• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

our recipes + your inbox = the eatmail

Join now

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • About
  • Contact

Live Eat Learn

Easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time

free ebook

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

  • Recipe Index
  • Vegetarian 101
  • Travel
  • Meal Plans
  • Course
    • Breakfasts
    • Lunches
    • Dinners
    • Appetizers
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Raw
    • Vegan
  • Season
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Ingredient
    • Avocado
    • Bean
    • Cauliflower
    • Chickpeas
    • Eggplant
    • Mushroom
    • Tofu
    • Quinoa
    • View All
  • Collections
    • All Time Favorites
    • Air Frying
    • Budget Friendly
    • Comfort Food
    • High Protein
    • Meal Prep
    • Meatless Monday
    • View All
  • Visit our kombucha site
    Visit our dog food blog
Home Eat Dinners

Seitan Burgers

4.43 from 7 votes
Recipe Print Share
Share on:
By: Sarah BondUpdated: Jun 30, 2022 9 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Seitan Burgers put a fun, flavorful twist on burger night. They’re the perfect plant-based, vegan option and taste great with classic add-ons like tomato, lettuce, and cheese!

A double seitan burger on a fluffy bun with tomato, lettuce, and cheese

This burger night, what are you cooking up? Hopefully it’s these Seitan Burgers! If you’re new to my seitan series, you’re going to want to hop on board ASAP! Seitan is a gluten-based meat alternative that is flavored by adding a bunch of spices and simmering in a flavorful broth mixture.

You can make so much with it — chicken wings, steaks, meatballs, you name it! The texture is very “meaty” and is actually more similar to actual meat than tofu or soy. (Plus, I mean, it tastes delicious!)

We’re whipping up these easy burgers for a meal that’s rich in protein, iron, and calcium and pairs beautifully with your favorite fluffy bun and savory burger toppings. Let’s dig in!

A hand holding out a double seitan burger on a fluffy bun with tomato, lettuce, and cheese

Ingredients in seitan veggie burgers

These plant based burgers require two sets of ingredients: those for the dough, and those for the broth. After making, assemble with your favorite burger add-ons!

Dough

  • Mushrooms: First up, 8 oz of button mushrooms will be used to add bulk and savory flavor to the burgers.
  • Tomato Paste: Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, which not only gives these burgers a savory flavor, but helps to give them the color of burgers too!
  • Seasonings: Break out your teaspoon and ad 1 each of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked powder paprika. Finish it off with ½ tsp of ground black pepper.
  • Wheat Gluten: Finally, you will need 2 cups of vital wheat gluten, which is the main ingredient in seitan recipes!

Broth

  • Vegetable Broth: 6 cups of veggie broth is needed to simmer the patties. See my note below for achieving a more “beefy” flavor.
  • White Vinegar: Include 2 tablespoons of white vinegar for a subtle bite in flavor.
  • Liquid Smoke: Finally, ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke adds a great “cooked” flavor. It’s delicious!
A double seitan burger on a fluffy bun with tomato, lettuce, and cheese

How to make this seitan burger recipe

Seitan burger patties are surprising simple to make. We’ll start with the dough, which is a mixture of button mushrooms, tomato paste, spices and wheat gluten. Then we’ll shape the dough and let it simmer in broth before finally searing (or grilling) the patties burger-style!

Step 1: Create the dough
First, add the mushrooms to a food processor and blitz a few times until they’re finely broken down.

A food processor filled with button mushrooms

Add the tomato paste and spices, and then blitz again to combine.

A food processor filled with various seitan burger ingredients

Add the what gluten and blitz just until it comes together in a cohesive mixture. Do not over mix.

A food processor filled with various vegan burger ingredients

Step 2: Shape the patties
Portion the dough into 8 balls, and then flatten each one as much as possible into a hamburger shaped patty. They will expand when cooking, so flatten them a bit smaller than you’d like them to be when finished.

A food processor filled with various seitan burger ingredients

Step 3: Cook in broth
Add all of the broth ingredients to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Gently lower the vegan burgers into the broth, ensuring that it covers the dough. If the broth does not cover the dough, transfer to a smaller pot. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. When finished, remove the patties from the liquid.

Seitan patties simmering in a broth mixture

Step 4: Sear the burgers
Sear the patties on a well-greased pan or grill over high heat to slightly char the outside. Serve as you would a regular hamburger!

A few easy recipe tips

Need to make this recipe vegan?
Great news — the seitan itself is vegan! Simply garnish with your favorite veggie ingredients (tomato, lettuce, onion, etc.), and you’re good to go.

Want a more beefy flavor?
Use a vegetarian “beef” broth, such as Better than Bouillon No Beef Base.

A double seitan burger on a bun topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese

Serve These Burgers With

  • Baked Zucchini Fries for a summery meal
  • Summer Veggie Salad for a light and delicious side
  • Broccoli Salad for a summertime bbq classic
  • Carrot Hot Dogs for a classic (but totally vegan) bbq!

Seitan Burgers

4.43 from 7 votes
Prep: 15 minutes minutes
Cook: 35 minutes minutes
Total: 50 minutes minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 159kcal
Servings: 8 burgers
Print Rate
Seitan Burgers put a fun, flavorful twist on burger night. They're the perfect plant-based, vegan option and taste great with classic add-ons like tomato, lettuce, and cheese!

Ingredients

Dough

  • 8 oz button mushrooms 236 g
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste 25 g
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 cups vital wheat gluten 240 g

Broth

  • 6 cups vegetable broth* 1.4 L
  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar 30 mL
  • ½ tsp liquid smoke 2 mL

Instructions 

  • Dough: Add mushrooms to a food processor and blitz a few times, until finely broken down. Add tomato paste and spices, then blitz again to combine. Add wheat gluten, and blitz just until it comes together into a cohesive mixture. Do not over mix.
  • Shape: Portion dough into 8 balls, then flatten each as much as possible into a hamburger shaped patty (they will expand when cooking, so flatten them more than you would like them to be when finished).
  • Broth: Add all broth ingredients to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Gently lower the seitan burgers into the broth, ensuring the dough is covered by the broth (if not, transfer to a smaller pot). Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. When finished, remove patties from liquid.
  • Sear: Sear patties on a well greased pan or grill over high heat to slightly char the outside, then serve as you would a regular hamburger!

Tips & Tricks

*For a more beefy flavor, use a vegetarian “beef” broth, such as Better than Bouillon No Beef Base

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1patty Calories: 159kcal (8%) Carbohydrates: 8.4g (3%) Protein: 27.7g (55%) Fat: 1.6g (2%) Saturated Fat: 0.3g (2%) Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 878mg (38%) Potassium: 288mg (8%) Fiber: 0.4g (2%) Sugar: 1.5g (2%) Calcium: 49mg (5%) Iron: 3mg (17%)
Did You Make This?

Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!

Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating Pin on Pinterest

You may also like...

  • Collage of vegan summer recipes
    17 Vegan Summer Recipes
  • Meal prep container with zucchini noodles on white background - This Zucchini Noodles Vegetarian Meal Prep is a low carb lunch solution that will have you looking forward to lunchtime! Packed with fresh veggies, avocado pesto, and crispy baked tofu.
    13 Easy Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes
  • Craving something fresh and delicious (with a little "wow factor" thrown in)? These Vegan Rainbow Spring Rolls are as tasty as they are colorful!
    Vegan Rainbow Spring Rolls
  • Collage of vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes
    31 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Rate this Recipe:




  1. Dan says

    Posted on 3/8 at 8:44 am

    These burgers are really good! First time making and even trying Seitan. Will make these again and will be trying your other Seitan recipes. Thank you!!5 stars

    Reply
  2. cris says

    Posted on 3/9 at 4:00 am

    Can I use homemade seitan instead of wheat gluten? It’s very hard to find in my area.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 3/9 at 8:33 am

      Probably, but what are you using as the seitan base? I usually just order a giant bag of wheat gluten online 😀

  3. Ben Grounds says

    Posted on 4/29 at 9:16 am

    Great article

    Reply
  4. Im says

    Posted on 1/11 at 12:56 am

    I followed the recipe exactly but was really disappointed with the outcome – was super chewy but also weirdly soft in the middle. I think it’s because you have to boil it that makes the texture so weird. I grilled it after and it just didn’t work.1 star

    Reply
    • lYALL says

      Posted on 1/29 at 1:56 pm

      0ne thing about cooking seitan/vwg in any recipe is you have to knead it. Five minutes minimum is a must otherwise you are eating rubber 🙂

  5. Carl says

    Posted on 1/30 at 1:01 pm

    For ease and cost, I give this recipe 5*. The middle of the burger came out pretty rubbery, but I think that was my fault. I followed the recipe with greater precision than I usually do, except for making the patties bigger; I basically doubled the size of the patty.

    I won’t lower my rating to 4* unless the author says, ‘no, that should have worked fine’.

    I grilled the burgers over charcoal with alder (I was also grilling fish for others) for 6 minutes, and they performed very well, gaining char marks and a great flavor.

    I will make these again, but I will stick to the prescribed patty size next time.5 stars

    Reply
  6. MB says

    Posted on 2/25 at 12:46 pm

    Hello,
    The best way to make a double batch and to freeze?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 2/26 at 5:26 pm

      Doubling shouldn’t be a problem! To freeze, I would boil them, then freeze. To reheat, grill on the stove or a bbq.

Primary Sidebar

Hello

I'm Sarah

A flavor-loving nutritionist and sensory science specialist showing you how to make easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time.

Let's Meet

Freebie alert!

3 reader-favorite cookbooks delivered straight to your inbox.

Get in now!

Subscribe for new recipes + 3 fan-favorite ebooks

Spring Brunch Recipes

Edible Flower Spring Rolls

Paleo pancakes with almond butter and berries on a blue background

Paleo Banana Pancakes

Carrot lox on a bagel.

How To Make Carrot Lox (Vegan Smoked Salmon!)

Vegan french toast on a white plate

15-Minute Eggless French Toast (Vegan French Toast!)

Grapefruit brulee with mascarpone on a plate with a spoon.

How To Make Grapefruit Brulee

How To Make Healthy Avocado Toast

Dinner This Week

Vegan tikka masala with naan and rice in a white bowl

M

Chickpea Tikka Masala

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

T

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

Vegan Thai red curry in a bowl on a red background

W

Thai Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Vegan nachos on a black plate on a white background - These vegan nachos are piled high with easy mushroom BBQ "pulled pork" and a cashew-based queso cheese sauce that will knock your dairy-free socks off.

R

BBQ Mushroom Pulled Pork

Roasted Cauliflower Street Tacos

F

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Lemon risotto in a bowl with basil on a yellow background

S

Lemon Basil Risotto

As featured on:

3 bonus books!

Join our Eatmail newsletter to get free copies of our top 3 cookbooks, new recipes, exclusive meal plans, and more!

Follow Along

  • Easy Vegetarian Facebook Group
  • Kombucha Brewers Facebook Group
Back to Top
  • Web Stories
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Collaborate
© 2023 Live Eat Learn
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Support by Foodie Digital
226 shares