Save Thanksgiving: Slow Cooker Tofurky Recipe with Maple Herb Vegan Gravy

Is this your first meatless holiday? Save the day with this slow cooker tofurky recipe.

It has all the basics for the whole family to enjoy a perfect Thanksgiving dinner – protein, stuffing, and vegetarian gravy.

Just roast some veggies, whip up some mashed potatoes, and add in a vegan dessert and you are the hero of the holiday!

Cheryl insists on having a Tofurky a few times a year and I always enjoyed having them once a year.

I know some of you are not a fan of faux meats and if that’s you, head over to this post on Vegan Slow Cooker Veggie Loaf or make my plant-based Vegan Thanksgiving Casserole and Gravy.

Did you know that you can make tofurky in the slow cooker?

I love using my slow cooker – especially for a big vegan holiday meal. It can be hard to cook everything on the stove, especially if you aren’t the only cook in the kitchen.

You can cook this tofurkey in your slow cooker and have your guests bring their dishes in their crockpot to keep everything warm.

I fully admit to doing this to keep everyone from being in the kitchen with me. Also, a table with cocktails, mocktails, and some dips in another room helps too.

This whole vegan tofurky recipe is simple to make and can definitely become your new go-to for holiday entertaining.

Where can I buy a Tofurky or other vegan roast?

You can find them at Whole Foods, Sprouts, your local coop, and in many mainstream grocery stores. Check Tofurky’s find page here for one near you.

Check in the frozen section with the other frozen vegan meat substitutes. Usually, around the Thanksgiving time of year Trader Joe’s has its own in the refrigerated section.

Is Tofurky frozen?

Most vegan roasts are found in the freezer section. Though sometimes near Thanksgiving you will find them thawed.

Just know if it is frozen you want to thaw it a day before you cook it.

Do I have to thaw it before cooking?

It’s recommended that you thaw it for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking.

But in a pinch, you can defrost in the microwave.

Do you have to cook Tofurky?

Yes, you do. While the base has been cooked once it needs to be cooked for over an hour in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees, in the slow cooker on low for 7 – 9 hours (or on high for 1/2 the amount of time), or another method until it’s heated all the way through.

If you eat any frozen food that’s not hot in the middle it can make you sick – so this step is very important.

What is Tofurky made of?

Tofurky is a vegan roast made of tofu and seitan (vital wheat gluten). It was one of the first popular vegan turkey substitutes that they started selling in 1995.

But you may also know Tofurky as a brand name that includes a line of vegan products, including deli slices, sausages, jerky, tempeh, burgers, and franks.

All of the Tofurky products are fully vegan and approved by the Vegan Society.

Tofurky is seasonal, meaning stores don’t start selling it until November.

But you can stock up when they go on sale after Thanksgiving and keep them in the freezer for other special occasions.

Here are the ingredients as listed on the Tofurky site:

Roast: Vital wheat gluten, water, tofu (water, soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), expeller pressed canola oil, natural flavors, sea salt, contains less than 2% of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, leek, rosemary extract, lemon juice concentrate, oat fiber, cornstarch, calcium lactate, potassium chloride.

Stuffing: Water, brown rice, bread cubes (enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid], palm fruit oil, yeast, cane sugar, sea salt), onions, celery, wild rice, expeller pressed canola oil, contains less than 2% of sea salt, spices, dehydrated onion, granulated garlic, natural flavors, cane sugar, sunflower oil, maltodextrin.

Is there a gluten-free option?

Tofurkey, and most, if not all of the pre-made roasts, contain gluten. There are homemade recipes and I’m working on one to add to this site and I’ll link it as soon as I do.

But the actual Tofurkey brand contains wheat gluten and breadcrumbs so it’s not for the gluten intolerant.

But if you want a good gluten-free vegan Thanksgiving dish you should try my air-fried soy curls over mashed potatoes with a little gravy or Vegan Thanksgiving Casserole and Gravy recipe.

How to make this vegan slow cooker roast

You will need a Tofurkey, and it needs to be thawed – so it’s best to put it in the fridge the day before you are going to cook it.

You can thaw it in the microwave in a pinch.

Mix water, maple syrup or date syrup, nutritional yeast, bouillon cubes, marjoram, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, rubbed sage, and black pepper in your slow cooker.

Add in the thawed roast and coat with the liquid. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours.

If you can, turn the roast over once or twice during cooking, but it’s fine if you don’t. Just make sure to pour gravy over all the servings.

Note: You should use a 2 – 4 quart slow cooker for best results, or double or triple the sauce ingredients so you have enough cooking liquid in a larger slow cooker.

The best Tofurky recipes

In addition to my slow cooker recipe below, be sure to check out this list of Tofurky recipes I’ve compiled.

It has something for everyone. I have to admit that I love this Slow Cooker Maple Herb Tofurky recipe the best.

More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

Even if you make this recipe you’re probably going to make a few more. Here are some of my favorites and at the end of the list are a few roundup posts that have a ton to choose from.

Happy Thanksgiving!

• Slow Cooker Sweet Butternut Squash Pie with Miso
• Vegan Thanksgiving Casserole and Gravy
• Easy Thanksgiving Dinner for Two
• Vegan Slow Cooker Veggie Loaf
• Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes No Oil Vegan
• Holiday Sweet Potato Casserole
• Gluten-free Vegan Teff Stuffing with Roasted Butternut Squash
• Instant Pot Plant Based Cranberry Sauce
• Thanksgiving Potato Stuffing Balls with a Cranberry Center
• Creamy Vegan Greens
• 7 Vegan Thanksgiving Dressings
• Instant Pot Quick Pickled Beets
• The Only Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes You Need
• Vegan Thanksgiving Pies – including traditional thanksgiving desserts