This easy vegan turkey recipe will blow you away! Made from seitan, it's meaty, juicy, and roasted to perfection, yet it's 100% vegan. Your holiday guests won't believe their taste buds when they bite into this authentic-tasting tofurkey!
This holiday roast is mock meat made from vital wheat gluten and garbanzo beans (or tofu) mixed with a turkey flavored broth. If you have never made homemade seitan before, you will be surprised by how easy the process actually is. It only takes a few minutes of prep work and then you just wait for it to cook.
My family and I have tried nearly every vegan turkey product on the market over the past 21 years of being vegan. We've purchased major brands and made our own from tofu or seitan, but of all the ones we have tried, this is truly the best mock turkey that we have ever had! My family goes crazy for it and I think yours will too - even non-vegans love this "turkey!"
What are seitan and vital wheat gluten?
Seitan is mock meat made from vital wheat gluten. It has a chewy meat texture and can be flavored and mixed with other ingredients to replicate nearly any type of meat. Sometimes people also call it "wheat meat." Vital wheat gluten is a super fine powder made from wheat flour. It is the protein from wheat that has been isolated without the starch. It is very sticky and almost like glue when it gets wet.
You'll love this vegan turkey because it's...
- easy to make.
- a fraction of the price of store-bought Tofurkey - and tastes better too.
- full of a satisfying meaty flavor and texture.
- perfect for your vegan Thanksgiving feast!
- great for turkey sandwiches - the best vegan deli meat that you will ever eat!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vital Wheat Gluten - to give the turkey the meaty texture. This ingredient can not be substituted. Unfortunately, it can't be made gluten-free. If you want a gluten-free mock turkey, check out the Vegan Yummieness recipe for tofu turkey.
- Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans - to add protein and dilute the gluten so it's not too chewy. You can also use white beans, pinto beans, or a 14 oz block of tofu instead.
- Broth - to flavor the vegan turkey. I like to use a chicken-style vegan broth like Not Chick'n or you can use any vegetable broth that you wish.
- Neutral Flavored Oil - to make the meat moist. (optional) I like refined coconut oil because it is most similar to the fat that you find in meat and will give it the most authentic texture. Feel free to leave it out, I just find the "meat" to be dryer tasting without it. However, I do highly recommend using some oil in the basting liquid.
- Poultry Seasoning - for flavor.
- Soy Sauce - or Bragg's Liquid Aminos for flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast - for flavor. (optional) There is nothing that replaces the umami flavor of it, but if you don't have it, you can leave it out.
- Garlic Powder - for flavor.
- Onion Powder - for flavor.
- Oregano - for flavor in the basting liquid.
- Fresh Ground Pepper - for flavor in the basting liquid.
Helpful tools for making vegan turkey
- Food Processor or Blender - to blend the beans and broth. If you don't have one, you can simply mash the beans with a potato masher.
- Glass Mixing Bowl - gluten is very sticky and will stick to plastic.
- Silicone Spatula - to stir the gluten mixture. Don't use a wooden spoon, it will stick and be very hard to clean.
- Steamer Basket - is helpful to steam the tofurkey, (If you don't have a steamer, you can place jelly jar rings at the bottom of a pot and fill with enough water to reach just under the rings. This will hold the turkey out of the water. You will need to keep an eye on the water level and refill it a few times while it's steaming.)
How to make a homemade vegan turkey:
- Add chickpeas, broth, poultry seasoning, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder to a food processor or blender.
- Blend for about 30 seconds until you have a thick liquid. (It's okay if there are still a few chunks of the beans in it.)
- Pour the liquid into a glass bowl (gluten will stick to plastic) and sprinkle 3/4 cup of gluten flour over it and fold it in with a silicone spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining gluten flour over it and continue to fold it in. Once it gets firm, use your hands to knead the dough for about 30 seconds until all of the gluten is incorporated.
- Form the dough into one large loaf and wrap it tightly and completely in foil.
- Place the wrapped "turkey" in a large steamer basket, cover, and steam for 1 hour.
Note: You can serve the meatless turkey at this point. It's great for slicing thin on vegan turkey sandwiches, hot open-faced turkey sandwiches, or chop it up for stirfries or toss it into tofurkey a la king. (If I am going to just cut it up for one of these things, I skip the baking step to make it easier.) If you want a beautiful presentation and extra flavor roast it at this point.
Bake the vegan turkey:
- Place the steamed "turkey" in a small baking dish. (An 8 x 8-inch baking dish works well.)
- Mix broth, oil, soy sauce, oregano, and black pepper and pour over the turkey.
- Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes. (Take out of the oven 2-3 times during baking and quickly spoon the basting liquid over the tofurkey and place back in the oven.)
- Slice with a serrated knife.
Making white "meat" vs. dark "meat"
I tested this homemade tofurkey many times with different flavorings and protein sources to see which one tasted most like turkey. The version above made with chickpeas is most similar to the white meat of the turkey. However, when I used tofu, it was softer and moist, similar to the dark meat turkey.
To make dark meat turkey, replace the chickpeas with a 14 oz block of firm tofu that has been drained and press to get out all the excess liquid. Increase the soy sauce by 1 tsp and then follow the rest of the ingredients and instructions the same.
To make drier white meat: omit the oil and use chickpeas in the mixture. This will give you the same great flavor with a dryer texture.
Make it into a holiday loaf!
If you want your vegan turkey to resemble the Tofurkey or Gardien brand holiday loaves that have stuffing inside, simply press the seitan dough into a flat circle. Put a cup of vegan stove top stuffing in the center and then fold up the edges and press the seitan together to seal the stuffing inside. Wrap in foil and steam and bake as instructed above.
Can I make the vegan turkey ahead of time?
Yes! The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Mix up the dough and steam it then just keep it in the foil wrapping in the fridge until you are ready to baste bake it.
Storing and Freezing
Once you steam the meatless turkey, it has been cooked enough to slice and eat on sandwiches. you can keep it in the fridge in a sealed container or wrapped in foil for 3-5 days.
If you want to freeze your "turkey," simply wrap it tightly in foil and place it inside a large freezer bag getting out all of the excess air possible. You can keep it frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating
To reheat your veggie turkey, simply place it in a baking dish, cover with the basting liquid and bake for 25 minutes. You can also reheat individual slices in the microwave in about 1 minute on high.
What else should I serve for my vegan feast?
Enjoy this vegan turkey with other holiday favorites like mashed potatoes, vegan gravy, vegan stuffing, vegan squash risotto, creamy pumpkin bean soup, and make the best vegan pumpkin pie for dessert!
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A vegan turkey made with vital wheat gluten and chickpeas or tofu.
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (or white beans or 14 oz. pressed firm tofu)
- 1 cup vegan broth (chicken-style vegan broth tastes best)
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil melted (or any other neutral-flavored oil)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/2 cup broth
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil or other neutral-flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
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Add chickpeas, broth, poultry seasoning, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, melted coconut oil, garlic powder, and onion powder to a food processor or blender.
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Blend for about 30 seconds until you have a thick liquid. (It's okay if there are still a few chunks of the beans in it.)
-
Pour the liquid into a glass bowl (gluten will stick to plastic) and sprinkle 3/4 cup of gluten flour over it and fold it in with a silicone spatula.
-
Sprinkle the remaining gluten flour over it and continue to fold it in. Once it gets firm, use your hands to knead the dough for about 30 seconds until all of the gluten is incorporated.
-
Form the dough into one large loaf and wrap it tightly and completely in foil.
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Place the wrapped "turkey" in a large steamer basket, cover, and steam for 1 hour. (You can now eat the "turkey" or you can baste and bake it for more flavor.)
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Preheat the oven to 375° F
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Place the steamed "turkey" in a small baking dish. (An 8 x 8-inch baking dish works well.)
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Mix broth, oil, soy sauce, oregano, and black pepper and pour over the turkey.
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Bake at 375° F for 25 minutes. (Take out of the oven 2-3 times during baking and quickly spoon the basting liquid over the tofurkey and place back in the oven.)
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Slice with a serrated knife.
Recipe Video
What if you don't have a steamer basket?
You can place jelly jar rings at the bottom of a pot and fill with enough water to reach just under the rings. This will hold the turkey out of the water. You will need to keep an eye on the water level and refill it a few times while it's steaming.
To make dark meat turkey:
Replace the chickpeas with a 14 oz block of firm tofu that has been drained and press to get out all the excess liquid. Increase the soy sauce by 1 tsp and then follow the rest of the ingredients and instructions the same.
To make drier white meat:
Omit the oil and be sure to use chickpeas and not tofu in the mixture. This will give you the same great flavor with a dryer texture.
Make it into a holiday loaf:
If you want your vegan turkey to resemble the Tofurkey or Gardien brand holiday loaves that have stuffing inside, simply press the seitan dough into a flat circle. Put a cup of vegan stove top stuffing in the center and then fold up the edges and press the seitan together to seal the stuffing inside. Wrap in foil and steam and bake as instructed above.
To make the "turkey" ahead of time:
Mix up the dough and steam it then just keep it in the foil wrapping in the fridge for up to 3 days until you are ready to baste bake it.
