Mini chestnut nut roasts with sage gravy

Name: Mini chestnut nut roasts
Prep time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings

A delicious and decorative chestnut nut roast that makes a wonderful vegetarian or vegan Christmas lunch.

Five small bundt chestnut nut roasts garnished with rosemary and berries

By Saga Magazine | Published - 8 Dec 2025

It isn’t a vegetarian Christmas dinner without a nut roast, but this one is extra-special. The individual roasts are cooked in decorative mini bundt pans to make each one a showstopper. The chestnuts and mixed nuts bring wonderful flavor and texture, working perfectly alongside the fresh herbs.

The chestnut roasts are quick and easy to prepare and you can have them cooking in the oven while the sage gravy bubbles on the stove.

Prep time

45 mins

Serves

Ingredients

For the chestnut bundts

3 tbsp butter or dairy-free alternative
2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
300g cooked peeled chestnuts (store-bought vacuum-packed is easiest)
150g mixed nuts
200g breadcrumbs
500ml vegetable stock
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper

For the sage gravy

2 tbsp oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
3 tsp plain flour
500ml vegetable or mushroom stock
Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 6-cup mini bundt tray well with cooking oil spray (or grease a baking dish).
Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Place the chestnuts and nuts into a food processor and blitz until fine and crumbly. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the onions, breadcrumbs, stock, soy sauce, herbs and salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Press the mixture into the mini bundt pans, ensuring that it gets into all the ridges. Bake for 35-45 minutes (depending on the size of your pans) or until golden on top and cooked through. Allow to cool in the pan completely. Place a large plate or chopping board over the bundt tray and carefully invert to turn out the loaves. Serve warmed up with the gravy poured on top.
*Alternatively, to cook without mini bundt pans, spread the mixture into a large baking dish and cook for 35-45 minutes.

For the sage gravy

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium/low heat, then add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
Pour in the stock, add the salt and pepper, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened and reduced.
Place a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the gravy through it, pressing down to extract as much gravy and flavours as possible.

Notes

You can make these roasts a day or two ahead to save time on Christmas day, as you’ll only need to reheat them.

Created by Veggie Desserts for Leisure Cooker

By Kate Hackworthy, Veggie Desserts

Three mini Christmas cake muffins topped with glace cherries and pecan nuts in a square basket lined with gold star paper

Mini Christmas cake muffins with rum

Honey-roast parsnips

Mary Berry’s simmered red cabbage

Christmas pudding with Guinness and brandy butter

A delicious Christmas pudding recipe combining Guinness, rum and brandy to bring extra festive cheer to the table.

Marcus Wareing's turkey gravy recipe

TV chef Marcus Wareing shares his favourite recipe for Christmas gravy.

Savoury choux bun canapés with watercress and cream cheese filling

Cheesy watercress puff pastry stars

Savoury pastries with a peppery cream cheese and watercress topping make a perfect party canapé.

Roast hasselback potatoes

The ridges cut into these roast hasselback potatoes create a particularly crunchy, roasted outer layer, perfect for a showstopping Christmas dinner.

Fig on a plate garnished with rocket, walnuts and orange pieces

Festive figs with feta

This simple Christmas starter is easy to prepare and looks very impressive.

Mary Berry’s orange-glazed ham with mango and orange salsa

Mary Berry shares her beautifully simple recipe for a Christmas centrepiece.

A gingerbread house decorated with piped icing

Paul Hollywood’s gingerbread house

Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood shares his recipe for a stunning Christmas gingerbread house, ideal for baking with grandchildren.

Best-ever Yorkshire puddings | Shutterstock

Best-ever Yorkshire pudding recipe

Crisp and golden, a Yorkshire pudding is essential for a great Sunday roast. Try our super-easy recipe.

Two glasses of Negroni with fresh orange slices on the side

Shake it up: Stanley Tucci’s Christmas cocktails

Actor Stanley Tucci shares his take on 3 classic cocktails to celebrate the Christmas festivities.

Top-down view of salmon blinis with garnish

Hot smoked salmon blinis

Hot and spicy little blinis with horseradish cream and flaked smoked salmon.

A close-up of a glass of eggnog with a stick of cinnamon and a dusting of nutmeg

Make your own eggnog

Jonathan Goodall shares his recipe for eggnog, the traditional Christmas drink that’s a velvety mixture of egg, milk, cream and brandy.

Three baked Camembert cheeses next to three vegetable skewers on a plate

Baked Camemberts with roasted vegetable skewers

A festive vegetarian starter of baked Camembert with seasonal vegetables skewered on rosemary stalks.

Sausages wrapped in bacon with a sprig of rosemary garnishing each

Pigs in blankets

An easy recipe for Pigs in Blankets the traditional party snack or Christmas dinner side dish, of sausage wrapped in ham.

Roast potatoes, parsnips and shallots

This recipe is quick to prepare but is delicious - a perfect way to liven up the roast potatoes in your Christmas dinner.

Figgy pudding

Try this recipe from Mary Norwak for a traditional figgy pudding that dates back to 16th century England.

Honey-roast parsnips

A delicious and easy recipe that’s perfect for a fantastic Christmas dinner or Sunday lunch.

Honey-glazed Brussels sprouts with beetroot, blue cheese and walnuts

Jazz up your Christmas Brussels sprouts with this festive recipe.

Hot buttered rum

Try this classic cocktail that dates back to the 17th century – it’s perfect for cold winter nights.

Mini chestnut nut roasts with sage gravy

A delicious and decorative chestnut nut roast that makes a wonderful vegetarian or vegan Christmas lunch.

Pepparkakor – Scandinavian spiced Christmas biscuits

Traditional Swedish festive biscuits flavoured with cinnamon and ginger, these make ideal edible gifts.

White dish filled with pork chestnut stuffing topped with a sprig of rosemary

Pork and chestnut stuffing

A delicious Christmas stuffing recipe with chestnuts, pork, lemon and spinach that is ideal for Christmas dinner.

A plate of smoked salmon, dressed with watercress and radishes, on a black worktop

Smoked salmon sharing platter

This smoked salmon sharing platter with watercress and avocado takes minutes to prepare and is a great buffet dish.

Spiced Christmas tea buns

Hide the Christmas ‘to do’ list and take a moment to enjoy these spiced buns topped with butter.

Mini chestnut nut roasts with sage gravy

Ingredients

For the chestnut bundts

For the sage gravy

Method

For the sage gravy

Notes

Related articles