Vegan Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
These vegan gyros, made with mushrooms or seitan, offer a deliciously savory and satisfying alternative to traditional gyros. Packed with rich flavors and a hearty texture, they’re perfect for a plant-based twist on a classic favorite.
A few years back, a follower asked if I could come up with a recipe for vegan gyros with homemade vegan tzatziki sauce because she missed having them. To be honest, I had never made them before switching to this way of life. I had eaten them occasionally in restaurants, but not often. It was fun coming up with these two versions with mushrooms or seitan.
We have more delicious recipes that use the meat alternative seitan like this crockpot meatless vegan BBQ and our soba noodle seitan veggie stir-fry.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Two hearty options- These gyros have two vegan meat filling options; either; seasoned baked seitan or grilled Portobello mushrooms.
- Flavorful and Hearty: These vegan gyros, made with mushrooms or seitan, provide a savory and satisfying texture that rivals traditional gyros, making them a delicious plant-based option.
- Customizable and Versatile: Easily adapt the recipe to suit your taste preferences by choosing between mushrooms or seitan, and load up on your favorite toppings and sauces.
What is seitan?
Seitan is a high-protein, meat-like food made from vital wheat gluten, the protein found in wheat. Often called “wheat meat” or “wheat gluten,” it has a chewy texture and can be seasoned and cooked in various ways to mimic the taste and texture of meat. Seitan is commonly used in vegetarian and vegan dishes as a versatile protein source.
I sometimes make my own seitan, because it’s quite easy to make. We even have a vegan seitan roast that is great for the holidays. We have an article on everything you need to know about seitan and recipes to use it in. It can also be purchased already cooked at Whole Foods and other health food stores.
How to make vegan gyros
STEP #1: To make the seitan version, heat the oven to 350°F. In a blender, blend onion, garlic, tahini, ketchup, soy sauce, and water.
STEP #2: In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
STEP #3: Pour the wet blender ingredients into the dry ingredients, and start to stir.
STEP #4: Use your hands and begin to knead together for approximately 3 minutes. If it’s too wet, add more vital wheat gluten. If it’s too dry, add a little water.
STEP #5: Line a baking dish with parchment paper and press seitan into it. Bake for 30 minutes.
STEP #6: After it has cooled, slice the seitan into thin meaty strips.
Grilled mushroom option
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Coat each mushroom with the mixture.
- Grill on low heat until moist and tender. My opinion is that the lower the heat and longer the grill, the better for flavor. I didn’t cook these slow or long enough, and the flavor was lacking, compared to the seitan.
- Remove from heat and slice.
- I found that lower heat and longer grilling time make for better flavor. I didn’t cook these slow or long enough, and the flavor was lacking, compared to the vegan seitan gyros.
STEP #7: Slice the cucumber in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Some people leave the seeds, but I prefer to make this recipe without them.
Use a grater to grate the cucumbers being careful not to slice your fingers. There are plenty of different graters, but I prefer a larger grate cut for this cucumber dip.
STEP #8: Cucumbers are full of water, so the next step of draining the water from the cucumber is arguably the most important.
There are a number of methods for doing this. Personally, to speed things up, I like to place the cucumber in a sieve and use my fingers to press out the water over a bowl or the sink.
STEP #9: Next, place all of the other ingredients plus half of the grated cucumber into a blender or a food processor and blend until nice and smooth.
STEP #10: Pour the tzatziki sauce into a bowl and stir in the other half of the prepared cucumber. This provides the dip with a little more texture and makes it fuller.
STEP #11: Spread a spoonful of tzatziki sauce down the center of one pita or naan wrap. Add lettuce, diced tomato, onion, and either grilled mushroom slices or seitan. Then top it with another spoonful of tzatziki sauce. Fold the wrap and hold it in place with a toothpick or wrap it in parchment and foil.
The seasoned baked seitan gyro was by far the best, in my and my husband’s opinions. They take longer because you have to mix and bake the seitan, but the flavor and texture are wonderful and well worth the effort.
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from EatPlant-Based
Vegan Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Option #1 - Baked Seasoned Seitan
- 1.25 cups vital wheat gluten available in baking section of many grocery stores
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3/4 cup water more if needed
Option #2 - Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cayenne
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 package silken tofu
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint or dry
- 1 teaspoon dry onion flakes
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper to taste
- 1 cucumber peeled and seeded
Assembly Ingredients
- sliced onion
- tomatoes
- chopped lettuce
- seitan or grilled Portobellos
- tzatziti sauce
- pita or naan wraps
Instructions
Option #1 - Baked Seasoned Seitan
- To make the seitan version, heat the oven to 350°F. In a blender, blend onion, garlic, tahini, ketchup, soy sauce, and water.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- Pour the wet blender ingredients into the dry ingredients, and start to stir. This will thicken quickly.
- Use your hands and begin to knead together for approximately 3 minutes. If it's too wet, add more vital wheat gluten. If it's too dry, add a little water.
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper and press seitan into it. Bake for 30 minutes.
- After it has cooled, slice the seitan into thin meaty strips.
Option #2 - Grilled Seasoned Portobello Mushrooms
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Coat each mushroom with the mixture.
- Grill on low heat until moist and tender. My opinion is that the lower heat and longer grill, the better for flavor. I didn't cook these slow or long enough, and the flavor was lacking, compared to the seitan.
- Remove from heat and slice.
Tzatziki Sauce
- Slice the cucumber in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Some people leave the seeds, but I prefer to make this recipe without them.
- Cucumbers are full of water, so the next step of draining the water from the cucumber is arguably the most important. There are a number of methods for doing this. Personally, to speed things up, I like to place the cucumber in a sieve and use my fingers to press out the water over a bowl or the sink.
- Next, place all of the other ingredients plus half of the grated cucumber into a blender or a food processor and blend until nice and smooth.
- Pour the tzatziki sauce into a bowl and stir in the other half of the prepared cucumber. This provides the dip with a little more texture and makes it fuller.
Assembly
- Spread a spoonful of tzatziki sauce down the center of one pita or naan wrap. Add lettuce, diced tomato, onion, and either grilled mushroom slices or seitan. Then top it with another spoonful of tzatziki sauce. Fold the wrap and hold in place with a toothpick or wrap it in parchment and foil.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
How long should i cook the mushrooms for do you think?
Hi Ava- I think around 30 minutes would be good for the mushrooms. They can also be cooked in the oven.
How much vital wheat gluten does it say in the recipe? It says 1-1/4 cups. Does it mean 1 to 1.25 cups or is it 0.25 cups? I want to get it right ^_^
Hi Alexander- This recipe calls for 1.25 cups of vital wheat gluten. Hope you enjoy it!
@Alexander, 1.25 cups
I’m going to try this interesting recipe. I do think that tahini is noncompliant with this WOE so I won’t use it. I might substitute a half teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds ground up, though. These are very oily. The rest sounds terrific! Thanks.
Hello, I am in the middle of cooking this right now and since I made only half the recipe, I am wondering if I bake it for only half the time as well
I’ll answer my own question , lol. It takes the same amount of time in a deep dish bowl scenario
Yummy, Terri!
Ha! So glad it worked out for you and that you like the recipe. 🙂
I’m relatively new at this and I really appreciate the pictures showing me how it’s supposed to look. I’m definitely trying this!!
Denise, I’m a visual learner too. So glad the step-by-step instructions with pictures is helpful to you. Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
I just made this tonight for the first time. Oh. My. Gosh! It has to be the BEST vegan recipe I ever made! I can’t believe health can taste so good!
Wow! What an awesome compliment! Thank you so much, and I’m thrilled you loved these. You’re right, health can taste pretty terrific! 😀
I bought vital wheat gluten when Will Kriski posted a recipe for ribblets made of seitan. There is no reason whatsoever to miss meat when you guys come up with such wonderful, healthy recipes. Thank you Terri!
I love vital wheat gluten and the many options it gives us. And so easy to make too! 🙂
Very much looking forward to trying this seitan, while it’s more work than the mushrooms (they sound very good also) it is WAY less work than most seitan recipes I’ve seen (and does not use the terrible alum. foil, so ambiguities in seitan making if not boiling in big pot of broth). I carry lunch every day, and often use “meat analog” slices like tofurkey’s wrapped up in an Eziekial wrap w’LOTS of quality lettuce when I get tired of my mashed bean versions of tuna, chicken and egg salad. This version of seitan would “keep” well for a few hours and could be done w’diff spices to duplicate say corned beef or ??? THANK YOU! BTW, I forgot to add a gyro was one of the few things I had as a %99 Vegetarian for 30+years! That, a BLT when garden tomatoes available, and corned beef in March were my only “weaknesses”! Thanks again, Karen
Karen, yes, I think this would do fine with switching spices around to duplicate corned beef. It should also ‘keep’ well for a few hours with no problem. I’m so glad you’re excited about this recipe and can’t wait to hear how you like it! 🙂