This Vegan Turkey Roast is definitely a looker in the middle of your dinner table!
It's the perfect main event for Thanksgiving or Christmas or other special occasions and will truly stun your dinner guests when served with its crispy skin and stuffing filling.
The Seitan itself is created with vital wheat gluten flour and a mix of chickpeas and tofu as a base, then shaped, steamed and roasted - and the skin is made with rice paper sheets that are soaked in a seasoning liquid before being wrapped around the Seitan.
If you love experimenting with Seitan recipes, definitely try my Vegan Seitan Kebab, Vegan Seitan Chicken or Vegan Seitan Gyro!
What's great about this recipe
- it's the perfect centerpiece for the holiday season, whether you're planning a simple family dinner or have multiple family gatherings ahead
- it's a fantastic version of vegan meat
- it's the best vegan turkey roast I've ever tries, and homemade tastes miles better than store-bought in this case
Jump to:
What is Seitan?
Seitan is made from wheat gluten, and it has been around for thousands of years. First detected in Asian cuisines, it was used by Buddhist monks as a protein source and it is often also referred to as wheat meat, vegan meat or meat alternative due to its meat-like texture.
If you want to find out more about how Seitan is usually made and what different methods there are, read this in-depth blog post about Vegan Steak.
For this Vegan Turkey recipe we're using the Vital Wheat Gluten method.
Ingredients
Here's everything you need for this vegan Seitan recipe.
For the Seitan turkey base:
- Vital Wheat Gluten - I like to buy my vital wheat gluten in bulk for all my Seitan recipes.
- Chickpeas - for this recipe I used tinned, precooked chickpeas, including the chickpea water from the tin
- Silken Tofu - I like to use soft silken tofu, it is a very soft tofu. You can also use firmer versions of tofu, however, the key is that the mix needs to blend smoothly. So you might have to adjust with small amounts of water (but don't overdo it!)
- Miso paste - I like to use white miso paste for my vegan poultry recipes, as it's a little sweeter than other miso pastes. You can get miso paste at Trader Joe's.
- Oil - I like to use vegetable oil, olive oil or sesame oil as the flavors work best for poultry-style recipes
- Vegetable Stock Cube - I use Kallo, you can also use stock cubes for vegan chicken broth
- Poultry seasoning - you can buy a ready-made, vegan-friendly one or simply make your own at home
- Seasoning - garlic powder and onion granules or onion powder
- Baking powder - this might seem like an odd addition at first, but trust me: it's needed! The baking powder helps create a softer, fluffier texture of the Seitan.
For the vegan turkey skin:
- Rice paper - rice paper is perfect for creating a skin for the vegan turkey roast! It easily soaks up any liquid and flavors it's dipped into and becomes pliable. You can use round rice paper or square, the shape doesn't matter for this recipe.
- Nutritional yeast - adds flavor and texture to the skin, you can buy it at the health food store or at Amazon
- Tamari soy sauce - tamari is great for seasoning, it adds both sweet and salty notes
- Liquid smoke - liquid smoke is great for adding smoky flavor to dishes without the need of smoking, I use it in a number of vegan recipes including vegan bacon, vegan steak and vegan gyro seitan.
- Maple syrup - for a delicious sweet & caramelized note
- Dry seasonings - garlic powder, smoked paprika powder and black pepper
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
Equipment
Here's everything you need for this recipe:
- food processor - with a blade and a dough attachment, I use a Magimix. Alternatively, you can use a blender to mix the wet ingredients, and then knead in the dry ingredients in a large bowl
- large cutting board
- a large rolling pin - to unroll the Seitan dough
- sharp knife
- parchment paper - to wrap the Seitan roast in
- large steamer basket - alternatively, you can also steam in the oven by placing a large oven dish with water underneath the roast
- large pot or roasting dish with a lid
- aluminum foil - or kitchen foil
Instructions (Step-by-Step)
Creating the Seitan dough
Place all ingredients apart from the vital wheat gluten for the Seitan base into a food processor.
Process until smooth, then swap the blade for the dough attachment.
Slowly sprinkle in the vital wheat gluten and process until a dough forms.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Filling & Shaping
Roll the dough into a large rectangle. You will have to roll firmly in order to stretch and push the Seitan into shape.
Place the stuffing of your choice in a firm log shape into the middle of the rectangle.
Fold over the sides so that they overlap over the stuffing.
Fold the top over the stuffing and stretch it over the sides.
Fold over the bottom and stretch it over the entire Seitan. Pinch any edges with your fingers to seal. You should end up with a rectangular parcel - transfer to a cutting board.
Make 4 diagonal cuts into the Seitan as pictured above. The top will be your wings and the bottom your legs later on.
Tuck in the middle part of the bottom and knead the wings and carefully legs with your hands to stretch and pull these pieces into shape.
Once you're happy with the shape, fold together the 'feet' and secure with a toothpick and score a thin line down the middle of the vegan turkey.
Carefully wrap in baking parchment, then kitchen foil to seal in the Seitan. Steam over low/medium heat for 2 hours. If needed, do this in the oven by placing a large oven dish filled with water at the bottom of the oven.
Once steamed, let the roast cool down in the steamer for at least 1 hour or ideally overnight. This is important to ensure it's cooked all the way through later and it helps create the poultry like texture throughout the roast.
Creating the skin:
Place the seasoning ingredients into a shallow bowl.
Whisk until combined.
Create a work station with a shallow bowl of water, the bowl with the seasoning mix and a few sheets of rice paper next to the vegan turkey.
First, dip a sheet of rice paper into the water bowl - but only very briefly!
Let any excess water drip off.
Place the same sheet into the seasoning mix and gently coat it. It will continue to soften during this process.
Carefully lift the soft rice paper sheet, spreading it out with your fingers.
Spread it into the vegan turkey to coat and create the skin.
Repeat until all parts of the turkey are covered. Don't forget to place a sheet underneath the turkey too!
Place the coated turkey into a large oven dish and brush with any remaining seasoning mix. Surround with roasting vegetables - such as potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and garlic - alongside some fresh herbs like rosemary, sage or thyme. Also pour in the vegetable stock.
Roast in the middle of the preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes with a lid on the dish, then uncover and roast for 20 more minutes uncovered or until the skin is starting to crisp up.
Top tip
To get the turkey skin extra crispy, use an oil spray and spray it onto the skin right before roasting - and also during if the skin is getting too dry in the oven.
Serving
To serve, transfer the vegan turkey roast to a serving platter and slice into individual pieces to portion.
It's delicious served alongside roast potatoes, roasted veg, Vegan Yorkshire pudding, cranberry sauce and a generous drizzle of vegan gravy.
Storage
The turkey can be best served and enjoyed right away, but you can also store it for later:
- Fridge - keep the sliced turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - you can also freezer your vegan turkey! For ease, it is best sliced beforehand, then frozen as individual slices, so you can easily defrost individual slices. Once they are frozen, you can pack the slices into a large freezer container to save space.
Making ahead of time
If you're planning to prepare this vegan turkey ahead of time, there are 2 points in the recipe that are best suited for a longer break:
- after mixing the Seitan dough - Once the dough comes together in the food processor, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge overnight.
- after steaming - you can take another break after the steaming process. Simply let the turkey cool down in the steamer, then transfer it to an airtight container in the fridge. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Substitutions
In case you don't have everything to hand, here a few ideas and notes for possible substitutions:
- Chickpeas - you can use any white tinned beans such as cannellini or butter beans. As we're also using the liquid, make sure the tin you use is unsalted.
- Tamari - you can swap tamari for coconut aminos, which is less salty. Ideally, don't replace it with dark soy sauce as tamari is around 9 times stronger than dark soy sauce and it would not give you the same flavoring.
- Baking powder - instead of baking powder, you can add a ¼ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- Maple syrup - swap maple syrup for agave syrup
- Silken tofu - I used soft silken tofu for this recipe but you can use a firmer version as well. It's important for the wet mix to blend smoothly, which might be more difficult with firmer tofu. If you only have firm tofu to hand, add a small amount of water at a time to the blender until it blends smoothly.
Variations
If you want to shake things up, why not try taking this recipe to the next level:
- Yuba skin - as an alternative to the rice paper skin, you can also use yuba. Yuba is essentially soy milk skin - the kind that forms on top of milk when cooking or boiling it. You can buy ready-made yuba in large Asian grocery stores or make your own but that can be time intense and require a lot of soya milk to coat the entire roast turkey.
- Shape - it's definitely not necessary to make the shape of the Seitan look like a turkey but it's surely a playful twist! Alternatively, I recommend shaping the Seitan into a log with the stuffing filling on the inside.
- Flavors - you can generally season the skin to your liking! I've used a seasoning based on my vegan bacon recipe in this case as I simply thing these flavors work wonderfully but you can get creative and try other coatings for the Seitan turkey. In my Vegan Roasts cookbook you can find a mustard glaze that works wonderfully with this type of seitan roast.
Related Recipes
If you're after more festive recipes to serve as part of a festive meal, I can recommend trying this vegan apple nut roast or making some Vegan Yorkshire Puddings to serve alongside your roast dinner.
And if you're looking for some delicious desserts to serve after the main event, check out this article with more than 60 vegan Christmas desserts, that are not only fantastic after Christmas dinner, but also Thanksgiving and Co!
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📖 Recipe Card
Vegan Turkey
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 large rolling pin
- 1 sharp knife
- parchment paper sheets
- aluminum foil
- 1 large steamer basket
- 1 large pot or roasting dish with a lid
Ingredients
For the Seitan Turkey:
- 1 12.3oz container silken tofu (350 g)
- 1 14 oz can cooked chickpeas in unsalted water (400 g)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive or sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 bouillon cube (11 g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon vegan poultry seasoning (10 g)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder or granules
- ½ teaspoon onion powder or granules
- 2 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten (315 g)
- vegan stuffing to fill the turkey roast
- 2 cups roasting vegetables and roasting herbs (optional) e.g. celery, potato, carrots, parsnips, sage, thyme, rosemary
- 1 cup vegetable broth
For the rice paper skin:
- 6-8 sheets rice paper enough to cover the seitan turkey
- 3 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- water
Instructions
Creating the Seitan dough:
- Place the entire tin of chickpeas (including liquid), silken tofu, miso paste, vegetable oil, bouillon cube, vegan poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder into a food processor and process until smooth.
- Swap the blade for a dough attachment, then slowly add in the vital wheat gluten whilst pulsing until a firm dough forms. If your food processor doesn't have a dough attachment, then simply transfer the wet mix to a large bowl. Stir in the vital wheat gluten with a spatula then knead the dough by hand until everything is mixed well.
- Let the Seitan dough rest for 15 minutes.
Filling and shaping the roast:
- Using a large rolling pin, firmly roll the dough into a large rectangle of roughly ½ inch thickness. Place the stuffing onto the middle in a firm log shape.
- Fold over the sides of the Seitan dough to wrap over the stuffing, then fold down the top and stretch it over the filling. Lastly, fold over the bottom and stretch if over the entire Seitan as firmly as you can to wrap the entire Seitan. Pinch the edges with your fingers to seal and create a firm parcel.
- With a sharp knife, make 4 diagonal cuts into the Seitan parcel (see the image instructions in the post above!). Knead each section firmly into the desired shape - the top two cuts will be the turkey wings, the bottom the legs. You can fold the middle part of the Seitan underneath the parcel to create a round shape. Secure the turkey legs together with a toothpick and make a shallow line cut down the middle of the turkey shape.
Steaming:
- Wrap the entire Seitan first in parchment paper, then in aluminum foil, then place it into a large steamer basket and steam for 2 hrs. After 2 hours, let the roast cool down slowly in the steamer basket without removing it. It's vital that it cools down slowly to help with the texture - rapid temperature changes can make the Seitan rubbery.
Prepare the skin:
- Once the roast is ready, unwrap it and place it onto a large board, then prepare the ingredients for the rice paper skin: set aside 2 bowls, fill one with water. In the second bowl, whisk together tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper.
- Dip each sheet of rice paper first into the water, but only very briefly and allow for any excess water to drop off. Next, dip the sheet into the seasoning mix. It should slowly become soft and pliable but to keep it in a flat sheet, whilst you coat it. Remove any excess, then wrap the soft sheet over the turkey. Repeat 6-8 times or until the entire Seitan is covered. Don't forget to add rice paper at the bottom of the roast too!
Roasting
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Transfer the entire seitan turkey into a large roasting dish. Add in a few roasting vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, garlic and potatoes, and fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage. Pour in the vegetable stock, then cover with a lid and roast in the oven for 40 minutes in total.
- After 20 minutes of roasting time, remove the lid and continue to roast uncovered for another 20 minutes (40 minutes total) or until the skin is crisping up. The roasting time might slightly vary depending on the oven, so just keep a close eye on it.
- Transfer to a large serving dish and slice to serve.
Notes
- large steamer - if you don't have a steamer basket big enough for the entire Seitan roast, you can place the roast in the oven with a large oven dish filled with water underneath and 'steam' the Seitan in the oven that way.
- yuba skin - as an alternative to the rice paper skin, you can also use yuba. Yuba is essentially soy milk skin - the kind that forms on top of milk when cooking or boiling it. You can buy ready-made yuba in large Asian grocery stores or make your own but that can be time intense and require a lot of soya milk to coat the entire roast turkey.
- shape - it's definitely not necessary to make the shape of the Seitan look like a turkey but it's surely a playful twist! Alternatively, I recommend shaping the Seitan into a log with the stuffing filling on the inside.
- flavors - you can generally season the skin to your liking! I've used a seasoning based on my vegan bacon recipe in this case as I simply thing these flavors work wonderfully but you can get creative and try other coatings for the Seitan turkey. In my Vegan Roasts cookbook you can find a mustard glaze that works wonderfully with this type of seitan roast.
- Fridge - keep the sliced turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - you can also freezer your vegan turkey! For ease, it is best sliced beforehand, then frozen as individual slices, so you can easily defrost individual slices. Once they are frozen, you can pack the slices into a large freezer container to save space.
- Extra tip - To get the turkey skin extra crispy, use an oil spray and spray it onto the skin right before roasting - and also during if the skin is getting too dry in the oven.
- Substitutions - find more tips for suitable ingredient substitutions in the blog post above.
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Carrie Xie
I am looking forward to making this for Christmas! Is it possible to use extra firm tofu instead of silken? Also, what are your thoughts on potentially braiding/knotting the vwg and letting it rest overnight (for more "shreds") before wrapping the stuffing in it?
romylondonuk
Hi Carrie! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I haven't tried it with firm tofu, but the main difference is that it just doesn't blend as smoothly as it's thicker and has less water content. I'd recommend adding a small amount of water to the blender if needed until you get the wet mix as smooth as can be. You can surely experiment with braiding and knotting! I left this extra step out as I felt this recipe was already getting a bit to step-intense for the average reader but you can surely go the extra mile! I just find it a bit difficult to roll out kneaded/braided seitan in order to fill it with stuffing - but maybe you have stronger forearms than I do, ha 😀 Or if you just want to shape it without adding any stuffing filling, that would surely work too, just be a little smaller than the one I made. Let me know how you get on!
Pippin B
What stuffing do to use in this?
Romy
I've got a stuffing recipe in my cookbook that's usually my go-to, but I personally love anything with sage in this combo 🙂 My friends Jess & Dan from VeganPunks have a vegan sage & onion stuffing recipe on their blog that would be perfect for this vegan turkey roast as well. Here's the link: https://veganpunks.com/sage-and-onion-stuffing-recipe/ Hope you enjoy it!