Vegan Christmas Roast with Nut Roast, Red Wine Gravy, Roast Vegetables and Cranberry-Orange Sauce
A generous vegan centrepiece with a walnut & lentil nut roast, mushroom red wine gravy, maple-roasted sprouts and crisp roast potatoes.
This is the vegan Christmas dinner you don't have to apologise for — hearty, celebratory and properly festive. A walnut-and-lentil nut roast provides the centrepiece heft, accompanied by a mushroom-rich red wine gravy, caramelised maple sprouts and crisp roast potatoes.
It’s designed to be made mostly in the oven while you attend to the gravy and sauce, so you can still enjoy a tipple and mingle. The flavours are layered rather than fussy: roast veg, citrusy cranberry and a gravy that won’t have meat-eaters grumbling.
Ingredients
- 2 brown onion — finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 2 carrots — finely diced (about 200 g)
- 2 celery stalks — finely diced
- 500 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced, divided between nut roast and gravy/roast veg
- 200 g walnut halves — roughly chopped
- 160 g fresh breadcrumbs
- 800 g tinned brown lentils — drained weight; drain well before using
- 30 g ground flaxseed — mix with water to bind
- 750 ml vegetable stock — use more if mixture seems dry
- 60 ml olive oil
- 30 ml tamari
- 15 ml Dijon mustard
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme — leaves stripped
- 6 leaves fresh sage — finely chopped
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 30 ml nutritional yeast
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- 150 ml red wine — use a drinking wine you enjoy
- 15 ml cornflour — to thicken gravy
- 50 g vegan butter — for roasting and gravy finish
- 600 g Brussels sprouts — trimmed and halved if large
- 600 g parsnips — peeled and cut into batons
- 800 g Maris Piper potatoes — peeled and cut into even chunks
- 40 ml maple syrup
- 300 g fresh cranberries — fresh or frozen
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 orange — zest and juice
- 2 sprigs rosemary — for roast potatoes
Equipment
- loaf tin (approx 900 g)
- large roasting tin
- baking trays
- food processor
- sieve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan/210°C conventional. Line a 900 g loaf tin with baking paper and set aside.
Parboil the potatoes: put the Maris Piper potatoes in a large pan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of sea salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain, shake vigorously to roughen the edges and set aside while you prepare the hot oil for roasting.
Toss the parsnips with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Put the parsnips on a baking tray. On a second baking tray, toss the roughened potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and the rosemary sprigs. Roast both trays on the middle shelves for 35–45 minutes, turning once until golden and crisp.
Make the nut roast filling: heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the brown onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery stalks and a pinch of sea salt and sweat for 8–10 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised.
Add 250 g of the chestnut mushrooms to the pan and cook until they have released their liquid and browned, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in the tamari, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika and most of the thyme leaves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Pulse the walnuts and tinned brown lentils in a food processor in short bursts until coarsely chopped — you want texture, not a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the cooked vegetable-and-mushroom mixture, fresh breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, chopped fresh sage, ground flaxseed plus 60 ml vegetable stock. Season with sea salt and black pepper and mix until it holds together when pressed.
Press the mixture firmly into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top. Dot with small pieces of vegan butter. Bake in the oven for 55 minutes until firm and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to rest in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out.
While the nut roast cooks, make the cranberry-orange sauce: put the fresh cranberries, caster sugar and the orange (zest and juice) into a small pan with 50 ml vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the berries pop and the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
Prepare the maple-roasted Brussels sprouts and remaining mushrooms: on a baking tray toss the Brussels sprouts and remaining chestnut mushrooms with 1 tbsp olive oil, the maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes until tender and caramelised.
Make the red wine mushroom gravy: melt 1 tbsp vegan butter in a frying pan, add 100 g sliced chestnut mushrooms and fry until browned. Pour in the red wine and reduce by half, then add 400 ml vegetable stock, 1 tsp tamari and simmer for 8–10 minutes. Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp cold water to make a slurry, whisk into the simmering gravy and cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Finish with a knob of vegan butter and season to taste.
When the roast vegetables and nut roast are ready, carve the nut roast into thick slices, arrange on a platter with roast potatoes, parsnips, maple Brussels sprouts and mushrooms. Spoon over the red wine gravy and serve the cranberry‑orange sauce on the side.
Rest the carved nut roast slices briefly if needed and serve immediately.
Tips
- Drain the tinned brown lentils thoroughly and pat dry on kitchen paper so the nut roast isn’t soggy.
- Do not over-process the nuts in the food processor — leave some texture so the roast slices hold together and have bite.
- Parboil then rough up the potatoes before roasting; that texture is the secret to crisp, crunchy roasties.
- Make the cranberry-orange sauce a few hours ahead — it keeps in the fridge for 3 days and tastes better cold or at room temperature.
- If oven space is tight, cook the nut roast first and keep warm wrapped in foil while the vegetables finish roasting.
Substitutions
walnut halves → 100 g walnuts + 100 g roasted cashews
Stays closefresh breadcrumbs → 160 g gluten-free breadcrumbs or 150 g cooked quinoa
Stays closetamari → soy sauce
Noticeably differentMaris Piper potatoes → roasting potatoes such as King Edward
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 880
- Calories
- 23 g
- Protein
- 95 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 18 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the nut roast ahead?
Yes — bake and cool the nut roast fully, then wrap and chill for up to 48 hours. Reheat in a low oven (150°C fan/170°C conventional) for 20–30 minutes before serving.
Can I use dried lentils instead of tinned?
Yes — use 160 g dried green or brown lentils, cooked until tender (about 20–25 minutes) and drained. That will add cooking time but works fine.
How do I get a thicker gravy?
Mix an extra 1 tsp cornflour with cold water and whisk into the simmering gravy, then simmer 1–2 minutes. Make the slurry off the heat to avoid lumps.
Is this meal suitable for freezing?
Slices of nut roast freeze well for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently in a low oven.
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