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    You are here: Home / Breakfast / Vegan Breakfast Sausage

    LAST UPDATED: March 24, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: October 12, 2018

    Vegan Breakfast Sausage

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Breakfast Sausage

    These vegan breakfast sausage is made with hearty lentils, protein-packed seitan, and flavorful spices. The perfect savory accompaniment to your vegan breakfast!

    Vegan Breakfast Sausage on a Plate with Ketchup

    Here's a recipe that has been in the works for quite some time now. Vegan breakfast sausage took me multiple attempts, which began, sadly, on a day that I invited some friends over for brunch and promised them some amazing homemade vegan sausage.

    This happens every now and then. When you promise to feed someone some experimental recipe that you're working on for a food blog, you quickly learn that backup plans are essential.

    On the brunch occasion in question I tried making a breakfast style sausage out of lentils and seitan, but the result was incredibly dry and gritty. Luckily, my husband make his famous deep dish pancake that day, so a good brunch was had by all. And to be real, there's not much room for sausage when you've dining on a massive eight-serving pancake.

    Anyhow, I kept at it with the vegan breakfast sausage recipe. I was pretty determined.

    Overhead View of Vegan Breakfast Sausage on a Place with Fork and a Cup of Coffee

    I realized that the trouble I was having with my previous batches of veggie sausage was in the ratio of wheat gluten to liquid. There's quite a delicate balance going on here, and what I finally ended up doing was working an adaptation from Isa Chandra's Italian Sausage Recipe.

    You'll need some vital wheat gluten to get started. What's this you ask? It's the protein that's found in wheat, and it's what seitan is made from. (Learn more about that here.) You can find vital wheat gluten in powdered form at places like Whole Foods, or you can buy it online. Add some spices, cooked lentils, and a seasoned broth. Mix everything up to form a dough.

    Collage Showing Steps for Making Vegan Breakfast Sausage Dough: Mix Dry Ingredients, Add Lentils and Wet Ingredients, and Mix

    Shape your dough into a log and place it on a sheet of parchment paper or foil. Roll it up tight! Next you're going to steam it. I used a bamboo steamer, which worked great! But any steaming device that'll fit your logs will work. If you've got something small like a metal steaming basket, you'll just need to make smaller logs and perhaps steam them in batches.

    Collage Showing the Steps for Shaping Vegan Breakfast Sausage: Shape Dough Into a Log, Roll in Parchment, and Place in Steamer

    Once the steaming is done, slice the logs and pan-fry your vegan breakfast sausage patties until crisp.

    Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties in a SKillet

    Tips!

    • You're probably going to have a few lentils fall out of your dough when you shape it into logs. Just a warning! It's totally normal.
    • The sausage is freezer friendly! I like to freeze the patties before pan-frying them, and but after works too.
    • Is there a way to make this sausage gluten-free? Unfortunately, not that I know of, since wheat gluten is the main ingredient. The tempeh patties used in these sandwiches have a very similar flavor profile though.
    • Is there much difference in using parchment paper vs. foil? I find the foil easier to roll, but the patties made with parchment paper came out sturdier and had a denser texture.
    Vegan Breakfast Sausage on a Plate with Coffee Cup and Apple in the Background

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Vegan Breakfast Sausage on a Plate with Ketchup
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Print

    Lentil & Seitan Sausage Patties

    This vegan breakfast sausage is made with hearty lentils, protein-packed seitan, and flavorful spices. The perfect savory accompaniment to your vegan breakfast!

    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 369 kcal
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¾ cup cooked brown lentils, drained
    • 1 cup vegetable broth
    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • About 2 tablespoons canola oil, or high heat oil of choice

    Instructions

    1. Begin by setting up a steaming apparatus, such as a wok and bamboo steamer or a pot fitted with a steaming basket (see my tips above). 

    2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, paprika, pepper, onion powder and thyme. 

    3. Stir the broth, soy sauce, maple syrup and garlic together in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup.

    4. Add the lentils to the dry mixture, then stir in the broth mixture to form a dough. Mix it up well, using your hands if needed.

    5. Divide the dough in two and roll into two 6" logs. Wrap each log tightly in a sheet of parchment paper or foil and steam for 30 minutes.

    6. Remove the logs from the steamer and give them a few minutes to cool.

    7. Once they're cool enough to handle, remove the parchment paper or foil and slice the logs into about ½ inch thick slices (or your preferred thickness). 

    8. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.

    9. When the oil is hot, add the sausage slices and pan-fry for about 4 minutes on each side. Cook in batches if needed. Transfer the cooked sausage patties to a paper towel-lined plate.

    10. Serve.

    Recipe Notes

    Makes 20-24 patties.

    Nutrition Facts
    Lentil & Seitan Sausage Patties
    Amount Per Serving (6 patties (¼ of batch))
    Calories 369 Calories from Fat 84
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 9.3g14%
    Saturated Fat 0.7g4%
    Sodium 1109mg46%
    Potassium 614mg18%
    Carbohydrates 30.4g10%
    Fiber 7.8g31%
    Sugar 7.4g8%
    Protein 43.7g87%
    Calcium 60mg6%
    Iron 5.6mg31%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Melanie says

      January 25, 2015 at 10:55 am

      I made this recipe and it is, BY FAR, the best seitan dish I've ever made! Thank you so much! I've tried the PPK recipe, and I've found my seitan turned out really underwhelming and not tasty at all. Your recipe (I did add a touch more vital wheat gluten, however) turned out so delicious and had a perfect, appetizing texture. I don't have a bamboo steamer, so I just used a large pot and a steaming basket instead. Again, thank you!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        January 25, 2015 at 10:14 pm

        Awesome!!! I tend to lay the spices on thick in dishes like this were I want tons of flavor - glad to hear it worked. Thank you so much for sharing! :)

        Reply
    2. Elaine Ross says

      January 30, 2017 at 4:09 am

      1st attempt I was really pleased but the recipe calls for way too much pepper. Next time I will half the amount, it dominated the taste too much for my taste buds.
      Lovely texture though.

      Reply
    3. D.H. says

      July 18, 2017 at 12:31 pm

      Hi! Do you have any baking instructions/suggestions for this seitan recipe? Looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        July 21, 2017 at 2:45 pm

        Thank you! I'm afraid I haven't tried this (or any other seitan recipes) in the oven. I'll definitely put it on my list of kitchen things to experiment with though. :)

        Reply
      • Janet says

        March 27, 2019 at 5:34 pm

        I chopped some of it up, mixed with frozen corn, and sprinkled with taco seasoning mix then heated in the microwave. It made a very yummy filling for street tacos and dinner was on the table in less than 10 minutes!

        Reply
        • Alissa Saenz says

          March 29, 2019 at 5:47 pm

          Great idea and sounds like a delicious meal! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

          Reply
    4. BhBeckwith says

      November 23, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      4 stars
      I tried an approximation of this recipe (same gluten to water ratio) in the oven, baked in a bread pan for 45 min at 350 and it worked pretty well. It was softer in the center but baking slightly longer or pan frying slices afterwards fixed the softer parts.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 26, 2017 at 10:18 pm

        Great idea! I'll have to give that a try. :)

        Reply
    5. Zoe Lee says

      May 05, 2018 at 2:28 am

      5 stars
      I make these all the time!! They're delicious. Even meat eaters love them! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        May 11, 2018 at 10:07 am

        Awesome!! I'm so glad they're a hit! Thanks Zoe!

        Reply
    6. Toni says

      October 12, 2018 at 6:55 pm

      What is the serving size for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 14, 2018 at 8:54 pm

        1/4 of the batch - so 5 or 6 patties depending on how many you end up with. :)

        Reply
    7. Tracee says

      October 13, 2018 at 12:17 am

      Two questions...could I add additional spices (fennel and sage) to give it more of a breakfast sausage flavor? Second, I’ve love to make sausage rolls. If I use this recipe would I have to steam them first or just roll a log in puff pastry and bake it off?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 14, 2018 at 8:53 pm

        You can absolutely switch up the spices! And I'd recommend steaming them first. I think they might end up a bit dry if you don't. I hope you enjoy them!!

        Reply
    8. Geraldine says

      October 13, 2018 at 5:08 am

      Trying these today.....wait for news. Will be used for the third birthday breakfast of my Grandson.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 14, 2018 at 8:52 pm

        Enjoy!!

        Reply
        • Gealdine says

          October 15, 2018 at 9:59 am

          Hello Again,
          Ok, made the sausages. Used foil and my bamboo steamer Now,interestingly. Enough...I love salt and really different food, cook many cuisines. I found these to be perfect but TOO salty with a vey strong taste???? My daughter the VEGAN said she thought the smoked paprika was too strong, did not find them salty, she has basically a salt free diet...Go figure. I shall try these again using half the amount of Soy Sauce (I used Tamari) with water. Also will add some different spices, perhaps sage (which is a herb), and cumin. Over all, I am thrilled with the concept as I have not eaten a sausage in about fifty yeas so this would be a boon to my breakfast. One can only eat so much Oatmeal. Thanks so much for this recipe and permitting my comments.

          Reply
          • Alissa Saenz says

            October 21, 2018 at 11:56 am

            I'm glad you enjoyed them! Definitely adjust the amount of soy sauce to your taste, and I think sage and cumin would be delicious additions. :)

            Reply
    9. Carly Smith says

      October 13, 2018 at 9:52 pm

      5 stars
      YUM!! I had convert the measurements to the Metric system, so I was hoping I wasn't too far off. My mix was really wet - I could wring it out but I kept going. Steamed them two at a time, then did a test pan fry to know if they'd worked. O. M. G.
      The resident meat eater and vego/vegan sceptic ate most of my test batch! He loved them! So did I, as did my children! It was my first time making seitan, and while the flavours were pretty intense (could be converting the measurements), I loved the result. Fast, easy to make and tasty. Win!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 14, 2018 at 6:00 pm

        Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Carly!

        Reply
    10. Christine says

      November 10, 2018 at 12:31 pm

      Do you think oats would work as a substitute for the wheat gluten? Please reply soon, want to make these this week :) !

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 11, 2018 at 12:26 pm

        Hi Christine! I haven't tried, but I don't think you'd get the same texture or be able to get the sausage to hold together with oats. You might be able to get it to work with some other changes to the recipe (maybe add beans?), but I couldn't tell you what to do without some experimentation.

        Reply
    11. Tracy says

      November 18, 2018 at 10:46 pm

      Hello
      This sounds like a great recipe from the responses im reading. Does the recipe call for canned lentils or do they have to be the dried type, if so im assuming rhey would have to be cooked and mot used raw.

      Cheers!
      Tracy

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 19, 2018 at 9:12 am

        Hi Tracy! You can use cooked or canned lentils - both work! Just don't use dried lentils, and make sure if you use cooked that you measure them after cooking and not before. Enjoy!!

        Reply
    12. Michelle says

      May 17, 2019 at 10:53 pm

      made these today, my first time ever making Seitan,i made sausages and they were devine!! Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        May 19, 2019 at 5:12 pm

        I'm glad you like them! Thanks Michelle!

        Reply
    13. Minnie says

      November 29, 2019 at 1:40 pm

      Hi, I've just come across this recipe and am hoping to try it for breakfast next weekend. I'm a little confused about the lentils. I have dried lentils so I'll need to cook them before I use them. Should I add them as soon as they are cooked or wait till they are cold (in which case maybe I can cook them the night before)?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        December 01, 2019 at 2:38 pm

        You can absolutely cook them the night before! Either way is totally fine. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    14. Melissa says

      May 31, 2020 at 7:47 am

      5 stars
      These are one of my most used, most favorite recipes. I leave out the maple syrup and they are amazing is pasta and on pizza too! I”be even made them in patty for to be veggie burgers. They are everything. I steam them in my insta pot for 10 minutes- so easy! So delicious!

      Reply
    15. Robyn says

      October 18, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      5 stars
      These turned out delicious! I added 1/2tsp of crushed fennel seeds for more of a “breakfast sausage” flavor and my husband and I can’t get enough of them. Definitely the tastiest seitan I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for all of your hard work perfecting and sharing these wonderful vegan recipes.

      Reply
    16. Casey says

      November 10, 2020 at 9:26 am

      Hello, I’m thinking about making this recipe and would like to double or triple it. Do you think all the ingredients would scale the same way? I was particularly wondering about the soy sauce and spices.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 10, 2020 at 8:08 pm

        I think you should be fine to simply double or triple all of the ingredients - soy sauce and spices included.

        Reply
    17. Jacqui says

      December 13, 2020 at 3:22 am

      5 stars
      Thanks you for this - I have just made it and this is my first ever seitan recipe. I had mediocre expectations as it was my first attempt, but my sausages turned out really good! I couldn't wait to try, so immediately fried some and it was so delicious. Thanks so much for the really easy instructions. I went vegan in the USA, and my favourite sausage was the Fieldcrest Smoked Apple and Sage. I've moved back to New Zealand and these can only be obtained at a specialty vegan shop at 4 x the price! So I now have the confidence to attempt to replicate with this recipe as my starting point. Thanks again. I'm in sausage heaven!

      Reply
    18. Deanna says

      October 30, 2021 at 3:33 pm

      5 stars
      This turned out delicious and was so easy to make! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
    19. joyce says

      January 11, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      can these be frozen . if so before or after cooking

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        January 11, 2022 at 3:55 pm

        They can definitely be frozen after cooking. I'm not sure about before, but I'll update the recipe notes if I have a chance to try it!

        Reply
        • joyce says

          January 11, 2022 at 9:08 pm

          Thanks

          Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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