Vegan Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
These vegan gyros have two options--seasoned and baked seitan or grilled Portobello mushrooms. Either way, they make for a delicious hearty meal bursting with flavor!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 211kcal
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
Tips & Suggestions:
I have included step-by-step photos and directions above to ensure your first attempt will be successful.
Our preference- 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.
Tzatziki sauce- You may want to make a double batch of the dairy-free tzatziki sauce. This sauce is delicious when used as a dip for raw or grilled veggies, as a salad dressing, spread on sandwiches and wraps, and with falafels.
Nutrition
Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.5g | Protein: 25.8g | Fat: 5g | Fiber: 5g