Do I Really Need Special Kitchen Equipment to Make Seitan?

Short answer: No. There is very little that you actually need as far as kitchen appliances are concerned, but lots of people recommend them to make the job easier. When it comes to kneading, some recipes call for only a little or none at all, while others call for long bouts in a food processor, stand mixer, or bread machine. Using your hands for kneading can be a very strenuous and time-consuming process if you are attempting to achieve a taffy-like texture for shredded meat-style results. Though some might argue that if you have enough time to wait, you can simply leave the dough out overnight covered by a damp cloth and let the gluten work its magic to achieve similar results.

So for those of you afraid to tempt the “fate of the wait” or who simply don’t have enough time to see how it works out, please check out this list of the most-recommended food processors for making seitan, compiled from reviews by cooks like you!

Best Food Processors for Seitan

Food processors tend show up at the top of the recommended kitchen gadget list for kneading seitan, especially those that include the convenient dough blade. They typically take between 5-15 minutes to achieve a taffy-like dough consistency, though most users have suggested processing in batches so you don’t wear out your appliance. Results also depend on your recipe, how much dough you are trying to process, and the the wattage of the machine. Some very budget-friendly models have made the cut on this list, but typically units with higher wattage and larger capacity come more highly-recommended, which makes perfect sense for dealing with the dense nature of most seitan doughs.