The Best Vegan Thanksgiving Roasts: Your Ultimate Taste Test

There's a good chance you’ll be serving one or more vegan or vegetarian family members this Thanksgiving. Or, maybe you’ve decided to go plant-based for your health. Whatever your reasons may be for needing a vegan turkey option, you're probably searching for the best turkey alternative that can serve as a vegan main dish for your holiday meal. With more plant-based turkey options than ever, dedicated to making vegan eating easier, you have choices when it comes to which turkey alternative is right for you.

We tested five vegan turkey alternative roasts:

Each has its own unique flavor and texture, but if cooked with care and attention, you’re sure to have a crowd-pleaser with any of these five. One caveat: Do buy yours today, since the supply chain is unreliable to many stores, and these can keep frozen for weeks if not longer.

No matter which turkey alternative you go with, raise your glass to the fact that you are making a choice that's better for you and the planet.

Field Roast Sage & Garlic Celebration Roast just might just be the brand’s most tasty Turkey alternative yet. The sage and garlic flavors permeate throughout the entire roast for a nice balance of flavors in every bite. For an impressive focal point for your Thanksgiving meal, or even as a side dish on a table full of options, this roast hits all the right tasting notes.

Nutrition Facts

Field Roast Hazelnut & Cranberry Roast has that classic hint of cranberry holiday flavor thanks to the cranberries. It’s crafted with rich hazelnuts, candied ginger, and rosemary, which all meld together for flavor in each bite. It’s seasoned to perfection and wrapped in a delectable flakey puff pastry.

Nutrition Facts

The core of the roast is a wild-rice stuffing that includes bits of cranberries, making it a traditional choice. The “meat” is a soy-based protein mixed with organic ancient-grain flour, so it you get an even ratio of protein to stuffing in every bite.

The outside is coated with a crisp breading seasoned with herbs. This roast cooks fast since no prep or thawing is needed. If you’re grabbing a last-minute vegan turkey, this is a great option. On day two, when we brought leftovers to The Beet offices, the editors who had not tasted it initially actually liked it the best, so keep the leftovers since it ages well.

Nutrition Facts

Tofurky is the original vegan turkey brand, and no matter how many newcomers show up, it's still one of the best on the market. We love the classic Tofurky plant-based roast taste and the stuffing may just be our favorite of all. Tofurky has a generous amount of “meat,” and you’ll find the classic stuffing on the interior. If you like a higher meat-to-stuffing ratio, this would be a good choice.

Nutrition Facts

Gardien’s breaded crispy outer coat might be the thing that makes this roast the winner. But overall we loved the "meat" of the roast as well as the stuffing, which balanced well and was distinctly different from the "white meat" taste of the faux turkey.

With cranberry wild-rice stuffing that’s a perfect mix of sweet and savory, this is a focal point of the meal that you’ll be happy to put on the table and even the non-vegans at the table will want to sample this dish. You can cook it straight from being frozen (no need to defrost overnight, unlike some of the other roasts). It has a nice tender texture and a good ratio of rice-stuffing to “meat.” We couldn't help ourselves and found ourselves going back for seconds – and thirds. In fact, we would eat it year-round, not just at traditional turkey dinner time of year.

When you're looking to purchase your vegan roast, specialty stores like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's are your best bet. Many grocery stores also carry Gardein and Tofurkey products, so you may be surprised that your local supermarket has these meatless roasts in stock. We recommend securing your roast (and the rest of your ingredients to make your feast) as soon as possible since many stores sell out of these vegan mains quickly.

If you're searching for more holiday inspiration, we put together a vegan Thanksgiving guide with over 50 delicious, crowd-pleasing, allergen-friendly recipes.