Name: Seitan Carne Asada
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 4 quarts water; 1 cup carrots (chopped); 1 yellow onion (chopped); 2 cloves garlic (chopped); 1/2 tsp celery seed; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp salt; 1/3 cup soy sauce; 1/4 tsp liquid smoke; 1 cup red wine; 1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten; 1 16oz can cannoli white beans (drained and rinsed ); 2 oz pickled beets (in juice); 1 1/4 cup broth (Use simmering broth); 1/4 cup nutritional yeast; 2 tbsp all purpose flour; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp sage; 1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Southwestern Seasoning; 2 limes (juiced); 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp chili powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp chopped cilantro; small tortillas; cilantro; limes

Craving that smoky, charred street-taco flavor but keeping it plant-based? This Seitan Carne Asada is the ultimate game-changer for your next taco night.

Why You’ll Love This Plant-Based Carne Asada

For our Seitan Carne Asada we wanted to get a juicy but chargrilled flavor. Carne Asada is typically a beef dish but this seitan recipe is a little bit closer to a roasted pork flavor. We’ve found that homemade seitan provides the perfect canvas for bold, citrusy, and earthy Mexican spices. This isn’t your average store-bought meat substitute. By simmering our seitan in a rich, savory veggie broth, we build deep layers of flavor from the inside out. The result is a juicy, tender texture that mimics a roasted pork or steak which we finish on the grill to get those crispy charred edges.

The Secret to Perfect Homemade Seitan

Making seitan at home is surprisingly fun and allows you to control the ingredients and add protein into your diet. It’s the perfect weekend project—especially in the spring when the weather is calling you to fire up the grill! While this recipe takes a little patience (trust us, the overnight marinade is where the magic happens), the “wow” factor of serving these at a backyard gathering is well worth the wait.

Step 1: Build the simmering veggie broth and reserve 1 1/4 cups broth to mix into the seitan dough.

Step 2: Blend wet seitan ingredients (beans, pickled beets, and reserved broth) until smooth. Then transfer to a mixing bowl and add in dry ingredients.

Step 3: Knead the dough by hand for exactly three minutes to develop the gluten.

Step 4: Shape the dough into logs and wrap the logs in cheesecloth. Simmer the seitan in your veggie broth for 1.5 hours.

Step 5: Slice and Marinade the cooked seitan overnight for the best flavor.

Step 6: Grill over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

We turned our Seitan Carne Asada into soft tacos! Just add toppings you love. We added Jicama Slaw and radishes to our tacos with some extra cilantro. So so yummy, fresh, and crunchy!

Vegan seitan tacos topped with Jicama Slaw

Tips for the Best Seitan Carne Asada

Don’t Rush the Kneading: Kneading the dough for a full three minutes is essential to develop the gluten strands. This gives your Seitan Carne Asada that meaty “chew” rather than a soft, bread-like texture.
The Overnight Magic: While you can grill it after just two hours, letting the seitan sit in the marinade overnight allows the citrus and spices to penetrate deep into the protein.
Watch the Heat: When you move to the grill, keep a close eye on the temperature. You want enough heat to get those crispy, charred edges without drying out the center of the slices.
Slicing Matters: For the most authentic street-taco experience, slice the seitan as thin as possible after it has cooled slightly from the simmer. This creates more surface area for the marinade and the grill’s flame to work their magic.

Seitan Carne Asada

Course Main Course

Cuisine vegan

Keyword Seitan, Taco

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Marinade 12 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For simmering broth

4 quarts water
1 cup carrots chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 cup red wine

For the seitan

1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1 16oz can cannoli white beans drained and rinsed
2 oz pickled beets in juice
1 1/4 cup broth Use simmering broth
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sage
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Southwestern Seasoning

For the marinade

2 limes juiced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Optional ingredients for tacos

small tortillas
cilantro
limes
diced radish
grilled peppers

Instructions

Start by bringing four quarts of water to a low boil in a large stock pot. Add ingredients for simmering broth. Boil for about five minutes then remove 1 1/4 cup of the broth set it aside and allow to cool so you can mix it into your seitan dough.
In a blender combine the wet seitan ingredients (beans, pickled beets, and the broth that you set aside to cool). Blend until smooth.
Add to a large mixing bowl and add in the remaining dry seitan ingredients. Knead by hand for three minutes.
Divide the seitan dough into two pieces. Roll the dough into logs. Wrap it with cheese cloth and tie with kitchen twine. Place the cheese cloth wrapped seitan into the simmering broth. Simmer on low with the lid on for one and a half hours.
Remove the seitan from the broth and allow it to cool enough to handle. Cut the twine away and unwrap the seitan. Cut the seitan into slices and add to your marinade. Marinade in the refrigerator covered over night or for at least two hours. Allowing it to rest and marinade overnight provides better results.
When you are ready to serve preheat your grill (if using gas around 400). When preheated add the seitan and lower the heat (to around 300). Grill for 15 to 20 minutes flipping the seitan halfway through.