No need to buy expensive veggie sausages anymore! These Homemade Vegan Sausages are easy to make and delicious. Thanks to two tricks, they are not tough and rubbery like seitan often is.
Veggie sausages like all the other meat alternatives and processed vegan products are quite $$$. Making your own vegan sausages at home can be quite daunting. I get it. I've been there. It took me a couple of years of being vegan to finally figure out a vegan sausage recipe that I'm happy with.
These vegan Seitan Sausages are
- easy to make (soften the onions and garlic, then add all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse, form the sausages, roll them in parchment paper and aluminum foil and steam - no need to knead seitan until your arms hurt!)
- quick to make (you'll only need about 20 minutes of preparation time to make these, then steam)
- super versatile (you can use them in any dish you would have used regular sausages in)
- soft and firm (if you've had rubbery and tough seitan before, you know what I'm talking about. These do not have the texture of a rubber mallet!)
Tricks for making Vegan Sausages that aren't spongy/rubbery/tough?
My #1 super secret ingredient for these sausages that have just the right balance of soft and firm is sparkling water! It's just a simple substitution with a huge effect. Trick #2 is to use canned chickpeas instead of chickpea flour. This makes the seitan soft (even the next day or the day after!).
How to make Vegan Seitan Sausages
Uses for the Seitan Sausages
Basically, you can use these Seitan Sausages in any dish that would use regular sausages. They are very versatile! Here are a couple of ideas:
- Vegan Goulash with Homemade Sausages
- Vegan Hot Dogs with Homemade Seitan Sausages
- Vegan Breakfast Pizza
- Corn Dogs (coat them in a batter of cornmeal, flour, spices, and plant-based milk and fry)
- Paella (cut into slices)
- serve them with mashed potatoes and gravy
- Breakfast Sausages with tofu scramble
- Pigs in a Blanket (wrap with puff pastry and bake)
Can you freeze Seitan Sausages?
Yes, I've tried it with this seitan recipe and it works great! Remove the foil, let the sausages cool off completely, place them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag, freeze. When you're ready to eat the frozen sausages, let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours, then grill/cook/roast/whatever you want to do with it! They are good as new!
Homemade Vegan Sausages
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon canola oil
- ½ large white onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup sparkling water
- ¾ cup vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- In a large pan with canola oil, sautée the chopped onion and garlic cloves until soft. Add the cumin and fennel seeds. Let it cook for another minute until the spices are toasted.
- In a food processor, add the chickpeas, onion-garlic-spices mixture, tomato paste, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, soy sauce, and sparkling water. Pulse until it’s saucy. Then add the vital wheat gluten and pulse again until it comes together in a ball.
- Prepare a large pot (filled with a couple of inches of water) with a steaming basket and bring it to high heat.
- Divide the seitan into 4 equal chunks. Roll and press the seitan into a sausage shape. Roll each sausage in parchment paper and aluminum foil (roll it tightly). Twist the ends so that the seitan is completely covered in foil. Add the seitan sausages into the steaming basket and let them steam for about 40 minutes, flipping them after 20 minutes.
- Let them cool off a bit before removing the aluminum foil and parchment paper.
- You can use them in various recipes (Hot Dogs, Corn Dogs, serve them with mashed potatoes etc.). To warm them up, cook them in a pan or contact griller. You can store them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Joshua Howard says
Hi! I really like your recipes! I've made these sausages today and now it's my favorite recipe/ Some people think that vegan food is boring, but your recipes show that it's not so. Thank you for the share!
Mar Zammit says
Hi, I am really interested in this recipe, was wondering if I could cook them in a convection oven after wrapping them instead of steaming?
Kajol Sethia says
How long do you think I can freeze them and then reuse?
Sydney says
Great recipe for the texture. I nearly doubled the seasoning and added a chipotle pepper. I don't think the sparkling water is necessary. These are great with just plain water.
Sorcia says
Hi! Curious if this can be done with something other than tin foil?
Thanks!
Kathleen says
Is there a specific reason for using both tin foil and parchment?
Bianca says
yes, I don't want the sausages to cook in aluminum foil, therefore the parchment paper acts as a barrier. The aluminum foil holds them together much better, this couldn't be done with parchment paper only.
Dave Big Chief says
There is also a great recipe for vegan chickpea schnitzels by Isa Chandra / veganomicon that can easily be adapted to sausages. There is more mashing than processing, so tend to have a less smooth texture.
And without being pedantic, Pigs in a Blanket is a sauaage wrapped in bacon. A sausage wraped in puff pastry is a Sausage Roll. Greggs in the UK is famous for their vegan sausage rolls.
Ana says
Easy to make and tasty. Thanks
Barb says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, which is the best vegan meat alternative I've ever tried and I've been buying and eating vegan meats for years. Even my brother, a die hard meat eater, said he never would have known it was vegan if I hadn't told him.
Bianca says
wohoo!! what a success :)
Melody-Rose says
Just wondering if the sparkling water needs to be mineral sparkling water?
Bianca says
No it doesn't, as long as it's sparkling it's great!
Fernando says
Wow. What can I say. I made this the other day and oh my goodness, they came out beautiful, tasty and just as described. My partner was totally in love with the end product and so was I. The taste was exceptional and you won't believe me, but I have been looking for a recipe like this for ages. We had "bangers" and mash the one night and the rest the next day we baked some fresh hotdog rolls and had it in a bun. These sausages are versatile and can be used in anything. There's something so satisfying making your own food from scratch and enjoying it after. So, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe, totally love it.
Cathy says
Thank you for the recipe! I love all the great comments. I made my first batch today. The taste was good but the texture was like a very doughy bread. Where did I go wrong? Did I pulse it too long? Thank you in advance for you help!
Wanda says
This sausages are Great very flavorful sausages and very easy to make , this is my 3rd time doing them👍🏼
meaghan says
AHHH Was tasting so good until I added real flour thinking I could substitute it - since read in comments I cant. I dont know what to do with my gooey batter - I tried to add some zucchini and almond flour to get it to mix but it has failed. what can Ido with the remaining batter? it is a waste to throw out :(
Rox says
Could I omit the vital wheat gluten or replace with something else?
Lyle says
Made my first batch the evening, they came out so good and soft, had to make another batch the next morning. This is now my go-to sausage recipe. Cannot thank you enough.