This vegan schnitzel recipe is the perfect choice for your next Sunday dinner. The meatless cutlets are made with seitan, which gives them not only a very realistic texture, but also a nutritional profile that comes as close as possible to the real deal. Breaded and fried for the perfect crunch, these are guaranteed to impress even the pickiest eater.
Here’s why you need to try vegan schnitzel today:
- The ultimate meat alternative, with close to 50 grams of protein per schnitzel
- Amazing, meat-like texture and flavour that is sure to impress
- The crispiest breading you’ve ever tried
- Can be made ahead, which makes them ideal for meal prepping
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Vegan Seitan Schnitzel
Lentils - both cooked and canned work. Make sure to rinse and then drain them thoroughly, as you don’t want to bring additional liquid into the dough.
Nutritional yeast - despite its very unappealing name, it actually has a very pleasant, deep flavour that enriches almost any dish. Plus, it’s packed with vitamins.
Garlic powder, tomato paste and soy sauce or tamari - to flavour the seitan.
Vital wheat gluten - this is the key ingredient in this recipe that gives the cutlets their texture and high protein content. It’s essentially wheat flour that's been stripped of almost all of its starch, leaving behind a substance that is almost entirely made up of wheat proteins.
How to Make Vegan Schnitzel
Prepare the Dough
In a blender or food processor, blend lentils, water, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten. Combine it thoroughly into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula, then knead for 5-7 minutes using your hands.
Cut the dough ball in half or in 4 pieces, depending on how big you want the cutlets to be. Then use a rolling pin to roll out each section into 1cm ( ½-inch) thick steaks. The dough will be very tough and stretchy, but just keep working at it until you get your desired steak shapes.
Steam the Cutlets
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Put the steaks in the steamer basket and cover with a lid. Steam for 25 minutes, flipping the steaks halfway through so they steam evenly.
Coat the Cutlets in Breading
Set up your breading station. Add flour to the first bowl. In the second bowl, mix milk, flour, cornstarch, garlic and onion powders. Add the breadcrumbs to the third bowl. First coat each schnitzel in flour, then submerge it in batter. Next, coat evenly on both sides with breadcrumbs.
Fry the Schnitzel
Cover the surface of a large non-stick skillet with olive oil and allow it to heat up for a few minutes over a medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets for around 3-4 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden brown, then transfer to a flat surface covered with a kitchen towel to allow any excess oil to drip off.
Top Frying Tips
Temperature - never heat the oil to more than 180°C/356°F as the oil will become unstable and will burn, creating toxic compounds. If the temperature is below 170°C/340°F, the breading will absorb the oil, which will make the dish a lot higher in calories, as well as less crunchy. If the temperature is too high, the oil will burn, which is not only bad for health but also dries out the food. I recommend using a kitchen thermometer if you have it.
Type of oil - stable oils are the best choice for frying. This includes extra virgin olive oil, canola oil and generic frying oil. I prefer the latter, as it has a very neutral flavour and a high smoking point. Coconut oil is NOT suitable for frying.
Reheating - NEVER reuse oil more than once. This causes oil to become unstable and release toxic compounds.
Vegan Seitan Schnitzel FAQs
What Exactly Is Vital Wheat Gluten?
Vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient in seitan, which is a beloved meat alternative that’s not soy based. Wheat gluten is made by hydrating the wheat flour to activate the gluten and then processing it to remove everything but the gluten.
Is Seitan a Complete Protein?
Seitan by itself is not, but these steaks actually are. Seitan is missing only one of the essential amino acids - lysine. To make these schnitzels a complete source of protein, we mix the dough with lentils, which are a great source of lysine.
Aren’t Fried Foods Really Unhealthy?
Frying foods is definitely not a healthy way of cooking. However, I believe that moderation is key and if eaten as part of a plant-rich diet packed with fresh fruits and vegetables, treating yourself with a fried vegan schnitzel every once in a while does not mean your diet is unhealthy.
Can I Make This Ahead?
Once fried, the schnitzel is best to be served right away, while still hot and crispy. However, you can store the steamed vegan meat cutlets in a container in the fridge for up to 1 week. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply bread and fry them as you normally would.
More Vegan Dinner Ideas
Vegan Schnitzel
ingredients
- ½ cup cooked lentils (I used canned), drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
- ½ tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup vital wheat gluten
For the breading:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plant-based milk
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ cup cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, plus more if needed
instructions
- In a blender or food processor, blend lentils, water, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten. Combine it thoroughly into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula, then knead for 5-7 minutes using your hands.
- Cut the dough ball in 4 or in 8 pieces, depending on how big you want the cutlets to be. Then use a rolling pin to roll out each section into 1cm ( ½-inch) thick steaks. The dough will be very tough and stretchy, but just keep working at it until you get your desired steak shapes.
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Put the steaks in the steamer basket and cover with a lid. Steam for 25 minutes, flipping the steaks halfway through so they steam evenly.
- Set up your breading station. Add flour to the first bowl. In the second bowl, mix milk, flour, cornstarch, garlic and onion powders. Add the breadcrumbs to the third bowl. First coat each schnitzel in flour, then submerge it in batter. Next, coat evenly on both sides with breadcrumbs.
- Cover the surface of a large non-stick skillet with olive oil and allow it to heat up for a few minutes over a medium-high heat.
- Fry the cutlets for around 3-4 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden brown, then transfer to a flat surface covered with a kitchen towel to allow any excess oil to drip off.
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