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Imagine waking up on Sunday morning to the aroma of smoky, savory breakfast sausages, knowing they're entirely plant-based and ready to transform your day. Don't pinch yourself, you're not dreaming - it's totally possible, and I'm here to guide you through crafting the perfect smoked Vegan Breakfast Sausages. This recipe is about to set a new standard for your breakfast game.
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
Nahhh. This isn't going to be great made gluten-free. sahwwwy.
The 20 minute smoking step is optional, so skip it and just roast them. There's already liquid smoke in the mix doing that work.
Ground seitan you make yourself costs a fraction of what a package of vegan beef crumbles does, and this batch only needs 1 cup of it.
Roast them at 350°F for 12-15 minutes instead of pan frying in vegan butter, and you barely use any added fat.
No taucu or doenjang in your kitchen? Regular miso works, or a splash of tamari in a pinch, and cayenne stands in for the chipotle powder.
Make sure the ideal texture for your vegan sausages by balancing moisture after blending. If the mix is overly sticky, add a sprinkle of flour or oats.
Flatten your sausages to the same thickness for even cooking, avoiding any undercooked centers or overly crisp edges.
When smoking, a bit of smoke is all you need. Keep your kitchen clear and alarms silent by ventilating well and using a tight-lid Dutch oven.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
It's been a long time coming. I share many breakfast recipes, like my blue corn pancakes, vegan banana pancakes, vegan apple cider donuts, and Filipino taho. What do they all have in common? Obv. It was time to start sharing some of the non-sweet vegan breakfast recipes with you that made our food truck sorta famous as a brunch spot.
Now, you might be thinking, "Oh golly dear mommy, I've never made any vegan meats before, I am afraid and feel so alone in the endless dark emptiness of space." Don't sweat it. Mommy Adam is here for you with a recipe that breaks it down into easy, follow-along steps that ensure success from the get-go. Get ready for delicious, smoky sausages that are perfect for your next breakfast or brunch. Let's get into it!
The flavor was spot on for me, and smoking it with applewood chips in the Dutch oven is brilliant. I will add a little water next time for a less dry consistency. I also used old fashioned oats. But still this sausage was perfect in my vegan breakfast sandwich. I also used some "beef" crumbles I had previously frozen and decided to use up, but next time I want to try it with the seitan. I will be making these a lot.
Jump to:
- Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
- 🥰 Why this is the best vegan breakfast sausage recipe
- 🌶️ Ingredients and substitutions
- 🤯Variations
- 📖 How to make vegan breakfast sausage patties
- 💡Serving Suggestions
- 👉Top tips
- 🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
- ✌️My faves to serve with these smoked vegan sausages:
- Applewood Smoked Vegan Breakfast Sausage Recipe
🥰 Why this is the best vegan breakfast sausage recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Made without harming a single adorable creature.
🥞 Brunch potluck? This is a great recipe to use to turn people onto vegan food. And, of course, it's the perfect addition to breakfast sandwiches with vegan cheese, and scrambled tofu!
🌿 Flavor Packed: The combination of fennel seeds, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika doesn't just mimic the taste of traditional breakfast sausages; it brings a whole new level of depth and warmth that's hard to find elsewhere. Unlike what Field Roast and most other vegan breakfast sausage brands kick out, these are natural, and not made from like a melted airplane or whatever!
🔥 Smoky Perfection: My recipe gives instructions for easy home smoking, and all you need is applewood chips and a Dutch oven. The perfectly subtle smokiness elevates these veggie sausages from good to "can't-stop-eating" great.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, you have got yourself a battle-tested champion of breakfasts. It's been perfected with feedback from a global team of several hundred recipe testers, ensuring it's foolproof, delicious, and replicable anywhere in the world.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🌶️ Ingredients and substitutions
Ground Seitan or Vegan Beef Crumbles
I always make these using my easy seitan recipe made with vital wheat gluten and white beans. This freezes well, so I always have it on hand. Otherwise, the recipe works great with premade vegan beef crumbles that are available in grocery stores, such as Beyond Beef or Impossible Beef which is what I use sometimes to make vegan bolognese sauce for my kids. In a pinch, you can also use textured vegetable protein that has been rehydrated in a flavorful broth.
Oats
Oats are not just in the recipe as a binder. They help to improve the meatiness of the sausages while making them more nutritionally diverse. You can use either whole rolled oats or quick oats interchangeably in this recipe. The goal in this recipe isn't to completely grind them up to oat flour but to keep little broken bits of oat throughout the mixture for texture.
Fennel Seeds
Fennel seeds are the secret to that authentic sausage flavor, which is why you will also see them featured in my vegan pepperoni, and vegan Italian sausage recipes. If fennel seeds are hard to come by, a small amount of anise (the little tiny seeds you would use to make picarones, not the star anise you would use in rice dishes like nasi uduk and nasi minyak) can provide a similar flavor profile.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
For a hint of heat and a pop of color, crushed red pepper flakes deliver. As a more convenient alternative to dried pepperoncini they are kinda my go-to heat source in vegan Italian recipes like my escarole and white bean soup, and vegan meatballs. Adjust the amount to your preference, or leave them out if you hate spicy stuff.
Smoked Paprika
My wife Joey gave me divorce papers because she wanted to marry this spice instead! It provides a deep, smoky flavor, not-too-spicy flavor that steps up the overall aroma and taste of the sausages. Good quality smoked paprika is made from peppers smoked and dried over oak fires, then ground into a fine powder. If you have some leftover from making this, I recommend making my vegan shawarma, Turkish stuffed cabbage or vegan elotes next. Of course, I use it in a ton of stuff to keep my wife from leaving me…
Chipotle Powder
Made from ground-up dehydrated burritos from Chipotle… Ok just kidding, this spice adds a bite that's even more smokey, spicy and nuanced than paprika. If it's too spicy for your taste, reduce the amount or substitute with more Kashmiri red chili powder (the siren song of vegan tikka masala and seitan butter chicken) for its glorious red color and flavor without a ton of heat. You can also substitute cayenne pepper powder if you just want the heat with none of chipotle's earthy smokiness, but like, no offense, but what's wrong with ya?
Miso Paste or Taucu
I know what you are thinking. "Miso? In a sausage?!?" But lemme tell you, using either miso, doenjang, or taucu (used in Malaysian and Indonesian dishes like mee rebus), creates saltiness + flavor which = a better, more tasty sausage! A small amount of tamari or soy sauce can work as a substitute in a pinch.
Tomato Paste
Tomato paste adds depth, color, and a slight acidity to balance the richness of the sausages. It's concentrated and packed with flavor, enhancing the overall taste profile of the dish. An alternative is Turkish pepper paste (tatli biber salcasi) that makes dishes like Kisir, Cig Kofte, and Mercimek Kofte so, um, Turkish!
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Kimchi Sausage Burgers
You heard that right. This sausage mixture doesn't need much to be turned into some outrageous Korean-inspired vegan burgers. Add ⅓ cup of minced vegan kimchi into the sausage mix, and form them into 4 burger patties instead of small sausages. Still, go ahead and smoke them too. Then pop em on some grilled vegan brioche and top them with Korean Oi Muchim, and serve it alongside a steaming hot cup of vegan Sundubu Jigae.
Thai Sausage
After smoking the seitan sausages, marinate them in either nam prik pao or nam Jim jaew overnight in the fridge. Then slice the marinated sausages and use them in noodle dishes like vegan pad see ew, pad woon sen, or vegan drunken noodles, or add them to your tom yum fried rice.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make vegan breakfast sausage patties
Nail these smoked vegetarian sausages perfectly the first time you mess with them by following these step-by-step instructions with helpful tips. Or you can follow along with the easy-to-print recipe card towards the bottom of this page.
Step One
Prep for Smoke With Fire Marshal Bill
Soak the applewood chips in water for a half-hour to an hour if you're planning on giving the sausages a smoky bath. If you are just gonna use liquid smoke, don't worry about this step.
Step Two
Grind It Up
Toss ground seitan (or vegan beef crumbles), oats, flour, and all your spices - fennel, red pepper, garlic, paprika, chipotle, plus nutritional yeast, miso, tomato paste, olive oil, and liquid smoke (skip this if you're using actual smoke) - into a food processor. Blitz until it's nicely mixed into a rough and shaggy dough.
Step Three
Shape and Form
Form the sausages into little 2-tablespoon rounds. For sandwich-ready sizes, go slightly bigger to ensure a snug fit on your English muffin. Dampen your hands to smooth out the patties.
Step Four
Just Get 'Em Firm Enough
Lay the shaped patties on a baking pan lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Pop them in the oven and roast at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes, until they're just firm enough to survive smoking without drying out. Of course, it might be your personal preference to stop here, and that's ok, I still love ya!
Step Five
Smoke Signals
After soaking, drain those wood chips and dial your oven back to 225°F (105°C) for the smoking stage.
Step Six
Chip Heat
Get a dry Dutch oven hot over medium heat, toss in the wood chips, and wait for the smoke to start rising. Then, lower a wire rack or steamer basket into the pot, above the chips, and arrange the patties on top. Seal it with a lid to keep the smoke in.
Step Seven
Smoky Session
Transfer your Dutch oven to the oven and let the sausages absorb the smoky goodness for 25 minutes. Once they've had their fill of smoke, take them out and let them cool off a bit before serving.
💡Serving Suggestions
You can slide these sausages in quite happily under the tofu of vegan eggs Benedict, drizzled in straight-up drinkable vegan hollandaise sauce. Enjoy a smoked veggie sausage with tofu scramble, with some vegan cheese sauce on a grilled English muffin, why don'tcha?
Or crumble them into the filling of a vegan omelette, vegan quiche, or vegan frittata.
These smoked vegan sausages are also amazing crumbled up and added to my classic vegan stuffing, or vegan cornbread stuffing for your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.
They are an obvious addition to any breakfast platter with vegan pancakes, a snow shovel-full of vegan french toast casserole, a thick slab of Hong Kong french toast, or crumbled onto a bagel spread thick with vegan cream cheese and carrot lox.
👉Top tips
- Get the Texture Right: The key to perfect vegan sausages lies in the texture. After blending your ingredients, the mixture should be sticky but not too wet. If it feels too sticky, add more flour or oats to dry it out.
- Even Cooking: To ensure your sausages cook evenly, flatten them to the same thickness. This uniformity helps to achieve a consistent texture throughout, without any raw middles or overly crispy edges.
- Smoke Wisely: If you opt for smoking, remember that a little goes a long way. To avoid smoking out your kitchen and triggering alarms, ensure good ventilation by opening windows and/or using an exhaust fan. Don't freak out. It's a good thing you have a good Dutch oven with a heavy lid! There really shouldn't be too much smoke leaking out to cause an issue.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. For longer storage, freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
100% breakfast is stupid without MUFFINS! Don't sleep on these vegan banana walnut muffins, or this vegan blueberry muffin recipe.
They pair beautifully with a variety of breakfast favorites, such as scrambled tofu, or wrapped in a vegan breakfast burrito. They go great alongside sweet breakfasts like peanut and chocolate stuffed martabak manis, or Malaysian Kuih Dadar.
For sure! Form them into patties and cook over medium heat in a skillet with a few tablespoons of vegan butter for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and heated through.
✌️My faves to serve with these smoked vegan sausages:
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Applewood Smoked Vegan Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
For optional smoking:
- 1 ½ cups apple wood chips
Sausage Ingredients:
- 1 cup ground seitan or vegan beef crumbles
- ⅓ cup oats rolled oats or quick oats
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon miso paste or taucu
- 4 teaspoons tomato paste
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- If smoking the sausages, soak the applewood chips in water for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- In a food processor bowl, combine ground seitan or vegan beef crumbles with oats, all-purpose flour, crushed fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, nutritional yeast, miso paste, tomato paste, olive oil, and liquid smoke (if not smoking with wood chips).
- Mix the ingredients until well combined and a shaggy, somewhat coarse dough forms.
- Divide the dough into 2 tablespoon portions and shape them into small breakfast sausage patties. If you are making breakfast sandwiches with these, you can make slightly larger portions so that they fit nicely on an English muffin. Using wet hands, form the portions into smooth round patties.
- Place the portioned sausage patties onto a lightly oiled, parchment paper-lined baking pan and roast for 12-15 minutes at 350°F (175°C) until well bound and just very slightly firm to the touch.
- If smoking the sausages, drain the wood chips and set your oven to 225°F (105°C).
- Warm the wood chips over medium heat in a dry Dutch oven until smoking. Then place a small wire rack or steamer basket into the Dutch oven above the smoking wood chips. Place the sausage patties onto the wire rack and place a lid on the Dutch oven.
- Place the Dutch oven into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Once smoked to your liking, remove the sausages from the smoker or Dutch oven and let them cool slightly before serving.
Video
Notes
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Marjorie Knorr says
The flavor was spot on for me, and smoking it with applewood chips in the Dutch oven is brilliant. I will add a little water next time for a less dry consistency. I also used old fashioned oats. But still this sausage was perfect in my vegan breakfast sandwich. I also used some “beef” crumbles I had previously frozen and decided to use up, but next time I want to try it with the seitan. I will be making these a lot.
Adrienne says
The flavor of these were bomb! Mine were super dry so I’m not sure where I went wrong. I will definitely make them again and add more moisture because I see the potential!!
Adam Sobel says
Not sure what happened, but glad you liked the flavor. What kind of oats didja use?
Adrienne says
Old fashion oats. I’m making them again today and yes I ate the first batch that was dry. Flavor was still great.
Adrienne says
Second time is a winner. I added a little water and extra liquid smoke to get wet consistency I needed. They were delicious! I can see making meatballs out of this mix for spaghetti, also spreading out on pan, baking then crumbling for vegan lasagna etc. I make seitan every week and have been looking for other ways to use it. This recipe mix is perfect to make numerous recipes with!! Thank you for sharing.
Adam Sobel says
So glad you tried it again and loved it! And thanks for sharing your tweaks. Tahat's super helpful for other readers ❤️