Can you believe it? We've discovered the perfect recipe to create vegan Italian sausage with perfect meaty texture that tastes amazing! Bursting with protein and featuring a touch of divine fennel, this delightful plant-based option can be enjoyed as either hot dogs or meatballs in tomato sauce.
Best yet: It's dairy-free, oil-free and nut-free – so everyone can get involved! How does it taste so incredible? Well - after some tinkering, we managed to nail down just the right combination of spices for utterly delicious results. Plus, used gluten from wheat for an unbeatable texture each time. No need to buy Beyond Meat sausage.
This recipe pairs well with my hot dog buns, coleslaw.
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Ingredients
Here is a quick list of the ingredients you will need to make this easy recipe for meatless sausage.
You can find the ingredients with quantities and the recipe to print out on the recipe card below.
- Okara (Soy Pulp from making soy milk) or soaked, uncooked chickpeas
- vital wheat gluten
- whole grain flour like wheat, spelt
- soy sauce
- Dijon mustard
- sea salt
- fennel seeds, roasted
- Cayenne pepper powder
- paprika powder
- smoked paprika powder
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- nutritional yeast
- dry red wine (optional) or 1 tablespoon grape juice and 0.5 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- lemon juice
- a little water
- Black Pepper
Instructions
First roast the fennel seeds and pound them in a mortar.
Measure all the other ingredients and place them with the seasonings in a large bowl. If you use chickpeas, use a food processor to process until very fine.
Knead everything until the spices and herbs are well combined in the mixture.
Add some more flour until the mixture is not sticky anymore. Season with salt and black pepper.
Now form some sausage out of the texture and roast vegan sausages in a non-stick pan.
Hint: Crumble the mixture and roast them in a pan or in the oven. I love to have some vegan sausage crumbles on hand for pizza toppings or a quick pasta sauce.
Make this vegan sausage recipe check out my other plant-based meat alternatives like vegan meatloaf, vegan hot dogs, black bean burgers, vegan turkey roast, vegan reuben, coconut bacon, chicken tofu.
Substitutions
- Soy Sauce: Instead of soy sauce, you can easily use coconut aminos or tamari sauce.
- Seasoning: You can also use Italian herbs or Italian seasoning mix to make it.
- Soy Pulp: To make soy-free sausage, use chickpeas or white beans instead.
- Smoked paprika Powder: You can also use liquid smoke for these seitan sausages.
- Red Wine: Instead, you can use red grape juice and balsamic vinegar.
- Gluten-free: To make this recipe gluten-free, you can substitute the gluten flour with oat flour and the wheat flour with chickpea flour.
Variations
- Hot Italian Style: Add some red pepper flakes to make hot Italian sausages.
Equipment
Some kitchen tools I recommend for making these amazing plant-based sausages.
Serving Suggestions
- Pizza: Make some vegan Italian sausage crumbles and sprinkle them on your next vegan pizza.
- Pasta Dishes: Make some Italian Meatballs or Crumbles and add them to your pasta sauce for a hearty bolognese sauce.
Storage
Store leftover hearty vegan sausage in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4–5 days. You can also freeze them. For this, put them on a pan and freeze the veggie sausage. Once frozen, put them in a Ziploc bag.
FAQ
You can easily buy it in your local grocery stores or online like this VWG brand.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1½ cups 360 ml volume Okara (Soy Pulp) or soaked, uncooked chickpeas, finely blend
- ½ cup 60g gluten flour
- ¼ cup 30 g whole grain flour like wheat, spelt
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon of fennel seeds roasted
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 tablespoon dry red wine optional or 1 tablespoon grape juice and 0.5 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- a little water until a homogenous dough is formed
Instructions
- First roast the fennel seeds and pound them in a mortar.
- Measure all the other ingredients and place them with the seasonings in a large bowl. If you use chickpeas, use a food processor to process until very fine.
- Knead everything until the spices and herbs are well combined in the mixture.
- Add some more flour until the mixture is not sticky anymore. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Now form some sausage out of the texture and roast vegan sausages in a non-stick pan
Jen says
What do you mean by "process the whole"? Do you recommend a food processor or mixing by hand?
All the seitan sausages I've ever made before required steaming before sauteing. Wouldn't the flour be raw if you only fry them in a pan?
Finally, thank you for creating this recipe with okara. I make soymilk about 4 times per week and I am always looking for healthy and delicious ways to use all the okara.
Jasmin says
The main ingredient is okara, for the italian sausage. That is why you do not have to steam them. The gluten helps to hold them together.