Vegan Turkey Roast
This vegan turkey roast is a great vegan option for Thanksgiving. It’s savory and meaty, has a crispy glazed skin, and is filled with delicious stuffing.
When I first went vegetarian, there weren’t very many vegetarian options for thanksgiving or for the holidays. I usually just spooned a few sides on my plate like mac and cheese or candied yams, things that I knew for sure were vegetarian. It was a few years before I started to see different companies selling vegetarian roasts like the Gardein Holiday Roast or Field Roast’s Celebration Roast, but once they started showing up in stores it was something I picked up each year so I could feel like I had a main course for Thanksgiving like everyone else. Then I got into making seitan and now I make my own seitan roast because homemade is always so much better.
I hope this becomes one of your favorite vegan recipes for thanksgiving. If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like my other recipes for Vegan Chicken Seitan and Vegan Fried Chicken.
What Is Vegan Turkey Made Of?
A vegan turkey is typically made from seitan. Seitan is a meat substitute that’s made mostly from vital wheat gluten with different added flavors like beans or nutritional yeast. Vital wheat gluten is the protein of wheat, and when water or broth is added, it forms a dough. This dough is then kneaded or added to a food processor and processed to add a meaty texture. The longer that seitan is texturized, the more protein fibers it develops. This texturized dough is then cooked by steaming or simmering, and once cooked has a tender meat-like texture.
Where To Find Vital Wheat Gluten
If your grocery store carries vital wheat gluten, it can be found in the baking section near the flour, you may also find it in the bulk section sold by the pound. Health food stores can also have a section exclusively for Bob’s Red Mill products which should have it, but if you can’t find it in the store you can buy vital wheat gluten online.
Is Seitan Healthy?
For those that don’t have celiac disease, sensitivities, or allergies to specific ingredients it can be very healthy. It’s some of the leanest protein that you can eat, as it is very high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. If you’re allergic to soy, seitan is also a great soy-free option.
What’s The Process For Making A Vegan Turkey Roast?
- Mix the ingredients for the seitan.
- Use a food processor to add texture.
- Fill the texturized seitan dough with vegan stuffing.
- Steam it to cook it.
- Brush it with vegan butter or oil.
- Wrap it in rice paper and glaze it.
- Bake it, brushing on more glaze occasionally until crispy and golden brown.
How Do You Make The Vegan Stuffing For This Recipe?
To make a vegan stuffing that can be used to stuff this vegan turkey roast, you can use this vegan chicken broth in place of the chicken broth that most store-bought boxed stuffing calls for.
Can You Make Seitan Without A Food Processor?
You can, but it won’t have the same texture. If you make seitan without texturizing it in a food processor, it will be more rubbery. The dough also won’t be as stretchy and will be more likely to tear, so you might need to roll it out first with something like a rolling pin before adding the stuffing, and then pinch it sealed as best you can before rolling it up into parchment paper and aluminum foil.
At A Minimum, You’ll Need:
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- A food processor that can handle texturizing seitan. The Seitan Society suggests using a food processor with at least 450 watts, though the higher wattage your machine is the more it can handle before you risk overworking the motor.
- A few mixing bowls for mixing together ingredients for the seitan.
- A way to steam it, like using stackable steamer pots or a pressure cooker like the Ninja Foodi.
- A way to bake it, like using a lined baking tray, or a multi-function pressure cooker with a bake mode, or an air fryer.
- A gram scale to weigh the ingredients.
- Aluminum foil and parchment paper for wrapping it before steaming, and a basting brush for glazing it.
How To Make A Vegan Holiday Roast
First, gather all the ingredients to make the vegan turkey roast.
Making The Seitan Loaf
Whisk together the vital wheat gluten and pea protein for the dry mixture.
Then in a separate bowl, whisk together the flavoring ingredients for the flavoring mixture.
Using a fork, mix together the dry mixture and the liquid flavoring mixture. Once it comes together into a loose dough, you can use your hands to finish mixing.
Add the seitan dough to a food processor in small chunks, then process on high for at least a minute. The longer you process here, the more protein fibers will develop to make a meat-like texture in the finished product.
If you hear your machine straining, stop and give it a rest for a few minutes. Seitan has a reputation for being hard on food processors, so if you make this I recommend using a machine of at least 550 watts. I caution you against using lower-wattage machines since you can run the risk of burning out your motor.
After the seitan has been texturized in the food processor, it should have a taffy-like consistency.
Note: If the seitan wraps around the center column in the food processor this is normal and actually may be an indicator that your dough is either done texturizing or nearly done texturizing. If you want to continue adding texture just turn off the machine, open it, remove the dough from the center column and break it up into smaller pieces to process more. At this stage, it’ll be very stretchy and sticky so wet your hands with a little water before you take it out to break it up for additional texturizing.
Remove the texturized seitan and place the dough on a sheet of non-stick parchment paper that has been lightly sprayed with water, flattening the dough into a rough circle about half an inch to an inch thick.
In a small bowl, pack the bowl tightly with two cups of stuffing, then transfer the packed stuffing onto the middle of the seitan dough.
Using your fingers, pull the seitan dough up over the stuffing and pinch it together to seal it. Then press the sides a little to form it into an oval or loaf shape.
Note: Packing the stuffing helps prevent the stuffing from crumbling after the vegan turkey roast is finished and cut. If your stuffing is already crumbly or dry, just add a little water then cover it with plastic wrap and microwave it for a minute, this will steam it so that you can pack it nicely.
Wrap the uncooked vegan turkey roast in parchment paper, then again in aluminum foil as shown in the above video.
Steam the wrapped seitan for at least an hour and thirty minutes if steaming on the stovetop, or an hour and 10 minutes if steaming in a pressure cooker like the Ninja Foodi.
The seitan is finished steaming when the dough is no longer gummy.
Note: If you’re making this vegan turkey roast in advance and want to bake it another day, at this point you can refrigerate it. When you want to finish it, just start back up at the next step.
Making The Glaze
Add the glaze ingredients to a pan and cook off the excess liquid, until the glaze thickens into a syrup.
Brushing, Wrapping, Glazing, And Baking
Brush the stuffed vegan turkey loaf with melted vegan butter or oil and wrap it in softened rice paper sheets. To soften rice paper sheets, just wet both sides and let it sit for about a minute, then it will be pliable enough for wrapping the seitan loaf.
Brush the wrapped vegan turkey with the glaze, then bake uncovered at 325°F for at least twenty minutes, brushing on more glaze every 5-10 minutes as needed, until nicely golden brown.
Cut the loaf into slices that are approximately half an inch to an inch thick, then serve with your favorite holiday sides.
Video – How To Make A Vegan Turkey
What’s cooking?
Vegan Turkey Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups prepared vegetarian stuffing, packed
- 2 rice paper sheets
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or oil
For The Glaze
- 2.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp vegan butter
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1/4 tsp paprika (for color; optional)
For The Seitan
Dry Mixture
- 42 grams of pea protein isolate
- 138 grams of vital wheat gluten
Flavoring Ingredients
- 288ml water
- 10 grams of instant potato flakes
- 1 Tbsp mushroom seasoning or miso paste.
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
For The Stuffed Seitan Loaf
Whisk together the dry mixture ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flavoring ingredients, then pour it into the dry mixture, mixing with a fork until combined.
Add the seitan mixture to a suitable food processor, breaking it up into small chunks as you add it. Mix on high using the blade attachment for at least a minute, taking a break to rest your machine if necessary. The dough should have a taffy-like consistency when it’s done texturizing.
Lightly spray a large piece of parchment paper with water, then wet your hands and transfer the dough to the paper. Spread the dough out into a rough circle about 8″ in diameter, and place the stuffing in the middle. Grab and stretch the seitan ends up over the stuffing, going all the way around, pinching the seam to seal it. Press the sides a bit with your hands to shape it into an oval or loaf.
Place the seitan on a corner of the parchment paper and roll it like a burrito. Wrap it again with aluminum foil, rolling it from corner to opposite corner, and then folding the flaps to seal it in order to prevent water from getting in.
Steam for 1 hour and 30 minutes on the stovetop, checking water levels occasionally, or steam for 1 hour and 10 minutes on high using a pressure cooker, doing a manual pressure release when the time is up and waiting for the pressure to be at a safe level before opening. The loaf is finished steaming when the seitan dough is no longer gummy. Allow a few minutes to cool before continuing.
To Make The Glaze:
Add all the ingredients for the glaze to a pan over medium-high heat, stirring often, and cook until the mixture resembles syrup. Set aside.
For The Crispy Glazed “Skin”:
Brush the stuffed seitan loaf with melted vegan butter or oil. Wet both sides of the rice paper, then wrap the steamed vegan turkey with the softened rice paper, one for each side. If they overlap a bit, it’s okay. Place the loaf onto a lined cookie sheet or another suitable pan for baking.
Brush the wrapped seitan loaf with a layer of glaze, then bake at 325°F or 162°C for at least 20 minutes, adding additional glaze every 5-10 minutes until nicely golden brown.
Allow a few minutes to cool, then cut into 1″ thick slices and serve with your favorite Thanksgiving sides. Enjoy!
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