Enjoy vegan ham that's gluten-free and made with tofu for your next holiday or special occasion! Easy to make and so smoky, salty, and delicious!

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I really cannot express how excited I am about this gluten-free vegan ham recipe! After checking out a lot of the other meatless "ham" recipes around the internet, I realized that they were made almost entirely of gluten (specifically, vital wheat gluten) in the form of seitan.

That's definitely leaving out a big portion of people who might be at your dinner table (and mine), so I set out to make one that was not only free from animal products but also free from gluten.

What came out of my oven is nothing short of a meatless miracle. This vegan tofu ham is a little sweet, a little savory, with a crispy/chewy texture and a hint of smoke and salt that makes it the best ham replacement I've had.

two plates with gluten-free vegan ham along with sides

While this doesn't make a full vegan ham roast, it does make some beautiful slices with an incredible texture and surprising, complex flavor.

This recipe does have a long ingredients list and takes a little more time than a usual weeknight dinner, so I think it's ideal for holidays and special occasions where you want something extra special on the table. It's definitely easy to make, let me show you how!

Vegan ham ingredients

Tofu
Beet juice
Tamari
Olive oil
Ketchup
Dijon mustard
Liquid smoke
Maple syrup
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Smoked Paprika
Salt

Vegan ham glaze ingredients

Pineapple juice
Beet juice
Maple syrup
Vegan butter
Dijon mustard
Brown sugar
Liquid smoke
Salt & pepper

How to make vegan ham

Combine all ingredients for the vegan ham marinade in a shallow dish.
Add the tofu and use your hands to rub in the marinade and coat it on all sides. Let marinate at least 30 minutes, flipping once.
In a small bowl, stir together vegan ham glaze ingredients.
Arrange tofu on a single layer on a rimmed, parchment lined baking sheet (affiliate link). Top with half the glaze.
Bake the tofu at 375ºF for 22 minutes. Flip and top with the remaining glaze. Bake an additional 22 minutes or until firm and crisp on the edges.

Top tips and questions

What is liquid smoke?

Liquid smoke is a smoke flavoring made by condensing the smoke from wood. It gives food a smoky flavor without needing to do any actual smoking.

Liquid smoke can be found at the grocery store usually near the barbecue sauce and other condiments.

Where can I find beet juice?

I was able to find a small bottle of beet juice by the other juices in the natural section of the grocery store. You could always make your own beet juice if you have a juicer, or roast beets, run through a food processor, and strain to get the juice.

It's much easier to buy beet juice, and you can use leftovers in smoothies, cocktails, and mocktails.

image of vegan tofu ham on plate with side dishes on the side

What is tamari?

Tamari is a type of soy sauce that is usually gluten-free. You may want to check the label if you do not consume gluten. It can be found near the soy sauce in the Asian foods section of the grocery store.

How do I press tofu?

It's easy to press tofu without a press by placing the block between several layers of paper towels and putting something heavy on top like a cast iron skillet.

You can also purchase a tofu press fairly inexpensively. How to use your tofu press will depend on which one you buy, but the one you can see in my video places the block of tofu in the center and uses screws to press down.

I recommend pressing tofu on a rimmed plate to catch the water.

How should I cut tofu for baking into ham?

You can cut your tofu however you prefer, but may want to adjust the cooking time if you're cutting it thicker than I did. You can see in the video that I cut my first slab into a bit of a wedge, and the rest came apart in rough pieces.

My favorite parts were actually the more rugged edged pieces that got a little extra crispy in the oven. I would recommend trying to cut the tofu into pieces where some parts are thicker and some are thinner for the most interesting texture.

Ripping the whole block up by hand would probably be best texture-wise, but won't give you that slice of ham look if that's what you're going for.

image of vegan ham on plate along with sides on top of plate and blue striped towel underneath

Can I make vegan ham ahead of time?

This vegan ham recipe is really at it's best straight out of the oven. It still tastes great cold or reheated after being refrigerated, but will lose some of it's crispy texture.

If you're going to make this ahead of time, I would recommend not freezing it. To reheat from the refrigerator, bake at 375ºF until warmed through and lightly crisped.

Tips for customizing vegetarian ham

Place slices of vegan ham on sliders with cheese (or vegan cheese) for a meatless ham and cheese sandwich
Chop and add to eggs or potato dishes
If you want a less smoky ham, decrease the liquid smoke
If you want less sodium, decrease or eliminate the salt and/or choose a low sodium tamari or soy sauce
If you have whole beets on hand, you could juice them instead of purchasing beet juice, or roast them, run through a food processor, and strain