This delicious and flavorful vegan sausage recipe uses minced frozen tofu and a powerful blend of seasonings to create “meaty” sausages that your taste buds will not forget. Try these versatile sausages with veggies, on a sandwich, or over pasta with your favorite sauce for the perfect lunch or dinnertime meal with friends or family!
We love using tofu to make our “meaty” dishes. Not only does it have a realistic texture, but it is often very versatile and easy to convert into other savory dishes. Be sure to try some of our other delicious tofu recipes, such as our tofu meatballs, Whopper-style tofu burger, vegan breakfast sausage patties, and vegan chorizo.
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What to expect?
Our vegan tofu sausages are packed with intense flavors and have a chewy, crumbly, and firm texture that mimics real sausage. We start by mixing the main ingredient, the frozen tofu crumbles, with a powerful blend of herbs and seasonings to give it a flavor that will have your taste buds dancing. We then pan-fry them until they turn a beautiful golden brown color with a crispy crust.
Unlike other vegan sausage recipes, ours is quick, easy, and requires no pre-cooking or pre-boiling before frying. It requires just 15 minutes of prep time, and 20 minutes of cook time before you can enjoy them!
Here is why you will love this recipe:
- It is packed with flavor and has the texture of real sausage.
- It does not require any fancy ingredients or equipment.
- The sausages are incredibly versatile and can be used in several different recipes.
- It is easy to make and ready in just 35 minutes.
- They are freezer-friendly and can be batch cooked for later!
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Ingredients
This recipe is so easy to make because the ingredients are simple and easy to find! Many of these ingredients are likely already in your pantry, or you can quickly pick them up at your local grocery store. We have also provided several alternatives to make it more catered to your taste and preferences:
- Firm tofu – Frozen for at least 24 hours. You can also use extra-firm tofu.
- Breadcrumbs – Look for breadcrumbs substitutes here if you need any.
- Dairy-free milk – We recommend cashew milk, oat milk, or almond milk.
- Cornstarch – You can also use tapioca starch.
- Onion (finely chopped)
- Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- Olive oil – To add moisture and juiciness to the sausage.
- Worcestershire sauce – We like to use this vegan and gluten-free brand. You can also use soy sauce or tamari.
- Sweet smoked paprika powder
- Cumin
- Oregano (dried)
- Salt
- Nutritional yeast
- Tomato paste
- Hot chili powder or chili flakes (optional)
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Precooking onion and garlic
This puree first made an appearance in our tofu meatballs recipe. It added the necessary juiciness compared to other meatball recipes. The texture was the best we have ever tasted. And the same thing happened when we added it to make vegan sausage links.
- Preheat a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and the finely chopped onion and garlic.
- Cook the onion and garlic over medium-low heat until the texture becomes tender and the color becomes opaque and yellow. Do not let it become caramelized.
- Add the onion and garlic with the remaining oil to a bowl. Use a hand blender to blend the mixture.
Preparing tofu
- Once the frozen tofu thaws, use your hands or a milk bag to squeeze the tofu until you get a sponge-like texture. It gives a much better result compared to using a tofu press.
- Use your hands or a food processor to break the tofu into smaller crumbles.
Making vegan sausage
- In a large mixing bowl, add the tofu crumbles, breadcrumbs, dairy-free milk, cornstarch, onion and garlic mixture, one tablespoon of olive oil, sweet smoked paprika powder, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, salt, tomato paste, and nutritional yeast.
- Use your hands or a spatula to combine and mix well.
- Using your hands to roll and press the tofu into a sausage shape, mold together small, 3-inch long, ½-inch thick links.
- Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. If you do not have a nonstick frying pan, add a small amount of coconut or olive oil. Fry the sausages on each side for a few minutes until they become brown and form a crispy crust.
Cooking tips
- Use frozen tofu – The tofu must first be frozen for at least 24 hours and then thawed. It will not work with raw tofu since it would be too moist and spongy, even after pressing.
- Completely dry the tofu – This recipe will only work if the tofu is squeezed completely dry before mincing it with the food processor. It must be dry to the touch.
- Do not use rice paper wrappers – Many other vegan sausage recipes use rice paper wrappers as casing. But we don’t recommend it. Although the rice paper will become crispy when pan-fried, the sausage will not. It will be soft and mushy.
Variations
You can prepare our vegan sausages in many ways to cater to your unique needs and preferences. Here are a few variations you can try:
- TVP sausages – Swap out the frozen tofu for textured vegetable protein. Both have a texture close to ground meat, but TVP may be quicker to prepare.
- Fresh herbs – Use fresh oregano versus its dried counterpart. You can also add fresh basil or parsley, but you will need to adjust the other green herbs to keep the same total quantity per the recipe card.
- Different herbs and spices – Instead of oregano, cumin, and paprika, try combining rosemary, thyme, and sage for a different flavor profile. Or, throw in some onion powder and garlic powder to add to the savory taste.
- Extra (or less) heat – Spice up your vegan sausage even more by adding chopped jalapeno, ground peppers, ground cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes into the mix. You can also use black pepper to tone down the heat a bit.
Serving ideas
This vegan sausage recipe is so versatile that you can make a completely different meal every day of the week! Here are several vegan-friendly ways you can make these sausages into a delicious new meal:
- Breakfast sausage – Add it to a delicious vegan breakfast casserole, veggie-loaded vegan frittata, or vegan breakfast hash, or serve alongside our vegan fried eggs to start your day the right way!
- Shakshuka – Add it to our vegan chickpea shakshuka to make it more filling.
- Vegan sausage pasta – Serve over your choice of pasta with our homemade marinara sauce, caramelized carrot pasta sauce, or vegan cashew alfredo sauce. See our roundup of vegan pasta recipes for even more tasty pasta ideas.
- Jambalaya – Mix it with red beans, onion, and bell peppers, and simmer it in our vegan cajun sauce for a savory southern-style dinner.
- Casserole – Throw it in the oven with your favorite pasta, one of our creamy vegan pasta sauces, and top with grated cheese to make a pasta bake or casserole.
- Sandwich – Serve it on a hot dog or Italian bread roll and top with vegan coleslaw or veggies and a dressing of your choice. Or, make them into wraps!
- Mac and cheese – Take your vegan mac and cheese to the next level and stir in some flavorful vegan sausage for additional texture.
- Pizza – Make a “meaty” vegan pizza with a sausage topping.
- With dip – Serve alongside some vegan BBQ sauce or vegan nacho cheese sauce for an easy dipping appetizer.
- With veggies – Serve it alongside our vegan mashed potatoes or fried rice, and add some sauteed carrots or roasted asparagus and mushrooms for a warm and hearty dinner.
Equipment
- Food processor
- Tofu press – We recommend the TofuBud press as it is quick, easy, and will press your tofu in 15 minutes or so without any mess or waste.
- Cast iron skillet or frying pan – We recommend a 10.5-inch/26cm nonstick frying pan. We like to use the one from UnoCasa.
Storing tips
In the fridge: Store your sausages in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If serving with sauces, store them separately to prevent them from soaking up the sauce and falling apart.
In the freezer: These vegan sausages are only freezer-friendly once cooked. We do not recommend freezing as an uncooked mixture, as they will be too moist when thawed. Store them individually in the freezer for up to six months.
Thawing: To thaw, warm them under the broiler, in the oven, or in a frying pan to make the crust crispy again.
FAQs
Not all vegan sausage recipes are gluten-free. However, we have provided alternatives to make this a gluten-free vegan sausage recipe.
We always recommend pan-frying as it gives the sausages their brown color and crispy texture that they otherwise would not get in the oven.
The purpose of the breadcrumbs in the recipe is to help bind the sausages and prevent them from falling apart. However, if you do not have breadcrumbs, you can use any other combination of grains as a binding agent. We recommend rice or quinoa with tapioca flour or arrowroot starch. Vegan eggs can also help bind the sausages.
More frozen minced tofu recipes
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Vegan Sausage in 35 Mins!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 oz Firm tofu measured as drained and squeezed
- ½ cup Breadcrumbs use GF if needed
- ¼ cup Dairy-free milk
- 4 Tbsp Corn starch
- ½ Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Tomato paste
- ¼ tsp Hot chili powder or flakes optional
Instructions
Pre-cooking onion and garlic
- Take a frying pan or skillet and pre-heat to medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and the finely chopped onion and garlic. Cook on medium-low heat the onion and garlic until tender but opaque, yellow, and not caramelized.
- Add onion and garlic with the remaining oil to a bowl and blend it with a hand blender.
Preparing tofu
- For the best result, use frozen tofu. Thaw it overnight, then squeeze it hard. Use your hand or a milk bag. You will have a sponge-like texture at the end.
- Use a food processor to chop the tofu into smaller crumble-like pieces.
Mixing and forming sausages
- Take a large mixing bowl and add tofu crumbles, breadcrumbs, dairy-free milk, cornstarch, onion and garlic paste, 1 Tbsp olive oil, smoked sweet paprika, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, salt, tomato paste and nutritional yeast. Mix everything well with a spatula or with your hands.
- Form small (cca 3-inch long, ½-inch thick) sausages with your hands rolling and pressing.
Frying
- Take a frying pan and heat it on medium heat. Add a bit of coconut or olive oil if you don't have a non-stick pan. Fry them for a couple of minutes on each side to give them a nice brown color.
- Serving suggestions above the recipe card!
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