Perfect Holiday Vegetarian Roast | Gluten-Free

Is it time to start thinking about what vegetarian main dish you're going to serve for the holidays? If so, then this Vegetarian roast is for you. It is one of the vegan holiday meals that vegans and non-vegans love equally!

We're talking about a vegan roast made with nuts and mushrooms that can be served as a vegan holiday dinner's main dish. This vegan holiday roast recipe is perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinners and it tastes delicious!

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The vegetarian savory roast has a rich, savory flavor with just enough sweetness to satisfy even the pickiest of palates.

Even meat-eaters are always pleasantly surprised with this great recipe, that can sit head to head with a traditional holiday roast which you can also add to your Sunday dinner recipes arsenal.

This vegan holiday roast recipe makes a great main dish and pairs nicely with side dishes like mashed potatoes and green beans with almond flakes. As a cherry on top, the nuts roast is 100% vegan and gluten-free. We also love topping it with a quick mushroom gravy as an extra treat.

Why you will love this vegan holiday roast

• This vegan holiday roast recipe is a great vegan holiday dinner main course. It makes a wonderful addition to any Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, and it can even be made ahead of time for stress-free entertaining!
• It is vegan and gluten-free.
• The recipe includes helpful tips for preparing your vegetarian roast so that you have the best results possible when serving this dish as part of your festive meal.
• A plant-based nut roast can make an excellent vegan alternative to traditional meat roasts at Christmas time and Thanksgiving gatherings. They're easy to prepare, too: in fact, you just need to mix everything and bake it, no crusts, or layers.
• It is super easy to make, no kitchen skills needed.

We had this for Christmas this year, and our Italian neighbors who kept the leftovers told us two days later that now they understand why we are always so energetic. Hearty filling and healthy food. They are still amazed how they ate so much on Christmas eve and the day after, and they felt fantastic!

Nut roast ingredients

• Mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds)
• Dried porcini mushrooms
• Cremini mushrooms (or portobello)
• Chia seeds (or flax meal)
• Spring onions
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh herbs (Rosemary and sage)
• Tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
• Nutritional yeast

Optional:

Tomato paste, and dried cranberries.

How to cook a nuts roast

Make the chia eggs. Add 3 tablespoons of warm almond milk for every tablespoon of chia seeds and let it sit for 10 minutes. This will add extra moisture and will hold our plant-based nut roast together.

Chop the onions and garlic. In small dices. Preheat the oven.

Prepare the porcini mushroom. To make this vegan holiday roast plant-based, just substitute the chicken broth with vegan stock. Cut the dried porcini mushrooms into small pieces and soak them in hot water.

Blend the nuts. In a food processor, add your choice of nuts and grind them. Continue adding the chia eggs.

Stir fry. Add the chopped spring onions and garlic to the pan. Add the chopped herbs and cook until the onions are translucent, and slightly golden brown. Then add roughly chopped mushrooms and finely chopped sage and rosemary. Sauté for a couple of minutes and turn the heat off. You can use a tablespoon of olive oil, or simply add a tablespoon of water if the onions and garlic start sticking.

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Mix. Add the chopped nuts, chia eggs, tamari sauce, nutritional yeast, dried porcini mushrooms stock. Combine in a large mixing bowl, until a dough is formed. Then adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.

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Bake. Line a parchment paper or baking sheet into a baking dish (9” (23 cm) loaf pan). Spoon evenly onto the parchment paper already in the baking dish. Slightly oil it if unsure about the quality of the parchment paper, to ensure a smooth demolding.

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Bake the vegetarian roast for 30-40 minutes, until the top looks golden brown.

Demold. Let the vegan roast sit for at least one hour before demolding to allow it to fully come together. This will prevent it from falling apart when cutting it.

Optionally plate it with mushroom gravy and veggies.

Storing and freezing

Store the roast in an airtight container. I like to place a piece of parchment paper both on top and bottom of the roast, for easy handling when thawing.

Just thaw overnight and pop it into the oven before heading out for family celebrations on Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving morning.

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Then re-heat on a pre-heated oven at 300ºF (150 ºC) for 15 minutes, as it has already been cooked, you just need to warm it evenly.

What to serve with vegan roast

You could serve this vegan nut roast recipe as part of a vegan holiday with vegan gravy and vegan mashed potatoes, along with some other veggies like maple glazed carrots, or Brussels sprouts for a complete vegan holiday meal.

Some great additions to this meal are roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, or other veggies such as grilled asparagus. Our 15 minutes of mushroom brown gravy is also great with this veggie nut roast.

We love also serving it with our delicious spiced cranberry sauce, easily made with dried cranberries.

Tips for making nut roast

Make this recipe the day before so that you have less to do on Christmas or Thanksgiving morning. - If desired, add mixed vegetables such as peas and corn to the plant-based nut roast mixture when assembling it in step two of this recipe’s directions.

Make sure to soak the nuts in water overnight before cooking them so they are easier to digest - this step is also known as activating the nuts! Then drain and rinse them well.

Also, make sure that there aren't any un-hulled almonds or other pieces of shell in your mix (yes it happens!). This vegetarian roast recipe calls for chia seeds mixed into almond milk which helps to bind everything together.

You can find dried porcini mushrooms at your local grocery store or online, but you should check out an Asian market for a better price.

Variations

Dried cranberries. Although is not necessary, we like adding dried cranberries to add some extra acidity and festive flavors.

Fresh herbs. We love the combination of rosemary and sage on this vegetarian roast, but you can also use parsley and thyme, or any combination of these four. Just keep the total amount of herbs proposed in the recipe, so all other ingredients can also shine.

Want more veggies in your roast? You can certainly add more veggies to your Vegan holiday roasts. We suggest opting to stir in a small carrot and/or celery stick to the mix. Just chop them finely and cook them with the onion and garlic, until soft.

You can also add a diced boiled sweet potato to the mix. If you decide to add more veggies, ensure you also adjust the seasonings so your finished product doesn't taste bland.

FAQ

What can I replace meat with in a roast?

The roast ingredients that will make up for the meat texture and flavor are

Porcini mushrooms - provide meaty and umami flavors. Also, they have a meaty texture and when chopped, resemble ground meat.

Nuts - they are fatty and once soaked and ground, complement the porcini mushrooms texture.

Chia seeds - once soaked in almond milk, they also add texture and help to bind everything together, as ground meat would naturally do.

What is a vegetarian alternative to steak?

A plant-based alternative to steak is a plant-based nut roast, which can be made from nuts and other plant-based ingredients. Making your own vegan steaks at home allows you to experiment with different types of plant-based meats as well as marinades that go well with them.

Tofu steaks are a great meat alternative. We love making a marinade and letting the tofu absorb the flavor for 15 minutes and then grill it; check the recipe. For a festive version, check out our Maple Glazed Baked Tofu.

Another great option to cook tofu is making maple-glazed tofu, baked in the oven. It makes a great main dish and can be paired with roasted veggies, like roasted green beans, roasted butternut squash, or even with delicious vegan mashed potatoes.

Benefits of mushrooms

Since we are using lots of mushrooms in this recipe, we thought you might want to know more about why it is a great idea to add mushrooms to your diet, especially if you are vegan!

Mushrooms' benefits are endless, can lower blood pressure, and help reduce the risk of heart disease. They also may play a role in cancer prevention since some types contain nutrients with antioxidant properties.

They are also a great vegetarian source of fiber and very low in calories.

In addition, they're also high in selenium which helps to protect us from free radicals that can damage cells and lead to disease.

Mushrooms contain essential amino acids that help our bodies produce DNA as well as build muscle tissue making them an excellent vegetarian option for people who want to build up their muscles or recover after a workout at the gym since these nutrients support recovery.

They also have properties that boost immunity helping you fight off infections during cold weather months when we tend to be more susceptible. Mushroom extracts have been used by cancer patients with positive results too!

Some types of mushrooms have antiviral qualities which help reduce the risk of a viral infection such as the flu.

Mushrooms are a good vegetarian option for vegans since they contain vitamin D which helps our bodies absorb calcium from other food sources, so it's an easy way to boost your daily intake of this essential nutrient that is important for strong bones especially in children.

If you are into mushrooms, take a look at our Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto, straight from our home in Milano!

More vegan holiday recipes

Check our Vegan Christmas Holiday Menu

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

Pint for Later!

Food safety

We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

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