How to Make a Homemade Vegan Turkey

This is it.  This was the one recipe, that when planning my first vegan Thanksgiving, literally kept me awake at night.  I mean let's face it, as much as we TRY to imitate meat, we can't.  It's just not the same.  Oh sure, we get close, but it's never quite there.  That's why this recipe, my Vegan Turkey recipe, had to be perfect.  It had to have all the herbaceous flavors of the season, but still be the gorgeous, meaty, show stopping main dish Studhubs and I have come to expect on our holiday table over the years.  

Sure you can buy a nice Tofurkey in the freezer section, but this is the main event, this is THANKSGIVING.  Nothing, but homemade will do here and I am going to show you How to Make a Homemade Vegan Turkey that is sure to impress anyone.  It may be the best vegan recipe I have made to date and I can't wait to share it with you so...

Let's Get Started!

For this Vegan Turkey Recipe you are going to need a few simple ingredients:

For the Vegan Turkey:

• 1/2 Block of Extra Firm Tofu, drained
• 4-6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
• 3 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder (or cornstarch)
• 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 2 Tbsp Miso Paste
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Sage, chopped
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Liquid Smoke 
• 1 c Vegetable Broth
• 2 c Vital Wheat Gluten
• Salt and Pepper 

For the Glaze:

• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce 

For this Homemade Vegan Turkey Recipe you are going to need a food processor.  

Crumble the tofu into the food processor.  

Next, add the garlic, arrowroot powder, nutritional yeast, miso, onion powder, sage, thyme, pepper, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth.    

Process until smooth.  

Now add the vital wheat gluten to the food processor and process for 1 minute or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides.  

Turn the homemade vegan turkey dough out onto your work surface.  

Knead for 5-10 until the dough is smooth.  

Form the homemade vegan turkey dough into a ball, pulling it tight and pinching it at the bottom.  

Turn the ball of dough over so that the pinched side is on the underside of the dough and smooth on the top.  

I really want to bring home the herby flavor so I placed a little fresh thyme and sage on top of the dough.  

This also makes it look pretty when it is all said and done.  

This step isn't necessary.  You can always roll the outside in the leftover chopped herbs as well  

Next we are going to wrap our Homemade Vegan Turkey in cheese cloth like a piece of candy. 

Tying the "wrapper" edges together on the bottom of the homemade vegan turkey.

I'm going to be making this Homemade Vegan Turkey in my Instant Pot, so place the homemade vegan turkey on the trivet in the instant pot.  

Add about a cup of vegetable broth to the bottom of the instant pot.  

Place the lid on the Instant pot and turn the valve to SEALING.  

Then set to HIGH PRESSURE for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Once the time has elapsed let the instant pot do a natural release.  That simply means that you won't need to do anything until the "pin" drops by itself.  

This will take about 25-30 minutes.  

After 25-30 go ahead and quick release any remaining pressure.

You can now remove the Homemade Vegan Turkey from the Instant Pot.

Be careful, it will be HOT.  I recommend allowing this to cool for a few minutes to make it easier to handle.  

Unwrap the Homemade Vegan Turkey and place on a baking sheet. 

If it sticks to the cheese cloth at all just gently dab with a little oil, let sit for a minute, and then gently pull away.  

Mix together the maple syrup and soy sauce and liberally brush the entire homemade vegan turkey roast with the glaze.  

Then place the roast about 6 inches from the broiler and broil until the outside is slightly crisp and golden.  

Oh man would you look at that stunner!  

Let rest for 10 minutes and then you are ready to slice!

Just look at how moist and tender this Homemade Vegan Turkey is.  It's spicy, herby, meaty, everything you could possible want in the main event of your Thanksgiving dinner and it is DELICIOUS TO BOOT!

I served this Homemade Vegan Turkey with a little of my World's Best Vegan Gravy and it was GAME OVER!  I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had NOTHING to worry about this Thanksgiving because this was everything I had hoped for.  So no matter if this is your first vegan holiday or your thousandth.  I can promise you this Homemade Vegan Turkey will NOT disappoint! Get in the kitchen and give it a try TONIGHT!  

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, Happy Living, 

~The Kitchen Wife~

Yield: 4-6

Author: Mandee Pogue

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How to Make a Homemade Vegan Turkey

Step by Step instructions how you can make a lovely, vegan "turkey" roast with all the herbaceous flavors of the season.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 Minactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 2 Hour

Ingredients

• For the Vegan Turkey:
• 1/2 Block of Extra Firm Tofu, drained
• 6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
• 3 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder (or cornstarch)
• 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 2 Tbsp Miso Paste
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Sage, chopped
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Liquid Smoke
• 1 c Vegetable Broth
• 2 c Vital Wheat Gluten
• Salt and Pepper
• For the Glaze:
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce

Instructions

1. For this Homemade Vegan Turkey Recipe you are going to need a food processor.
2. Crumble the tofu into the food processor.
3. Next, add the garlic, arrowroot powder, nutritional yeast, miso, , onion powder, thyme, sage, pepper, liquid smoke, and vegetable broth.
4. Process that until smooth.
5. Now add the vital wheat gluten to the food processor and process for 1 minute or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides.
6. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and knead for 5-10 until the dough is smooth.
7. Form the homemade vegan turkey dough into a ball, pulling it tight and pinching it at the bottom.Turn the ball of dough over so that the pinched side is on the underside of the dough and smooth on the top.
8. Wrap the homemade vegan turkey in some cheesecloth resembling a piece of candy.  Tie the cloth on the underside of the dough.
9. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth or water to the Instant pot.
10. Place the lid on the Instant pot and turn the valve to SEALING. Then set to HIGH PRESSURE for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once the time has elapsed let the instant pot do a natural release. That simply means that you won't need to do anything until the "pin" drops by itself. This will take about 25-30 minutes.
11. After 25-30 go ahead and quick release any remaining pressure. You can now remove the Homemade Vegan Turkey from the Instant Pot. Be careful, it will be HOT. I recommend allowing this to sit for a few minutes or so to cool.
12. Unwrap the Homemade Vegan Turkey and place on a baking sheet. If it sticks to the cheese cloth at all just gently dab with a little oil, let sit for a minute, and then pull away.
13. Liberally brush with the glaze and place the roast about 6 inches from the broiler and broil until the skin is golden and slightly crisp.
14. Let rest for 10 minutes.
15. Serve and Enjoy!

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