A simple, easy, rustic and hearty Vegan Roast that's sliceable, ultra-tender and full of flavour. Just perfect for serving with copious amounts of gravy, roast potatoes and stuffing. Leftovers are great in sandwiches, too!
FEATURED COMMENT
"I admit I was unsure about this recipe, but was fascinated by the promise and decided to give it a go. It is truly amazing - I'm not even a vegetarian, but my wife is, and I have to say it tastes great and has a remarkable meaty consistency. Very easy to make - follow the instructions, and out it comes, exactly as promised. Thank you very much!" - Simon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
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'Tis the season of gathering around the table and feasting on delicious food, and I am always in need of simple, manageable, festive recipes that still feel a bit special. And this vegan roast recipe is all of that.
It makes the perfect centrepiece for your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Don't forget the cranberry sauce, and be sure to slice up any leftovers because it makes great lunch meat/cold cuts for sandwiches and salads, etc!
Like my vegan chicken breasts and vegan ham, this homemade turey-style seitan is super easy to make, and you can prep it and shape it up to 3 days ahead, leave it in the fridge, then cook it on the day, or even in advance. Don't you just love recipes that take the pressure off?
It's also way cheaper to make than pre-made vegan roasts and is a great alternative to Thanksgiving turkey or Tofurky. If beef is more your thing, though, check out my amazing vegan beef recipe!
Mel x
Ingredient Notes
So, let's get down to business. Here's the rundown on what's going on in this vegan seitan roast and why:
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
- Vital wheat gluten - Vital wheat gluten is what gives this vegan roast its meaty texture and is an absolutely essential ingredient in this recipe. It absolutely cannot be made without it.
- White beans - Any canned white beans will work. They add moisture to the recipe and keep the roast tender.
- Artichoke hearts - These should ideally be the ones packed in oil for the very best flavour, but the canned ones in water will work too. I haven't tried it but I think you could probably get away with using uncooked mushrooms and a tablespoon of oil instead if you wanted to.
- Nutritional yeast - For depth of flavour. I promise your roast will not taste cheesy!
- Sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, pepper - All the flavour givers to cover up that unique vital wheat gluten taste.
- Tamari or soy sauce - For "meaty" flavour
- Stock - again for flavour and moisture. For this recipe I love to use 2 tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base mixed with the water. It has a chicken-y type flavour that works so well in a roast like this. If you can't get that, though, any good tasting stock will do.
Seitan Tip
For the best results when making seitan, weigh the vital wheat gluten on a digital kitchen scale. Cup measurements are not accurate enough when measuring flour-like substances, and if you use too much, it will greatly affect the texture of the finished roast. If you must use cups, spoon the vital wheat gluten into the cups without compacting or shaking down, then level with a knife. Do not scoop it up, or you will end up using way too much.
Let's Make A Vegan Roast
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen. If you're more of a visual learner, watch my recipe video.
Add all of the ingredients except the vital wheat gluten to a food processor and blend them up.
Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse until a rough dough is formed.
Knead until it looks fibrous. Don't skip this step. Some seitan recipes come out tough as old boots if you knead them too much and I don't want you to be scared of that. I promise that as long as you follow my recipe exactly, this one won't. Even if you get carried away and knead it way more than called for it will still be beautifully tender.
This is how it should look:
Shape into a log, roll up like a Christmas cracker in foil, then bake.
You just made your own vegan roast, you little genius you!
Recipe FAQs
Vital wheat gluten is made from wheat flour which is hydrated to activate the gluten, the main protein in wheat. Then everything but the gluten is removed. The gluten is then dried and ground back into a powder. It's the main ingredient in seitan recipes like this one, but is also great when used as a binder in vegan meatloaf and burgers. I use it in the "meatball" recipe in my cookbook Vegan Comfort Cooking. It's also a useful ingredient in bread recipes. Just a tablespoon or two in a loaf can improve the texture and elasticity of dough, which in turn helps improve the rise, crumb and the crust. It's especially useful when making bread with lower protein flours such as wholewheat and rye. Vital wheat gluten pretty cheap to buy although not all grocery stores carry it. I buy mine from Amazon. This is the one I used to make my seitan. It's incredibly good value for a great big bag and it's non GMO. Pour it into an airtight container and leftovers will keep for ages and ages.
This recipe does need to be wrapped in foil to cook properly. If you try without it, it will dry out. If you prefer the foil not to come into contact with your food, wrap the roast in baking parchment paper (not wax paper) first, and then cover that tightly in the foil.
Recipe
Vegan Roast
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (270 grams) canned white beans , drained & rinsed (such as white kidney, lima, great northern, or cannellini)
- 1 cup (200 grams) artichoke hearts , ideally packed in oil but in water is fine too. Squeeze gently to remove excess liquid before measuring.
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup (28 grams) nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce or tamari
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon rubbed sage , or ½ the amount of ground sage
- ¾ teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base , or ½ cup of strong tasting veg/mushroom stock instead of the Better Than Bouillon & water.
- ½ cup (120 mls) water
- 2 cups (256 grams vital wheat gluten
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200 °C).
- To a food processor, add the beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, black pepper, sage, rosemary, thyme, Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base, and water. Process until well combined and smooth-ish. If you don't have a food processor, blend in a blender or with an immersion blender.
- Add the vital wheat gluten to the food processor and pulse until a rough dough starts to form, then tip out onto a clean surface. If you don't have a food processor, add the liquid mixture and vital wheat gluten to a mixing bowl and stir, then knead together, until a rough dough is formed.
- Knead for 7 minutes. By the time you have finished kneading, the dough should look fibrous. See my picture in the post above as a guide. If it isn't, knead for a few minutes more. Don't worry about overkneading. It will be fine.
- Shape the dough into a log shape roughly 8½ inches long and 4 inches wide.
- Get a long piece of foil (around 20 inches long) and place the roast right at the end of it, long side of the roast along the shortest side of the foil. Roll it up in the foil. Keep rolling it until you reach the end, so that the roast is surrounded by a few layers of foil. Then twist each end tightly shut so it looks like a Christmas cracker.
- Place the foil wrapped roast onto a baking tray and place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Turn it over and bake for another 35 minutes. Remove from the oven. Leave it to rest in the foil for at least 30 minutes before opening and slicing. It will stay warm for a few hours if you don't unwrap it.
NOTES
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Miriam Attard says
This was my first time successfully making seitan- so easy! And delicious!!
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Miriam!
Nicola says
Can I use an alternative to artichoke hearts??
SUE says
this had a very meaty flavor and texture. nice seitan recipe. thank you
Ang says
This was my first time making my own seitan and the flavour was delicious. I had one little issue I am hoping someone can help me out with: the outside was too crispy and difficult to cut. Did I just over cook it? I will try it again in a couple of weeks turning the temperature down a little bit and shortening the cooking time by a couple of minutes, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Melanie McDonald says
Hi Ang, glad you enjoyed it. One tip for the crispy outside - If you used a foil that’s really thin it might not have offered enough protection. You can help this by rolling it up in a longer piece so there are extra layers or by buying a more expensive thicker better quality foil. The difference between different brands can be huge. Some are super thin.
You can also put an empty baking tray on the shelf below the roast. This is a classic trick to stop the bottom of loaves of bread getting too well done and will work for something like this too.
Hope that helps!
Bridie says
Love this. Great taste and texture. Our canned beans weigh less so I was 40gm short. I substituted left over mashed potato to bring up to the right weight. It didn't affect the outcome. I can only buy marinated artichoke hearts and it turns out delicious. Works every time.