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.
HI Isa! I love your books, and have learned so much about vegetarian / vegan cooking from you – Thank you. I actually first found a recipe like this somewhere on You Tube, and one way I enjoyed them was to use a combination of roasted potatoes / yams as an alternative to the beans…and some sun dried tomatoes and maybe pesto in addition to the fennel which is wonderful!
Anyways, this is a wonderful recipe and I will have to play with making this again very soon.
I’m going to try throwing in some cooked eggplant to see if I can get something close to field roast.
(this was the original you tube video that inspired me to make these – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wmNlHOfSrA) I would love to see Isa do a cooking show!
Followed recipe exactly… after 40 mins seaming they’re still mush. What did I do wrong?
Not high enough heat? Not the right kind of flour? Too much liquid accidentally? Those are my immediate thoughts…
These are so good! I’ve been trying to think of what vegan recipes my husband might like, and he always loved bangers and mash whenever we were in England (me, not so much — bangers are too soft for me). So I tried these, and served them over mashed potatoes. He said they were great, and I even liked them too! We loved your Seitan Porcini stew too, making it without the sausages, so now I have to try it with this…and try them for an Italian sausage sandwich, over spaghetti, over homemade pizza….
Wow – this is fantastic sausage. I made it on Sunday, then last night, used it “crumbled” in Isa’s Cauliflower Ricotta and Spinach Lasagna – amazing!!!
These are fantastic! They are SO easy to make, and the texture is spot on. They were a great addition to my spaghetti tonight. I’m excited to make them with different spice blends.
Along with the alfredo, this is one of my favs. We had an Italian night and made these with some carmelized onions and roasted red peppers and some lovely fresh bread and wine. Took me back to my childhood. I highly recommend this pairing!
Just made these and they were perfect. I ran out of nutritional yeast so omitted it, but will try it with this next time. Very quick, easy and really delicious!!! Another winner, thanks!
Thank you sooo much for this recipe! I have made it 3 times now and it is fool proof! It is a total hit with my family and everyone we’ve shared it with… And we have made double batches every time only to give half of them away. Huge hit!
I’ve been out of this or that and sub’d it with something else and have had no problems. I’ve even dumped in left over farro and quinoa into it! Good with any black and red beans too. Also, I used liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. You can’t mess this up 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Try wrapping with parchment paper under the foil to avoid any contact with aluminum oxide.
Got these steaming right now! What should the texture be like when they are done? Spongy or firm?
Firm! I mean, a little spongy but not so much that you’d call it spongey. Did I confuse you enough?
This is amazing! You have turned myself and husband in to seitan-worshippers. We are so excited to bust out the grill and try these…until then, we are putting them on pizza, sandwiches, sautéed dishes, etc.
Oh…and this base recipe is fab! My mind is spinning with possibilities for different styles of sausages! Brats! Pepperoni! OMGAWESOMENESS! Thanks Isa!
Yes, simple and delicious. I added some chipotle powder, too, as I’m going to use it in chili. I just ate one the sausages all by itself. Now I just put a batch of your cornbread in the oven.
I’ve spent forty minutes trying to find out if these could be done in the microwave instead of standing over a steaming pan for- you guessed it forty minutes! Any ideas?
I don’t think so!
Never mind. I went out, bought a steamer pan and made them anyway.
I am now one fat and happy girl!
I made the seitan roll at Christmas and that was also divine, but baked in the oven rather than steamed. Do you think these might work in the oven too? Seems I have a thing about steaming!
Love these! I used my food processor..so easy..definitely a keeper
Isa, I made these today. After 4 years plant strong, I cannot tell you how absolutely DELIGHTED I was with these. My husband approves. I’m serving them to company this week. I shared some with a friend as I made a double batch, and I am only concerned that I will get myself tired of these. THANK YOU.
Tried these, they turned out great!! Used in a stir fry and will try them in a stew tomorrow. Thank you!!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I made it today for the first time, and am very pleased with the flavor and texture. It couldn’t have been easier! Next time, I will make the rolls a bit thinner. Very excited to try your recipe for the breakfast style ‘sausage’.
I got a question, Does anyone know where i can fins a recipe for sausage using the “traditional” way of making seitan? IE making a wheat dough and kneading out the starch in water baths?
How fantastic, my husband loves his vegan, veggie sausage and dogs.when I make them myself, I know whats in them. This is so easy. Thanks a million.
It sounds great, my only problem is that this and other recipes all call for he use of aluminum foil. Something that I’ve been trying to avoid for most of my life Any other suggestions. Thanks
So I’ve worked with seitan before, which is cooked in a broth, but have not tried this recipe. I am cooking for a laaaarge crowd and thinking of making gumbo, and trying to make it cost effective. If i made these sausages, Cajun flavored, do you think they would hold up in a broth, or should i wait till the end to add them?
Oh, they would hold up just fine! They’re really firm.
These are incredible!! I’ve noticed a couple people comment that they used this base to make hot dog-flavoured wheenies – could someone share the spice list, or a link to a recipe? Thanks!!!
This recipe is awesome! I love store bought vegan sausages, but mt doctor told me to reduce my sodium intake and they are high in sodium. I made this recipe with half the soy sauce (reduced sodium kind) and a tablespoon of salt free tomato past. I used black beans and hot Hungarian paprika. They are so delicious and easy to make! I will be trying more variation in the future!
For everyone who want to do those INCREDIBLE sausages but don’t want to use aluminum i’ve found a great way! You’ll need a Food Saver or a friend who have one 🙂 I simply made 4 tubes with a bag. I’m putting the sausages in the bags leave some room for expension and close it with a coton string. Voilà! You can wash it and use it again and again.
Just made em for the first time. Really tasty.
I LOVE this recipe. I double the spices (except the red pepper), and cut the soy sauce in half. My husband wants me to add more oregano & garlic, add bread crumbs and steam them up round for “meatballs”. They are perfect as-is, sliced and sauteed, but he wants “round” with a bit of crumble. I think his idea might just work if I keep them small. But these are just TOTALLY awesome, as is, thanks, Isa! I own all of your cookbooks, paper AND Kindle versions,, except for the cupcakes, because I would totally make all of them, and I really need to hang in at 95 lbs (I’m NOT thin, but I am very short!) I just know your cupcake recipes would have me utterly charmed, bewitched by the batter, hanging in front of the oven, gorging on the results, and I would turn into a beach-ball!
These sausages are TRULY wonderful! Every single recipe of yours is wonderful! THANKS!!!!
Thank you so much! My daughter and I were just discussing vegan sausages and how to make them. The store bought ones are so high in sodium. Can’t wait to try these 🙂
Delicious!!
Hello, Well mine looked exactly like the picture. These Italian Maple sausages are outstanding, awesome, fantastic, & wonderful! The flavors are GREAT, cannot wait to put these on some pizza! These are definitely a “keeper”. Both this Maple and the Italian sausage are almost too easy to make, 20 minutes maximum to prep, then the 40 minute cook time, dinner in an hour.
These are tastier, with the sense of fresh, over the commerially produced sausages. Plus I estimate the cost to be about $0.65 to $0.80 per sausage, much less cost. (See nearly the same write-up Smoky Maple Sausage).
Thank you for providing two wonderful recipes.
Can these be put in the freezer ? THANKS
They sure can!
I love these!!
Just ate these for dinner last night with homemade barbecue sauce. Omitted the fennel (I like it, the husband and the kid loathe it) and red pepper flakes (again, the kid but can add hot sauce later
on) & they were incredible easy and tasty. Moist with a good bite…perfect. Thanks!
I JUST MADE THE SEITAN SAUSAGE RECIPE AND IT IS FANTASTIC!!!!