Wondering what to make for Thanksgiving dinner if you’re not serving turkey? This easy vegan turkey roast is one of my favorite plant-based Thanksgiving main dishes because it looks special enough for the holiday table without being complicated to make.
The base is a simple mixture of tofu, seasonings, and vital wheat gluten, and you can make it two ways. Keep it simple and bake it as a traditional sliced roast, or roll it around your favorite stuffing for a beautiful stuffed Thanksgiving roast. Even better, this is one of those recipes that actually works best when you make it ahead, so there’s one less thing to worry about on Thanksgiving Day.
A Few Ingredients You May Not Have Used Before
If you’ve never made a homemade vegan roast, a couple of the ingredients may sound unusual, but they’re easy to find.
Vital wheat gluten is the protein portion of wheat flour and is what gives the roast its firm, sliceable, almost meaty texture. You can find it in many grocery stores or order it online.
Nutritional yeast adds savory flavor without adding dairy. It doesn’t make the roast taste cheesy—it simply helps build that rich, savory flavor we expect from a holiday main dish.
No-chicken broth or bouillon is a vegetarian broth made with the familiar seasonings you would normally find in chicken broth, but without the chicken. It adds a lot more flavor than plain vegetable broth here.
And don’t skip the poultry seasoning it gives the great Thanksgiving flavor! It’s simply a blend of herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary.
Easy Vegan Thanksgiving Turkey Roast
This easy vegan turkey roast is one of my favorite plant-based Thanksgiving main dishes because it looks special enough for the holiday table without being complicated to make.
Ingredients
- 1 block (14 oz) extra-firm tofu
- ¼-½ cup water
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2-3 tablespoons poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons No Chicken Better Than Bouillon
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 3 tablespoons Poultry Seasoning or Turkey Rub, for coating
- 1 recipe Sausage Stuffing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Dry out tofu as much as possible and place in a food processor with the water, nutritional yeast, oil, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and No-Chicken Bouillon.
- Process for several minutes until smooth.
- Add vital wheat gluten and process until dough forms. If dough feels dry add a little more water. (This amount depends a lot on how wet your tofu is.)
- Remove dough and knead for 1 minute.
- For a stuffed roast, roll into a large rectangle and cover with a layer of stuffing. Roll up like a jelly roll and seal the edge by pinching together.
- If not stuffing the roast roll into a log. See video for details
- Spray a large sheet of foil with oil and sprinkle with turkey rub.
- Place roast on foil, roll to coat with seasoning, and wrap tightly.
- Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Open the foil and bake 30–40 minutes more.
- Cool to room temperature, reseal the foil, and refrigerate overnight for the best texture. Make several days ahead or freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes
Let the roast cool completely, seal the foil back up, and refrigerate overnight before serving. Don’t skip the rest—it gives the roast the best texture.
Make the roast several days ahead, or freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat wrapped in foil in a warm oven, or in a slow cooker with 1 cup hot No-Chicken or vegetable broth.
