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Vegan Tofu Turkey ( Tofurkey )

By DK on Nov 18, 2009

See all Thanksgiving Recipes This is the closest I am going to get as far as cooking and eating meat goes ;) What? This looks and tastes 'meaty' enough for me (pun intended!). So much so I got two comments which makes this dish a success for me - at least as far as looks department goes. First, I shocked the hell out of my husband when he got home from work the other day. I placed the sliced pieces on the table and he was like "What's wrong with you? - I knew I had to put an end to you watching Food network all the time. How the heck did you manage to do this?". LOL! I laughed so much and it took him about 5 minutes of prodding and smelling the "meat" to finally get convinced that this was TOFU! Another success was a comment from our American neighbor, who for a second, forgot that we are vegetarians and told me that I had sliced the meat in a very different way than how they traditionally did it :-) See my Vegetarian Thanksgiving post for other recipes.

Tastes wise, I seriously have no idea how a Turkey originally tastes like, but it was not as bland as I thought this will be when I first started making it. Indians like and add flavor like southerners add fat to their food. But I need not have worried that much. It would have helped to have more flavor though, but I did not want to deviate too much from the recipes on the net, on the account that they probably could make it tasting more closer to the real thing than my own creative one. But when you are making it, just add flavors as per your tastes. Tofu will absorb more flavor if you let it sit along with seasonings. Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe

Anyways, you can come to my house any time of the day or week, open my fridge and you will not fail to see packets of Tofu. Its a common ingredient which I use often for its protein. With this being the case, it was inevitable that I get curious about Tofu Turkey or Tofurkey. Instead of buying the ready made ones, you can make this. Its not complicated at all - its almost like preparing the real bird.(!!) I have followed this recipe from Vegetarian times ( The turkey from the online source and the filling from the magazine). I changed the technique and few ingredients to suit my palate and comfort zone. I absolutely LOVED the stuffing. I usually don't like to mix savory and sweet ingredients, but I loved this one so much so that I almost finished 1/4 of the stuffing on its own!!. Now to the recipe which is Vegan, Diary Free, Gluten Free, Egg free but absolutely NOT flavor free ;)

References

recipe adapted from vegetarian times (website) and the stuffing from the magazine.

Basic Information

Prep Time: 8 hours to 1 day

Cook Time: 1 to 2 hours

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients

For the Tofu Turkey
5 14-oz. tubs extra-firm tofu
2 tsp. ground dried thyme
2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
about 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
salt and pepper to taste ( if you want to use vegan bouillon powder, skip the salt)
For the Marinade
1/4 -1/2 cups low sodium tamari or gluten free soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp sesame oil
For the stuffing - approximate measurements, use as per taste ( original recipe in VT 35th anniversary issue, Or use your own stuffing of choice)
about 4 cups of gluten free bread cubes ( or use oatmeal or whole wheat bread cubes)
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 small-medium red onion
1 celery stick
1 apple, peeled and diced ( i kept the peel)
1/2 tbsp fresh sage, cut into thin strips
1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground peppercorns
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup no-salt vegetable broth or water

Method

Method ( Tofu Turkey - Previous night Bring the tofu to room temperature. Squeeze tofu of excess water and take small bits and place them in a processor.

Process them little by little until smooth.

Place them in a large bowl and mix all the seasoning. You can at this point even taste the tofu and add more seasoning or flavor to make sure it does not taste real bland.

Wet cheesecloth, wring it out and smoothly line a colander with it—no wrinkles.

Drop the tofu inside the colander and press it into the sides and bottom of the colander.

Place this colander on a plate. Bring the hanging cheesecloth on the sides into the center to cover the tofu.

Now place a plate right on top of the tofu and give it a slight press. Use a heavy object to place on top of the plate. This is to help the tofu drain excess water through the colander. Place this inside the refrigerator overnight (ideal time). This helps the tofu to absorb the seasoning well too.

Method (On day of making the tofu turkey) - For the Stuffing I eyeballed most of the ingredients, so use your discretion when preparing them. Place the cubed bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 225F oven for 20-30 minutes or until dry and crisp.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet. Add about 1 tsp oil and saute the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add celery and saute for 2 minutes more.

Stir in the apples along with other seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and the vinegar and remove from heat.

Combine the bread cubes along with apple mixture. Stir in almonds and dried cherries. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and pour broth over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the stuffing begins to brown on top. You can make a crisp filling by removing the foil and baking for 10 minutes more.

Method - For the Marinade Mix all the ingredients for the under the marinade until combined.

Method - For the Assembly Preheat oven to 375F. Drain the Tofu water from the plate on which you placed the colander.

Remove weight and plate from colander.

Now scoop some tofu from the center. Make sure to leave at least 1-2 inches on the sides and bottom.

Now fill this hollow with the stuffing.

Now top the stuffing with the scooped out tofu.

Make sure to smooth the surface and level it out.

Place a large oven to table baking sheet (I used a pie plate large enough to cover the colander opening) on top of the colander.

Hold tightly, and slowly invert colander onto the plate so that tofu-turkey drops gently onto dish.

Now slowly remove the cheesecloth from the tofu.

Can you see the white dome now?

Baste the tofu turkey with the prepared marinade.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Baste again. reduce the heat to 350F and bake for another 1 hour, basting as many times it strikes your fancy.

Once baked, you see a beautifully crisped tofu surface.

The most amazing after effects of this meal with striking similarities to the real thing -
1) We felt full in matter of minutes. The tofu protein did it.
2) The crust was crispy and meaty inside. The stuffing added amazing combo to the tofu. A few bites of the orange and apple in the middle (which I placed as a garnish) also went v well with this tofurkey.
3) We had LEFTOVERS and lots of them

But one advantage over the real turkey would be low calorie content comparatively me thinks

Carve it as your please and enjoy Tofu Turkey :) While eating this, you probably might feel goosebumps (or turkey bumps!!!)..don't be surprised, the turkeys all over are probably wishing you a LONG LIFE ;) LOL Vegan Tofu Turkey (tofurky) Recipe

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41 Responses to “Vegan Tofu Turkey ( Tofurkey )”

Lisa

December 22nd, 2012 on 12:54 pm
I just prepared the tofu. Before placing it the fridge I tasted a bit of it and it was seasoned just right. Like you said use your own judgement on the seasoning and I did. I do not eat tofu but my stepdaughter is a vegeterian and I wanted to make this for her. Tks for recipe I’m sure it will turn out wonderful! Merry Christmas!
Alicia

November 23rd, 2012 on 5:40 pm
I doubled the fresh herbs, used 1.5 tsp Sea Salt and halved the tofu to make a 5lb chicken sized Tofurkey: fabulous, not over-herbed or salt overload. I used Meyer Lemon juice in place of orange in the marinade. For the stuffing, I made a full recipe, because I wanted to save half to bake crispy on the side and quadrupled the sage, didn’t want the sweetness of the cherries (I’m a very savory person). I also olive-oiled my cast iron oval dish before inverting the tofu mixture into it, then scooped out to leave about 1.5″ thickness on the sides, added the stuffing, applied the scooped-out tofu like thick frosting on top and used a butter knife to sculpt a leaf motif to catch the marinade, which I drizzeled to fill the depressions of the leaf design, then lightly brushed the rest to cover all exposed sides. NOTE: Make any design on the top before you put the Tofurkey in the oven, while the mixture is at its creamiest, because the tofu becomes crumbly even after only 15 minutes. FABULOUS, FABULOUS RECIPE with the extra seasoning I did. I will make this whenever I have Turkey, just so the meat eaters have a chance to try this special treat that they never would try without having the security of a real Turkey there along side it; it’s really like a fancy stuffing, side dish for them. One could even make portion size balls in ramekins for each guest. Thank you so very much for this recipe!
Elsa

November 21st, 2012 on 8:38 pm
I am making this for my bf and I tomorrow. I was about to buy the ready made tofurkey, but this recipe seems very easy
Cindy

November 20th, 2012 on 9:15 am
I made this for last years Thanksgiving and was a big hit. My husband is asking for it again this year. I added more seasoning, because it was a little bland when I was preparing it.
Cindy

November 17th, 2012 on 8:48 am
Does anyone know if this recipe can be kept (prepared ahead) a few days in the refrigerator or in the freezer? I want to make this for Thanksgiving, but I am working the day of and the day before. Will be challenging for me to complete this in the time fashion you described.
Becky

November 12th, 2012 on 8:41 am
Wonderfully guided and impressive looking recipe! I am in the process of searching for an easy-to-make vegan, gluten-free turkey for next week. I may give this one a try. As with anything tofu it is ALL how you flavor it, so tasting while prepping is the key. Thanks for the hard work entering this!
twinkiequeen

October 21st, 2012 on 11:15 am
sorry..but i did not like this…the stuffing was fine, but my hsb. and i both thought the “turkey” was bland and flavorless…thank heavens for gravy!

Oh its totally OK. We all have different tastes and preferences. Next time you can add in more flavoring to the “turkey”. –DK