oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
2 dashes sea salt
1 cup vegetable broth (may need more broth)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
3 cups water
3 cups veggie broth
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

Directions:
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together the rest of ingredients except broth in a small bowl. Add wet to dry and stir until well combined. Dough will start to form. Knead for 5 minutes and form into a log shape about 2 inches in diameter and 8 inches long approximately. Wrap log in cheesecloth and tie ends with twine. Place broth ingredients in the pressure cooker and bring to a boil. Place log inside and lock lid in place. Bring up to pressure reduce flame to simmer and cook 30 minutes. Let come down from pressure naturally. Remove log and let cook slightly. Remove cheesecloth and slice seitan into rounds then into strips.

Use as you wish. This can be stored in a container with the broth in the fridge. Or cut into chunks and placed in a zip lock bag with a touch of broth.

What are some of your favorite ways to use seitan? Share a link to one of your favorite recipes that uses seitan with us!

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55 Comments

  1. Is there any way to make seitan gluten and corn free? I really, really would like to make some (and all of the recipes that require it), but I'm a no-go with corn and gluten and I can't seem to find a recipe anywhere :'(

    I would seriously go out and buy a pressure cooker just for the seitan recipe if you could (pretty, pretty please!) figure out the recipe for all of us gf and cf peeps 🙂

    Best of luck 😀

    1. Seitan IS gluten. You can’t really make a gf-free version. You can maybe make something close, but I can’t imagine it would be any good. It’s the gluten that gives it the texture and ability to form into something dense. I saw someone post something that was either a product you could buy or a recipe, but don’t remember where I saw it. Do a Google search and I bet you will find it. If you try it let me know how it is!!

  2. I have 3 favorite seitan recipes:

    Two from EDTV–

    Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausage

    ( I substitute 2 Tablespoons of flax seed meal for the oil; add 1 1/2 teaspoons of liquid smoke and steam for 60 minutes instead of 30 because then the sausage is not glummy and has more of the texture of pork sausage.)

    http://www.everydaydish.tv/recipe/spicy-italian-vegetarian-sausage

     

    Vegan Turkey Roast

    http://everydaydish.tv/recipe/vegan-turkey-roast

    And

    Seitan Salami

    http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=495284620756

     

  3. Note on the Salami recipe:

    I again substitute flax seed meal for the oil. I also substitute 3 cloves of garlic, minced for the garlic powder and add that to the wet ingredients. And I add 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder to the dry ingredients and you only need to knead the dough until the ingredients are combined which only takes about a minute. Then form it into a 8 inch log. I use parchment paper between the log and the foil to avoid the aluminum touching the log. (I do the same when making the Italian sausage recipe too.) I bake it at 325 degrees for 90 minutes on a baking sheet.

    1. Yes Vital Wheat Gluten or gluten flour!! I buy it in the bulk bins. Let me know what you think! I bet you’ll come up with a delicious winter recipe to go with this seitan. I’m counting on it! 😉

      1. By gluten flour do you mean high gluten flour? Ive tried to find vital gluten flour in bulk and have only seen high gluten flour (which isnt the same)

        Where are you finding your vital gluten in bulk?

        And thank you for the pressure cooker version. My oven just went on the fritz – Ive been wrapping my seitan in tin foil and baking for 90 min. My minions love it!

        1. I found it at Whole Foods and other natural food stores. I’ve never seen “high gluten flour” only vital gluten flour. If you know it’s the kind of flour that you use to make seitan usually then that is the right stuff! Give this version a try! I think you and your kiddos will like it too 🙂

  4. Congratulations on the dfw.com article. You rock, Christy.

    I've done seitan in a slow cooker, most recently using Kathy Hester's recipe from The Vegan Slow Cooker. Will be trying your recipe, using my pressure cooker, this weekend. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Thanks Bernadette! Let me know how it compares to the slow cooker. I may end up getting one next winter. I chose it as the Cooking Tool of the Month for December this year! 🙂

    1. I’ve never done it in a crockpot but other comments say it can be done! You would need to find out the correct time for it, and possibly use a recipe already made for the crockpot.

    2. I actually make most of my seitan in the crockpot! I follow whatever recipe I'm using, turn it on low for 8 hours and flip halfway through. So easy and so delicious.

  5. My husband made this seitan today and was very happy with the results (he typically makes it in our slow cooker).  He used the seitan to make meatballs and they were so delicious.  We couldn't stop eating them! Thanks for this great pressure cooker recipe!

  6. Oh — another use for my pressure cooker! Exciting!

    Question: when you say "bring up to pressure", how many pounds of pressure did you use? My pressure cooker has two "settings" — low pressure and high pressure.

    Thanks 🙂

  7. I can't wait to try this!  I've been trying to perfect my seitan technique for a while.  My omni husband is always ready with the critique when its too spongy.  The pic in your post is VERY encouraging.  It looks perfect!  Thanks for sharing.  : )

  8. Hi, I'm wondering if after the seitan is made in the pressure cooker, then is it ready or does it then need to be cooked in whichever recipe you are making? Thanks

    1. It is ready to be eaten after it’s done, though it’s not heavily seasoned. I like it just fine on it’s on, but you may need to season it more depending on how you are using it. Or you will add it into the recipe you are making.

  9. I received this set for Mother’s Day and couldn’t be happier. The quality and ease of use is unbelievable and it’s easier to store because of the smaller handles. I highly recommend this set.

  10. I put about 2 cups of boiling water in bottom of my pressure cooker, put a 1/2 inch high "steaming stand" (I think these came with presto pressure cookers;to keep bowl off bottom of pressure cooker)in the bottom of the pot, put a stainless steel bowl on the stand, put seitan in bowl with broth and pressure cook for 12 minutes. I turn the heat off and then let the pressure cooker sit on the burner/ No cheesecloth, and only 12 minutes cooking time.

    1. I will give that a try again. Last time I did something similar the seitan had a spongy texture I didn’t care for. I really like the dense, can be sliced like lunch meat texture.

      1. I get that texture (not the spongy one; the sliced deli meat type) in my pressure cooker; I tend to always pressure  cook my seitan as its so quick, and uncomplicated.even the foil wrapped sausages, loafs, etc are all cooked in my pressure cooker. a

        1. OH cool! I was wondering if I could do the foil wrapped in the pc, but it kind of scares me to all aluminum cooking into my food. So I think I may still wrap it in cheesecloth 🙂

    1. made it last week – was awesome! i'd add a tad more salt/soy sauce to the actual seitan, but the consistency and texture was great – plus no annoying mushy edges like when i cook it on the stove. thanks for the pressure cooker tip!

      quick question tho – i added a lot more broth so it covered the seitan… is this necessary? does yours cover it?

  11. I made this seitan today and I can honestly say it’s a game changer! I have made so many variations of seitan in my six years being vegan – I’ve baked it, boiled it, slow cooked it… I never even considered pressure cooking it but now that I have found this method I will NEVER look back! So fast to pull it together and the results are A-Mazing! Thank you so much Christy!!

    1. Yay!! I’m so glad you feel the same way as me about this seitan. It’s the only way I like to have it!

  12. I made this with my new instant pot. This was so easy and yummy, no more running around town trying to find one to buy. I am going to use your recipe from now on, thank you

  13. I see that there are minced shallots in the recipe but did not notice you adding them? Do I need to add them to the recipe? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!!

  14. Hopefully you are still monitoring this posting! I have an instant pot and would like to know if you know the timing that I would use. Would it be 30 minutes? I have been wanting to use my instant pot for seitan and I have read your site for other things and haven ever been disappointed

  15. Sorry I don’t know the info for the Instant Pot but I think it’s the same amount of time. Did you make it? How did it turn out?

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