Vegan Schnitzel
Golden, crunchy, and packed with flavour — this plant-based schnitzel is high-protein and ultra-satisfying. The texture is meaty, the crumb is crisp, and it pairs perfectly with a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 250 g wheat gluten
- 125 g white beans
- 25 g nutritional yeast
- 250 ml vegetable broth lukewarm
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Breading:
- 70 g flour
- 120 ml water add more to thin
- 1.5 teaspoon onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large lemon rind grated
- 220 g panko breadcrumbs
To serve:
- lemon wedges squeeze on top
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a food processor, combine the white beans, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and tahini. Blend until completely smooth.In a large bowl, mix the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir with a spatula until it begins to come together.Once it forms a shaggy dough, knead it gently with your hands for 1–2 minutes until just combined. (Note 1)👉 Don’t over-knead — the more you knead, the chewier the seitan will be. A short knead makes it tender and juicy.Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Shape:
- Divide the rested dough into 8 equal pieces (about 70g each). Place each piece between two sheets of baking paper and roll it out with a rolling pin or flatten using your hands or a meat pounder.Aim for a thickness of about ½ to 1 cm (¼ to ½ inch) — thin enough to mimic a classic schnitzel, but thick enough to hold together. (Note 2)
Steam:
- To steam the cutlets using a large pot and foldable metal steamer basket, unfold the basket and place it in the pot with about 2–3 cm of water—just enough to sit below the basket. Lightly oil the basket (I used olive oil spray) to prevent sticking. Arrange the cutlets in a single layer with space between them, cover the pot with a lid, and steam over medium heat for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. They should feel firm and bouncy when done. Remove and let them cool for 10 minutes before breading. (Note 3)
Bread:
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, water, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and lemon zest to form a thick batter. Add in extra water to thin. It should be the consistency of pancake batter. In a separate bowl, pour the breadcrumbs.Dip each schnitzel into the batter, coating both sides thoroughly, then press into the breadcrumbs until completely covered.👉 Tip: Press your hands together on the cutlets to push the breadcrumbs into the surface.
Cook:
- Heat a generous amount of neutral oil (I used canola) in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add schnitzels in batches and fry for 2–4 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain excess oil.
Freeze:
- I highly recommend freezing the breaded, unfried schnitzel. Freezing improves the seitan's texture, making it even heartier once cooked, but they taste great fresh off the pan with squeezed lemon or a peri-peri sauce.
Video
Notes
Note 1: You’ll notice that the skins of the beans are visible (that’s ok!) and the dough will have a lot of “holes”, remember, it’s not like regular bread dough. It will be very stretchy.
Note 2: It’s always better to go thinner and smaller as they puff up when you steam them. If they look like a good cutlet thickness, you haven’t rolled it out thin enough, aim for thin!
Note 3: Check the water level halfway through to make sure it hasn’t boiled dry, and top up with hot water if needed. It’s better to oversteam then understeam if you’re not sure if they are ready. When done, schnitzels should feel firm, bouncy, and not doughy or sticky. If they still feel gummy or pale in spots, give them an extra 5–10 minutes of steam.