There’s never been a better time to eat more plant-based meals. Vegan and vegetarian recipes are everywhere in magazines and social media, and the number of veggie-forward restaurants and menus are at an all-time high. Even Eleven Madison Park, a four-star restaurant in New York City, famously ditched meat in 2020. If you’re trying to aim for more of a meatless lifestyle, however, it’s important to remember that 10% to 35% of your daily calorie intake needs to come from protein, according to the Mayo Clinic. Thankfully, meat alternatives like tofu, tempeh, and seitan are having a bit of a moment. All three ingredients are packed with several grams of protein, but tofu and tempeh can’t touch the numbers for seitan.
Tofu is made from soy and has around 8 grams of protein in every 3-ounce serving. Next up is tempeh, which has around 16 grams of protein in every 3 ounces. Tempeh also comes from soy; however, tofu is made from condensed soy milk (soybeans mixed with water), while tempeh is made with whole fermented, compressed soybeans (not the same type as edamame). This gives tempeh the edge in terms of protein, and it also has more dietary fiber.
Seitan is made with wheat protein and is a meatless powerhouse
Seitan is an entirely different animal (so to speak) than tofu and tempeh since it’s made from wheat protein. It’s made by removing the starch and bran from wheat flour, which leaves a stretchy dough behind. A 3-ounce serving packs as much as 21 grams of protein, making it a meatless powerhouse.
Don’t throw out your tofu and tempeh in favor of an all-seitan diet, however, because it comes with a few major drawbacks. First, unlike soy products, seitan is not considered a complete protein because it doesn’t contain very much lysine, which is an essential amino acid. It’s also not safe to eat for people with celiac disease, who cannot digest gluten.
There is also, of course, flavor to consider. Most plain tofu has very little flavor, so you can make it taste like almost anything with the right seasonings and marinades. Tempeh has a nutty, earthy flavor that is created during the fermentation process. And seitan doesn’t have a lot of flavor, like tofu, but it’s often sold pre-seasoned or flavored. Its chicken-like texture makes seitan a great meat replacement, though, which is why it’s often called “wheat meat.” So, if you’re looking for a meat alternative, each one has some pros and cons to consider. The best way to decide is to eat a lot of tofu, tempeh, and seitan and decide for yourself exactly which one is right for your recipes.
