My vegan turkey roast is homemade chickpea seitan, steamed until firm, then basted with garlic butter and browned, with rice paper for an optional crispy skin. I make it as a simple loaf, or triple the recipe for a whole turkey with drumsticks. It takes about an hour and 45 minutes, mostly hands-off.
I made this for a vegetarian attending our Thanksgiving and it was a HIT! Not only did everyone enjoy it but it was easy to make! We decided we will actually be making the roast aspart of our regular dinner rotation, it was THAT good!
A vegetarian turkey roast from pantry staples
I wanted a vegan turkey that was easy on the wallet, so this one is made from pantry staples. Canned chickpeas, vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, miso and poultry seasoning are all it takes, and it costs far less than a store-bought roast.
The chickpeas and seasonings get blended first, then the vital wheat gluten turns them into a dough. Steaming it wrapped in foil cooks it through without drying it out, and a garlicky vegan butter baste browns the outside.
Readers have made it for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving and even a Memorial Day barbecue.
What goes into chickpea seitan
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Canned chickpeas have the most neutral flavor. Cannellini or other white beans work too.
- Vital wheat gluten is the flour-like powder, not the cubed seitan sold in packages. It’s also why this roast can’t be made gluten-free.
- Chicken-style vegan bouillon gets the flavor closer to turkey than plain vegetable broth. Better Than Bouillon is my favorite.
- Poultry seasoning is sold under that name in most grocery stores. To make your own, shake together 2 tablespoons each of basil, oregano, paprika and thyme, 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 2 teaspoons of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Rice paper is optional, but it gives the roast a crispy skin.
Shruthi’s Top Tips
Tips for seitan that’s tender, not tough
Watch two things, the kneading and the steaming time.
- Knead the dough 10 to 12 times and stop. Over-kneading makes seitan tough.
- Mix it in a glass or stainless steel bowl with a silicone spatula. The dough gets sticky.
- Keep the foil-wrapped roast above the water. No steamer basket? Rest it on a ring of rolled foil, mason jar lids or a heat-safe plate.
- Check it after an hour of steaming. A bigger roast can need up to 30 minutes more.
- To make it ahead, steam it the day before, cool it and refrigerate it. Warm it in foil at 350°F for 30 minutes, then baste and brown.
How to make vegan turkey roast
- Blend the chickpeas, broth, olive oil, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt and miso in a food processor until smooth.
- Scrape it into a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten and mix with a spatula, then your hands, until it comes together in a rough ball.
- Knead it on a counter dusted with vital wheat gluten, 10 to 12 times. To stuff it, roll the dough into a circle, add the stuffing in the middle and roll it up.
- Shape it into a thick log. It looks small, but it expands as it cooks.
- If you are shaping it into a turkey, then portion the log into five pieces, one for the body, two for the arms and legs, each.
- Then stick popsicle sticks into two of them for the “legs”
- Wrap it tightly in foil and set it in a steamer basket over at least 3 cups of hot water. Cover and steam for about an hour.
- While it steams, prepare the basting butter: add vegan butter, soy sauce, garlic, bouillon, oregano and pepper to a bowl.
- Stir until it’s well mixed and has a creamy consistency.
- For crispy skin, soak the rice paper in water for 30 seconds and let it dry. Brush the steamed roast with basting butter and wrap the rice paper around it.
- Brown it in a 400°F oven, spooning basting butter over it as it cooks, or brown it on all sides in a skillet with vegan butter, basting every minute or two.
- Let it rest briefly, then slice with a serrated knife.
How to serve vegan turkey roast
Slice it and serve it with my one-skillet vegan stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce with frozen cranberries and mushroom gravy. Leftover slices make great sandwiches. Want more options for the center of the table? Here are my vegetarian Thanksgiving mains, and the rest of my Thanksgiving recipes.
Variations
For a full turkey shape, triple the recipe. Divide the dough into one large piece for the body and smaller pieces for the legs and wings, and hold the legs on with skewers. Stuff just the body, and brown it in the oven on a roasting rack. For a “dark meat” flavor, add a splash of liquid aminos to the dough. A reader, Jessica, tried it and loved the result.
Need a gluten-free main instead? Try my savory stuffed acorn squash.
Vegan Turkey Roast (Chickpea Seitan)
Equipment
- 2 wooden skewers if making turkey shape
Ingredients
For the Turkey Roast
- 1½ cups chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup vegetable broth or vegan chicken-style broth
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, see notes for homemade version
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1⅓ cups vital wheat gluten
For the basting liquid:
- 8 oz vegan butter, plus more for basting
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon vegan bouillon, optional
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For Crispy Skin
- 3 sheets rice paper
Instructions
Make Wheat Meat Turkey
- Add all the turkey roast ingredients except the vital wheat gluten to a food processor (drained chickpeas, broth, olive oil, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt and miso paste) and process until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl, making sure to scrape all the good bits off the processor jug. Add the vital wheat gluten to the bowl and mix it up with a silicone spatula to start and your hands to finish.
- Once it has come together in a coarse ball, sprinkle some vital wheat gluten on a clean countertop. Knead the dough (at least 10-12 times). (*See notes for stuffing your turkey)
To Shape Log:
- Roll the dough and shape it into a thick log. Note that this will look quite small, but it expands when you cook it.
To Shape a Full Turkey (triple the recipe):
- Once you finish kneading the dough, break it up into five parts. Five small loaves (for the arms and legs) and one larger piece for the body. Use the skewers to shape the legs around it.
Steam, Brown and Baste Turkey
- Set a steamer basket in a large Dutch oven or pot. Wrap your turkey meatloaf and any other pieces in foil paper tightly and place it on the steamer basket. Then pour at least 3 cups of hot water into the bottom of the pot, bring to a boil and lower the heat to steam for at least one hour. (*See notes for tips when steaming the turkey).
- While the turkey is steaming, make basting liquid (aka compound butter) by mixing the ingredients in a bowl (vegan butter, soy sauce, minced garlic, better than chicken vegan bouillon, oregano, and black pepper).
- For crispy skin, soak the rice paper in water for 30 seconds and allow it to dry completely. Once the turkey is steamed, brush the turkey log or each individual component with the basting liquid. Then, wrap the rice paper around the log or each individual component. It’s okay if there are crinkles or air bubbles, you just want to get it covered as much as possible. Then, brush the top of the rice paper with more basting liquid.
- To brown it in the oven, while the turkey is steaming, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the steamed turkey in a baking dish and pour basting liquid over the turkey. Bake for 20 minutes. Spoon the basting liquid over the turkey every 5 minutes to avoid it from drying out on the inside.
- To brown it on the stove instead, heat a large skillet with some vegan butter. Add basting liquid and place the turkey in the pan and let it brown on all sides. Spoon the basting liquid mixture on the turkey once every 1-2 minutes to make sure you're getting all the sides until browned and under medium-low heat.
- Serve and slice with a serrated knife.
Video
Notes
- To stuff a loaf, roll the dough into a circle, add the stuffing in the middle and roll it into a log. For a full turkey, stuff only the body.
- For the full turkey shape, triple the recipe and brown it in the oven on a roasting rack. A single loaf fits a 9×9 dish.
- Seitan can be finicky. Check it after an hour of steaming; a larger roast can need up to 30 minutes more.
- Make ahead: steam it, cool it and refrigerate it in an airtight container. To serve, wrap it in foil and warm it at 350°F for 30 minutes, then baste and brown.
- Homemade poultry seasoning: shake together 2 tablespoons each of basil, oregano, paprika and thyme, 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 2 teaspoons of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was wondering how much of the stuffing should you put into the turkey?
Hi! This really depends on your preference. I used about half a cup when I tested!
I made this for a vegetarian attending our Thanksgiving and it was a HIT! Not only did everyone enjoy it but it was easy to make! We decided we will actually be making the roast aspart of our regular dinner rotation, it was THAT good!
this recipe looks and sounds delicious. about the vital wheat gluten … is that in a flour form? or is the seitan (chinese mianjin) that looks a bit like bread in cubes?
The vital wheat gluten is the one in flour form!
Due to a food allergy, one of my daughters now follows a vegan diet. I did a test run of this dish to be sure she doesn’t feel left out over the holidays, and it turned out great!
Oh that’s fantastic, thank you for sharing back!
I followed the tip to add aminos to recreate the taste of dark meat. I really enjoyed the result! Will definitely save this recipe for the 2023 holiday season.
I must say: Super Delicious! and no, I will not wait until Thanksgiving to make it again.
Great flavor and texture. Thank you!
This was a sensational substitute for the vegans at my bbq on Memorial Day. I wasn’t sure I wasn’t going to be able to shape it like you did but your instructions were so helpful. There were rave reviews!
Dude. Best vegan turkey roast EVER. Super freaking delicious, relatively cheap & easy to make as well. Even my meat eater husband loved it. It’s truly the best holiday roast substitute I’ve had. I even added stuffing. The savory seitan & chickpea turkey with the crispy skin. I’m definitely gonna make this again… like next month LOL
This made my day! Thank you SO much 🙂
I’m just about to try it and I don’t know what poultry seasoning is. In the ingredients it says to see notes for home made version. Am I missing it or is it not there?
Hi Carolyn! It should be linked in the post – apologies if I missed that. Poultry seasoning is usually just labeled as such in most grocery stores but when I make it at home, I use a blend of 2 tablespoons each of basil, oregano, paprika and thyme, along with 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Just add all to a container and shake well. Hope that helps!
This will transform my Thanksgiving, for years I’ve had to have just vegetables and no real main course. I did a trial run of the recipe to make sure I wanted it for the big day and OMG yes I do!!!
I made your Vegan Turkey Roast for my vegan family members and they loved, loved, loved it! Thank you for a great recipe!
Thanks for this recipe! I tested it and it was so delicious! I’ve got a lot of vegan friends and I’m making this for our friendsgiving!
Beautiful! I’m excited to make This for my vegan guest at Thanksgiving!