A Vegan Nut Roast is the staple main for a vegan or vegetarian Christmas. Probably because they’re delicious and also have lots of protein as nuts are really high in protein. So maybe someone back in the day thought a good vegetarian alternative to the traditional meat dishes should be high in protein? Who knows. But it doesn’t matter, because as I said nut roasts are delicious. I remember when I first became vegetarian many years ago before I made the transition to veganism, and the default vegetarian Christmas food was a nut roast. I think I felt a bit like well, why does it always have to be a nut roast? Surely there are other vegetarian options (which of course there are), but then I decided I’m ok with nut roast being the default, what’s not to like about it really?

I think the only down side of nut roasts are they’re obviously far less than ideal if you’re feeding someone with a nut allergy, and nuts can often be quite expensive. However if you don’t need to worry about the nut allergy thing and you’re ok spending a little bit more (I’m usually happy to because it’s not a dish I make all the time) then this vegan nut roast will be a great addition to your Christmas spread.

I’ve made plenty of nut roasts over the years using different recipes and making little adjustments and tweaks. Some had flour, some had dried fruit, some had egg, some even had lentils. My recipe doesn’t use flour which means it’s not only gluten-free but also lower in carbohydrates, this was of course intentional. I left out dried fruit also with the intention of making this lower in carbohydrates. And of course I didn’t include egg in the interest of making this nut roast vegan. I didn’t even need any kind of egg-like substitute. 

For some reason I always think a nut roast is going to take aaaaages to make and be quite difficult, but it’s actually quite easy! The cooking does take almost an hour for this recipe but all the rest is relatively quick. 

So, what’s in this vegan nut roast?

As the name suggests, you cannot make a nut roast without nuts. But you can use any kind you like, a mix is best. I used a mix of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans. Use whatever sort of nuts you like or have on hand, you will get a slightly different flavour depending on which nuts you use and the quantities of each but that’s part of the fun!

As well as the nuts there is one grated carrot and one grated parsnip. These both help to add additional flavour and texture as well as vitamins and they also bind everything together.

For more flavour and a Christmassy touch there’s onion, garlic, nutmeg, sage, rosemary, smoked paprika and lemon zest. Then I’ve added a small amount of vegetable stock which also adds flavour and the liquid is essential for helping everything to bind and stick together. 

I skipped egg or any type of vegan egg substitute altogether and went for the stock instead. The nut roast does hold together however it can crumble a little bit when you start slicing it. 

How do I make it?

You’ll start by frying off some diced onion and garlic before adding grated carrot and parsnip, nutmeg and smoked paprika, this is where your kitchen is going to start smelling amazing. 

Turn that off heat and set aside while you start preparing the nuts. You can either buy pre-roasted nuts which is the easiest option or you can roast them yourself at home. If you choose to roast your own, lay them flat on an oven tray and bake at around 180℃ until they’re just starting to brown. Once the nuts are roasted use either a food processor or a mortar and pestle (I prefer the latter because you have more control) to break the nuts up into smaller pieces. You want a mix of sizes, some almost powdery and some still quite big. This creates texture in the nut roast.

Add these nuts to the onion, veggie and spice mixture along with lemon zest, rosemary, sage and vegetable stock. Stir everything together until it’s well combined and season with salt and pepper.

Now it’s time to get ready to turn this mixture into an actual loaf. Line a loaf tin with either baking paper or tin foil. If you don’t do this it’s going to make it extremely difficult to get the cooked nut roast out of the tin. You also want the baking paper/tin foil to be higher than you need it as once it’s cooked you will need to tug on the sides of the baking paper/tin foil to get the nut roast out of the tin. Once the loaf tin is lined just pile the nut roast mixture in then press it down with the back of a spoon so it’s all nice and firmly packed. Then into the oven it goes for almost an hour. You’ll know it’s done because the top will be browning and when you press on it it will feel firm and set, not soft. 

What kitchen tools will I need to make vegan nut roast?

Frying pan

Vegetable grater

Mortar and Pestle OR a Food Processor

Loaf Tin

This is best served warm and can easily be reheated if you need either in the oven or in the microwave. It goes really well with some vegan gravy and roast veggies! Any leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for a couple of days.

If you’re looking for more vegan Christmas recipe inspo, check out my Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake, Stuffed Pumpkin or Gingerbread Frappe.