Veganizing your Thanksgiving and Christmas meal has never been easier. While there are great recipes and cookbooks out there to help you out, sometimes it's just easier or convenient to buy something already made.
Here are some turkey alternatives available in North America. Some products are mass produced and others made-to-order. Some include just the roast, others have all the trimmings. Whether you're having an all vegan feast, or you are looking to find something suitable for your vegan guests, read on!
Stuffed Turk’y Roast with Gravy by Sol Cuisine
This product is only available around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and currently only in Canada, so grab it/if while you can! Sol cuisine started off in the 1980s making tofu in Toronto. They now have an abundance of products, from crispy tempura fillets to Italian meatballs. We love this roast but a bit concerned about the gravy-to-meat ratio! While the roast serves six, the gravy (according to the nutritional information) only serves three. If (like us) you love gravy, then you will want to have back-up gravy. You can buy some, or make your own.
- Serves 6
- Includes gravy and stuffing
- Soy based and contains wheat
- Non-GMO
- Sol Cuisine products are widely available in supermarkets throughout Canada and the USA, but currently this product is only available in Canada.
source: Tofurky
Ahh…. The original vegan holiday roast (first sold in 1995) from Tofurky is now available as not only a roast and gravy, but also with an included cheesecake as well! Talk about a complete feast indeed!
This roast is very easy to prepare (although it is imperative that you don’t forget to defrost for 24 hours ahead of time). The nutritional facts state that there are seven serves of gravy in this roast (and six for the roast and the cheesecakes) but no note that one serving of gravy is only ¼ cup. Again, we think back-up gravy is required. You can also get just the roast, the roast & gravy, or even just extra gravy.
- Serves 6
- Includes gravy and cheesecake
- Seitan and soy based, non-GMO
- Widely available around the world, although usually only available seasonally
source: Herbivorous Butcher
This wonderful brother-sister duo in Minnesota have created pretty much all the core components of a Thanksgiving dinner for you, especially the parts that are time consuming to cook. Their feast includes stuffed ‘turkey’, bacon, sausages, marshmallows and gravy. Just add mashed or roast potatoes, a couple of side dishes and you are done! You can bulk up your order by adding more roasts, a ham, more bacon, etc. They also have gluten-free options and cheese!
- Serves 8-10
- Gluten based, but some gluten-free options are available
- Strict shipping and ordering period
- Made to order and low volume.
- Might be a bit expensive for some budgets
- Must be picked up or shipped
Gardein Holiday Roast by Gardein
Every year we ask for a delicious readily-available roast and each year Gardein delivers. This year their roast has a cranberry and rice stuffing and we are definitely in for that!
- Serves 8
- Soy and gluten based but non-GMO
- Widely availability in supermarkets but only around the holidays
- Includes gravy (although may not be enough)
- Creative recipe including cranberry
- Has recipes on the side of the packet to help with the side dish preparation
Gardein Turk’y Cutlet and Stuffed Turkey Cutlet by Gardein
We have included these two products even though they are not marketing themselves as a specific holiday roast because we think they would more than do the job. For both the turk'y cutlet and stuffed version, just add extra gravy (obviously), make some sides and you are good to go. No craving required, good for taking pictures and just downright delicious!
- Both products contain gravy
- Each pack serves 2
- Non-GMO soy and gluten forms the base of these products
- Widely available
- Quick and easy to prepare (even in an air fryer)
Field Roast is a brand that we have come to really appreciate. They keep on making high-quality products from minimally processed ingredients and they can take credit for bringing the best cheese slices west of the Atlantic. This holiday roast is our only featured one that is wrapped in pastry and features ginger and hazelnuts as ingredients. Yummy!
- Serves 8
- Gluten base (not soy based)
- No gravy
- Made from less processed foods
Field Roast Celebration Roast and Celebration Roast with Traditional Bread Stuffing & Mushroom Gravy
We’ve included these two together. They both have a seitan base (although Field Roast prefers to call it grain meat), and both feature a traditional bread stuffing made with fresh onions, celery, cranberries and butternut squash. However, the first one serves 5 while the latter serves 8. Plus that one also contains a delicious porcini gravy! Any of these roasts make it easy to cater for a party of any size.
- Grain meat based
- Serves 5 or 8 people
- Widely available
- Easy to prepare
- Celebration Roast available all year round, whereas the one with the gravy is only seasonal
Breaded Turkey-less Stuffed Roast by Trader Joe’s
At the time of writing we could not find any evidence that this product would be available in 2020, but we are pretty confident that TJ will be releasing this after it’s popularity has increased more and more each year. Very little info is available online, but past reviews were really good!
source: Very Good Butchers
Very Good Butchers is located in Victoria, BC (Canada) and is a relative newcomer to the vegan meats scene. Still, they've grown super fast and are now already publicly traded (stock: VERY)!
This roast is seitan-based but includes a delicious vegetable stuffing and is minimally processed. This beast is nearly 3 pounds in weight and apparently will serve 13, but we think 4 or 5 hungry vegans could easily demolish this 🙂
- available in some supermarkets in British Columbia (Canada) but also ships throughout Canada and the USA. If you happen to be in Victoria, BC you can buy directly from their shop
- Serves 13 (at 100 grams per serve)
- Seitan based
- Most locations will require shipping
source: Whole Foods Market, Inc.
The culinary genius Chloe Coscorelli and Whole Foods just announced that they would be collaborating to offer Whole Foods customers “The Vegan Meal for 2”. It will feature a Cremini Mushroom Roast with Mushroom Gravy, Miso Creamed Greens, Coconut Sweet Potato Casserole, Jalapeño Cornbread Dressing, and Pumpkin Curry Soup. It's pretty much got all your bases covered for the holidays!
- Add mashed potatoes and you're pretty much done
- Only available in the US and must be pre-ordered. Don’t miss the cut off date!
- Includes really fun side dishes like miso creamed greens
- $40 for two people
- Roast is mushroom, tempeh and gluten-based
And remember, no feast is complete without drinks! Check out some fantastic holiday-season vegan-friendly drinks options right here.
Let's Discuss!
Now, we'd love to hear from you! Do you have any questions? Ideas? Do you agree? Do you have a favorite roast, recipe or cookbook you'd like to share with the community? We might include in a future article update!
Let's have a discussion in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you!