Looking for a vegan main course for Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving this year? Then why not try this tasty no turkey festive roast?

Vegan No Turkey Festive Roast for Christmas Dinner

If you're looking for something impressive and tasty with festive flavours for your Christmas (or Thanksgiving) dinner, this vegan turkey roast would make the perfect centrepiece.

A crispy spiced rice paper skin on the outside and a juicy tender middle, make this sliceable alternative to a vegan wellington a good choice for the festive season.

Serve it with crispy roast potatoes, vegetables and lots of vegan gravy or cranberry sauce if you prefer the fruitiness to the savoury favour of gravy.

The perfect holiday dinner to serve to family or friends.

And any leftovers are the perfect sandwich filler for Boxing Day.

A Very Vegan Christmas

This sensational vegan holiday roast comes from a new mini cookbook from Viva called A Very Vegan Christmas.

Viva! is the UK’s leading vegan campaigning charity, specialising in undercover investigations and high-profile animal campaigns. 

Founded in 1994 by Juliet Gellatley, they have spent more than 30 years creating a kinder, more sustainable world for humans and animals alike.

And this year they have created a fabulous mini cookbook full of some big plant-based ideas, to help you plan the perfect Christmas for your family and friends this year.

There are 96 pages full of beautiful photographs of all the recipes you'll need this Christmas season.

This cute little cookbook comes with a cute little price too, only £5 from the Viva website.

Bargain my friend!

What can you look forward to?

This little cookbook is absolutely packed with 30 gorgeous vegan recipes for the big day.

Here are the recipes you could be enjoying.

Picky Bits & Starters

• Smoked 'Salmon' Blinis
• Easy Festive Pate
• Baked 'Camembert' Parcel with Cranberry Burst
• Cauliflower & Chestnut Soup with Cheesy Apple Croutons

The Main Event

• No Turkey Festive Roast
• Chestnut, Mushroom  & Red Wine Pithivier
• Nut Roast Wreath with Sage Crisps
• Butternut, Walnut & 'Blue Cheese' Filo Pie

Sides & Trimmings

• The Ultimate Roast Potatoes
• Lemon Brussels Sprouts
• Crispy Maple Roasted Parsnips
• Sticky Cider & Orange Carrots
• Traditional Braised Red Cabbage
• Sage Onion & Hazelnut Stuffing
• Cauliflower 'Cheese'
• Easy Yorkshire Puddings

Sauces

• Caramelised Onion & Red Wine Gravy
• Creamy White Wine Mushroom Sauce

Leftovers / The Day After

• No 'Turkey' Brioche Bun with Vegan Crackling & Apple Sauce
• Bubble & Squeak Cakes with Vegan Fried 'Eggs'

Desserts

• Easy Biscoff No-Bake Cheesecake
• Best Ever Tiramisu
• Fluffy Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Classic Bakewell Tart

A Little Bit Extra

• Christmas Cake Pops
• Traditional Mince Pies

Sharing Dishes

• Prosecco Fondue
• How to Crreate a Spectacular Vegan Cheese Board

Drinks

• Luxury Hot Chocolate
• Vegan Irish Cream Liqueur

Quite a list of delicious recipes, I think you'll agree.

A Very Vegan Christmas Mini Cookbook is available now from Viva for only £5

Is this vegan turkey roast a type of seitan?

Yes, this vegan roast is made with vital wheat gluten, which is steamed before it's baked, so it is a type of seitan.

Seitan is an excellent meat alternative for a plant-based diet and provides a good source of protein as well as being very satisfying to eat.

It can be cooked without steaming, see my vegan pepperoni, or sundried tomato deli slices, however it is usually steamed before it is cooked in the oven.

What is vital wheat gluten?

Vital wheat gluten is a special type of flour where most of the starch has been removed and it's high in gluten which helps to make a very stretchy dough.

This stretchy texture makes the perfect base for vegan meat replacements like seitan and this vegan 'turkey' roast.

Because it's high in gluten, any recipe which includes this vital wheat gluten is not suitable for a gluten-free diet and there is no gluten-free alternative.

If you are gluten-free, scroll down to near the bottom of this page for a list of other Christmas main courses which can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free pastry or gluten-free oats.

Can you use all purpose flour or strong bread flour instead of vital wheat gluten?

There is no direct alternative to vital wheat gluten.

You can't use plain flour or bread flour and add something to make an alternative to vital wheat gluten flour.

There is no swap you can make that will work.

Vital wheat gluten is available from health food shops and online.

If all else fails, try on Amazon, you will definitely find it.

What you need to make this festive roast

Here are the ingredients you need to make the best vegan turkey roast.

No Turkey Roast Ingredients

• Garlic
• Firm tofu
• Nutritional yeast  - also called nooch
• White miso paste - the mildest miso
• Onion powder
• Vegetable stock cube
• Lemon juice
• Maple syrup - or agave nectar
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Dried rosemary
• Dried sage
• Tinned chickpeas  - jarred chickpeas or soaked and cooked chickpeas
• Gram flour - chickpea flour  (world food aisle of supermarkets)
• Vital wheat gluten flour

No 'Turkey' Roast Rub

• Vegan butter
• Salt
• Brown sugar#
• Dried thyme
• Dried Sage
• Dried tarragon - optional
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Paprika

No 'Turkey' Roast Skin

• Rice paper sheets - buy in supermarkets, Asian supermarkets or online

Make sure you use firm tofu

When making this wheat protein plant-based turkey make sure you buy firm tofu.

Don't buy extra firm tofu, which is pre-pressed.

And definitely don't buy silken tofu as this is soft and creamy and used for sauces and desserts.

The firm tofu just needs to be drained for this recipe, there is no need to press it, as it will be blended with the other ingredients.

Don't have a steamer basket?

As I said, this seitan roast is steamed before it is baked.

If you don't have a steamer baqsket, you can use a double-handled colander, if you have one where the handles will balance on the lip of a pot and not fall inside.

Then just add the water, bring it to a simmer (below the colander, not touching) add the parcel to the colander, then pop on the lid.

If your colander is smaller and fits inside the pot, balance it on an upturned bowl then once again make sure the simmering water is below the colander and add the lid to steam.

Can you skip the rice paper skin?

The crispy spiced rice paper skin adds lots of flavour and makes it a bit special.

However, you could serve this plant-based roast without the skin.

It will still make a good slice to pour gravy over and give you that meaty texture.

How to serve vegan turkey roast on Christmas Day

Slices of this roast are best served with crispy and fluffy roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy, but here are some options to choose from.

I hope it gives you some ideas. Just choose a few.

Potatoes

• Roast potatoes - try my crispy air fryer roast potatoes with garlic
• Mashed potatoes - if that is your thing
• Potato dauphinoise - try this mushroom potato dauphinoise, but skip the mushrooms and just use cream and no mushroom sauce

Vegetables

• Roast parsnips - I like to roast them with maple syrup, salt and pepper
• Roast carrots
• Boiled or steamed carrots - cut on the diagonal and tossed in vegan butter, fresh coriander, salt and peppr
• Tenderstem broccoli -  or broccoli, boiled or steamed
• Fine beans - lightly cooked
• Brussels sprouts - if you like them, I do not like them

Sauce

• Onion gravy - I use Bisto gravy granules
• Cranberry sauce - try this delicious cranberry sauce made with frozen cranberries

Storing leftover roast

Leftover roast is the perfect filling for Boxing Day sandwiches.

Slice the leftover roast once cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Serving leftover roast

Serve any leftover seitan roast in sandwiches with vegan cheese and mustard or with salad and cranberry sauce.

Or serve slices with chutney, pickles (try this quick pickled cabbage or pickled red onions), olives and vegan cheese as a deli board.

It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Can you freeze seitan?

Seitan can be frozen.

Once cool, slice the roast, then layer up with freezer- friendly parchment paper or baking paper to separate the slices.

Place in a labelled freezer bag or tub and store for 3-4 months in the freezer.

To defrost, take slices out of the freezer and leave on a plate in the fridge overnight.

More plant-based Christmas dinner main courses

Here are a few more Christmas Day centrepieces.

1. Butternut Squash, Red Pepper & Potato Plait
2. Butternut Squash Wellington with Chestnuts & Lentils
3. Easy Vegan Haggis
4. Shallot Puff Pastry Crown
5. Miso Mushroom Nut Loaf

For more easy Christmas recipes, head over to my Vegan Christmas page where there are lots of recipes for Christmas dinner, drinks and treats including desserts and puddings.

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It's a very friendly community with lots of recipes and chat. I'm in there every day chatting with group members, many of whom have become friends over the years.

Remember and say hi. I'm always happy to chat and answer questions.

vegan roast, vegan turkey, vegan turkey roast, vegan Thanksgiving, vegan Christmas dinner, plant-based roast, seitan turkey roast

Dinner, Christmas, Sunday dinner

British, Vegan

Yield: 4-6

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Vegan No Turkey Festive Roast for Christmas Dinner

Looking for a vegan main course for Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving this year? Then why not try this tasty no turkey festive roast?

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 H & 20 MTotal time: 1 H & 40 M

Ingredients

Roast

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 400g (14 oz) firm tofu, drained
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (nooch)
• 2 tablespoons white miso paste
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 vegetable stock cube mixed with 6 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or agave nectar) #
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• 60g (1/3 cup) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (tinned, jarred or soaked and cooked from dried, cooked weight)
• 50g (½ cup) gram flour (chickpea four)
• 310g (2 ½ cups) vital wheat gluten flour

Roast Rub Seasoning

• 5 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon (heaped) soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (optional)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Crispy Skin

• Rice Paper Sheets

Instructions

The Roast

1. Saute the garlic in olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add all of the ingredients, apart from the chickpea flour and vital wheat gluten flour, into a food processor using the regular blade (s-blade) and blend until very smooth.
2. Using the same regular blade, add the chickpea flour and vital wheat gluten flour and blend for around 30 seconds until the ingredients are well combined and starting to form a smooth dough. Don’t over blend it.
3. Remove the dough from the food processor and, without kneading, form it into a smooth ball.
4. Firmly wrap the ball of dough in no more than two layers of tin foil and place into a large metal steamer basket with the lid on. No steamer? Check the notes below.
5. Steam for 25 minutes on medium-high before turning the roast over and steaming the other side for another 25 minutes. You might need to add more water to the steamer. Don't let it boil dry, but keep the water level below the steamer.
6. Whilst the dough is steaming, preheat the oven to 180°c / 160°c fan / 350°f / gas mark 4.

Rub Seasoning

1. Using a small pan, add all the rub ingredients and stir on a low heat until the butter has melted.
2. Set aside until needed.

Roast & Skin

1. Remove the roast from the steamer and unwrap being careful not to burn your hands.
2. Thoroughly coat in half of the no turkey roast rub, using a pastry brush and place on a lined baking sheet.
3. Dip the rice paper sheets in hot water until soft and rehydrated. Coat the no turkey roast in the rice paper sheets in a single layer, making sure there are no gaps (it helps to overlap the edges of the sheets).
4. Place the roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and evenly coat with the remaining roast rub seasoning.
5. Place back into the oven and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the skin is nicely golden and crispy. If the skin is browning too quickly, cover with foil.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Chill - Slice the leftover roast once cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Freeze - Once cool, slice the roast, then layer up with freezer- friendly parchment paper or baking paper to separate the slices. Place in a labelled freezer bag or tub and store for 3-4 months in the freezer.
• Defrost - Take slices out of the freezer and leave on a plate in the fridge overnight.
• No steamer basket - use a colander, if it's big, balance on lip of pot and add lid, if small, balance on an upturned bowl inside the pot and add lid. Make sure water is below the bottom of the steamer basket or colander.
• Calories
• 4 portions = 577 calories per serving
• 5 portions = 462 calories per serving
• 6 portions = 385 calories per serving

Nutrition Facts

Calories

385

Fat (grams)

9 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1 g

Carbs (grams)

28 g

Fiber (grams)

4 g

Net carbs

24 g

Sugar (grams)

4 g

Protein (grams)

50 g

Sodium (milligrams)

994 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

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