This is a slow cooker vegan taco filling of dreams.

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This recipe was inspired by all the “slow cooker 2 ingredient salsa chicken” recipes floating around on Pinterest. It’s such a great concept. Throw a couple of things in the slow cooker, enjoy tacos, enchiladas and all things spicy for the following week. I want in! But, y’know, without the chicken.

So here’s my offering to the vegans and vegetarians of the world: Slow cooker salsa seitan! It is a little more work. It’s not just 2 ingredients, since you’re making the seitan from scratch here. But it’s not exactly difficult. It takes about 15 minutes to prep, and then the slow cooker does the rest.

It's so easy to make this vegan salsa seitan in the slow cooker. The seitan does not need to be pre-made, just put the dough in with the salsa and let the crockpot work it's magic. Make a big batch and feast on vegan tacos, enchiladas and burritos all week!

Got Questions?

What even IS seitan?

Sei-WHAT? I know. It’s a weird word.

Seitan is also known as “wheat meat” or “mock duck” in Chinese cooking, where it has been used as an alternative to meat for years (particularly by practitioners of Buddhism). It is made from wheat gluten, which is a protein extracted from wheat flour. It is firm and chewy in texture, so it holds up well in a slow cooker recipe.

What do I need to make seitan?

You really only need one ingredient: vital wheat gluten. Mix it with water and you have your seitan dough. You can stop there or you can add flavors, or extra ingredients to modify the texture to suit the recipe. For this recipe, I have added some extra flavoring and nutritional yeast for a more flavorful and tender seitan.

Alternatively, in my yakisoba recipe, I make the seitan even easier using nothing more than the wheat gluten and water. It worked well for those purposes (small chunks of seitan dotted into a dish packed with noodles and veggies).

How do you cook seitan?

Seitan is robust, and not too picky in how it wants to be cooked. It can be steamed, boiled or baked. It doesn’t overcook easily so the crockpot works a charm.

Where can I get vital wheat gluten?

US: Larger supermarkets may carry the Bob’s Red Mill brand, otherwise try Whole Foods Market or another health food store or online retailer.

UK: I’ve yet to find a major supermarket that carries vital wheat gluten, though you may have more luck in a local health food store. Otherwise, there are plenty of options available for ordering online including Amazon.

It's so easy to make this vegan salsa seitan in the slow cooker. The seitan does not need to be pre-made, just put the dough in with the salsa and let the crockpot work it's magic. Make a big batch and feast on vegan tacos, enchiladas and burritos all week!

How to make seitan in the slow cooker

For this recipe, you will make your dough in a bowl, and pick off small pieces to drop into the slow cooker with some salsa. Leave it to cook for about 4 hours and you’re good to go.That’s it! The resulting texture will be amazing.

How to use your salsa seitan:

Here are some ideas.

  • Layer it into a rice and bean packed burrito.
  • Spoon a little on your taco over some rice, and then pile it high with guacamole, olives and lettuce.
  • Stuff enchiladas with 50% salsa seitan, 50% beans in the filling.
  • Spread your tostadas with refried beans and then a dollop of seitan salsa.
It's so easy to make this vegan salsa seitan in the slow cooker. The seitan does not need to be pre-made, just put the dough in with the salsa and let the crockpot work it's magic. Make a big batch and feast on vegan tacos, enchiladas and burritos all week!

Easy Slow Cooker Salsa Seitan

It is so easy to make this homemade seitan in the slow cooker! The seitan does not need to be pre-made, just put the dough in with the salsa and let the crockpot work its magic. Make a big batch of slow cooker seitan and feast on vegan tacos, enchiladas and burritos all week!
8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
4.67 from 3 ratings
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups (475 ml) premade salsa

For the seitan (this will make a double batch)

  • 1 cup (120 g) vital wheat gluten
  • ½ cup (8 Tbsp) nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1.5 cups (350 ml) vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions 

  1. Combine the dry seitan ingredients in a bowl.
    1 cup vital wheat gluten, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1 Tbsp onion powder
  2. Whisk together the wet seitan ingredient in a measuring jug.
    1.5 cups vegetable broth, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp olive oil
  3. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl gradually, stirring through with a fork. The mixture will stick together and clump. Use your hands to knead together the mixture into a dough. Knead for a few minutes until you see that it's becoming tough and stringy.
  4. Pour half of the salsa into the slow cooker. Add the seitan by tearing off small chunks (about the size of an olive) and adding them on top. Try not to overlap them too much.
    2 cups premade salsa
  5. Once that layer is full, pour the rest of the salsa over the top and add the rest of the seitan. You will not use all of the seitan- maybe about half – and the rest can go in the freezer for another day.
  6. Turn the slow cooker onto high and cook for 3 to 4 hours until the seitan is tender. Stir once, about halfway through the cooking time. If the texture is more chunky than you'd like, use a wooden spoon to break up some of the seitan chunks.
  7. Serve, storing any leftovers in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

As written, this makes about twice as much seitan dough as you need. You can freeze the rest of the dough for another time! Defrost thoroughly before use. Of course, you can halve it if you don’t want any leftover.
Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Author: Christine Melanson
Calories: 108kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 859mg, Potassium: 256mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 406IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg