Chilly days have me craving hearty vegan dinners. This is especially true with the holidays approaching! I’m always on the lookout for a super savory vegan main dish. Do you feel the same? Well it’s time you tried a vegan nut roast!
What is a Nut Roast?
Depending on where you live, nut roast (also sometimes called a nut loaf) might be totally new or totally unfamiliar to you. Being from the U.S., I just learned about the whole concept a few years ago — these savory vegetarian roasts more popular in the U.K. A nut roast is pretty much what it sounds like: a meatless roast, in the shape of a loaf, that’s made primarily from nuts. Think of it as a vegan alternative to vegan meatloaf. It’s traditionally a Christmas roast, but I think it’s perfect for any holiday, and even weekend dinners throughout the year. Recipes for these roasts will vary and you might find any number of other ingredients, including rice, pulses, veggies, dried fruit, and seasonings. The flavor is (not surprisingly) nutty! For those wondering, it does not generally taste like meat. The specific flavors depend on what you put into your roast, but to give you a general idea, it tends to have the kind of mild savory flavor that you might expect from Thanksgiving stuffing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Olive oil. You could substitute another high-heat oil if needed, but olive will give your roast the best flavor. Cremini mushrooms. Button mushrooms will work as an alternative in a pinch. Onion. Carrots. Celery. Garlic. Dried herbs. We’re using thyme, sage and rosemary. You can substitute with fresh herbs if you’d like, but definitely double the amounts if you do. Dry sherry. You can leave this out and skip step 7 of the recipe if you prefer to cook without alcohol. Panko breadcrumbs. Oat flour can be substituted for a gluten-free version of the recipe, but cut the amount down by about 2 tablespoons. Nuts & seeds. I chose walnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds for this recipe, but you really could use many different nuts or seeds. To switch things up, try subbing hazelnuts, cashews, pine nuts, and/or pumpkin seeds. Ground flaxseed. This acts as a binder in the roast, so don’t leave it out. Salt & pepper. Balsamic vinegar. Accompaniments. Try topping your vegan nut roast with my simple vegan gravy, vegan mushroom gravy, or spiced wine cranberry sauce.
How to Make a Vegan Nut Roast
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Heat some oil in a skillet and add a layer of sliced cremini mushrooms. Cook them for a few minutes, until they start to brown on the bottoms, then flip and cook them for a few minutes more. Be patient and avoid constantly stirring the mushrooms — they need time to sit on the hot surface in order to brown. Take the mushrooms out of the skillet and diced carrots, onion, and celery. Sweat the veggies for a few minutes until they start to soften up. Add minced garlic and cook everything for a minute more. Return the mushrooms to the skillet and add dried herbs, along with a bit of sherry. Bring the sherry to a simmer and let it reduce by about half.
Take the skillet off the burner and let your veggie mixture cool for a few minutes before transferring it to a food processor bowl, along with panko breadcrumbs, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, ground flaxseed, and balsamic vinegar. Pulse the food processor until everything is finely chopped and well mixed. Taste-test the mixture and season it with some salt and pepper to taste. Make sure the mixture is chunky enough to retain some texture, but fine enough so you can really compact the ingredients when packing it into a loaf (otherwise it might not hold together!)
Transfer the entire mixture to an oiled loaf pan. Press it down, smooth out the top with a spoon, and pop it into the oven.
Bake your roast until it’s hot in the center. Serve your roast plain, or with your favorite topping, like the vegan gravy shown in the photos. Pair it up with delicious holiday sides like vegan sweet potato casserole, vegan green bean casserole, or vegan scalloped potatoes.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftovers will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator, or about 3 months in the freezer. Store the slices in a sealed container and reheat them in the microwave, or in an oven heated to 350°F until hot.
More Vegan Holiday Main Dishes
Vegan Chickpea Meatloaf Vegan Shepherd’s Pie Vegan Vegetable Wellington Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells Vegan Pot Pie Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash
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