If you want to branch out from traditional meat-based mains, try out my special paleo and vegan nut roast made with lots of vegetables, mushrooms and a variety of nuts.
Perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and Sunday roast dinners, this dish will really surprise you. It’s incredibly moreish and delicious for something that is egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free and gluten-free. Yep, I set myself a challenge with this one but I believe I succeeded.
Living in the United Kingdom, you soon realise how obsessed everyone is with Sunday roast. It’s a weekly affair when friends or family get together to enjoy a lovely roasted meal either at home or more often at the pub. Exploring the Sunday roast menu is an adventure in itself as today’s options go far beyond pork with crackling and beef.
With many people seeking more plant-based and vegetarian options, many pubs offer amazing alternatives such as a mushroom or cheese Wellington or a classic nut roast.
I knew about nut roasts before (who else had a vegetarian friend growing up who always had nut roast for Christmas), but it’s only when I started living in London that I realised how popular they are. While I still love a traditional beef roast, I am starting to see the appeal of a good nut roast.
What Is A Nut Roast?
In a nutshell (forgive the pun), it’s a vegetarian meatloaf alternative.
It’s a loaf-shaped dish made of various nuts (often chestnuts), grains or lentils, various seasonings, oils, broth, flour and so on compacted together and baked until firm and sliceable. Sometimes, eggs are added for binding; other times, cheese for more flavour and interesting texture.
Every veggie household would probably have their own secret nut roast recipe passed down from generation to generation. Then, there are celebrity chef’s nut roasts, ready-made-heat-in-the-oven supermarket brands and many more.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to make a nut roast for the blog. I wanted to make one that is free from grains, legumes and gluten but is also vegan-friendly. I knew the flavours I was going for but I wasn’t sure how to get the best texture. I’ve had a few tests before it worked to my liking. Today’s nut roast recipe is the version I was very happy with and I hope you like it.
My nut roast is vegan, gluten-free and paleo-friendly and is made with lots of veggies, mushrooms and all my secret seasonings.
How To Make Nut Roast (VIDEO)
What To Serve With Nut Roast?
This nut roast is hearty and satiating so you only need a simple veggie side to complete the meal. I would serve it with roasted carrots, sweet potatoes or pumpkin or with a side of greens like sauteed asparagus, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts or fine green beans. It’s also really nice with a mash (you can try my sweet potato cauliflower mash here).
It’s super tasty as-is, but I also love any roast with an easy gravy (try this vegan gravy from Minimalist Baker). You can serve it with extra ketchup/tomato sauce or barbecue sauce or a dollop of mustard.
For dessert, you might like to try my vegan-friendly quinoa flour banana bread.
More Plant-Based Recipes
- Beetroot, Avocado & Edamame Salad
- Cavolo Nero & Corn Fritters
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Pisto (Spanish Style Vegetables Stew)
- Kimchi Loaded Sweet Potato Fries
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Walnut, Garlic & Parsley Crumbs
- Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts (seriously, the BEST!)
Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
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Nut Roast (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-Free)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Vegan
- Cuisine: British
Description
Made with mixed nuts, vegetables and mushrooms, this vegan and paleo-friendly nut roast is a delicious and satiating alternative to meat mains for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Sunday family dinner or any other time you want a hearty plant-based dish.
Ingredients
Egg-replacement
2 tablespoons flaxseed
5 tablespoons water
For the vegetable mix
1 medium leek, pale green and white parts, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 medium celery sticks, diced
250 g mushrooms, diced (10 medium mushrooms)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of pepper
1 clove garlic, diced
For the nut mix
150 g mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (35 g) or 4 dried apricots, diced
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
2 tablespoons wheat-free Tamari sauce or coconut aminos
To finish the mixture
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 cup cassava flour
1/4 cup almond meal
Garnishes (optional)
1–2 tablespoons BBQ sauce or tomato sauce (optional)
Toasted almond flakes
Pumpkin seeds
Extra dried fruit and mint
Instructions
- Combine flaxseed with water in a small bowl, stir and set aside for 10-15 minutes. It will expand and thicken.
- Preheat the oven to 200 C / 395 F.
- To prepare the vegetable mix, make sure to dice everything very finely to get the best texture of the loaf. You can use a food processor or chop by hand.
- Cook the veggies. Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chopped leeks, carrots, celery and mushrooms together with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until softend, reduced in size and turned golden brown.
- Right at the end, add paprika, dried thyme cinnamon and pepper and stir through. Add garlic, if using.
- Make the nut mix. Place the nut mix ingredients into a food processor. Whiz together until the nuts are ground up into small pieces, like crumbs but not too fine as we still want some crunch and texture.
- Transfer the nut mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked vegetables and sprinkle with bicarb soda, cassava flour and almond meal. Add the flaxseed mix. Mix well, making sure everything is well incorporated. It should feel like a very thick, course mixture you can mold in your hands.
- Prepare a loaf tin. I used a 25-cm/ 9″ long loaf tin but you can use a shorter one (the final nut roast will be taller), a round tin (more like a cake) or you can even shape it by hand to bake without a tin. Brush the middle of a large piece of parchment paper with a little oil.
- Place the paper inside the tin and transfer the nut roast mixture inside. Press it down using your fingers. Make sure it’s compact and firm throughout. Either fold the overlapping parchment paper over the top or wrap the tin with foil and pop in the 200 C / 395 F oven, middle shelf for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil (unfold the paper or cut it off) and place the nut loaf back in the oven for 20 more minutes for the top to brown.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let the tin cool down for a few minutes. Either lift the edges of the paper to remove the loaf or turn the tin upside down onto a cutting board/platter. Serve the loaf brushed lightly with barbecue or tomato sauce and sprinkled with extra garnishes like nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 slices
- Calories: 455
- Sugar: 12.9 g
- Sodium: 708.9 mg
- Fat: 36.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.1 g
- Fiber: 7.9 g
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Step-By-Step Photo Instructions
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Looks amazing, definitely something we would eat at Christmas as we are mostly plant-based.
★★★★★
I’ve never heard of nut roast, but it sounds so flavorful and delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
★★★★★
Love this recipe! My husband has recently decided to go plant-based so I was looking for holiday recipes to make for Christmas! Pinning this recipe and will make!
★★★★★
Wow, this is a totally new dish concept to me! I’ll be making for friends soon!
Hope you do, it’s huge in the UK 🙂
Wow, I’ve never heard of this before, but now I’m super intrigued! It’s gorgeous!
★★★★★
This dish is most definitely magical and surprising! I love the ingredient choices and it looks absolutely gorgeous.
★★★★★
This is so delicious! And I love how colorful it is.
★★★★★
This is exactly what I was looking for to serve my plant based friends over the festive season! I can’t wait to try it myself, have pinned to make for Christmas – thanks!
★★★★★
So delicious and hearty! Glad to have a vegan option!
★★★★★
My vegan friends loved this! It is hard for me to find an entree they can have that I can also have. This worked out perfect, and I loved the cranberries in it!
★★★★★
i love nuts so this is really perfect
This is such a great idea for a vegetarian/vegan option and it’s so beautiful too!
★★★★★
This mix tastes amazing but I’m wondering what to do with the flax seed mix? I guess it goes in mix at the end?
Hey Vera,
Flaxseed mix is the egg replacement and goes into the mix when you combine all the veggies, flours together. I’ll check that it’s in the instructions, I believe it should be in the video.
Irena
Hi Irena can this recipe be made in advance?
Yes, a day or two in advance should be fine. Then reheat back in the oven to bring it back to life. Perhaps top with the glaze when reheating before serving.
Is there a substitute for cassava flour? thank you!
Arrowroot or tapioca flour, or any other gluten-free flour can be used here.
Can I freeze this nut loaf?
To be honest, I haven’t tried freezing it so I am not sure how it would affect its texture. I imagine it should work fine.