Vegan Ham Roast (Seitan)

Square cropped image of a close up of seitan ham roast topped with pineapple glaze on a small wood board with a few slices resting in front of the loaf with a spoonful of extra glaze.

This vegan ham recipe creates a smoky, salty and meaty vegan ham alternative. It’s incredibly easy to make and you can serve with an optional pineapple glaze.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword Seitan ham, Vegan ham

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 50

Servings Servings

Calories 239kcal

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Tin foil
Baking tray
Silicone baking mat , optional (or parchment paper)
Small sauce pot (for optional glaze)
Small roasting pan (if making glaze)

Ingredients

Vegan Ham:

1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten (gluten flour)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon corn starch
½ tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons coconut oil , melted
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon miso paste , white type
¾ cup vegetable broth

Pineapple Glaze:

½ cup pineapple juice
½ cup pineapple pieces , chopped
¼ cup brown sugar (or maple syrup)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

Step 1: Whisk Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk vital wheat gluten with all the dry spices, including nutritional yeast, corn starch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon corn starch, ½ tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt

Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients

In a separate bowl, melt the coconut oil (I use a microwave in 20-30 second intervals).
3 tablespoons coconut oil
Whisk the remaining liquid ingredients with the melted coconut oil, including ketchup, tahini, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, miso paste and vegetable broth.
3 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ tablespoon miso paste, ¾ cup vegetable broth
Make sure everything is well mixed (especially the miso paste which takes some time to dissolve; mashing it up with a fork helps).

Step 3: Shape Seitan Ham and Bake

Add your liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until a ball of dough starts to form.
Once the mixture is too thick to stir, use your hand to knead the dough for about 1 minute. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Shape the seitan into a slightly flattened ball (see pictures for shape).
Place your seitan onto a piece of tin foil, then wrap tightly. Place the open edge of your tin foil down onto a second sheet of tin foil and wrap tightly again.
Place the open edge of your second tin foil sheet down onto a baking tray (lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for easy cleanup).
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 °F for 1 hour 30 minutes. Flip the seitan halfway through (set a timer for 45 minutes so you don’t forget to flip).
Once baked, remove the roast from your oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes.

Step 4: Optional Glaze

If making glaze, refrigerate your ham overnight. I recommend making the glaze on day 2 before roasting the ham and glaze together.
Add pineapple juice to a small sauce pot and whisk in corn starch. Make sure no clumps of starch remain.
½ cup pineapple juice, 2 teaspoons corn starch
Next, whisk the remaining ingredients into the pineapple juice, including chopped pineapple pieces, brown sugar, soy sauce and Dijon mustard.
½ cup pineapple pieces, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking regularly. Once boiling, continue whisking until the glaze thickens and starts to stick to your whisk/ spoon, about 5 minutes. The glaze will still be thin enough to pour easily (it doesn’t thicken much).
Remove your pot from heat and follow the steps below for roasting the ham and glaze together.

Step 5: Serve Vegan Ham

If you don’t make glaze, you could serve the ham straight out of the oven (after letting it rest for 15 minutes). It’s best if you cool the seitan to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, if not overnight (firmer, chewier texture). Reheat by placing your ham roast back into the oven (wrapped in tin foil or in a baking dish covered in tin foil) until warmed through (350 °F for 15-20 min). You could also reheat slices of ham in a microwave.
If glazing your ham, chill it overnight. The next day, place the cooked, chilled ham into a small roasting dish (not wrapped in tin foil) and coat with the glaze. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 °F until the ham is warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
You can also serve this ham cold, sliced thinly for sandwiches.

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition information calculated for ham roast only and doesn't include the optional pineapple glaze. Also assumes the use of low sodium soy sauce and vegetable broth.

Nutrition