Vegan Roast Turkey

I don’t know about you, but a delicious, moist, tender vegan roast is essential to a traditional family or holiday meal. We have several wonderful recipes on our website, but this recipe may be the best one yet. It is almost as easy as the other recipes on the website but requires a little extra effort and time. Basically, there is an additional step: we not only bake this roast, but we simmer it in a broth as well. This double prep step creates a tender, moist final outcome worth the extra time. It is a vegan roast turkey to be proud of, the roast that I will be making for my family and friends this holiday season.

Another roast that we are super excited about is our gluten-free Holiday Roast. It is simple and easy to make, and the end result is a delicious, moist gluten-free roast. We love this gluten-free roast and make it for special occasions, even when we do not have gluten-free people at our table. So check out my Gluten-free Holiday Roast.

Furthermore, one of the greatest virtues of this roast is that it is made ahead of time, freeing up a lot of time on the day of the event. The vegan roast is best when allowed to sit in the fridge for a few hours because it sets the shape and texture. With this in mind, this roast is the perfect solution to a stress-free holiday meal. After all, the roast is usually the most stressful part of the meal, and now you know the roast is done. The vegan roast keeps moisture, texture, and flavor when reheated.

Reasons We Love This Recipe:

Why go to the trouble of making a vegan roast for family dinner or a holiday event? Whether you are new to the vegan plant-based scene or not, it is super important that you love the food you eat. Food is meant to be enjoyed. For years, vegans have tried to replace favorite meat options with vegan options, and let me tell you; they have come a long way. For someone who has been along for most of this development, I am super excited about what is happening with vegan and plant-based recipes. They are getting better and better. Hence, we are always learning, and always coming up with better recipes. I hope you will try this new vegan roast recipe.

What is a Vegan Roast?

Vegan roast is a substitute roast, using plant-based vegan ingredients to achieve something that looks and tastes “somewhat” like a roast.

Carnivores (someone who eats meat) sometimes wonder at the vegan plant-based community for duplicating meat-type dishes, but this makes perfect sense to me. One of the principles of success in giving up a loved habit is replacing it with a different one. This replacement principle is so important, especially in the beginning. Since we know that plant-based and vegan ingredients are better for our health, why not come up with substitutes for the things people love? Hence this vegan roast. I hope you love it as much as we do.

What Other Recipes Do I Serve with Vegan Roast?

Serve Vegan roast with all the traditional trimmings of a family dinner or holiday meal, such as mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables, rolls, and stuffing.

• mashed potatoes
• gravy
• cranberry sauce
• vegetables: roasted easy side dishes
• rolls
• stuffing

Other Recipe You Might Like?

The menu is not complete without a scrumptious dessert. Check out some of my fall dessert recipes.

• vegan pumpkin cookies
• vegan apple tart
• baked pumpkin donuts
• vegan pumpkin bites
• vegan pumpkin pie
• pumpkin pancakes
• pumpkin scones

Vegan Roast Ingredients:

vital wheat gluten
all-purpose flour
extra firm tofu
water
olive oil
Braggs Liquid Aminos
mushroom powder
nutritional yeast
salt, onion powder & garlic powder
sage, thyme, marjoram (optional), & rosemary

What is Vital Wheat Gluten?

Vital Wheat Gluten is a flour-like substance containing almost all protein and very little starch. It is an essential ingredient in this vegan roast, creating a beautiful texture which can easily take on various flavors. There have been a lot of discussions regarding gluten as of late because so many people have gluten sensitivities. If you or someone in your family are sensitive to gluten, make my gluten-free roast instead.

Why use tofu in this recipe?

Tofu, though often given a bad rap, is a tremendous ingredient in plant-based cooking. It provides texture, nutrition, and moisture. No, the roast will not taste like tofu, but this hidden ingredient will give the roast the moisture and texture we are looking for.

Ingredients for the cooking broth:

water
onion
garlic
celery ribs
carrots
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
fresh thyme, sage, rosemary, & dried bay leaves
6 dried mushrooms (optional)
2 tablespoons Better-Than-Bouillon (vegetable base)

Cooking Broth:

There is a lot of flexibility in the ingredients of a good cooking broth. I like to add the basic stock ingredients such as onion, celery, carrot, etc., which add a wonderful flavor to the roast but be assured that if you are missing an ingredient, it will not make or break the recipe. I also like to throw in a few dried mushrooms. It makes the broth a little deeper in both flavor and color. Where you need to exercise a little cautious is the broth’s saltiness. I use salt, Braggs Liquid Aminos, and Better-Than-Bouillon to add extra depth to the flavor. If you do not have all of these available, use slightly more of the other two ingredients. Too little salt will make the roast tasteless. Think of this as a good soup broth. If it is to your liking, it is probably salty enough.

How to Make a Vegan Roast?

Step one:

Start by combining all the dry ingredients like vital wheat gluten, all-purpose flour, mushroom powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and dried herbs in a large bowl.

Step two:

In a blender, blend the wet ingredients such as water, tofu, olive oil, and Braggs Liquid Aminos.

Step three:

Add the content of the blender to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough should be wet but workable. If necessary, adjust the dough by adding vital wheat gluten a tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. It should be sticky. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes.

Step four:

Wrap in foil and bake at 350F for one hour. Be sure to grease the foil with a little oil before adding the roast as the foil can easily stick to the roast.

Step five:

• Remove the roast from the oven, and let it sit for a few minutes until you can handle the foil without burning yourself.
• Remove the foil from the roast and place the roast in the stockpot with the prepared broth (see below).
• Simmer on low heat for one hour.
• Remove from heat.
• Let the roast sit in the broth until cooled completely.

Step seven:

Before serving, reheat the roast by removing it from the fridge and adding it to a baking pan. Brush with a glaze, cover with foil, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

How to Make the Broth:

While the roast is in the oven, prepare the broth.

Step one:

Fill a large pot that will accommodate the roast with water and bring it to a simmer.

Step two:

Prepare the vegetables, such as onion, garlic, celery ribs, carrots, mushrooms, and add to the pot. Season by adding salt, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Better-Than-Bouillon (vegetable base), and fresh herbs. Let simmer on the stove for one hour.

How to make the glaze:

Glaze ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir to combine and brush on the vegan roast prior to reheating.

Recipe Variations/substitutions:

• Serve with glazed mushrooms: in a skillet, on medium to high heat, quickly toss mushrooms with a little olive oil, red paprika, and salt. Stir until you get that red brown warm color.
• Sandwiches: This roast makes a fantastic Thanksgiving Sandwich.
• Check out our other roast recipes on the website.

Allergy-friendly Options:

Gluten-free: This recipe is not gluten-free, but check out this wonderful gluten-free roast recipe: Gluten-free Holiday Roast
Oil-free: Eliminate the oil in the recipe or blend a few olives in with the wet ingredients in the blender.
Nut-free: Naturally nut-free.

Special Equipment or Tools:

• Blender: It is useful to have a blender when making this vegan turkey roast recipe
• Standing Mixer: It is useful for kneading the dough, but not essential
• Foil: It is useful to keep the roast in the right shape during baking. You can also use parchment paper, but double or triple the layers to ensure the roast does not dry out.
• Large Stock Pot: It is used to cook the roast after baked. It is best when the broth covers the roast.

Tips & Tricks:

• To get a better color on the vegan roast turkey, do this extra step prior to reheating the roast: Heat a skillet on medium to high heat, add a tablespoon or two of glaze and brown the roast on both sides for a couple of minutes.
• Remember to grease the foil before wrapping the dough prior to baking.

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