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Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast

There is no great Christmas Eve dinner without a good roast as the centerpiece.

This festive roast has all the flavors of Christmas. It’s filled with spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and lentils, wrapped in a tender tofu crust. This is not your basic tofurkey with little to no filling. This one is loaded with a flavorful and protein-packed filling.

Did I mention everything is made from scratch?

Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast

The “crust” is a blend of firm tofu, white miso, spices, and nutritional yeast that are processed until you get a smooth paste. Unlike some other roast recipes, I didn’t want to press the tofu or drain it with a cheesecloth, so I added rice flour to absorb some moisture. Do you know what? It worked perfectly!

The filling consists of three layers: spinach with garlic, sautéed mushrooms, and smoky lentils/brown rice with cranberries and pine nuts.

Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast

Assembling the roast is where the fun is! You start by spreading an even layer of the tofu mixture into the bottom of a cake pan, place the spinach and sautéed mushrooms on top, and last but not least, the lentil and brown rice mixture, which has the texture of ground meat.

Covering the filling with the remaining tofu is the most delicate step, but don’t be afraid. It’s totally doable. Since the tofu mixture is soft and sticky, you will have to use wet hands to cover the filling little by little.

Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast

This tofu roast is protein-rich. Each slice is packed with 18g of protein for only 275 calories! It can be served with mashed potatoes, green beans, and your favorite gravy.

Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast

Even meat eaters will love this tofu roast. It’s tender and flavorful and makes the perfect Christmas center dish.

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast
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Ultimate Christmas Tofurkey Roast

4.91 from 10 votes
Author: Thomas Pagot
Perfectly tender tofu crust filled with spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and smoky lentil filling make this a flavorful and comforting Christmas dish.
Prep Time : 50 minutes
Cook Time : 35 minutes
Baking Time : 50 minutes
Total Time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6 Slices
Calories 276 kcal

Ingredients
 

Roast crust

Filling (makes enough for 2 roasts)

  • 1/2 cup dry green lentils
  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 and 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 clove of garlic chopped
  • 1/2 cup chestnuts cooked
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
  • 1/8 tsp pumpkin spice optional
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts

Spinach layer

  • 6 cups spinach chopped
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • salt, pepper to taste

Mushrooms layer

  • 10 cremini mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • pepper

Instructions
 

Roast crust

  • Place all the crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for about 1 minute until everything is well incorporated and looks smooth. You will end up with a slightly wet, very soft dough. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and set aside while preparing the filling.

Filling

  • Combine the green lentils and brown rice with the water and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium, and simmer for about 25 minutes until the lentils are cooked and almost no liquid remains. Drain excess water if needed.
  • Place the rice and lentils in the bowl of a food processor and add the maple syrup, soy sauce, tahini, tomato paste, liquid smoke, onion, shallot, garlic, chestnuts, red bell pepper, and fresh parsley. Process for about 15 seconds until everything is roughly chopped and has the texture of ground meat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cranberries and pine nuts. Set aside.

Spinach

  • Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped spinach to the skillet and allow to cook for 5 minutes until the spinach has softened. Add the chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the spinach to a colander and squeeze excess liquid by pressing with the back of a spoon. Set aside.

Mushrooms

  • In the same skillet, sautée the mushrooms until they become tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with the soy sauce and continue to cook until no liquid remains. Set aside.

Assemble

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Once you have the crust and fillings ready, you can start assembling the loaf.
  • Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Transfer about 1 cup of the tofu mixture to the bottom of the pan. Using wet hands, spread the mixture into an even layer. You can also place a piece of parchment paper on top and use the bottom of a glass to spread the mixture evenly. Be careful; the tofu mixture will be sticky and very soft.
  • Place the cooked spinach on top of the tofu mixture, leaving about 1 inch on each side. Top with the sautéed mushrooms. Spread about 2 cups of the lentil/brown rice filling on top of the mushrooms, pressing lightly.
  • Once you have placed the filling it's time to cover it with the remaining tofu mixture, this is the most delicate step. Using wet hands, take a small amount of the tofu mixture in your hands and carefully cover the filling, little by little, into an even thickness, making sure to press on the edges to enclose the filling. When the filling is fully covered, carefully rub it with wet hands to smooth the top.
  • In a small bowl, combine one tablespoon of maple syrup with one tablespoon of soy sauce. Brush the tofurkey with the glaze.
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 50 minutes. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes until the top is golden brown, let cool 5 minutes before serving.
  • Serve with green beans, mashed potato, or peppercorn sauce. I found the roast tasted even better the next day.

Notes

  • You will only use about 1/3 to 1/2 of the filling for one tofurkey roast. You can freeze leftovers or use them to make veggie steaks. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.
  • To serve in a baking dish (optional): Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large baking dish, combine 1 and 1/2 cups of water with 1 tbsp soy sauce. Add one finely chopped shallot, 6-8 small onions, one carrot cut into matchsticks, some chestnuts, and 1/4 tsp oregano. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the cooked tofurkey in the middle of the baking dish, cover with foil and bake for another 15 minutes, just to reheat the tofurkey. The tofurkey roast will absorb some of the sauce and the tofu crust will be softer, even more delicious!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Slice | Calories: 276 kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.3 g | Protein: 18.1 g | Fat: 8.1 g | Fiber: 7 g | Sugar: 6.9 g
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : American
Did you make this recipe? Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants
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About the Author

Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.

Learn more ➜

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5 stars
Like others I’d love to know if this can be frozen ahead of time and then defrosted and cooked on the day, thanks!

If the dish is made the day before and put in the fridge overnight, how long will it need to be baked to reheat it the next day? Thank you.

5 stars
I have made this recipe four times now for my daughter. She loves it. I want to make it for her fir Easter. My problem is I will be away. Does anyone know if I can make this, not cook it and freeze it.?Then cook it when she is having Easter dinner.

How far ahead can this tofurkey be made up?

Has anyone tried freezing this? I’d like to do as much prep work as possible and if I can make this ahead of time and freeze it that would be excellent! Any feedback is appreciated!!

5 stars
can I make this for thanksgiving thanks

I am so excited to try this for Thanksgiving! Can it be frozen?

Tried making this last night. Taste was good, but texture was off. The crust was very mushy and liquid pooled in the bottom of the pan. We’re going to try again with the rest of the filling ingredients. Should we press the tofu before making the crust?

Thanks for the recipe.

5 stars
Tasted amazing.
However, the loaf fell apart and the tofu was a bit mushy, did not keep its form. I used firm tofu, slightly pressed. Should I have used extra firm or firm tofu with no pressing or more pressing?

5 stars
Made this, it’s soo good! Both vegans and meat eaters loved it. I didn’t have miso or red pepper flakes, added smoked paprika and smoked pepper to the filling. Delicious! Also the next days <3

5 stars
Just eaten this having made it yesterday and cooked today. A few tweaks for me (left out the fruit as family isn’t keen, forgot the pine nuts, swapped the chestnuts for hazelnuts) and also made mine a little taller as that was the shape or the dish I had (and had more filling).

It’s excellent and lots of opportunities to experiment changing filling and flavouring for the crust.

Family had got a bit bored or nut roast and this really is excellent! Thanks for sharing!

5 stars
I am very excited to read this recipe and very much happy to make this tofurkey roast for this coming christmas. Looking for more such recipes in future too. Thank you.

Definitely want to make this,

When you say ‘cooked chestnuts’ do you just mean chestnuts that have been boiled with their skin removed? Or do you mean roasted as well?

5 stars
Awesome!!! My first meatless roast. It was a hit with everyone I used pecans instead of pine nuts. The texture was very pleasing.

Can you make this ahead of time? If so how should i warm?

I am in Australia and my Grandchildren are vegans and I would like to make your recipe for Christmas

I have one problem what is liquid smoke I have no idea what this is

I don’t have rice flour. But I do have several bean flours (white, black and chickpea), also allporpose or oatflour. Can I use any of those instead?
Looks amazing by the way!!

Thank you! I am going to make this tomorrow for our christmas eve dinner. Super excited.

5 stars
This is a must try. I am wanting to find easy ways of making Seitan, whilst this isn’t Seitan, it’s easy, and that is what I am looking for in a recipe.

I can’t wait to make this…

Thank you so much for the recipe…

4 stars
Looks so perfect and innovative..loved the combination ..Pinned !!!