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Homemade Vegetarian Sausages

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Homemade Vegetarian Sausages, firm & crisp on the outside & packed full of flavour.

Healthy & low in fat – they make the tastiest ever Veggie Hotdogs, Breakfast Sausage or Bangers & Mash.

This Vegetarian sausage recipe is dairy free and can be made egg free too.

I’ve been working on a veggie sausage recipe for a while because my last attempt wasn’t quite up to the mark and the sausages fell apart when cooked on the BBQ. This year I was determined to perfect the recipe.

Hot Dog served with onions, mustard and tomato ketchup.

My homemade vegetarian sausages had their first taste test at our Sunday breakfast with a big thumbs up from our son, phew!

They held up in the frying pan and I was able to serve a sausage that didn’t break up whilst cooking or transferring to the plate.

Vegetarian sausages frying in a pan.

What Is Vegetarian Sausage Made Of ?

I don’t know about you but I’m not overly keen on all those unecessary added extras you get in shop bought vegetarian sausages.

Our Homemade Vegetarian Sausages are packed full of tasty natural ingredients which deliver on flavour.

Green lentils, walnuts, fresh breadcrumbs and, for an added unami rich flavour, dried mushrooms and tomato puree. All blended with seasonings to give the most delicious vegetarian sausage.

For seasonings I’ve used thyme, oregano and vegan Worcester sauce. But the recipe could easily take chilli, chipotle or, something we’re going to try later in the summer, basil and sun dried tomatoes.

Homemade Vegetarian Sausage served in a Hot Dog Roll with chips.

Recipe Variations

Chilli Veggie Sausage – Add a couple of teaspoons of chilli flakes or chipotle paste.

Italian Style Veggie Sausage – Replace thyme with freshly chopped basil and add sun dried tomatoes.

Indian Style – Replace Worcester sauce with 1 tablespoon of curry powder or curry paste.

Make It Allergy Friendly

This recipe is dairy free and can be made egg free or soy free too.

Shaped and ready to go.

How To Make The Best Homemade Vegetarian Sausage

Veggie sausages are easy to make and can be ready to cook in around 30 minutes or less. The recipe makes 12 large or 18 medium sausages so you can make ahead and keep in the fridge or freezer.

Dried mushrooms are soaked in hot water before being chopped.

Dried green lentils are cooked in the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and water.

Onions and garlic are fried gently until softened.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the mushrooms, cooked lentils, onion and garlic and mix together in a large mixing bowl.

Shape into sausages and wrap with food safe cling film, twisting the ends like a sweet wrapper or Christmas cracker. Alternatively, wrap with baking parchment and foil instead of cling film.

Chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Important note for Homemade Vegetarian Sausages:

Use food safe cling film. In the UK this is often labelled microwave safe.

Make It Vegan Or Egg Free

Replacing the eggs in the recipe to make Homemade Vegan Sausages is really easy to do.
Soak 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds in 6 tablespoons of water and leave for 15 minutes.

Make It Soy Free

Replace Vegan Worcester sauce with 2 teaspoons of yeast flakes.

Vegetarian sausages in the steamer.

How To Cook Homemade Vegetarian Sausage

Vegetarian sausages are cooked in two stages:

Steam for 20 minutes.

Pan fry in oil or cook on the BBQ or griddle for 10 minutes.

How To Serve Homemade Vegetarian Sausage

Serve as the star of your veggie breakfast or brunch with hash browns, mushrooms, eggs and beans or tomatoes.

With creamy mashed potatoes and onion gravy for the ultimate Bangers and Mash.

In a homemade bread roll with fried onions and your favourite toppings for the best Veggie Hot Dog.

How To Store Homemade Vegetarian Sausage

Keep in the fridge for up to four days.

How To Freeze

Open freeze in cling or baking parchment before transferring to a large freezer bag. Will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

Easy Bombay Potatoes

Sesame Tofu Kebabs

Chipotle Chilli Beans

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Homemade Vegetarian Sausages - firm & crisp on the outside & packed full of flavour. Healthy & low in fat - they make the tastiest ever Veggie Hotdogs, Bangers & Mash or Toad in the Hole.

Homemade Vegetarian Sausages

Homemade Vegetarian Sausages, firm & crisp on the outside & packed full of flavour. Healthy & low in fat – they make the tastiest ever Veggie Hotdogs, Breakfast Sausage or Bangers & Mash. This Vegetarian sausage recipe is dairy free and can be made egg free too.
4.84 from 74 votes
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Course: Breakfast, Healthy, Main
Cuisine: British
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 245kcal
Author: Sarah James

Equipment

  • Steamer
  • Cling film for shaping sausages or baking parchment and foil. Use food safe cling film. In the UK this is often labelled microwave safe.

Ingredients

  • 10 g dried mushrooms
  • 350 g dried green lentils
  • 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
  • 2 onions diced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped oregano
  • 250 g ground walnuts
  • 250 g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tsp vegan Worcester Sauce
  • 2 tsp celery salt
  • Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 eggs whisked

Instructions

  • Rehydrate mushrooms by soaking them in very hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Use the mushroom soaking liquid and water to cook the dried lentils for 25 minutes until soft. Drain and roughly mash the lentils.
  • Soften onions by gently frying in a pan.
  • Add crushed garlic to the softened onions and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Finely chop the rehydrated mushrooms.
  • In a large bowl, add the onion mixture, chopped mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients and mix together.
  • Divide into 18 portions and shape into sausages.
  • Wrap each sausage in a piece of cling film large enough to roll out each piece leaving enough for twisting at the ends like a cracker (see photo)
  • Steam for 20 minutes and leave to cool.
  • Place in the fridge for a couple of hours. Remove cling film before frying or cooking on the BBQ for 10 minutes.

Notes

  • MAKE IT VEGAN OR EGG FREE  – Soak 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds in 6 tablespoons of water and leave for 15 minutes.
  • MAKE IT SOY FREE – Replace Vegan Worcester sauce with 2 teaspoons of yeast flakes.
  • HOW TO STORE – Keep in the fridge for up to four days.
  • HOW TO FREEZE – Open freeze in cling or baking parchment before transferring to a large freezer bag. Will keep for up to three months in the freezer.
  • Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only. 
Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 376mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg

PIN FOR LATER

Homemade Vegetarian Sausages - firm & crisp on the outside & packed full of flavour. Healthy & low in fat - they make the tastiest ever Veggie Hotdogs, Bangers & Mash or Toad in the Hole.

 

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Recipe Rating




sally

Monday 6th of March 2023

lovely sausages! I have frozen some and am now wondering about cooking them. Can they be cooked directly from frozen or do I have to defrost them first please? Sally

Sarah James

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

Hi Sally, pleased to hear you like our veggie sausages. It's best to defrost the frozen sausages first before cooking, Sarah.

Makaela

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

Would something like this hold up to toad in a hole? Do the regular steam, sear, and then cook in a yorkshire pudding for 20 minutes? Or do you think it might fall apart

Sarah James

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

Hi Makaela, we love my vegetarian sausages in sausage rolls and toad in the hole. Go ahead exactly as you've outlined and I hope you enjoy your veggie toad in the hole, Sarah.

Bernard Tyson

Friday 3rd of February 2023

is this 245 kcal per sausage ?

Sarah James

Saturday 4th of February 2023

Hello Bernard, yes 245 Kcal per sausage. The nutritional values are calculated on the recipe making 18 large sausages. Hope this helps, Sarah.

alan

Friday 16th of December 2022

Is there a mistake in the recipe or the nutrition calculation? With 250g of walnuts, the fat content of which is 65%, I would not expect these sausages to be low fat (162/18 =9). I made the recipe a few times (no egg binder, used ground flax) and I have used the sausages as a base for vegetarian Jamaican Patties which were absolutely fantastic. Thanks for the recipe

Sarah James

Thursday 5th of January 2023

Hello Alan,

I'm pleased to hear you're enjoying the recipe and thanks for highlighting the nutritional calculation values. I've run the nutritional calculator again and the values now make more sense - the total fat content was okay for each sausage but the detailed breakdown was not as it should have been. Also, I'll edit the opening of the post to make it clearer that the sausages are lower in fat relative to standard pork sausages. Thanks again for you feedback, Sarah.

Elaine

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

Made these many times and always great with different flavours or leave out the walnuts and replace with extra breadcrumbs. I make each one about 65grams so we can have 2 each, freeze really well after steaming

Sarah James

Sunday 25th of September 2022

Hello Elaine, thanks for taking time to comment. It's good to hear you've made my veggie sausages a few times and tried the different flavours.