Is Seitan a Complete Protein? Combinations to Make It Complete

If you are sick and tired of tofu and searching for another vegan protein source, this article has a solution for you. Say hello to seitan—also known as wheat meat among its fans.

Seitan (pronounced ‘say-tan’) is a meat substitute made from gluten, the vital protein of wheat.

Seitan can not be used as a complete protein but can easily be complemented to create a perfect plant-based, nutritionally dense diet with the exact amount of required protein.

Keep reading to discover which combinations will allow you to complete your protein intake and how to best use this underestimated vegan ingredient.

What Is Seitan?

Seitan is wheat gluten obtained by draining starch from the dough. By gradually washing and cooking, we are presented with a texture similar to meat.

Nutritionally speaking, it can almost completely replace meat, which is why Asian, vegetarian, vegan, and macrobiotic cuisines frequently use it as a substitute.

This popular alternative to meat originated in Asia. The story of its roots is tightly connected to Buddhism and the meatless and cruelty-free lifestyle of the Buddhist monks.

Wheat gluten has been reported in China for centuries, and the term ‘seitan‘ was created in the early 1960s by the Japanese macrobiotic dietitian George Ohsawa.

Today, it is an affordable vegan protein option that can be found in health food stores, some supermarkets, and Asian food markets, but can also easily be made at home.

It has similar macros to vegan protein powder, tastes delicious, and has a texture that resembles meat. There is also a wide variety of recipes containing seitan that can be found online.

Seitan Nutrition Facts

Seitan is rich in protein. But it should be noted that, depending on the ingredients used to create it, a different amount of protein may be found in each serving.

A 1/4-cup (28-gram) of vital wheat gluten, seitan’s main ingredient, contains:

Calories: 104
Fat: 0.5 grams
Total carbohydrates: 4 grams
Dietary fiber: 0.2 grams
Protein: 21 grams

For example, a seitan item made with chickpea or soy flour might supply more protein than one made with wheat flour.

But still, 100 g of wheat seitan contains at least 22 g of protein, which is more than tofu. It contains about the same amount of protein as some meat, such as beef and chicken.

Unlike animal meat, wheat meat does not have harmful fats and is a low-calorie food (with over 40% of calories coming from protein).

Although this vegan meat alternative is made from wheat, it contains very few carbohydrates. It also contains several important minerals such as iron, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, and calcium.

Seitan provides around 5 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, which is the same amount as some meat, for example, beef. But here’s the thing about iron.

Heme iron, which is the form of iron that originates from animal proteins, is only present in meat, poultry, shellfish, and fish.

Contrarily, plant-based foods such as grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds contain non-heme iron.

Don’t, however, assume it exclusively exists in plants. Animal goods including eggs, milk, and other dairy products also contain non-heme iron, which also makes up more than half of the iron in meat from animals.

The non-haem iron in seitan and other plant-based food, however, is not as easily absorbed as the haem iron in meats.

But don’t worry, some foods can help our body convert non-haem iron into a form that it can absorb more easily.

Some of them include foods rich in vitamin C (for example, citrus fruits, and dark green leafy vegetables such as kale), vitamin A, and beta-carotene (carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, apricots, peaches…).

Is Seitan Healthy?

The answer is yes, but there is an important exception.

Since seitan is made of pure gluten, it is a dangerous ingredient for people with Celiac disease, as well as those with gluten intolerance.

People with poor gut health, IBS, food allergies, and similar digestive issues should check with their doctor if they are sensitive to gluten or the fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) in wheat before implementing wheat meat in their daily diet plan.

On the other hand, seitan is a rare soy-free meat alternative. That makes it a good option for people with a soy allergy who have to avoid the more popular plant-based protein sources such as tofu or tempeh.

Another thing to consider if you’re watching your salt intake or have high blood pressure is that some store-bought seitan is high in sodium.

This can be avoided by carefully scanning the label, a skill that most vegans already have developed, or by making your seitan at home.

It should also be noted that store-bought seitan is highly processed food so you should include whole foods in your diet as well.

And like every other food product, if you eat it in excessive amounts and do not attain your nutritionally balanced diet and lifestyle, the healthy aspect of this plant-based protein source will not be of much use to your overall health.

Is Seitan a Complete Protein?

A complete protein is a term used to describe sources of protein that contain all nine essential amino acids. So the question ‘Is seitan a complete protein?’ can be reframed as ‘Does seitan carry all necessary amino acids?’

In the following section, we will thoroughly explain the phenomenon of amino acids, but for now, the simple answer to the question above is that seitan (bear in mind it depends on the seitan recipe used) is generally not a complete protein.

Thankfully, that issue can be easily resolved with a nutritionally balanced food combination. For more information and suggestions read the Seitan Complete Protein Combinations section.

As said before, this vegan ingredient is not a complete protein since it lacks one essential amino acid, but don’t forget that it is high in other amino acids which makes it one of the best plant-based protein sources to include in your nutrition plan.

Seitan Amino Acid Profile

Proteins are made up of substances called amino acids. Amino acids are the byproducts of the digestion or breakdown of proteins. They aid the digestion process.

Amino acids can be classified as essential and non-essential. The main difference is our body’s ability to synthesize these components.

Non-essential amino acids can be synthesized by our bodies so we don’t have to worry about their intake.

On the other hand, the nine essential amino acids (histidine, lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, and valine) can not be synthesized by our bodies so we have to obtain them through balanced nutrition.

So, there are nine essential amino acids and the good news is that seitan contains all of them.

The bad news, on the other hand, is that it is extremely low in one important amino acid named lysine.

Lysine is crucial because it increases collagen formation, aids in the body’s absorption of calcium, prevents cold sores, lowers anxiety and stress, and accelerates wound healing, among other things.

Our bodies cannot produce it, which is why it is necessary to implement this amino acid via food (or/and supplements).

In conclusion, we have to find another source of lysine because seitan will provide our body with all the necessary amino acids, except lysine.

Luckily, plant-based food is rich with lysine sources so we can effortlessly compensate for this rare downside of our beloved vegan meat substitute.

Discover the best lysine-rich foods to accompany your wheat meat dish in the section below.

Seitan Complete Protein Combinations

As mentioned before, this vegan protein alternative lacks an essential amino acid named lysine. Fortunately, this issue can be easily resolved.

One solution is to buy or make your seitan with soy or chickpea flour.

Chickpea flour is made by grounding chickpeas, so it gets all the chickpeas benefits.

Chickpeas are also not a complete protein, but they do contain the essential amino acid lysine that seitan lacks, which makes these two vegan-friendly ingredients very compatible. The nutritional situation with soy is similar.

There are also a lot of recipes for homemade seitan that involve nutritional yeast—the vegan gold. A significant source of vitamin B12, as well as lysine.

It also gives vegan dishes the missing cheesy taste, smell, and consistency.

The other solution is to implement more lysine-rich food in your plant-based diet simply. These include legumes, soy milk, or sauce, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens.

Adding some of these food items, either to your seitan-containing meal or to your overall diet, will enable your body to absorb the complete protein it requires.

For instance, if you have seitan for lunch, you can snack on some nuts and seeds later or add some hummus (because it contains chickpeas) to your late-night sandwich.

This will allow you to easily reach your daily protein intake goal.
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If you are determined to get to your protein intake goal in your main seitan meal, season it up a bit with some soy sauce.

It will not only offer you the missing amino acid but enrich the taste of your wheat meat dish—it’s a win-win situation.

How To Use Seitan

The list of creative ways to use seitan is endless. It can be treated as the main component of a dish or can be added to meals such as sandwiches, fajitas, pasta, soups, stews…

It can be fried, stir-fried, steamed, baked, roasted, or sautéd. Just like regular meat, it can be seasoned and marinaded as desired. Air-fryer is also a great tool to give your vegan meat extra crispness.

You can grate it, slice it finely, and cut it into strips or cubes, depending on what you’re cooking. If you are making shawarma, for example, slice it into strips, and if you are planning to make kebabs, shape it into cubes.

This hidden wheat treasure is best used as a substitute for beef or chicken. But thanks to its flexible and bland taste and texture it can be made to replace almost every type of meat.

For example, there is a popular Chinese dish called Mock Peking Duck, where seitan is successfully used to substitute duck.

Here is my favorite seitan goulash recipe for two.

Sauté the onions (2 medium-sized) cut into half-moons in oil, add champignons or any other mushrooms (14 ounces/400 grams), and chopped garlic (you can also use granulated garlic).

Steep, pour a little red wine (optional), and then pour about 400 ml of vegetable broth. Add diced seitan – 8 ounces (250 grams), then let it simmer some more time.

When it is almost ready, pour about 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce, add some spices and cook until it thickens nicely, so that it is neither too thin nor too thick (it should be eaten with a spoon).

Season with whatever you like and have at hand. Feel free to get creative and flexible with the recipe and adapt it to your taste.

Conclusion

Seitan is a hidden wheat treasure used alongside tofu, tempeh, and other meat substitutes in plant-based diets.

It is high in protein, and low in calories and fat.

However, seitan is not a complete protein since it lacks one of nine essential amino acids, called lysine. Lysine can be found and compensated in other plant-based food.

The incomplete protein issue can be easily resolved by adding lysine-rich food to your everyday diet. These include legumes, seeds, and nuts…

Wheat meat is high in iron. Like all other plant-based food items, the iron that it contains is non-heme.

This type of iron is more difficult for our bodies to absorb than iron from meat, but some plant-based foods aid our bodies in that process.

Since seitan is essentially gluten, it should be strictly avoided by people with Celiac disease, as well as by those intolerant to gluten.

There is a wide variety of recipes for seitan use and it can also be quickly made at home from scratch.

Compared with other vegan meat substitutes like tofu, seitan contains even more protein and is soy-free, which makes it a good protein source for people on plant-based diets that are allergic to soy or nuts.

Same as any other food, when incorporated into a balanced diet, this is a healthy and tasty vegan meat alternative that you can enjoy guilt-free.