Celebrate Thanksgiving with Field Roast: Delicious Vegan Options for Your Holiday Feast

That hasn’t changed at all since I went vegan about seven years ago; if anything, I’ve just been in the kitchen more.

It’s not too difficult to convert side dishes to a plant-based diet by replacing dairy with nut milk and non-dairy butter. However, you might not know what to do for a centerpiece if you’re hosting someone who doesn’t eat meat or if you’re a new vegan.

Fortunately, many companies make vegan turkey-like or ham-like roasts for the fall and winter holidays. Though they pay homage to tradition, some of these roasts are far better than a depressing substitute for meat. Advertisement.

For the sake of culinary science, I tried eight different vegan holiday roasts and compared them side-by-side.

The original Tofurky roast is a tradition in and of itself

The original meatless roast, Tofurky made its big debut when it hit stores in 1995, giving vegetarians and vegans a new option for their turkey-free holidays.

The 26-ounce plant-based roast made primarily of soy and seitan, which is meant to mimic meat and contains a wild-rice stuffing, cost me $13.99 at Sprouts. Advertisement

This pack doesnt contain gravy, but Tofurky sells meal kits that include both the roast and a vegan gravy, or even a whole “feast” that includes a dessert as well. Although the roast appears to be pretty small, its actually quite dense.

It was pretty easy to cook, though it did need time to thaw. Although the package stated that if you’re in a hurry, you can use a hot water bath, the instructions recommended thawing it for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Every roast, including the original Tofurky, is essentially prepared in the same way: take off the plastic wrapper, wrap it in foil, preheat the oven, then cook it for a further 10 to 15 minutes without a cover to brown it.

Baste the tofurky both when you first place it in the oven and when you take it out, about one hour and fifteen minutes later. I followed the box’s many instructions to make a homemade baste using common pantry items, and I combined spices, olive oil, and mushroom broth. Advertisement.

The original Tofurky took about an hour and 25 minutes total to bake. For the purposes of this experiment, I cooked it alone, but in general, I would cover the roast with hearty vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, to add moisture and flavor.

I used a flat baking sheet instead of a roast pan, so I formed the foil covering into a small boat to keep the basting liquid near the roast.

When my roommates and I dug into the final product, there were pros and cons.

Although we thought the texture was a little rough, the flavor was generally excellent—meaty, savory, and reassuring—though a little salty. As I imagine many longtime vegetarians and vegans have a special place in their hearts for Tofurky, it’s a classic. Advertisement.

For best texture, I suggest slicing the roast as thinly as possible. If you are sensitive to salt, watch how much you use in your baste.

Serve with gravy or cranberry sauce, as this, like real turkey, can be a little on the dry side.

The ham roll was very similar to the turkey version

This roughly 40-ounce roast was the most expensive one I picked up, retailing at $24.99 from Sprouts.

Once I opened it up and realized how huge it was, though, it seemed like a good value. The size is definitely a factor worth considering if youre hoping to feed a lot of people. It also comes with a sticky-sweet apricot-plum glaze that I heated in the microwave. Advertisement.

It should be put on a baking tray that has been lightly oiled, covered with aluminum foil, and baked for one hour and ten minutes. After that, it should be uncovered and glazed every five minutes for a total of twenty minutes.

Because of the glazing and re-glazing, this one was the most labor-intensive, though not by much. I tried to preserve as much of the reddish glaze on the roast itself as I could by using a spatula to pick up and re-drip the sauce that had fallen.

The large roll took about an hour and a half total to cook after it was thawed.

To my vegan eyes, this roasts appearance was pretty ham-like since it was very smooth and pink. Advertisement

This one’s interior flavor was almost exactly the same as the Vegetarian Plus turkey roll’s, if a little richer.

Once more, I thought this was a little better than my roommates did, but we all agreed that instead of eating this roll by itself, it would be better to add it to fried rice and other leftovers.

Which Vegan Turkey is the Best? (Vegan Holiday Roast Taste Test)

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