Vegetarian Christmas Nut Roast Recipe: Pistachio & Cranberry With All The Trimmings

This vegetarian Christmas nut roast recipe is the one that finally made the meat-eaters at our table sit up and take notice.

Pistachio and cranberry give it a proper festive feel – the green and red running through each slice looks genuinely beautiful, and the relish gravy alongside it has become one of those recipes we make year-round now, not just at Christmas.

Whether you’re cooking for one vegetarian in a household of meat-eaters or doing the whole table proud with this as the centrepiece, it serves six, holds together beautifully when sliced and can be made entirely the day before.

That last point alone makes it worth its place on any Christmas table.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Christmas Nut Roast Recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 200 grams chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 400 grams green lentils, cooked and drained
• 150 grams shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
• 100 grams dried cranberries
• 100 grams fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons Henderson’s Relish
• 1 salt and black pepper to season
• 500 millilitres vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 25 grams butter
• 1 tablespoon Henderson’s Relish for gravy
• 1 kilogram large floury potatoes, cut into chunks
• 4 tablespoons goose fat or vegetable oil
• 4 parsnips, peeled and quartered
• 1 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 4 carrots, peeled and halved
• 300 grams Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 🔗 Henderson’s Relish – Shop from Amazon

Steps

Preheat and prep: Heat your oven to 180°C fan. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang on each side so you can lift the roast.

Soften the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 large onion, finely diced, 3 garlic cloves, crushed, and 2 celery sticks, finely diced and cook gently for 8 to 15 minutes until completely softened. Add 200 grams of chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped, 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary and cook for a further 5 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the pan is dry.

• Build the nut roast mixture: Tip the cooked vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Add 400 grams green lentils, cooked and drained, 150 grams shelled pistachios, roughly chopped, 100 grams dried cranberries, 100 grams fresh breadcrumbs, 2 large eggs, beaten and 2 tablespoons Henderson’s Relish. Season generously with 1 salt and black pepper, and mix thoroughly until everything is well combined — the mixture should hold together when pressed. If it feels too wet, add a handful more breadcrumbs.
• Pack and bake: Spoon the mixture firmly into the prepared loaf tin, pressing it down and smoothing the top. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes until firm and golden on top.
• Roast the potatoes: While the nut roast cooks, parboil 1 kilogram of large floury potatoes, cut into chunks, in salted boiling water for 50 minutes 50:00. Drain thoroughly and leave to steam dry for 5 minutes, then shake the colander to roughen the edges. Heat 4 tablespoons goose fat or vegetable oil in a large roasting tin in the oven until smoking hot, then carefully add the potatoes and turn to coat. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, turning halfway, until deeply golden and crisp.
• Honey roast the parsnips and carrots: Toss 4 parsnips, peeled and quartered, and 4 carrots, peeled and halved, with a little oil and 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup in a roasting tin. Season well and roast alongside the potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes 40:00, turning once, until caramelised and tender.
• Cook the sprouts: Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook 300 grams Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, for 4 to 5 minutes 05:00 until just tender. Drain and toss with a knob of butter and a crack of black pepper.
• Make the Henderson’s Relish gravy: Melt 25 grams butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons plain flour and stir to form a paste, cooking for 6 minutes 06:00. Gradually whisk in 500 milliliters vegetable stock, a little at a time, until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon Henderson’s Relish for gravy and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Season to taste.
• Rest and serve: Leave the nut roast to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting out.
• Slice thickly and serve alongside the roast potatoes, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots, buttered sprouts and a generous pour of Henderson’s Relish gravy.

This vegetarian Christmas nut roast recipe proves that the best festive mains don’t need to involve meat — just good ingredients, a bit of prep and a gravy worth writing home about.

Make it yours this Christmas.

👉 Looking for more vegetarian Christmas ideas? See our mushroom chestnut stilton cranberry pies — another brilliant festive vegetarian main.