Makes 4 Sausages
Time: 50 minutes || Active time: 10 minutes
I realized I don’t have a super basic sausage recipe on the site and so here it is! The now classic, always magical, seitan and bean steamed-in-tinfoil sausage. Perfect for grilling, sauteeing or tossing into stews.
In case this is your first time making a vegan sausage, here’s what’s going down: You’re going to mash some beans in a mixing bowl and then throw in the other ingredients and mix. Then you’re going to roll ’em in tinfoil like a Tootsie Roll, and steam them. And then, like magic, you will have vegan sausages. Easiest thing in the world! A few versions of these sausages appear in Vegan Brunch.
1/2 cup cooked white beans (great northern or navy), rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil *or* 1 tablespoon tomato paste (tomato paste is a great fat replacement)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon granulated garlic *or* 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed *or* 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Several dashes fresh black pepper
Before mixing your ingredients, get the steaming apparatus ready, bringing water to a full boil. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.
Have ready 4 square sheets of tin foil. In a large bowl, mash the beans until no whole ones are left. Throw all the other ingredients together in the order listed and mix with a fork. Divide dough into 4 even parts (an easy way to do this: split the dough in half and then into quarters). Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll. Don’t worry too much about shaping it, it will snap into shape while it’s steaming because this recipe is awesome.
Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes. That’s it! You can unwrap and enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
i love this recipe. thank you very much
I just made these and am really a bit overly proud of myself…….my first ever bag of wheat gluten! From the picture yours look wonderfully firm and chewy, and whilst chewy, mine are slightly ‘rubbery’ to my palate. I wonder if anyone else has found this? Is this generally how they are? I followed the recipe as faithfully as possible (though used smoked paprika instead of sweet). Still, they are incredibly yummy and now I have four proud sausages to throw into a casserole tomorrow! <3
I just made these using white kidney beans and they came out perfect.i sliced one and sautéed it and used it for a pizza topping with kale , mushrooms and onions ,so good!!
Hello, I made some bratwursts based on this recipe, as well as these Italian ones, both delicious, thank you so much for the technique!! As another alternative to foil: I used a double layer of cheese cloth to wrap them, and tied off the ends with some kitchen string. Then I ran out of kitchen string and used twist ties for the last one! It all worked out.
I just made these, albeit with a little more chili than the recipe called for (I was looking for a ‘Chorizo’ type flavour).
Like another person, I made the (rookie) mistake of using warm ‘broth’ (vege stock + hot water in my case) which definitely activated the gluten.
I found that I need to steam mine for upwards of an hour – but I have made ‘fat’ sausages. The ones that I steamed for the regulation 40 minutes wound up still rubbery. (Note to self: next time use cold stock, dummy).
When I pan-fried one (after steaming) it turned out pretty damned good – I wish I had taken a photo before I scarfed it down. It was certainly good enough to stick on a bun with some barbeque sauce, grated cheese (yes… sorry) and fried onions for a spicy ‘schmancy’ hot dog.
As an Aussie though, I would love to see someone come up with a recipe that turned out to taste just like those ‘common or garden’ Coles sausages that are used on barbeques throughout the mighty ‘Strayan’ nation during cricket season; all Aussies know them… they’re the ones that are basically snouts, hooves, ears, tails, breadcrumbs, salt and sawdust.
Can I make it into a log instead of sausages so I could slice it and use for sandwiches ?
Aluminum substitute: For those worried about the wastefulness of using aluminum, I wanted to report that I made a batch tonight using plastic hotdog casing (http://www.lemproducts.com/product/671/178). Worked like a charm, though I need to work on my stuffing technique to reduce the air pockets.
Next challenge will be to try using fresh gluten made from flour instead of the packaged gluten flour. Anyone tried this?
Hiya!
I noticed a comment about not using foil.. could you use cling film with a bit of oil on the sausage to sticking when unwrapping? I’ve used clingfilm to ‘boil’ veggie sausages before…
Also mine came out HUGE last time.. not that this is a bad thing at all.. but wondering why yours look so dainty and cute and mine were such beasts.
Does some gluten expand more than others?
Thanks ! 🙂
Just for full disclosure, I am not vegan. I am not vegetarian. I choose to eat meat very rarely and only when I know it’s source down to the grass it ate.
Lately I have been craving a spicy sausage for breakfast. Not the spices of sausage, not some chemical concoction that looks like sausage, not browned soy, but for real sausage.
We tried this tonight and I am amazed. When it came out of the steamer it was really good. When I got out a skillet and crumbled some on medium-low heat, it got even better. The flavor and the texture were just incredible.
I am not a fan of meat replacement foods, but I would have written this review 20 minutes ago if I could have stopped eating it.
Thank you so much for giving me a solution for my weird breakfast cravings.
I am looking for the forum that lists all of the different amazing spicing changes that can be used with this recipe. This Basque girl is trying to get her Chorizo on! Soyrizo is “ok” but not grillable. I’d like to make a couple of different flavors so I can A. Save money B. feel a hell of a lot more proud about my cooking knowing I made my faux meats instead of buying under seasoned, overprocessed soy products. If ANYONE can assist me in my search I would be incredibly appreciative! Thanks
Made these tonight — they were supper easy and AWESOME! I think I’m going to have one for breakfast. My first seitan recipe — yay!!!!
I just made these (subbing chickpeas for white beans, rosemary and parsley for the oregano and thyme) and they are amazingly delicious! I could barely stop myself from “taste testing” the entire first sausage.
I plan to serve them tonight fried with roasted carrots, rice, and a red pepper coulis. Yum.
This looks so good and less expensive than store bought! Thank you, can not wait to try!
Hi! Should I leave a little room for the “sausages” to expand in the foil or do I wrap them up tight? Thanks!
nice. thanks isa chandra so much for putting that on here. i am new to this vegan diet and working on of course getting alot better and be a total vegan down the road. i am 3/4 there. i really appreciate the time all of the people i met on here who have put receipes on line for people such as myself. i look forward when i have the time to try this one for sure. it seems easy enough.. and hopefully i will like it. have a great night. thanks again.
Mine turned out great! I wished it was a bit bolder on the spices, but I’ll just add more next time!
Thanks Isa Chandra, I made these vegan sausages and they were great. But I was wondering if it would be OK. to use anything other than white beans in the recipe?
Sure, other beans work well. What did you have in mind?
I have tried making these a few times. Each time the texture is perfect, but I get the typical wheat gluten taste that I get every time I make some type of seitan dish. I have tried experimenting with different brands of vital wheat gluten, doubling the spices in the recipe, and brushing them with different sauces afterwards and baking them. Still, I can’t get rid of that after taste. Do you think slow cooking them or baking them in some marinade, instead of steaming, would help? This recipe has so many great reviews. I don’t know if I am doing something wrong or if people just don’t mind the seitan after taste. I would appreciate any ideas you have for getting rid of that after taste.
I don’t think I can help because I don’t notice an aftertaste! I’m sorry. Maybe someone who has the same issue would be able to help.
I have been getting an aftertaste that may or may not be the same as what VP has been getting. I have not had that aftertaste when I have made other types of seitan (and I have always been using the same brand of Vital Wheat Gluten all along). At first, I thought it was maybe one of the herbs, like oregano, so I cut that back, but still had that funky taste. I was thinking maybe it was the nutritional yeast I was using. I never thought that it might be the VWG (after i test another brand of nutritional yeast, maybe I’ll have to try that). I was on a roll trying different things with this, but got busy and haven’t been able to make them again and test why I’m getting that funky aftertaste. If I figure it out, I’ll let you know.
Thank you, Isa! Can’t wait to try this recipe! Can I use regular paprika instead of sweet paprika?
Isa, you are a genius. These sausages are unbelievable.
Hi! By vital wheat gluten you mean the loose flour kind right? Not the already solid meat like seitan ground up? I made this recipe using seitan and it was a mushy mess 🙁 ! The foil basically exploded in the steamer and it didn’t get solid at all.
Love the recipe! I had issues with them sticking to foil and did not have a sausage shape when trying to unwrap–maybe because they stuck to foil? They still tasted great but was more like a spread or dip than s sausage!. I’m going to try another batch today. 😉
Just made these, VERY easy but they are spicy! I might do half the red pepper flakes next time. They passed the hubby test. Next time I’ll try using tomato paste in place of olive oil. They have a wheat gluten taste but not overbearing. We think they’ll be good in stews or pasta sauce.
I made these the other day and they are wonderful! I was so inspired that yesterday I tweaked the recipe a little bit (added cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika and left out the fennel seed) and came up with a really nice chorizo. Thank you!
consider corn husks instead of foil. I’ve done it several times, it works, and I don’t have any dementia that I can remember Michael vick? he is the man! I love that guy.
OHhhhhhhh. YUMMMMMMmmmmm!!!!! I used pizza sauce in place of tomato paste and a mushroom broth in place of the vegetable broth. I also used a dash of liquid smoke.
this taste incredibly good!! OMG!! thanks for sharing the recipe!!
I have made these gluten free following this basic recipe and the above directions and they are DELISH!!
Gluten Free option:
1/2 c. beans, 1 c. broth, 1 Tbsp. olive oil or tomato paste, 1/2 c. garfava flour, 1-1 1/2 c. brown rice flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4c. nutritional yeast (or more brown rice flour), s&p to taste. Used the spices above plus I added 1/2 c. each finely diced red and green pepper and used 2 cloves fresh minced garlic. I used anise seed instead of fennel (mine hasn’t gone to seed yet) and wet the foil just barely before rolling/steaming as above. Amazing. I’m about to make a breakfast sausage version for the weekend…
I have made these gluten free following this basic recipe and the above directions and they are DELISH!!
Gluten Free option:
1/2 c. beans, 1 c. broth, 1 Tbsp. olive oil or tomato paste, 1/2 c. garfava flour, 1-1 1/2 c. brown rice flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4c. nutritional yeast (or more brown rice flour), s&p to taste. Used the spices above plus I added 1/2 c. each finely diced red and green pepper and used 2 cloves fresh minced garlic. I used anise seed instead of fennel (mine hasn’t gone to seed yet) and wet the foil just barely before rolling/steaming as above. Amazing. I’m about to make a breakfast sausage version for the weekend…OOps! I forgot the 2 tsp. of guar gum!! ADD IT TO THE DY INGREDIENTS.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Yes, I’m shouting!
Easiest recipe, best vegan sausage ever!
Every bit as good as Field Roast without any funky aftertaste.
I cannot believe how easy this recipe was and great the results were. I have tried seitan recipes before with terrible results, and were it not for Field Roast, I don’t think I would even eat much in the way of store bought seitan products. However, this recipe changes everything. Serve on a bun with sauteed onions and peppers and you’ve got a great vegetarian sandwich. Its got bite, flavor, spice, looks… just awesome.
What if you don’t have an steamer ?
I use pinto for the color of what I remember as italian sausage–and I’ve doubled the beans and use only one cup vwg with no problems. As a vegetarian for over 35 years, it’s difficult for me to handle the chewiness in the original, but because of the forgiving recipe, it always steams perfectly for me. I’m making the maple sausages tomorrow.
i’m making a christmas care package of vegan foods for a newly vegan friend who can’t cook and is thus slowly starving to death. these are AMAZING. i used chickpeas instead of white beans, and upped the spices and garlic a little (i love it spicy), and i steamed them for longer than 40 minutes – closer to and hour or so. so. effing. good. i might not give them to him! i absolutely recommend you try this recipe.