Let’s say you have a favorite dish that asks for sausage but are a vegetarian or don’t have any on hand.
You might then be left thinking you could employ vegetarian substitutes for sausage.
Is it necessary to use the vegetarian sausage package you get from the shop, or is it possible to use something you already have in your refrigerator?
What is the best way to use a decent alternative, if one exists?
If you continue reading, you will discover the answers to all those queries and more here in our post.
This will enable you to prepare your go-to sausage recipe without using real sausage. Let’s go on our list of vegetarian substitutes for sausage
1. Seitan
You’ve undoubtedly heard about seitan if you’ve done any research on vegetarianism.
It is one of the popular plant-based vegetarian substitutes for sausage derived from gluten from essential wheat.
As with vegetarian sausages, you can get it from a supermarket or prepare it yourself.
To make seitan, the starch in wheat flour is taken out. The resultant bulk can be used to make different types of meat for different recipes.
Since gluten gives sausages their meaty mouthfeel and texture, seitan is a great option.
Add your preferred seasoning combination to get the familiar flavor, and you’re set to go.
Seitan is a popular choice because of its low carbohydrate and protein content. That might not be an option if you have any gluten-related conditions.
Since seitan, with the correct seasoning, can replace nearly any animal product, I adore it. You could even use it to make chicken liver substitutes!
2. Tofu
Tofu is also one of the incredibly vegetarian substitutes for sausage.
It has taken the place of meat and other animal-based proteins, and it makes a great vegetarian banger alternative.
The banger is all about the seasoning. Tofu is renowned for its ability to absorb the flavors of other foods it cooks with and for having a taste of its own.
Using the appropriate seasonings, you’ll get all the flavor and protein without fat.
When using tofu, the simplest sausage to create is crumbled, but many more recipes call for vegetarian sausages of all kinds.
3. Chickpea
Another essential component in vegetarian cooking is chickpeas.
They absorb the flavor of the food you’re preparing, just like tofu, making them an ideal vegan sausage option.
Remember that chickpeas won’t form into a sausage; instead, use a crumbled sausage.
4. Sainsbury’s Soy Chorizo
One of Trader Joe’s top plant-based options is their soy chorizo.
The soy-based, pre-seasoned plant-based chorizo is one of the tasty vegetarian substitutes for sausage.
This chorizo’s soy base offers 8 grams of plant-based protein in ⅓ cups. Plus, a 12-ounce pack is just $2.49!
This vegan chorizo has two main drawbacks. Its foundation is textured vegetable protein, which causes it to crumble rather than adhere to one another like a chain.
Because the protein in this sausage can’t hold together like that of an Italian sausage, it can’t be utilized in recipes that call for a hard sausage.
But in dishes like Migas breakfast tacos, which blend the flavors of Hatch green chiles, bacon, eggs, and Monterey Jack cheese to create a light, Southwestern-inspired breakfast dish, the crumbles can be used instead of chorizo.
To make these vegetarian substitutes for sausage, replace the heavy cream with plant-based milk and the eggs with tofu scramble.
5. Roasted Field Garlic and Fennel
Field Roast products are some of the best-rated plant-based meats in the vegan community.
The Italian Garlic and fennel ingredients include sweet peppers, onions, and eggplant.
The main ingredient in this banger is wheat gluten, also known as seitan, a high-protein plant-based protein. There are 25 grams of plant-based protein in one banger.
The Field Roast brand of plant-based sausages cooks into a single sausage, unlike other plant-based sausages available.
You can cook it like regular sausage by grilling, baking, or searing it. Take off the plastic covering and cook according to your preference.
Don’t forget that this sausage doesn’t require as much cooking time as traditional “meat” sausages.
On your next big Sunday night supper with friends and family, prepare these vegetarian substitutes for sausage dishes with homemade lasagna noodles and pesto ricotta.
6. Impossible Food Banger Patties
The first Impossible Foods banger patties were sold in Starbucks nationwide.
The patties are offered in stores on a ciabatta sandwich with eggs and cheddar cheese. They are available in spicy and ordinary forms.
Now, customers can pick up frozen packages of Impossible sausage patties from their neighborhood grocery store and avoid the lineup at their neighborhood Starbucks.
These patties are pre-seasoned with onion and garlic and have 45% less fat than banger patties from animal protein.
Although not exceptional, the texture and structure of these vegetarian substitutes for sausage are sufficient.
Furthermore, it is challenging to compare the tastes of this sausage to those of other plant-based sausage brands because they are exclusively breakfast-focused.
A breakfast sandwich with sriracha butter or TikTok’s tortilla egg sandwich, which consists of eggs, cheese, sausage, and avocado slices, goes nicely with the saltiness of the sausage.
These vegetarian substitutes for sausage go well as an accompaniment to pancakes, along with maple syrup.
7. Textured Vegetable Protein
TVP, or textured vegetable protein, is a soy-based, gluten-free protein formerly employed as a meat extender in processed meals.
The soybean’s protein, fiber, and “curd” are extracted and dried throughout manufacturing.
The result looks like crumbled beef that can be quickly rehydrated in water and seasoned to fit the recipe’s needs.
To allow the flavors to marinate before the mixture is baked in the oven,
The Herbivore suggests using TVP for banger crumbles and combining the spices with the mixture before adding water.
They recommend additional options, such as a Cajun spice sausage flavor, but their TVP sausage crumble recipe calls for onion powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning.
Additionally, these vegetarian substitutes for sausage can be shaped into banger patties using flax meal and flavored with sage, fennel, nutritional yeast, and liquid smoke.
You have the option of air-frying, baking, or frying the patties!
8. Beyond Meat to Pasta Sausage
Beyond Meat is one of the more forward-thinking vegetarian substitutes for sausage companies, whose sweet Italian, original, and hot Italian sausage variants are available in most grocery stores’ frozen or refrigerated sections.
In contrast to many other meat substitute manufacturers, Beyond Meat doesn’t use soy, gluten, or genetically modified (GM) ingredients in any of its products.
This implies that people with Celiac disease or allergies to gluten or soy can enjoy Beyond Meat products.
As an alternative, pea protein is used to make these brats, which might not be ideal for customers who have allergies to peanuts or other legumes.
A single brat supplies about 16 grams of plant-based protein and 22% of the daily recommended salt intake. You can use a skillet or griddle to fry the brats.
Try using pepper-and-onion relish instead of kielbasa in a sandwich for a novel spin on these bratwursts.
Heat the brats on a grill until cooked through, around 160 degrees on the inside. Then, add the brats to the buns with relish and enjoy!
9. Tofurky Original Plant-Based Sausage
According to an article in The New Yorker, Tofurky was the idea of 1970s hippie Seth Tibbott, who had tried to sell tempeh to a meat-and-potatoes America.
Forbes estimates that Tofurky’s net sales are around $50 million.
Tofurky sells plant-based deli slices, ‘hot dogs‘, and Italian sausage, but its Thanksgiving roast, a tofu-seitan hybrid stuffed with wild rice and breadcrumb stuffing, really brought the company’s wealth.
The Italian sausage is made of tofu and wheat gluten, just like Tofurky’s roasts.
Nevertheless, this sausage lacks flavor and is chewier than Field Roast’s Italian plant-based sausage.
The ideal recipe for the Tofurky sausage would be one in which it is fully submerged in flavors and textures that stand alone.
For instance, the texture and flavor of a Crock Pot soup recipe would not change if Tofurky links were used instead of pork sausage.
10. Breakfast Sausage Patties by Gardein
Gardein produces a variety of meat substitutes, such as pig, chicken, and burgers; breakfast sausage patties are just one of the options available to customers.
These vegetarian substitutes for sausage are available in the frozen section of some well-known supermarkets, such as Safeway and Walmart.
Garlic, onion, and barley malt powders flavor each soy protein and wheat gluten banger patty.
Each patty has six grams of protein and 13% of the daily recommended amount of salt.
Because of the size of each patty, Gardein sausages are better served as an appetizer at breakfast than a full meal.
Try creating a portable version of these vegetarian substitutes for sausage by inverting Mason jar lids, adding pancake batter, and swishing in maple syrup to create a sausage McGriddle-esque dish.
Pancakes should be cooked till brown, then flipped, and the lid removed.
To assemble, start with a pancake base, top with sausage and egg (use JustEgg Folded for a vegan option), then cover with another pancake.
11. Plant-Based, Meatless Farm Breakfast
A British startup called Meatless Farm makes vegetarian substitutes for sausage with genuine textures.
The company makes breakfast links and “pork” patties, but the breakfast links are a far more memorable option.
The strong pea-protein foundation of these links keeps them cohesive when fried in a skillet.
Like breakfast sausages made with meat, these links must be cooked straight from frozen to avoid bacterial growth and subsequent foodborne disease.
As found on Food Network, sausage pancakes on sticks are one delicious dish made with these sausages.
This twist on corn dogs needs a big pot of canola oil, a couple of pairs of chopsticks, and a voracious appetite.
You may make it at home by dipping a chopstick about ⅔ of the way into a cooked breakfast sausage, frying it until golden brown, and dipping it in pancake batter (Bisquick batter is vegan because it doesn’t include eggs).
Serve with a bowl of warm maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar, please!
Conclusion
It’s easy to develop convincing vegetarian substitutes for sausage because of their forgiving texture.
Our options are meaty, healthful, and flavorful—just what a vegetarian sausage should be, whether you decide to run to the store or make it yourself. Enjoy!!
