Vegan Turkey Roast (Chickpea Seitan)

Close up view of turkey shaped wheat meat loaf in baking dish.

Vegan Turkey Roast (Chickpea Seitan)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

Chickpeas and vital wheat gluten make a firm roast you can slice. Baste it with garlic butter and wrap it in rice paper for a crispy skin. Steam it a day ahead and brown it to serve.

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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 9x9 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