We are excited to share a new feature here on Vegan Disney Food – Make at Home Vegan Disney Recipes! Here we will feature some copy-cat recipes of your favorite vegan dishes from Disney Parks & Resorts. Our first Make-At-Home recipe is the vegan “Lobster” Roll at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and is shared with us by friend of VDF, Disney history nerd (like me), and travel agent extraordinaire, Daniel Wanderman!
Daniel is an Orlando local who has been vegan since 2019. He runs WanderDisney.com, a website devoted to uncovering Disney locations across the world. Follow his adventures on Instagram at @WanderDisney and check out his plant-based merchandise at WanderDisney.com/Shop
Since making its debut in October 2020, Rosie’s All-American Café’s Vegan Toasted “Lobster” Roll has become our new favorite plant-based quick service dish (sorry Felucian Garden Spread) and further justifies Disney’s Hollywood Studios title as the very best Disney park for vegan fare.
We love this item for a few reasons, namely because it’s not just another IMPOSSIBLE Burger filling up valuable vegan menu space (lookin’ at you Cosmic Rays). It’s unique, inventive, decently priced, made with minimally processed ingredients, and dang it – it tastes REALLY good! So much so that we decided to take a crack at making it at home and sharing it with the world.
Disney’s official description of the Vegan Lobster Roll describes it as: Marinated Hearts of Palm, Celery, Sweet Apples, and Creamy Old Bay Dressing served with House-made Crispy Potato Chips. We took a peek at the allergy binder for some insight into what’s actually in this item and were surprised with how simple it is: Hummus mixed with marinated hearts of palm and a few other whole ingredients are the secret behind this dish. Mind you, it may not taste exactly like lobster, but what we love about it is that it’s creamy, flavorful, and quite filling. Here’s our best attempt at the recipe. If you do try it at home, be sure to post your creation on social media and let us know how it tastes by tagging @WanderDisney and @VeganDisneyFood. Bon appetit!
Disney Vegan Lobster Roll Recipe
Time:
Approximately 30 minutes + overnight marinade. Makes about 4 rolls worth.
Ingredients:
Marinade – this is what is used to prepare the hearts of palm, give it a softer texture, and infuse a fresh and spiced citrus flavor.
-
14 oz can of hearts of palm (whole or “salad cut”) – Disney uses Roland brand but any brand will do.
-
¼ cup lemon juice (if using bottled, make sure it’s 100% lemon juice, not from concentrate)
-
1 Tablespoon “Old Bay” seasoning
-
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Hummus – Disney uses pre-made hummus from a Fort Lauderdale based company called Greek Island Spice. We’re gonna have some fun here and make our own. If you decide to purchase one off the shelf, make sure you have at least 1 ⅓ cups worth and that it’s “original” (AKA unflavored).
-
1 Tablespoon filtered water
-
2 Tablespoon tahini
-
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
-
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
-
2 large cloves garlic
-
2 Tablespoon olive oil
-
1 teaspoon sea salt
-
15 oz can of chickpeas
Dressing – the dressing includes all the fun bits that give this dish it’s unique flavor and texture profile
-
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped (about ¼ of a medium red onion)
-
¼ cup celery, finely chopped (about 1 large stalk)
-
½ cup apple, peeled and finely chopped (about ½ of an apple) – we use “red delicious” but any sweet variety works
-
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
-
⅓ cup vegan mayo (Disney uses “Follow Your Heart” brand “Original” Veganaise but any brand will work)
-
1 Tablespoon nori flakes (alternatively, you can try finely chopping nori sheets but that is not an easy task)
-
1 Tablespoon fresh dill (you can substitute this for 1 teaspoon of dehydrated dill if you’d like, but fresh is best)
-
1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded (about ¼ of a head)
Garnish
-
sliced scallion (as needed)
Bread
– Disney uses a French bread roll, but any favorite bread of yours works – we used store-bought hot dog rolls for ours. Bonus points if you make yours from scratch!
Side
– Disney serves this item with a side of house-seasoned salt and vinegar potato chips. Since we didn’t make these ourselves, we taste-tested a few brands and found the closest ones are Kettle brand sea salt & vinegar flavor.
Instructions:
1. Drain the hearts of palm from the can. If using whole parts, cut them down to about ¼ inch discs. Then slice in half crosswise until you have crescent moon shaped bits. If using “salad cut”, cut any larger pieces down until all parts are about uniform.
2. Prepare the marinade. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients except the hearts of palm into a small jar or container (a 2-cup Pyrex container is the perfect size). Mix well, then add the hearts of palm to the marinade and use a fork to gently push down until all of the hearts are covered by the liquid. Close the container and let sit in the fridge overnight or a minimum of 6 hours.
3. Prepare the hummus. If using store-bought hummus, skip to step 4. Add all hummus ingredients except the chickpeas to a food processor and pulse until they are well incorporated. Drain the liquid from the chickpeas (you can set this “aquafaba” aside to use in other recipes!) and start adding chickpeas to the food processor while it’s running, about ¼ cup at a time. Once all of the chickpeas are added, run the food processor for another 2 minutes or so continuously. Stop and scrape down the sides. Continue running the food processor for another 1 minute until your hummus is super smooth.
4. Remove the marinated hearts of palm from the fridge and drain the excess liquid (you can set the liquid aside to use in other recipes, ex: we roasted potatoes in it). Add the marinated hearts to a large mixing bowl along with the hummus and all dressing ingredients. Mix well until the mixture is well incorporated.
5. Toast your buns and scoop the “lobster” mixture into the rolls to fill. Garnish with a sprinkle of scallion.
6. Serve with salt and vinegar potato chips on the side.
7. Enjoy your while watching the latest Up the Waterfall podcast! (Aw, thanks for that plug, Daniel!)
Thank you, Daniel for doing the work so we can reap the rewards at home! Let us know if you try this Disney Vegan Lobster Roll recipe at home and what you think! Did you make any changes? Have you tried other Disney recipes at home? We’d love to hear!
You can also check out our previous make-at-home Vegan Disney recipe for the Grilled Street Corn currently available at the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival.
Stay tuned for more Disney Make-At-Home Vegan recipes in the future! – If you have any requests, let us know those too!
*Disclosure: this post uses some affiliate links, if you purchase items at amazon using those links, Daniel will get a small commission on those purchases.
