Seitan Vegan Gyro with Tahini Sauce

Vegan Gyro – made with seitan, veggies, and tahini sauce all wrapped up in a whole wheat pita –is the perfect lunch! It can enjoyed hot or cold, and it travels well, so it can be packed up and take to the office. This recipe is super easy to make!

Vegan Gyro

I never had a gyro in my meat-eating days, so I'm not 100% what they taste like. They seemed to me to be some sort of flesh smothered in some sort of dairy-laden sauce, but don't quote me on that. I've seen those meat-on-a-stick things spinning in Mediterranean restaurants, and they creep me out.

My first gyro was one that I made myself, using a recipe from Nava Atlas's book Vegan Express, which was my go-to cookbook back in my early vegan days. I made the dish so many times that I no longer look at the book and ingredients and measurements have changed, so this is my recipe, based on Nava's.

Vegan Gyro Sauce

Carnivorous gyros are served with tzatziki, which is a cucumber yogurt sauce. Like I said, I've never had a non-vegan gyro, so I have no idea what it tastes like. I'm not comfortable veganizing it, since I have no reference point. Instead, I serve my gyros with my favorite tahini dressing, which I use for just about everything. (I'm always looking for an excuse to make it.)

Vegan Gyro Meat

I've used seitan as the "meat" here. It's not difficult to make seitan at home, so sometimes I whip up a few batches and freeze them. That way they're ready to go when I have a hankering for it. I found most premade brands of seitan to be a little rubbery, however, Upton's Naturals makes excellent wheat meat.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, give Soy Curls a try here instead of the seitan, and make sure your pita bread is gluten-free.

In this recipe, I've seasoned the seitan with oregano, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper. Gyro seasoning usually also includes cinnamon and nutmeg, but I'm not crazy about those ingredients in savory dishes.

How to Make Vegan Gyros

This recipe is super easy to make!

• First you cook the onion for about 5 minutes.
• Then you add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute or two.
• Next you add the seitan and cook for about 10 more minutes, until it's browned and a little crisp around the edges.
• Finally you stuff your pita with the cooked seitan and veggies, and you drizzle it with tahini. Top it with a little sprinkle of parsley.

This Vegan Gyro has become my go-to when I'm not sure what to make for lunch. It's also a summertime light meal favorite. I like to enjoy these wraps with a salad sitting outside in the backyard when the weather is warm and it's too hot to turn the oven on.

Vegan Seitan Gyro with Tahini Sauce

Dianne Wenz

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 wraps

Calories 337 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ red onion thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 8-ounce package seitan sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 pita breads or flat breads
• 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
• 1 small carrot shredded
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1 small cucumber chopped
• ½ cup Lemon Tahini Dressing
• ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until it becomes translucent and fragrant.
• Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
• Add the seitan, oregano, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the seitan browns and the edges begin to crisp. Remove from heat.
• Place the flat breads or pitas on a plate and top (or stuff) with the lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber. Divide the seitan equally among each sandwich and top with the tahini and parsley.

Calories: 337kcal

Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!

More easy lunch recipes you might enjoy include:

• Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
• Grilled Eggplant Wraps
• Soy Curl Shawarma
• Baked Falafel 

More of my favorite seitan recipes include:

• Seitan Chimichurri Tacos
• French Mustard Seitan
• Grilled Seitan Skewers
• Stout, Seitan, and Cabbage Casserole