Can You Freeze Seitan?

3 minutes

With plant-based diets increasingly popular, the range of meat-free alternatives is expanding. Seitan is a relatively new option. If you’re the only one in your household that eats it, perhaps you need to consider how you could store it.

How to Freeze Seitan

Freezing seitan is simple – it’s packed with protein, just like any meat you might freeze. Therefore, we can use the same techniques to freeze them both!

1. Portion: Portioning out the seitan is an excellent way to eliminate waste in your kitchen by ensuring that you only thaw out as much seitan as you’re likely to use in an individual meal.
2. Wrap: Wrapping the seitan in a layer of breathable baking paper ensures that any liquid within or on the seitan isn’t trapped there – it can move freely, away from the seitan, and toward the cold of the freezer.
3. Wrap Again: The layer of air between the baking paper and the cling film is where frost will form on protein-packed items in your freezer. This prevents ice from forming directly on the food, which would lead to rapid freezer burn.
4. Freeze: Freeze the seitan in the centre of your freezer, keeping it as far away as possible from the frost front at the edges of your freezer. This will ensure that you have the most time possible to eat the seitan, rather than having to race to cook it.

3 Tips for Freezing Seitan

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing seitan to have the best results:

Add a Marinade
Freezing the seitan in a marinade won’t do much to impart flavour, but thawing it in a marinade gives you a head start on the cooking process – it’s a great way to ensure your food is as tasty as possible as rapidly as possible! 

Consider Textures
Consider what you’ll likely use the seitan for before you freeze it. For instance, will you be ripping it for pulled pork or mincing it for chilli? Consider that before freezing so that the prep work of the shape is already done for you. 

Check That Seal
Ensuring that you form a good seal is a piece of advice we often give, especially on protein-dense recipes. It’s a great way to ensure that your seitan doesn’t get damaged by frost in the freezer and that you can maintain its flavour well during storage. 

How Long Can You Freeze Seitan?

You can freeze seitan for up to 3 months before you’re likely to notice any change in texture.

At that point, you might notice that the seitan is tougher and drier than before freezing. If you’re going to use it in a saucy dish, this shouldn’t be too much of a big deal.

How Do You Defrost Seitan?

The best way to defrost seitan is to allow it to come to fridge temperature overnight, and then to use it from the rough ‘fresh’ temperature.

Alternatively, you could use minced or diced seitan directly from frozen, by placing it into a hot pan.

Can You Refreeze Seitan?

Yes, you can refreeze seitan. As it isn’t meat, fish, or raw dairy, it’s totally safe to refreeze as much as you need to.

Ensure that the seitan is dry and well-wrapped each time you refreeze it, though – that’s the best way to ensure that you maintain quality over time.

Does Seitan Freeze Well?

Yes, the seitan does freeze well.

The main barrier to seitan being as sound as it can be is moisture, so watch out for the seitan getting condensation on it, or otherwise being too moist.

If this is the case, pat the seitan dry with a paper towel and refreeze it as though you were freezing it for the first time.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing seitan or seitan in general, then these may help: