Vegan roast dinner for one? Or cute mini nut loaves for a crowd? This individual nut roast recipe makes it possible! With these individually portioned vegan roasts, you won’t have to worry about leftovers anymore.
Table of Contents
Our easy nut roast is one of the most popular recipes here at Vegan on Board, especially on weekends. No surprise there! It’s tasty, nutritious and easy to make!
While we usually make a whole loaf of nut roast, this doesn’t always work when you want to make fewer portions. So, here’s how you can easily scale the recipe to any number of servings you want, and not worry too much about tin size!
(And conveniently the individual portions can be frozen either before or after cooking. So you can still prepare more in advance, and have it whenever you want!)
These mini nut roasts are perfect because:
- They are the perfect portion size
- You can make just as many as you need
- The recipe is easy and uses no special ingredients
- They are so yummy!
- … and nutritious, with plenty of protein and fibre.
- They can be frozen individually
- … and cooked when you need it, for a quick roast dinner.
Maybe you want to enjoy a roast dinner on your own or with your partner, but not make a full-sized roast? Maybe you like the neat look of these mini roasts - perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Maybe you want to save yourself the hassle of slicing the nut roast? Then this recipe is perfect for you!
Read on for useful tips on ingredients, step by step instructions, portion and tin size, and how to prepare the mini nut roasts in advance to cook from frozen.
Ingredient tips
Our nut roast recipe only uses fairly common ingredients, and not too many. So you can spend more time enjoying your dinner than making it!
Here’s all you need for these vegan mini nut roasts:
- Nuts - we use a few different kinds, typically peanuts, cashews and walnuts. But you can mix it up and add almonds, pecans or hazelnuts! They will be ground up, so it’s a great way to use lightly broken or pieces of nuts. We buy organic nuts in bulk for better value.
- Breadcrumbs - we make our own from wholemeal bread, but store-bought are fine too. Make sure to use dry breadcrumbs as fresh breadcrumbs can make the mixture too liquid.
- Onion and garlic
- Olive oil
- Dried herbs - mixed herbs, herbs de provence, Mediterranean herbs - all work.
- Vegetable stock - we use Marigold Swiss Bouillon to make ours.
- Soy sauce - for a great umami flavour boost! This soy sauce by Clearspring is our personal favourite.
- Chia seeds - they help with binding so the mini nut roasts keep their shape well.
So now that you know which ingredients you’ll need, let’s get started making some gorgeous, individually portioned mini nut roasts!
Step by step
For more detailed instructions and exact amounts of ingredients, go to the recipe at the end of the post. Here’s a visual step-by-step guide to know what to expect!
Step 1 - Pulse the nuts in a food processor until fine. If you’re making your own breadcrumbs too, process them separately.
Step 2 - Saute the diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil on medium heat, until translucent and just starting to brown.
Step 3 - Combine the processed nuts, breadcrumbs, herbs, sauteed onion and garlic, vegetable stock, soy sauce and chia seeds. The mixture should be moist but hold its shape.
Step 4 - Divide up the mix into lined small baking tins or ramekins.
Step 5 - Cook the individual nut roasts at 200℃ (390℉) in a fan oven for 20 to 25 minutes. When done, let them sit outside the oven for 5 - 10 minutes.
Step 6 - When ready to serve, go round the sides of the tins with a knife and turn out the mini nut roast straight onto plates!
Tin and portion size
For making single portions of nut roast, tiny sized loaf tins come in handy. Ours are about 7 by 5 cm (about 3 by 2 inches) and 1½ inches (4 cm) deep.
You can also cook the vegan mini roasts in ramekins. We’ve tried various sizes (about 3 - 3 ½ inches / 7.5 - 9 cm in diameter) and types and they all turned out well. If you don’t find any other suitable container to bake them in, you can use oven-safe small bowls.
We found that our glass ramekins worked really well for getting the roast out neatly. If you use glass ramekins, you can add an extra 5 minutes of cooking time, as the roast doesn’t cook the same way in glass as it does in metal, stoneware or ceramic.
To get even portions sizes, use about ½ cup of nut roast mix per portion, which is equal to about 115 grams, or 4 ounces.
You can check the size of your tins fits well by filling them with ½ cup (120 ml) of water first.
To line your tins, first grease the tins with a little oil, making sure to grease the short ends and corners well.
Then cut a strip of parchment paper the length of the inside of the base of the tin. Now cut this strip into three and use it to line the base and long sides of the tin. This way you can easily lift out the roasts, or tip over the tin and then peel off the paper for a smart-looking finish.
To line a round ramekin, grease it with oil and then cut a circle the size of the inside to line the base.
Variations and substitutions
It’s easy to swap out one type of nuts for another, but we do like to use at least two different kinds. Pecans, hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios, as well as simply extra walnuts, cashews or peanuts all work. Just keep the total amount the same.
We sometimes throw in some dried cranberries to the mix for a fruity, sweet and tangy or festive twist. Frying up one or two finely diced mushrooms (not too many or the mix will get too wet) along with the onions is a great way of adding some extra flavour, too.
To make gluten-free individual nut roasts, swap out the breadcrumbs for a gluten free version or oats, and soy sauce with gluten-free alternatives (see below). Make sure to use a gluten-free vegetable bouillon or stock.
To make an oil-free version of this recipe, saute the onion and garlic in some additional vegetable stock instead of oil. Keep in mind that nuts are high in fat, too.
To make the mini nut roasts low in sodium, use low sodium soy sauce and vegetable stock. To replace soy sauce entirely, fry some finely diced mushrooms along with the onions for some umami flavour, or use some more of low sodium veg stock.
Substituting ingredients
- If you don’t have breadcrumbs or dry bread to make your own, you can replace them with ground oats.
- In place of the olive oil you can use vegetable oil, sunflower or canola oil. Just don’t use cold pressed oils, as they have a lower smoking point, so are more suited for salads than cooking.
- Soy sauce can be replaced with tamari (gluten-free), or half the amount of miso paste dissolved in the vegetable stock. You could also use an extra teaspoon of stock powder.
- If you don’t have mixed dried herbs, use a combination of individual dried herbs. Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Sage and basil are always winners!
- We use chia seeds for their excellent binding abilities. They can be replaced with ground flaxseed, or simply omitted - The mini nut roasts might keep their shape a little less well, but will still work and be delicious!
Serving
As difficult as it is to wait, it really helps to let the mini nut roasts cool down for five to ten minutes, to firm it up a bit before turning them out. Also, don’t forget to work your way around them in their tin with a knife to loosen them.
The classic way to enjoy these mini nut roasts is with roasted vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots and onions. Or try our maple and mustard glazed carrots!
Start roasting the veggies bit before the nut roasts go in the oven too, to make sure the veggies are done on time.
Recently we’ve really enjoyed some quick microwave ‘baked’ sweet potatoes with our nut roast. Depending on their size and the power of your microwave, cook the washed sweet potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes at full power. Check that they are tender and soft all the way through, and cook for longer if necessary.
Rice is another excellent choice of carby side, and the easier choice when you’re eating on your own and don’t want to put on a full-blown roast dinner.
We also like some fresh greens such as peas or steamed broccoli.
Finally, we always drown our nut roast in some vegan gravy. And a dollop of cranberry sauce nicely rounds off the flavours of the dish.
Storing and freezing
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for later.
Leftover nut roast also makes for a fantastic sandwich filling!
Reheat in the microwave (remove them from metal tins first!) for 1 to 2 minutes, or in the oven at 180℃ (350℉) for about 15 minutes. A splash of water keeps the individual portions of nut roast from drying out.
Absolutely, you can freeze these individual nut roasts before or after they are cooked, for up to 3 months.
Freeze leftover portions in their tins or separated with some baking parchment, and inside an airtight container or freezer bag. Leaving them in their tins has the benefit of not drying out too much when reheated.
As an alternative to freezing them cooked, freeze the mini nut roasts in their tins before cooking. This is great for preparing several portions in advance and cooking as many as you need, whenever you want!
To cook the mini nut roasts from frozen, either defrost them in the fridge for about 4 hours, then cook them in the preheated oven at 200℃ (390℉) for 20 to 25 minutes, as usual. To cook straight from frozen, allow to cook for a total of 30 minutes.
If the nut roast was already cooked before freezing, you can cook at a slightly lower temperature of 180℃ (350℉). A splash of water helps to keep it moist.
More easy vegan vegan recipes
Enjoy your mini vegan nut roasts! Try these other yummy recipes next:
Mushroom Pate - this is delicious served with nut roast or as an appetizer with our Easy Vegan Crackers.
Butternut Squash Soup with Carrot and Ginger - cosy, warming and incredibly delicious!
And our Breaded Tofu (perfect for using extra breadcrumbs from this recipe!)
📖 Recipe
Individual Mini Nut Roast
Ingredients
- ¾ cups (110 g) mixed nuts walnuts, peanuts, cashews...
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- ½ cup (50 g) fine breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tsp dried herbs
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable stock
- ½ tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat, then saute the diced onion and minced garlic until translucent and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Pulse the nuts in a food processor until fine. If you're making your own breadcrumbs from dry or toasted bread, process separately.
- Place the nuts, breadcrumbs and sauteed onion and garlic in a mixing bowl together with all the other ingredients: dried herbs, chia seeds, vegetable stock and soy sauce. Mix to combine well combined.
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ (390℉). Line the bases of 3 mini loaf tins, ramekins or oven-safe dishes (see tips on types and size in the post) with baking parchment, and lightly grease the sides.
- Divide up the moist nut mixture into the lined dishes. About half a cup or 115g of the mixture is just right for one portion.
- Bake in the oven at 200℃ (390℉) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops have browned a bit and formed a slight crust. Take the roasts out of the oven and - and this is important - let them sit to firm up for five minutes. Turn the mini roasts out onto plates, peel away the lining parchment and enjoy!
Notes
Freezing Instructions
You can freeze these individual nut roasts before or after they are cooked, for up to 3 months. Freeze leftover portions in their tins or separated with some baking parchment, and inside an airtight container or freezer bag. Leaving them in their tins has the benefit of not drying out too much when reheated. You can also freeze the mini nut roasts in their tins before cooking. This is great for preparing several portions in advance and cooking as many as you need, whenever you want! To cook the mini nut roasts from frozen, defrost them in the fridge for about 4 hours, then cook them in the preheated oven at 200℃ (390℉) for 20 to 25 minutes, as usual. To cook straight from frozen, allow to cook for a total of 30 minutes. If the nut roast was already cooked before freezing before freezing, you can cook at a slightly lower temperature of 180℃ (350℉). A splash of water helps to keep it moist.Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Liz Butcher says
These are excellent. Really good to have small amounts. Well done.
Sophie and Paul says
So glad you enjoyed these mini nut roasts Liz! Thanks for your lovely feedback 🙂
Patricia says
Hi can I use ground flax instead of chia seeds
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Patricia, yes you can. Enjoy 🙂