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!"
Jump to:
- ❔ What are seitan and vital wheat gluten?
- ❤️ You'll love this recipe because it's
- 🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- 🔪 Helpful tools
- 🥄 Instructions
- 🍗 White "meat" vs. dark "meat"
- ✨ Make it into a holiday loaf!
- ⏱️ Can I make it ahead of time?
- 🥡 Storage and freezing
- 🔥 Reheating
- 🍲 Serving suggestions
- 🌟 More seitan recipes
❔ 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 recipe 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
- 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.)
🥄 Instructions
- 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.
🍗 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 it 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.
🥡 Storage 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.
🍲 Serving suggestions
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!
🌟 More seitan recipes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
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.
-
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 (190° C).
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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 (190° C) 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.
This was SOOO delicious and easy to make! I'm going to save this recipe! I love the idea of making my own turkey! It's so sustainable!! I can't digest meat, so this is great!!
Thank you!!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Connie! 🙂
Do you think it would work to wrap it in a puff pastry for the baking time to bake it en croute?
I think that it would work, but I haven't tested it. I would divide it into 2 smaller loaves if I did this. I hope that it works for you. 🙂
This is one of our favorites! I was wondering if you’ve tried freezing it. I’d love to make a double batch and stick a roast in the freezer for an “I don’t feel like cooking” day. Thoughts?
I'm glad that you like it. I haven't tried freezing a whole loaf, but I think that it would work fine. I've frozen slices of it and it works fine. I also make my vegan chicken, cut it into strips and freeze it. That is a very similar recipe and it freezes great too! 🙂
It worked perfectly! I stuck the whole roast in the refrigerator the night before then let it sit on the counter for the afternoon. It was thawed and ready to cook as usual by dinner time! I’m going to make a double batch of tofu this weekend and then get to work stocking my freezer with turkey! Thanks!
This is a staple in our house now. We had it for Christmas Dinner and I also make it stuffed with sage and onion stuffing and then slice it thin for our lunch time sandwiches and snacks. One of our favourite seitan recipes now. Thank you 🙂
You are very welcome Sara! I'm so happy that you like it! 🙂
Super-impressed Monica, thank you! This was WAY EASIER TO MAKE than I thought it would be and tasted delicious! My bf even wanted seconds!!! Btw, clean-up was a snap, especially as the seitan was wrapped so my steamer stayed nice and clean!!!! Your recipe will be in my regular rotation for sure!!! Thank you!
I'm happy that you guys liked it! This recipe is a favorite in my house too! 🙂
This looks amazing! I can't wait to try this recipe. Have a question about steaming foil. I've always made seitan by boiling rather than steaming. I've actually never steamed with foil. Won't the foil cause aluminum leaching? Thanks!
If you don't want the aluminum to touch your turkey, you can wrap it in parchment and then wrap the foil around it. You can also wrap it in cheesecloth. Enjoy! 🙂
Do you think coconut aminos would work instead of soy sauce?
We're soy free due to an allergy and I really want to make this lol 😆
Yes, it should work fine and it's a great soy-free option. You can also leave it out completely and it will still taste great. Enjoy!
Awesome. Thanks for speedy reply. I'll report back on how it worked out.
Hi, I'm going to give this a go for my Son for his Christmas dinner this year. I can't decide whether to go for the tofu or chickpeas. I've used silken tofu before for seitan 'chicken' tenders but think the texture can be a bit spongy. Do you think half tofu and half chickpeas would work?
Hi Louise, it will definitely work with half chickpeas and half tofu. If seitan comes out spongy, it is usually because it wasn't wrapped tight enough when you steam it. It expands when it cooks, so that is why you wrap it. I hope that helps. Enjoy! 🙂
I'm going to try this out, just to check - is the chickpeas dry chickpeas or chickpeas in water?
You will want to use canned chickpeas in water or cook your own. You can also use any other canned bean that you want or tofu instead. Enjoy! 🙂
Made it and absolutely loved it. Best version of a vegan turkey that I’ve come across. Whole family loved it. Is this recipe freezable? I’d definitely enjoy making multiple batches to save for future use as part of protein source with other meals.
I'm so happy that you liked it, Skye! It works great to make in big batches then cut up into smaller pieces and freeze. I do that with the vegan chicken that I make (recipe coming soon) then I toss it into stir-fries and make vegan chicken salad sandwiches with it. 🙂
I made this for thanksgiving and it was so easy to make, very good, and so much cheaper than buying store bought similar items. It steamed well in my instant pot for one hour, then basted and baked like the recipe said.
I'm so happy that you liked it and it worked well for you! 🙂
I agree with the other comments here 🙂 It's Delicious. Thank you very much for sharing your recipe. I added half a cup of oats for texture when adding the vital wheat gluten. I also wrapped it in baking paper then foil when steaming and baste baked as instructed.
Just made this for thanksgiving because my whole family is vegan - they ate this up!! Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
You're welcome, Jesse! I'm so happy that you liked it. 🙂
I made this today as a test for my first vegan Christmas. It was amazing and two of the other 'meaters' loved it too. It's so easy to make, not sure why I have waited so long to make it! Thanks for sharing your recipe 😊
You're very welcome, I'm so happy that you all liked it! I hope it helps to make your Christmas special! 🙂
Delicious! Easy! I used the tofu option because I had that on hand and didn't have any chickpeas. It all went together very easily. I love the texture. My other seitan loaves come out too rubbery. This was perfect! I served it alongside roasted potatoes with a vegan gravy over the whole works. Some steamed broccoli on the side of the plate made a beautiful presentation. Thank you very much!
I'm so happy that it turned out well for you, Patrick. It sounds like a perfect meal! 🙂
We gave this a test run before Thanksgiving and omg was it delicious! I’ve tried other recipes but this is the best tasting by far. And it was easy to make. We will be making another one to share tomorrow and I’m sure all will love it as much as we did.
I'm so happy that the recipe worked well for you, Mary! I'm making mine for Thanksgiving tomorrow too! 🙂
so excited to try this out! I have a question that may be tricky. I have a steam oven but don't know much about steaming. Do you have a good idea for what to set the humidity to? 100%? Will a steam oven work just the same as a steam basket? Thanks for the help!! Happy holidays!
Hi Claire, I do not own a steam oven, so I've never tested it that way. It seems like it would work though. I would set the humidity to 100% and cook it wrapped for at least 45 minutes to an hour. I hope that you enjoy it! I'm making mine today too! 🙂
This may seem like a silly question but what do you mean by poultry seasoning? Do you mean something like Bell"s Seasoning? I really want to make this for Thursday and would love some help. Thank you.
Hi Lorri, poultry seasoning is a mix of herbs that they sell in most grocery stores with the dried herbs. You can easily make your own or just swap it out for 1/2 sage and 1/2 Thyme if you can't find it. Enjoy! 🙂
Well, I made this for Thanksgiving and it was great! Moist, not rubbery and actually easy to make. My mock meat loving husband felt this was better than what one could purchase from a store. I can see this becoming a staple in our household. We liked it so much that we are going to use your "ham" recipe for Christmas. Thank you!
Aww, it made my day to read this, Lorri! It's so nice to hear that people made and enjoyed my recipes for the holidays. I think that you're going to love the ham recipe too! My family goes crazy for both of these:)
Wow! I just made it today to see if I wanted to make it again for Thanksgiving! I followed your recipe exactly and it was absolutely perfect. thanks so much for this great recipe! I'll never by a Tofurkey again when I can make one that tastes even better!
This is a genius recipe!! You should get together with Chef AJ on youtube. You would make a great guest on her cooking show!!
Thanks so much, Heidi! I'm so happy that you like it! I'm pretty shy, I don't see myself on youtube any time soon. 🙂
What other wrapping can I use instead of aluminum foil?
You can you plastic wrap instead, but I know that is probably not a better option. You could try wrapping it tightly in cheesecloth and using safety pins to hold it together. You can also steam it without wrapping it, but it will expand and be spongier and not as dense. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
I have not made this yet but it looks great and I can not wait to give it a go. I steam sausages made with vital wheat gluten and I do not like to use tin foil either. I found if you wet baking paper to make it more pliable and wrap the sausage tightly in that and then cover with foil or a heat proof saran wrap you do not get the tin foil taste.
Great to know, thanks for the tip! 🙂
Could this be cooked in a Instant Pot?
Yes, you can steam it in an Instant Pot. It only takes 45 minutes of steaming in a pressure cooker. I have not done it in a pressure cooker yet, so you may have to play around with the time, but I would guess that you should use the steamer basket and set it to pressure for 20 minutes and then let the pressure release on its own so it stays in the heat for about 45 minutes.
What substitute for Wheat Gluten. Thanks.
There is really no substitute for wheat gluten, but you can make it with just tofu. I linked to a good tofu turkey recipe in the ingredients and substitutions section above. 🙂
Really good recipe. And believe me I’ve tried many. Would like it to be a bit firmer and a lighter color. I used chickpeas. It was really good. Even my most pickiest eater likes it. Just looking for a more personal preference.
Any suggestions?
I'm so happy that you all liked it! You can make it firmer by only using 1 cup of chickpeas and increasing the wheat gluten by 2-3 tbsp. Enjoy! 🙂
Which one would you recommend, chickpeas or tofu first?
I would use chickpeas. More people seem to like that texture. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Monica,
I cannot wait to try this recipe.
One question though, what is the coconut oil used for?
The coconut oil is added to give it a moist texture and a mouth-feel similar to meat. If you look at the ingredients on Beyond meat and some other that tastes like meat, they use coconut oil as well to give it more of an authentic flavor. The fat in coconut oil is most similar to animal fat since it's solid at room temperature, so that tastes the most authentic. You can use olive oil or any other oil if you want or even leave it out to meet your dietary needs. Enjoy! 🙂
Oh my! I've made many variations of vegan turkey, but you have nailed it completely! The taste and texture are spot on. I will never buy a commercial one again. I plan to try your recipe again with much more pepper for vegan Reuben sandwiches. YUM!!! Thank you for another easy, delicious vegan recipe!!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Bev. There are endless variations and meals to make with this!
Hi there, you don’t state where/when to put the coconut oil in. Is the coconut oil for the baste? Also you have onion powder on there twice. But I saw down more that it was garlic powder. Anyway I’m basting it now, will it be the same without the coconut oil?!
Thanks
Sorry about that, I fixed the mistake in the recipe card so if you hit refresh, you should see it now. The coconut oil goes in with the rest broth and spices. I use olive oil in the basting liquid. If you omit the coconut oil, it still comes out great, so you should be good.
Oh awesome. I’ll throw it in next time. It still turned out fantastic. Even my extremely picky toddler crushed it!! That’s when you know it’s good! I also made a gravy with the leftover baste. It was so good! Thanks for the new thanksgiving recipe!
You're welcome! I'm so happy that you and your picky toddler liked it! 🙂
Hi Monica, I am very much looking forward to making this! I've made seitan several times (using recipes from different websites) and so far the best one I've found was for "chicken tenders" where the seitan pieces were not wrapped in foil for steaming to allow them to expand. Have you tried steaming this one without being wrapped and if so, what was the result? Thank you in advance!
And thank you for including the dark meat option!
I have tested this without wrapping and it expanded way too much. It works for small pieces of seitan, but not something this large. I hope that you enjoy it Beata! 🙂
A couple of nits: the amounts include onion powder twice instead of onion and garlic. When using metric, the amount of tofu is still in OZ.
I've seen this format being used in recipes on different websites, and it looks like since the tofu is added as a side note and not an active ingredient, there is no way for the tofu weight to change from imperial to metric. Also, if you change the number of servings, the amount of tofu needed will not change for the same reason (it's not an active ingredient but a side note).
Anyway, 14 oz. of tofu is just under 400g! Hope this helps!
This looks delicious and I was looking for an easy recipe since I love vegan turkey sandwiches for lunch. I love that you included the "dark meat" option and I'll add a little liquid smoke. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...Thanks
You're welcome! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Monica
I am going to try for XMass
Would like to use a stuffing.
So 2 questions
What shuffling would you suggest?
When do you put the stuffing in. Do you steam first and then dig out centre and put in stuffing to bake or put in before steaming.
Looks delicious can’t wait to try
Thanks so much
Alison🌻
Hi Alison, If I want a quick and easy stuffing, I usually use Pepperidge Farm's cornbread stuffing since it's vegan and easy to find. I also make my own from a loaf of bread too. Here is the link: https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-stuffing/
You will want to make a stovetop version of the stuffing and then put it in the center of the raw dough. Steam the "turkey" with the stuffing sealed inside of it and follow the rest of the instructions the same. Enjoy! 🙂