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.
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!
Ingredients (and substitutes)
Here are the ingredients you'll need for the seitan gyros meat and pita toppings:
- 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:
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.
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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
You can keep the seitan gyros "meat" in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Or, freeze it (see instructions below).
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.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Gyros (Seitan)
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
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
- 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.
- Vital wheat gluten (flour): Usually found in the baking aisle, often near the flour. We used Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten.
- 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.
- 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.
Kasie says
Made these this weekend. First time making seitan and it won't be my last. So goood!
bri says
Hi Kasie! Yay, happy to hear you enjoyed your first homemade seitan:) Thanks for giving this recipe a go! Glad you enjoyed it.
kate says
How long does it keep in the fridge please
Ingrid says
These gyros were soooo good (esp. with your vegan tzatziki sauce). I've missed gyros since going vegan, but no longer!