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    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Published: Mar 1, 2018 · Modified: Feb 5, 2022 by bri · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Vegan Gyros (Seitan)

    These Greek-inspired Vegan Gyros taste like the real deal! Made with easy homemade seitan gyros meat. Loaded with protein and make-ahead friendly. Serve with fluffy pita, creamy tzatziki, and crisp veggies. (Vegan).
    Jump to Recipe
    A Greek-inspired Vegan Gyros with tzatziki and tomato on a dinner plate.

    These Greek-inspired Vegan Gyros with seitan are craveable and satisfying. They're made with fluffy pita, creamy tzatziki, and smoky vegan gyro meat. The seitan gyros meat is easy to make, loaded with protein, and make-ahead friendly.

    If you've never had seitan before, you're in for a treat! Seitan is a vegan meat substitute that's flavorful, savory, and has a surprisingly "meaty" texture. Serve these veggie gyros with a generous scoop of tzatziki. Quick Pickled Onions and Quick Pickled Red Cabbage make great toppings too. And, pair the gyros with Greek Cucumber Salad for a Mediterranean-inspired feast.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Recipe video
    • Ingredients (and substitutes)
    • How to make (step-by-step photos)
    • Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • Bursting with flavor: Pantry spices like oregano, smoked paprika, and thyme add a ton of flavor to the vegan gyros meat. Then, it's topped off with creamy tzatziki and fluffy pita. The combination makes a yummy lunch or dinner.
    • High protein: Seitan is high in protein—and this recipe adds beans for even more protein and fiber. So, these vegan gyros not only taste delicious, but they'll also keep you feeling full!
    • Make-ahead friendly: You can easily make the seitan gyros meat in advance. Then, simply slice and crisp up the "meat" in a skillet before serving!

    Recipe video

    Watch how to make these Vegan Gyros step-by-step

    Ingredients (and substitutes)

    Here are the ingredients you'll need for the seitan gyros meat and pita toppings:

    Ingredients to make vegan gyros with seitan, including wheat gluten, tzatzii, and pita.
    • Vital Wheat Gluten: This is the key ingredient to making a plant-based meat substitute, called seitan. Vital wheat gluten is the protein that's naturally found in wheat. It's sometimes added to bread recipes, which is why it is usually sold in the flour aisle.
    • Cannellini Beans: We add cannellini beans to seitan for added protein and fiber. Vital wheat gluten is high in all essential amino acids except for lysine. But you know what has lysine? Beans. Combine them together and you have a complete protein! If you don't have cannellini beans, you could substitute another white bean instead.
    • Grapeseed Oil: Adds flavor and helps crisp up the seitan. You can substitute another neutral vegetable oil instead.
    • Tamari: A source of salt and umami, which is essential to recreating a "meaty" flavor. You can use soy sauce instead.
    • Pita, Tzatziki, and Veggies: We recommend serving the vegan gyros meat on fluffy pita with tzatziki. You can use whatever fresh veggies you'd like—here we use lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.

    Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

    Have extra tzatziki on hand? Use it in one of these recipes: Skillet Pan Spanakopita, Falafel Tahini Burgers, Oven Baked Falafel, or Greek Collard Green Wraps.

    How to make (step-by-step photos)

    If it's your first time making seitan, don't be intimidated! It's surprisingly easy to make. Here's how:

    Beans and seasonings in a food processor to make vegan seitan.
    1. Add beans and seasonings to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
    Vital wheat gluten and spices in a food processor to make seitan for gyros.
    2. Add vital wheat gluten and remaining spices. Process until the mixture forms a dough.
    Shaping seitan into a block and wrapping in tinfoil before baking.
    3. Knead and shape the mixture into a rectangle, then wrap in tinfoil. Bake until firm.
    Slicing seitan into strips for vegan gyros.
    4. Once the seitan is cool enough to handle, slice into thin strips.
    Crisping seitan in a nonstick frying pan for vegan gyros recipe.
    5. Crisp up the seitan in a skillet with oil.
    Assembling a vegan gyros with seitan, pita, tzatziki, and veggies.
    6. Assemble gyros with pita, tzatziki, and veggies.

    Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

    Looking for other "meaty" plant-based recipes? Try Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, Spicy Sausage and Brussels Sprouts Pasta, or Frozen Pierogi with Vegan Sausage.

    Table scene of greek gyros being topped with tomatoes and red onion

    Tips

    • No pita? No problem! The seitan gyros meat is delicious in pita, but you don't have to use it. Here are some other ways to serve seitan:
      • Make a Greek-inspired bowl with fresh veggies, grains, tzatziki and the seitan.
      • Pile the gyros meat into a soft bun to make a sandwich.
      • Serve it on a platter with Greek salad, tzatziki, and pita chips for dipping.
    • Double up on the tzatziki: If you're making homemade tzatziki sauce, you might as well make a double batch. Extras can be used throughout the week, as a healthy snack or side dish.
    • Make ahead tips: To streamline the cooking process, you can make the vegan gyros meat in advance. It keeps well in the fridge or freezer. If you want to go all out with meal prep, you could also cut the veggie toppings and store them in the fridge.
    Greek gyros on a counter topped with fresh veggies and tzatziki

    Recipe FAQs

    Is seitan gluten-free?

    No, seitan is not gluten-free because it's made from vital wheat gluten. Vital wheat gluten is a flour-like powder that's basically all gluten. It's derived from wheat flour.

    How long does the seitan keep for?

    You can keep the seitan gyros "meat" in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Or, freeze it (see instructions below).

    Can you freeze seitan?

    Yes, you can freeze seitan. Once the seitan is baked and cooled, wrap it in foil then place in an airtight freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months.

    Vegan gyros with seitan, tzatziki, pita, tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber.
    Close up of rolled up greek gyros on a light blue plate

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Gyros (Seitan)

    These Greek-inspired Vegan Gyros taste like the real deal! Made with easy homemade seitan gyros meat. Loaded with protein and make-ahead friendly. Serve with fluffy pita, creamy tzatziki, and crisp veggies. (Vegan).
    Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour hour
    Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings 6
    Author: Bri
    Pin Recipe
    A Greek-inspired Vegan Gyros with tzatziki and tomato on a dinner plate.
    Print

    Ingredients

    Seitan Gyros "Meat"

    • 1 (15 oz/14 fl oz/398 ml) can cannellini beans, rinsed
    • 3 tablespoons tamari
    • 3 tablespoon grapeseed oil, divided (or other neutral oil)
    • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • 3 cloves garlic (peeled)
    • ⅔ cup vital wheat gluten (see note 2)
    • 3 teaspoons dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (see note 1)
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper

    For serving

    • Vegan Tzatziki (or about 1¼ cup store bought)
    • 6 fluffy pitas or naan (warmed, see note 3)
    • 2 cups shredded lettuce (such as Romaine)
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped
    • 1 cup chopped cucumber
    • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
    • Mix: To a food processor, add cannellini beans, tamari, 2 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil, nutritional yeast, and garlic. Pulse until smooth. Add vital wheat gluten, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, and pepper. Process until the mixture comes into a dough-like ball, about 1 minute.
    • Knead: Transfer dough to a clean surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, at least 2 minutes, to ensure sufficient gluten development. Shape dough into 1 rectangle: 7-inches long x 4-inches wide x ¾-inch thick (18 x 10 x 2 cm).
    • Bake: Wrap the dough with a piece of foil, so its covered on all sides. Bake for 1 hour, flipping the dough halfway through. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
    • Slice and sear: Use a serrated knife to cut the block of gyros “meat” into thin strips (about ⅛-inch / 0.5 cm thick). Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil in a cast iron skillet (or nonstick pan), over medium-high heat. Scatter sliced "meat" into pan and sauté until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
    • Assemble: Spoon tzatziki over warm pitas, then add "meat", and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.

    Notes

    1. Smoked paprika: Use smoked sweet paprika, not smoked hot paprika (the latter is spicy). If the package doesn't explicitly say "hot" or "picante", it's probably sweet.
    2. Vital wheat gluten (flour): Usually found in the baking aisle, often near the flour. We used Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten. 
    3. Pita bread: Gyros are typically served in pocketless pita bread. We haven't been able to find something similar at our grocery store, so we usually opt for fluffy naan bread (rather than the thin pitas with pockets). But use whatever you prefer! Or make your own.
    4. Make-ahead / Storage tips: Slice and sear just the amount of "meat" you need for serving. The remaining block of "meat" can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. (Or alternatively, wrap in foil and freeze in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months). Before serving, slice and sear it in an oiled skillet or nonstick.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 437IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 6mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a rating below and tag us @evergreenkitchen on instagram!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Beth says

      June 01, 2023 at 6:51 am

      5 stars
      Woweee! I'm new to a vegan diet and this was incredible. I'm so glad I found your site! Will be trying more recipes of yours. Thank you

      Reply
      • bri says

        June 28, 2023 at 9:04 pm

        Hi Beth,

        Woohoo - glad you enjoyed the seitan gyros! Hope you enjoy trying some of the other vegan recipes on our site. Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!

        Reply
    2. Kasie says

      May 16, 2023 at 3:25 am

      Made these this weekend. First time making seitan and it won't be my last. So goood!

      Reply
      • bri says

        May 16, 2023 at 6:24 am

        Hi Kasie! Yay, happy to hear you enjoyed your first homemade seitan:) Thanks for giving this recipe a go! Glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    3. kate says

      November 26, 2020 at 7:45 pm

      How long does it keep in the fridge please

      Reply
    4. Ingrid says

      October 19, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      These gyros were soooo good (esp. with your vegan tzatziki sauce). I've missed gyros since going vegan, but no longer!

      Reply

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