This homemade vegan doner meat is made from seitan and a spice blend you mix yourself. Aromatic spices, a savoury marinade and a hot pan give it plenty of flavour with a gentle kick.
Thin, slightly uneven slices are the key to its texture: the edges turn crisp while thicker parts stay soft and juicy. Serve it in wraps or flatbreads, on a doner plate, or as a topping for bowls and salads.
This batch is ideal for meal prep. Freeze some of the cooked, marinated seitan before frying, then cook it fresh whenever you need it.
At a glance
🥙 Yield: about 6 generous wrap fillings
🕒 Preparation: about 25 minutes of active dough preparation and portioning
⏸️ Dough resting time: 10 minutes
🔥 Simmering time: about 30 minutes
❄️ Cooling time: until completely cool; depends on piece size and surroundings
⏳ Marinating time: at least 30 minutes
🍳 Frying time: about 10–15 minutes, depending on the pan and batch size
👩🏼🍳 Difficulty: intermediate
📦 Meal prep: suitable · Freezer-friendly: yes
Ingredients
For the seitan dough
- 250 g vital wheat gluten (seitan flour)
- 80 g wheat flour
- 330 ml water
- 3 tsp vegetable stock powder
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 level tsp salt
For simmering
- Enough vegetable stock, about 3–4 litres depending on your pot
- 4 bay leaves
For the homemade doner spice blend
- 4 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo-style chilli flakes)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 small pinches of cinnamon
For the marinade
- 60 g neutral vegetable oil
- All of the doner spice blend listed above
- 2 tsp tomato purée (concentrated tomato paste)
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 small garlic cloves, finely grated
- Salt as needed
For frying: a little extra vegetable oil if needed.
Allergen note: Contains gluten and soy. Check the labels of your vegetable stock and spices for additional allergens, especially celery.
Method
1. Make the dough
Mix the vital wheat gluten, wheat flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, pepper and salt thoroughly. Dissolve the stock powder in the water and add the soy sauce. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and knead for about 5 minutes to form an elastic dough. Leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough
Divide into 16 roughly equal pieces. They do not need to be perfectly round or evenly shaped.
3. Simmer the seitan
Heat the vegetable stock and bay leaves in a large pot. Carefully add the seitan pieces and simmer gently over low to medium heat for about 30 minutes. Avoid a rolling boil to preserve the texture.
4. Cool and slice
Lift the cooked pieces out of the stock, drain well and let them cool completely. Using a sharp knife, cut into very thin, slightly uneven strips or slices. Different thicknesses are welcome: thin parts become crisp when fried, while thicker parts remain soft and juicy.
5. Season and marinate
Combine all the doner spice ingredients in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, thoroughly mix the oil, tomato purée, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and the entire spice blend. Add the seitan strips and toss until evenly coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. For a fuller flavour, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
6. Fry until crisp
Heat a large frying pan and fry the marinated seitan in batches over medium to high heat until nicely browned. Avoid overcrowding so the seitan fries rather than steams. Let the thin edges turn crisp while the thicker parts stay soft and juicy. Add a little extra oil if needed.
7. Serve
Serve in wraps or flatbreads with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red cabbage, onions and a garlic yoghurt sauce. It also goes well with rice or potatoes, or on salads and bowls.
My tips
- Texture: Cut thin, slightly uneven strips with a sharp knife and fry in batches in a sufficiently hot pan.
- Gentle heat: The pul biber, pepper and other spices make the seitan aromatic and mildly spicy. Adjust the heat to your taste if you wish.
- Prepare the day before: Simmer, cool, slice and marinate the seitan, then keep covered in the fridge. Fry just before serving.
- Freezing: Portion the cooked, cooled, sliced and marinated seitan into airtight freezer containers or bags before frying. For best quality, use within about 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and fry fresh.
- Leftovers: Fried leftovers can also be frozen after cooling quickly, then reheated in a frying pan.
The basic preparation was inspired by Veggie Einhorn’s seitan doner recipe. We developed our own spice blend and marinade for Simply A-Vay and adapted them to our taste.