Steamed Apple Seitan Bites with Sweet & Spicy Sauce

These high-protein vegan seitan bites are made with vital wheat gluten, apple, nutritional yeast, and savory spices, then steamed until tender and finished in a sticky sweet-and-spicy glaze. The apple adds moisture and a subtle natural sweetness without making the seitan taste like dessert.

Serve them with rice, buckwheat, barley, potatoes, or vegetables for a filling plant-based meal.

INGREDIENTS 
For the Seitan
100 g vital wheat gluten
20 g nutritional yeast
50–70 g apple, finely grated or blended
125 g water
14 g coconut oil or use another neutral oil, or omit for a lower-fat version
0.5–1 g liquid smoke
18 g miso paste or 8–10 g dry vegetable bouillon
8 g TVP / soy crumbles, ground into a fine flour, optional
6 g chopped green onion, optional
Spices
Add to taste:
1–2 g turmeric
2–3 g paprika
1–2 g ground black pepper
0.5–1 g cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, or fresh chili
For the Sauce
45 g sriracha
75 g soy sauce
40 g maple syrup
15 g water
14 g coconut oil
For Serving
5–10 g sesame seeds
10–15 g chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the steamer
Add water to a large pot and place a steamer basket on top. Cover and bring the water to a simmer.
2. Prepare the wet ingredients
If your coconut oil is solid, melt it first. Core the apple and add it to a blender with the water, coconut oil, liquid smoke, and miso paste. Blend until mostly smooth. If using prepared apple puree instead of fresh apple, simply mix it with the remaining wet ingredients.
3. Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, spices, green onion, and ground TVP if using. Ground soy crumbles are optional, but they can make the dough less sticky and easier to shape.
4. Make the seitan dough
Pour the blended wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spoon until everything comes together into a uniform ball of dough. Avoid over-kneading. You only need to mix until the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
5. Shape the seitan
Using kitchen scissors or your hands, divide the dough into pieces about the size of a tablespoon. Roll each piece into a small ball and arrange the balls in your steamer basket.
6. Steam
If the seitan pieces are packed closely together, steam for about 30 minutes.
If there is plenty of space between the pieces, about 20 minutes may be enough. At this point, the seitan is fully cooked and ready to eat — but the sauce makes it much better.

Make the Sauce
Add the sriracha, soy sauce, maple syrup, water, and coconut oil to a large skillet or wok. 
Stir together and heat over medium heat. Transfer the steamed seitan bites directly into the skillet. Cook for 5–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, caramelizes slightly, and completely coats the seitan.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Serve hot with rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, roasted potatoes, or your favorite vegetables.

Recipe Notes
Want a lower-calorie version?
You can leave out the coconut oil. The seitan will still be flavorful while containing less added fat.

Meal-prep friendly:
You can double or triple the recipe, shape the uncooked dough into balls, and freeze them for later.

Don’t skip the first cooking step.
Seitan needs to be fully cooked by steaming, boiling, or baking before it goes into the sauce. Adding raw seitan dough directly to the skillet may cause it to fall apart rather than develop the chewy texture you want.

Texture tip:
Grinding TVP or soy crumbles into a fine powder and adding a tablespoon to the mixture can make the dough less sticky and easier to shape.