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–+ servings

Vegan Roast Turkey (Seitan)

Thee Burger Dude
4.64 from 49 votes
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Servings 12 Servings

Ingredients
 
 

  • 16 oz Super Firm Tofu
  • 1 1/2 cups Vital Wheat Gluten
  • 2 Tbsp Tapioca Starch
  • 2 Tbsp Mushroom Seasoning (I used Imperial Taste Brand) (or 2 tsp Miso Paste)
  • 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
  • 1/2 Tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 2 tsp MSG (or more Nutritional Yeast)
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
  • 1 Tbsp Vegan Chicken Bouillon (or Veggie Bouillon)
  • 2 Tbsp Neutral Oil
  • 1/2 cup Water (or as needed)
  • Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Poultry Rub

  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 2 tsp Dried Thyme
  • 2 tsp Dried Rosemary
  • 1 tsp Ground Sage
  • 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander

Turkey Glaze

Instructions
 

Turkey Rub

  • Simply combine everything in a small bowl, tupperware or seasoning shaker. You can throw it in a spice grinder or chop up the larger pieces of rosemary if you like.

Turkey Glaze

  • Add the vegan butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add all the other ingredients and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and reduce the glaze until it's thicker than maple syrup, but not as thick as strawberry jam. Somewhere in between. It will thicken a lot as it cools. You can test it out by taking a tablespoon or so and letting it cool in a small bowl or plate. Then test to see how thick it is. It should be very, very thick, but still spreadable.
  • I suggest making the glaze the same day you plan on glazing the seitan, but if you want to make it the same day as the seitan, refrigerate it and then reheat it gently in a saucepan.

Seitan Turkey Roast

  • Combine everything but the vital wheat gluten in a food processor. Blend that up into a paste, it should resemble hummus, taste for seasoning. Then add in the vital wheat gluten and blend and knead until you have a soft but sturdy dough.
    If your food processor has a hard time with it, you can split in half or smaller as needed and process in batches.
  • If the seitan is too wet and sticky, add 1 Tbsp of vital wheat gluten at a time until it comes together. On the inverse, if it's too dry, add 1 Tbsp of water until it comes together as well.
  • Continue to knead the dough in the food processor until it's a firm but still slightly soft ball of dough (This should take about 5 minutes give or take). If it's in pieces it should be fine as long as you can mash it into a single ball. You should be able to stretch it out and see visible gluten strands. It should also not be too sticky. Slightly tacky is okay, but not sticky!
  • Form your Seitan into a ball, then let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes. If using an oven, preheat to 350 F / 176 C.
    Drizzle and rub a tablespoon or so of cooking oil on the seitan loaf, ensuring even coating. Next rub an even coating of the dry rub as well.
    Wrap the seitan in some Heavy Duty foil tightly. I recommend using two layers of foil.
    Place on a baking sheet, then bake for 1 hour or until the seitan is around 180 – 200 F internally (using a thermometer) flipping halfway through.
    Check NOTES for other cooking options!
  • Let the Seitan cool to room temp, then rest in the fridge for 8 hours or OVERNIGHT. This is very important for the final texture to firm up. It will be too soft right out of the oven or instant pot.
  • The next day unwrap the roast, you can reuse the foil for another dish if you like. Add the roast to a parchment lined baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • Brush the glaze onto the roast and cover the top and sides completely. Don't worry about the bottom. Bake the roast in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Then remove it, flip it onto the bottom, and now glaze the bottom (which is now the top!) and the sides. Bake again for another 8 minutes.
    Repeat this again, flipping and brushing the roast 2 more times in 8 minute intervals. So the total time will be 32 minutes.
  • The seitan is ready to be carved and devoured!

Notes

TOFU
If using extra firm tofu, you'll need to press it for at least 30 minutes. You probably won't need the 1/2 cup of water either, so start with less and add more as needed. You can also use a can of chickpeas including the liquid (aquafaba) instead of the tofu. You will likely not need any additional water, but add some as needed.
COOKING OPTIONS
There's a few ways to cook this seitan recipe!
  1. You can pressure cook it on high, in an Instant Pot for 1 hour. Add a cup of water to the Instant Pot and place the wrapped seitan on a steamer basket. Let it natural release for 15 minutes.
  2. You can also use a Ham Press (my favorite way as there's no foil involved and it gives a uniform shape and great texture) If the Ham Press is oven safe, you can bake it at 350 F / 176 C for 1 hour or until the internal temp is 180 - 200 F.
  3. If the Ham Press isn't oven safe, you can pressure cook it in the Instant Pot (using the same instructions in Option 1), or you can boil it on the stove top (I would follow the brands instructions) and just make sure the internal temp is 180 - 200 F. 
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