Satisfy your cravings with this delicious and high protein vegan buffalo chicken sandwich with homemade seitan.
Like Lauren Toyota once said, I too have been saved by seitan.
I dove head-first into the homemade seitan world and have made different varieties every single week for nearly a year. I've become obsessed.
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What Is A Vegan Buffalo Chicken Sandwich?
A vegan buffalo chicken sandwich is a meatless sandwich that uses a vegan chicken substitute and a buffalo sauce to mimic the taste of a traditional buffalo chicken sandwich.
Common toppings may include lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and ranch dressing (I use Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch).
While many people may want to use a packaged vegan meat alternative, I like to take things to the next level and make them from scratch.
I've seen several different variations of vegan buffalo sandwiches including a buffalo cauliflower sandwich, buffalo "chicken" made with oyster mushrooms, and buffalo tofu sandwiches. You could also make them in the form of a vegan buffalo chicken dip or vegan buffalo chicken wraps.
All of those are great options, but nothing has quite the same meaty texture and high protein content as my vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches with homemade seitan.
What Is Seitan?
Seitan is a vegan meat alternative that is made from vital wheat gluten. In other words, it's the protein from wheat in a flour-like form. It has a very neutral flavor and will take on whatever flavors you add to it!
Most grocery stores carry vital wheat gluten, but if yours doesn't, there are so many places to order it online. I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour.
You basically make a dough with the vital wheat gluten, liquid, and seasonings and cook it either in the oven or on the stove. For this recipe, we are using the oven.
Seitan is one of the best vegan protein sources. The main ingredient, vital wheat gluten, has 23g of protein per ¼ cup. Yes, please.
Is Buffalo Sauce Vegan?
Buffalo sauce is typically made with butter. But making it vegan is as simple as using vegan butter! My favorite is Miyokos Cultured Vegan Butter. You can find a homemade buffalo sauce recipe online using hot sauce, or to make it even more simple, you could just use a pre-made buffalo sauce from the store.
A common question is whether or not store-bought buffalo sauce is vegan. While not all brands will be, Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce has been confirmed to be vegan by the company. Although the ingredients include "natural butter type flavor," they don't use any animal-derivatives. Instead, the flavor is made chemically to resemble the flavor of butter. If you're a buffalo sauce fanatic like me, it also goes great with my air fryer Tofu Nuggets, which are crispy and coated in bread crumbs.
There are other specifically vegan-branded buffalo sauces on the market now as well. So for this recipe, choose whichever you like best!
Ingredients
Let's get cookin'! For this vegan buffalo chicken sandwich, you'll need the following ingredients.
I forgot the nutritional yeast in the picture, but just pretend it's there.
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Nutritional Yeast
- Seasonings
- Vegetable Broth
- Buffalo Sauce
- Buns & Sandwich Toppings
That's it! See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let's get into the nitty gritty. Here's how to make this vegan buffalo chicken sandwich.
In a large bowl, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable broth and olive oil.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine gently with a wooden spoon until a wet dough forms. Knead a couple of times.
Divide dough into four roughly equal pieces and flatten out into a patty shape.
Wrap each piece in foil and place onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes then unwrap the seitan and brush both sides with the buffalo sauce until well coated.
To assemble the sandwich, toast buns and spread vegan ranch on the bottom bun. Add lettuce, buffalo seitan patty, tomato, pickles, and the top bun.
I hope you enjoy my favorite vegan version of a buffalo chicken sandwich. If you're looking for some more easy vegan recipes like this one, check out my Pesto Lasagna Rolls or my 3-Bean Chili.
If you're here for the high protein but aren't feeling like prepping a whole meal, I've got you. These are the best high protein vegan snacks.
Variations
Want a richer flavor? Or maybe you have some dietary needs that require some recipe changes? No problem.
- Richer Flavor - add 2 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce to the wet mixture before adding to the dry mixture. Note that it will give the patty a bit of a darker and red-tinted appearance but it's delicious.
- Higher Fiber - choose whole wheat buns and serve with a side of fruit or veggies
- Lower Sodium - choose a low sodium vegetable broth, omit salt, omit pickles, and/or use less buffalo sauce (it has about 460mg per tbsp)
- Different Spreads & Toppings - try it with vegan mayonnaise, vegan blue cheese, or vegan cheese slices
- Add More Veggies - add in red onion, broccoli slaw, vegan coleslaw, mushrooms, cucumbers, etc.
Storage
I keep the patties in their own container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for a month or more. Simply reheat in a pan over medium heat or if you're lazy (like me) just pop in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, flipping halfway. Start with 60 seconds first and assess if it needs extra time so that the seitan doesn't dry out too much.
Then build the sandwich like usual! Make sure you wait to build the sandwich and toast the bread until you're ready to eat (I wouldn't recommend storing fully made sandwiches in the fridge).
Feel free to meal prep these patties and make them next time you want a quick and easy lunch.
Top tip
Knead a few times but don't over-knead the seitan dough or the finished seitan may get too tough.
FAQ
It can be, depending on the specific buffalo sauce and how much you use. The vegan ranch helps to neutralize some of the spiciness.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to make seitan gluten-free because gluten is the main ingredient. However, you could simply look through gluten-free meat alternatives and use one of the store-bought options instead of making it homemade. You would also need to choose a gluten-free bun.
Sometimes I do this and sometimes I don't. I haven't personally noticed a huge difference either way but do what you like!
Recipe
Vegan Buffalo "Chicken" Sandwich with Homemade Seitan
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- Foil
- 1 baking sheet
- toaster or pan on the stove with oil to toast buns
Ingredients
Seitan "Chicken"
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable broth (I like to use vegan bouillon paste and reconstitute it to vegetable broth)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup vegan buffalo sauce (I used Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce)
Sandwich
- 4 hamburger buns
- vegan ranch (I prefer Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch)
- pickles
- tomato slices
- lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable broth and olive oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine gently with a wooden spoon (or other utensil on hand) until a wet dough forms. Knead a couple of times with your hands but don't over knead or the seitan may get too tough. Then divide dough into four roughly equal pieces and flatten out into a patty shape.
- Wrap each piece in foil and place onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes then unwrap the seitan and brush both sides with the buffalo sauce until well coated.
- To assemble the sandwich, toast buns and spread on vegan ranch. Add lettuce, buffalo seitan patty, tomato, and pickles. You can also spread even more of the buffalo sauce onto the sandwich for more flavor if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- For an even richer flavor, add 2 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce to the wet mixture before adding to the dry mixture. Note that it will give the patty a bit of a darker and red-tinted appearance but it's delicious.
- You'll want to knead the seitan "dough" a few times but be sure to not go overboard or it may make your seitan too tough.
- Wrapping the seitan patties in foil helps them cook more evenly and keeps them more moist so don't skip this step!
- For more fiber, choose whole wheat buns and serve with a side of fruit or veggies.
- For lower sodium, choose a low sodium vegetable broth, omit salt, omit pickles, and/or use less buffalo sauce (it has about 460mg per tbsp)
Nutrition
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