The Best Vegan Sausage Recipe
A vegan sausage recipe made with flavorful, plant-based ingredients. These vegan sausages work well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Gluten-free.
💚 Why You Need This Recipe
- It’s tasty, filling and satisfying.
- This is a relatively easy recipe, well worth the effort.
- These vegan sausages are absolutely delicious and packed with flavor.
- This vegan sausage recipe is suitable as a vegan breakfast sausage, lunch or dinnertime sausage.
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free.
🥣 What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
1. Skillet
A cast iron skillet or good quality non-stick skillet will work best with this recipe.
2. Mixing Bowl
I like to use a sturdy stainless steel mixing bowl.
3. Baking Sheet
If you have a baking sheet that food items never tend to stick to, you can use that without parchment paper, otherwise any basic baking sheet lined with parchment paper will work well.
🥫 Ingredients and Substitutes
Oil: Because you will be pan-frying, I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point such as avocado oil or grape-seed oil. However, any oil you have on hand will get the job done.
Onion, garlic: A common flavor base for many savory recipes, I do not recommend omitting or substituting here.
Sage, thyme: Fresh herbs make the sausage more flavorful in my opinion, but if you only have dried herbs on hand, use them. To use dried herbs instead, simply use 1 teaspoon dried sage and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.
Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper work together to add additional savory flavor to this vegan sausage recipe. Once you get this base recipe down pat, feel free to experiment with other spices. I’ve also used paprika, oregano, cumin and fennel seeds with success in this recipe.
Lemon juice: A bit of acid greatly enhances the flavor of this vegan sausage. If you do not have lemon juice on hand, regular white or apple cider vinegar will get the job done.
Butter beans: Butter beans are the main ingredient and what adds the bulk of the meaty texture in the sausages as well as some hearty protein. They work best and this recipe was largely created around the use of butter beans, as they have a rather neutral taste and a delightful soft, butteriness. If you do not have butter beans on hand, you can experiment with other cooked lentils and beans, though I have not tested it. I suspect it will work, but the flavor and texture will be slightly different. If you try it, I would love to hear in the comments!
Oat flour: Oat flour really has a lovely texture, flavor and nutritional profile. It helps add bulk to this gluten free vegan sausage. Having said that, if you do not have oat flour, feel free to swap for a flour you prefer.
🔪 How-to Make Vegan Sausages – Step By Step Process Photos
🍽️ Serving Ideas
- Serve as a breakfast component alongside other breakfast items like hash browns, fresh fruit, eggs (or vegan eggs), toast or waffles.
- Serve as a snack or appetizer alongside a favorite dipping sauce. They make a fun finger food!
- Use in a breakfast burrito or lunch wrap alongside some veggies and a favorite condiment.
- Slice and serve in salads, or rice and quinoa dishes.
- These are great served lunch-style with some pickled cabbage or sauerkraut.
- Top with vegan gravy.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Compared to store-bought conventional sausage, yes. Homemade vegan sausage contains much less saturated fat and more nutrient-dense ingredients.
This sausage can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can reheat it in a skillet over medium heat until warm throughout, or in a 400F oven until warm, about ten minutes.
🥙 More Vegan Meat Alternative Recipes You Might Like
Vegan Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons oil of choice divided, I like to use avocado oil
- 1 onion, yellow or white chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 14-ounce package of cooked butter beans 400 grams
- 1 ¼ cup oat flour certified gluten-free if necessary + more for dusting
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil, onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until all has softened.
- Add the sage and thyme and saute for 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
- Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter beans, then mash with a fork until mostly smooth.
- Add the oat flour to the butter bean mash then mix well. Stir in the cooked onion/herb mixture until smoothly combined.
- Pour a thin layer of oat flour onto a large plate or shallow bowl.
- Using wet hands, take a handful of sausage batter and shape into a small sausage shaped log, about 4 inches in size. Roll the sausage in the flour, then set aside. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the flour coated sausages and pan-fry for 4 minutes, turning halfway, until the sausage start to firm and turn golden in color.
- Place the sausages on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden on the outside.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make these vegan sausages! They tasted great and had a super meaty texture!
Yum! This was a really tasty recipe and perfect for a plant-based option to pork sausage.
Love this recipe. Thank you for sharing. I have been looking for a good vegan sausage recipe and this one hits the spot.
Your vegan sausage look awesome. I’m half a vegan and anything that keeps me from meat I appreciate! thank you for sharing!
These vegan sausages sound marvelous. I love all the fresh herbs used and that they are quite easy to make.
These were so good! I would have never thought to sub butter beans for pork.
Hi K,
Is it possible to use an air fryer for the last step? If so, please provide settings and time for cooking
thx!
Dr J
Hi! I haven’t used an air fryer with this particular recipe, but I do think it would work just fine. I would start with 380F for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through and checking it from there. I hope this helps!
I will give it a try!
Thx so much 😊
I used these vegan sausages in a “breakfast scramble” and it gave it such a great flavor!
My husband was skeptical as I put this recipe together. He’s now a believer! Not a morsel left! Thanks so much for sharing.
These are just what I was looking for when I was meal prepping for the week! They are terrific, and were easier to make than I thought they’d be!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing vegan sausage recipe! So flavorful! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
I make these in a large batch and freeze them so that I always have a quick supper on hand! So quick and easy!
So happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing. 🙂