The best vegan ham with a maple glaze! It had the perfect meaty texture and smoky, deep flavor with a hint of sweetness. This impressive and realistic recipe is guaranteed to impress as a centerpiece on any holiday table.
Start by adding the tofu, mustard, avocado oil, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, BBQ sauce, cumin, garlic powder, chicken seasoning, maple syrup, sriracha and vegetable stock to a blender or a food processor. Blend until a smooth and thick texture forms, and there’s no graininess from the tofu.
Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten around ⅓ cup at a time, mixing it in using a rubber spatula. At the end, knead the seitan using your hands for around 60 seconds until the dough is thick and similar to bread dough.
1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Shape the seitan into a ham-shaped cylinder. You can use foil to do this and to smooth out the sides. Then, transfer it to the baking tray and use a damp knife to make diagonal scores along the length of the ham. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze when the 45 minutes is almost up. To a mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, maple syrup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar and garlic, stirring together well.
¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 cloves garlic
Remove the ham from the oven and brush it with around ¼ of the glaze. Place a sheet of foil on top, wrap it tightly, and place it in the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the ham from the oven, brush with ¼ more of the glaze, place the foil back on top and place in the oven for 10 minutes more.
Now remove and add the rest of the maple glaze. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
Kneading and mixing the seitan: Knead the seitan for around 60 seconds, but not any more than 90 because this will cause the texture to be too chewy and hard.To make ahead of time: You can make the seitan around 3 days in advance and keep the dough in the fridge, wrapped in cling film. Then, simply bake and glaze as normal.To steam: You can steam the vegan ham for an hour instead of baking it for the first 45 minutes. When done, simply glaze and bake covered and foil as usual.To store/freeze: You can keep the ham in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it as individual slices. Simply place them in an airtight container or freezer-friendly ziplock bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, and then reheat in the microwave for around 2 minutes.
Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!