Vegan Holiday Roast En Croute

This homemade Seitan Roast En Croute recipe is the perfect main dish for your vegan holiday table.  Stuffed with vegetarian bread stuffing and wrapped in a puff pastry crust, this is a fantastic plant based replacement for turkey for your Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any special dinner. It takes a fair amount of time to prepare but is pretty easy to put together and is sure to be a big hit with the whole family!


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In my seven years as a vegan (and previous five as a vegetarian), I can tell you there is nothing I look forward to more than our holiday seitan roast.  Whether it was store-bought or homemade, I go crazy over this meaty main dish every single year.

This homemade vegan Seitan Roast I’m sharing with you today is the PERFECT main dish for your vegan Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special dinner.  It feeds six VERY hungry people.  I mean, VERY hungry.  Like, get out your Thanksgiving pants hungry.  

It’s also worth mentioning this recipe has been tested, re-tested, and very much approved of by our not-yet-vegan friends and fam, so you know it’s gotta be something special.

And if you haven’t made your own seitan roast (or even seitan in general) before, don’t worry!  I know I say this a lot, but it really is easier than it seems.  And making your own homemade seitan opens up a whole new world of possibilities as far as your veganization skills are concerned.

If you’re still nervous to make this for the big day, you can always make a roast ahead of time to see how it turns out.  More roast is always a bonus in my book!

Why is this the best vegan turkey roast?

  • It’s a delicious copycat of popular roasts from brands like Tofurky roast, Gardein holiday roast, versions from Whole Foods, and Field Roast!
  • This recipe is the perfect centerpiece for Christmas dinner or any event during the holiday season.
  • The puff pastry crust that surrounds this succulent vegan holiday roast will make your tastebuds sing!
Overhead shot of two slices of homemade seitan roast stuffed with bread stuffing and wrapped in a puff pastry crust.

Seitan Roast Ingredients

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This recipe is definitely not light on the ingredients, but hey – it’s a special occasion! And each ingredient has a very specific function that come together to make the best taste and texture roast you’ll ever eat!

Remember, the full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

For the seitan, you’ll need:

  • Extra firm tofu – Two days prior, you’ll want to prep the block of tofu by freezing it, defrosting, and then pressing it of excess water and weighing it. I know this seems like a lot, but it adds the BEST meaty texture to your roast that’s totally next-level.
  • Vegan butter Refined coconut oil or vegetable shortening can also be used, but vegan butter is the BEST option because it really nails the whole holiday vibe. Extra virgin olive oil would be your best bet for a substitute.
  • Chopped onion, celery, and garlic
  • Fresh thyme and rosemary – Feel free to replace this with all of one or the other. Dried herbs can also be used, but I would cut the amounts in half.
  • Vital wheat gluten – There’s no replacement for wheat gluten in seitan recipes. 
  • Vegan chicken bouillon powder – We used a batch of our homemade vegan bouillon powder but left out the turmeric to keep a more neutral color. If you use a bouillon powder with turmeric, your roast will be a brighter yellow color.
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt

For the rest of the roast, you’ll need:

  • Vegan-friendly bread stuffing – We have made this recipe with both our homemade vegan stuffing and Pepperidge Farm vegan-friendly stovetop stuffing (just make it with vegan butter and vegetable broth). You can also sub your favorite type of stuffing like wild rice stuffing.
  • Puff pastry – Check the ingredients to make sure the brand you’re buying is vegan-friendly, but a lot of brands are. The most common is probably Pepperidge Farm.
Overhead close-up shot of a vegan holiday seitan roast with two slices so you can see the inside stuffed with vegetarian bread dressing.

How to Make a Seitan Roast

This recipe is definitely more of a holiday cooking project and less of an everyday recipe. 

So, take your time, pour yourself a drink, maybe enlist the help of a partner or friend, and enjoy the process! 

Step 1: Saute the vegetables.

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add 1 Tbsp of the vegan butter. 

Once melted, add the onion and celery, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and saute for 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary. 

Turn the stove to medium heat and saute for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the water and remainder of the vegan butter and stir until the butter is completely melted.

Two photos showing the first two steps to making a homemade seitan roast: saute the celery, onion, garlic, and herbs in vegan butter. Then, add more vegan butter and water and stir until it's melted.

Step 2: Blend the wet mixture ingredients.

Remove the skillet from heat and carefully add its contents to a blender or food processor

Add the tofu and blend on high for 1 minute until everything is smooth and well-combined.

Two photos side by side showing the before and after of blending tofu with vegan butter, water, celery, onion, and garlic into a creamy sauce for our seitan roast

Step 3: Make the seitan dough.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 

Use a large wooden spoon to create a well in the center of your dry mixture and pour in the contents of the food processor. Stir until a rough dough is formed. 

Then, get in there with your hands and knead the dough together for no longer than 30 seconds (set a timer / do NOT overknead.) 

The dough should be completely combined with no dry spots.

Three side by side photos of the process of making hoemeade seitan dough: whisk the dry ingredients, pour in the wet and stir, then knead for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Roll and steam the vegan roast.

Prepare your steaming mechanism and lightly flour a clean counter and rolling pin with the wheat gluten

Place the seitan on the counter and roll it flat into a large rectangle. Line the stuffing along the longer side of the rectangle, about ½ inch from the edge. 

Use clean, dry hands to roll the seitan upwards over the stuffing and keep rolling upwards until there is no more seitan to roll. 

Pinch the seam and ends together to seal and roll it in tin foil. You want to roll it securely but not TOO tightly. If you don’t do aluminum foil, you can use cheesecloth.

Steam for 30 minutes and let it cool another 10 minutes before unwrapping it.

Three photos showing the process of rolling and wrapping a stuffed homemade seitan roast for the holidays.

Step 5: Wrap and bake the seitan.

When your roast is almost finished cooling, preheat the oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and roll out the puff pastry sheet to be slightly longer than the roast. 

Carefully unwrap the foil from the roast and re-wrap it tightly and evenly in the puff pastry, pinching the seam and ends to seal. If you have excess puff pastry, feel free to cut it off.

Place your roast on the parchment-lined baking sheet (seam on the bottom) and bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is lightly golden brown. 

Let the roast cool 5-10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

Three photos showing the final steps of wrapping and baking a homemade seitan roast in puff pastry

How to Serve a Vegan Holiday Roast

This vegetarian roast is a great option for any holiday dinner main course! 

Serve it with the traditional holiday side dishes like: 

How to Store Leftover Seitan Roast

Fridge: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in an air-tight container. 

Freezer: When freezing, we like to slice the roast and freeze them in freezer-safe bags. Lie them flat until fully frozen. Then, you can freeze for up to 2 months. 

To reheat: If frozen, allow the roast slices to thaw completely before reheating in the microwave or oven (covered in a baking dish) until completely warmed through. If it gets a little dry, feel free to sprinkle a little vegetable broth on each slice while reheating.

This homemade Seitan Roast En Croute recipe is the perfect main dish for your vegan holiday table.  Stuffed with vegetarian bread stuffing and wrapped in a puff pastry crust, this is a fantastic plant based replacement for turkey for your Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any special dinner. It takes a fair amount of time to prepare but is pretty easy to put together and is sure to be a big hit with the whole family!

More Vegan Roast Recipes:

You should totally go for it and make this beautiful Homemade Seitan Roast for your holiday table this year.  

And when you do, we wanna see!  We want to jump up and down in an excited frenzy with you to celebrate your awesome-ness. 

We would SO appreciate it if you left a comment and rating below (it helps more people find our vegan recipes!). 

Head-on shot of a homemade vegan seitan roast with traditional bread stuffing wrapped in a puff pastry crust.

Stuffed Vegan Seitan Roast

Brittany Roche

This homemade Seitan Roast En Croute recipe is the perfect main dish for your vegan holiday table.  Stuffed with vegetarian bread stuffing and wrapped in a puff pastry crust, this is a fantastic plant based replacement for turkey for your Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any special dinner.

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Inactive Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Seitan
Servings 6 servings
Calories 403 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the seitan dough - wet ingredients:

  • 5 oz. extra firm tofu frozen, defrosted, and pressed
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup water

For the seitan dough - dry ingredients:

For the filling:

For the crust:

  • 1 large sheet vegan puff pastry defrosted**

Instructions
 

  • TWO DAYS PRIOR, PREP THE TOFU: Place it in the freezer (in its container, water and all) until frozen through (usually overnight). Then, remove the tofu from the freezer and let it sit on the counter or in your fridge until defrosted. From here, you can open the package, drain the excess water, and press the extra water out of the tofu block using a tofu press or paper towels. You can also give it a gentle squeeze over the sink after pressing to REALLY get the water out. Weigh the tofu in this state and proceed.
  • SAUTE THE VEGGIES: Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add 1 Tbsp of the vegan butter. Once melted, add the onion and celery, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and saute for 5 minutes. Then, add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Turn the heat to medium and saute for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the water and remainder of the vegan butter and stir until the butter is completely melted.
  • BLEND THE WET INGREDIENTS: Remove the skillet from heat and carefully add its contents to a blender or food processor. Add the tofu and blend on high for 1 minute until everything is smooth and well-combined.
  • MAKE THE SEITAN DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Use a large wooden spoon to create a well in the center of your dry mixture and pour in the contents of the food processor.  Stir until a rough dough is formed. Then, get in there with your hands and knead the dough together for no longer than 30 seconds (set a timer / do NOT overknead.) The dough should be completely combined with no dry spots.
  • ROLL AND STEAM THE ROAST: Prepare your steaming mechanism and lightly flour a clean counter and rolling pin with the wheat gluten. Place the seitan on the counter and roll it flat into a large rectangle. Line the stuffing along the longer side of the rectangle, about ½ inch from the edge. Use clean, dry hands to roll the seitan upwards over the stuffing and keep rolling upwards until there is no more seitan to roll. Pinch the seam and ends together to seal and roll it in tin foil***. Steam for 30 minutes and let it cool another 10 minutes before unwrapping it.
  • WRAP AND BAKE THE ROAST: When your roast is almost finished cooling, preheat the oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and roll out the puff pastry sheet to be slightly longer than the roast. Carefully unwrap the foil from the roast and re-wrap it tightly and evenly in the puff pastry, pinching the seam and ends to seal. Place your roast on the baking sheet (seam on the bottom) and bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is lightly browned. Let the roast cool 5-10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

*We used a batch of our homemade vegan bouillon powder but left out the turmeric to keep a more neutral color. If you use a bouillon powder with turmeric, your roast will be a brighter yellow color.
**A lot of store-bought puff pastry is accidentally vegan, but always be sure to check the ingredients just in case.
***If you’d like to avoid using tin foil, you can use cheesecloth to wrap the roast while steaming.

Nutrition

Serving: 4slicesCalories: 403kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 34gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 2gFiber: 2gSugar: 3g
Keyword homemade seitan, seitan christmas roast, seitan roast, seitan roast dinner, seitan roast turkey, stuffed seitan roast, vegan en croute, vegan thanksgiving roast recipe, vegetarian en croute
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7 Comments

  1. OMG that looks absolutely amazing! Can't say I have ever had a seitan roast but now you're making me want one so badly! Here in Spain the seitan crazy hasn't really caught on yet, and the seitan is quite rubbery whenever I do find it served somewhere. =( Still haven't made anything from seitan from scratch, though I may have to start!
  2. I used to buy seitan at a health food store in Vancouver, WA and I think it might have had some different spices in it - we put it in a wrap, added hummus and veggies for a wonderful lunch. I'll have to try this recipe. It would be really wonderful and helpful if you would add the sodium mg. to the nutrition info since I'm on a restricted sodium diet. Thank you again.
  3. This looks amazing. I will have to give this a try. I am confused aboutbthe quantity of stuffing to use though. It says 2 cups in the recipe, but on the video it says 2/3 cups. Which one is correct? TIA
    1. Thank you so much, Josee! The stuffing amount is really just a preference. We use anywhere from 2/3 cups to 2 cups depending on the stuffing and how thin we roll the seitan. As long as you can wrap the seitan around the stuffing and get a nice seal, you're good!

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