You know what’s missing from your Sunday morning? These bad boys. These Vegan Breakfast Sausage Links are made with seitan, packed with flavor, and don’t require you to scour every local grocery store for obscure ingredients.
What is seitan and why is it so beautiful? Great question, I would love to tell you! Seitan is a product of the protein found in wheat flour aka vital wheat gluten. It is PACKED with protein and it is soy-free! High-protein and soy-free options can be hard to find. No more!
This recipe is perfect for a breakfast sandwich, or served along side a lighter breakfast dish like this Mango Chia Pudding.
For more vegan meat options, try these Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon, Carrot Bacon, or these Vegan Sausage Patties.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients – No weird, impossible-to-pronounce stuff here. Just pantry staples and vital wheat gluten to bring it all together. This may be the first time you’ve ever heard of vital wheat gluten, but I promise your grocery store has it. Check the flour aisle.
- Packed with Flavor – Sage, black pepper, garlic powder, and a little maple syrup give these sausages that classic, savory-sweet balance.
- Meal-Prep Friendly – Make a double batch and store them for quick and easy breakfasts all week long or freeze them for future meal prep.
- Easy to Make – If you can mix and knead, you can make these. No fancy skills required.
Ingredients
- Oats – Pulsed into oat flour for binding and texture.
- Vital wheat gluten – The key to that firm, meaty texture in plant-based breakfast sausages. Packed with protein. Unfortunately, there is not gluten-free sub for this ingredient.
- Maple syrup – A hint of sweetness to balance the savory spices.
- Not-Chick’n bouillon cube – Brings depth and umami flavor to the mix. Swap for soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Tomato paste – Adds richness and a little acidity.
- Avocado oil – For a touch of moisture and to help bind the sausage mixture. Swap for melted coconut oil if desired.
- Nutritional yeast – Boosts umami and gives that slightly cheesy depth as well as adds some B12 and protein.
- Herbs & Spices – Garlic powder, dried basil, sage, black pepper, and sea salt.
- Hot water – Activates the gluten and brings everything together. Helpful for dissolving the bouillon cube.
Helpful Equipment
In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:
- Food processor or blender
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil
- Baking sheet
- Cast iron skillet (optional)
How to Make
This is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make this recipe including photographs. For the quick version, skip ahead to the recipe card below!
Preheat your oven to 350°F and cut 12 rectangles of parchment paper approximately 6-inches by 10-inches.
Pulse the oats in a food processor or blender until they resemble a fine oat flour, then toss them into a large bowl with the vital wheat gluten. Next, blend up the remaining dry and wet ingredients in the food processor until smooth.
Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry mixture and knead until no dry bits remain and you’ve got a solid dough. It will feel very firm and stretchy.
Separate the dough into roughly 12 pieces and roll each one into sausage-like shapes, and place them on the parchment paper. Fair warning – they absolutely look like turds at this stage. I promise you’re not doing it wrong.
Tightly roll each sausage in the parchment paper, twisting the ends to seal in the shape. Place all of the rolled sausages onto a large piece of aluminum foil and fold it into a foil packet.
Pop the foil packet on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, flipping the packet halfway through.
Enjoy the sausages straight from the oven or crisp them up in a cast iron skillet with a bit of oil over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side for that perfect finish.
That’s it!
How to Serve
These plant-based breakfast sausages are the perfect addition to any breakfast spread. Serve them alongside a tofu scramble, tuck them into a breakfast sandwich with some vegan cheese, or crumble them into a vegan sausage gravy.
Want more spice? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
Prefer patties? Form the sausage mixture into rounds instead of links.
Feeling fancy? A splash of liquid smoke will take them to the next level.
Variations
- Add fennel seeds or red pepper flakes for more flavor or spice.
How to Store
- Fridge – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- Freezer – Freeze up to 3 months for longer storage. When ready to eat, heat them up on medium heat in a little oil until warmed through and crispy on the outside.
More Tips
- Not Vegan? Use a chicken bouillon cube or hot chicken broth instead of water. Add feta cheese to the mixture.
- Gluten-Free? Sorry, this recipe is not for you. Seitan is gluten, and there is no good sub for this recipe. For a gluten-free and vegan breakfast meat option, try this Tempeh Bacon or make these Vegan Breakfast Patties with gluten-free flour.
- Oil-Free? Sub the oil for more water, veggie broth, or tomato paste.
FAQ
Ugh, sorry, no. Vital wheat gluten is the key ingredient, so there’s no easy swap.
It helps, but you can use a blender instead or swap for oat flour – just make sure to use 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup.
You could, but they won’t hold together as well. Baking first makes them firm and easier to handle.
A quick sear in a pan with a little oil over medium heat brings them back to life. Zap them in the microwave up to 30 seconds for a softer bite.
Sure. Coconut oil, olive oil, or vegetable broth (if avoiding oil) will all work.
Vegan Breakfast Sausage Links
Equipment
- Food processor (or blender)
- Small bowl
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil
- Cast iron skillet (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Not Chick'n Bouillon cube
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp sage
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 ⅓ cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and cut 12 rectangles of parchment paper approximately 6-inches by 10-inches.
- Pulse the oats in a food processor until they resemble a fine oat flour, then toss them into a large bowl with the vital wheat gluten. Blend up the remaining dry and wet ingredients in the food processor until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry mixture and knead until no dry bits remain and you’ve got a solid dough.
- Separate the dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into sausage-like shapes, and place them on the parchment paper.
- Tightly roll each sausage in the parchment paper, twisting the ends to seal in the shape. Place all of the rolled sausages onto a large piece of aluminum foil and fold it into a foil packet. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes, flipping the packet halfway through.
- Enjoy the sausages straight from the oven or crisp them up in a cast iron skillet with a bit of oil over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side for that perfect finish.
- That's it! Enjoy!
Notes
More Tips
- Not Vegan? Use a chicken bouillon cube or hot chicken broth instead of water. Add feta cheese to the mixture.
- Gluten-Free? Sorry, this recipe is not for you. Seitan is gluten, and there is no good sub for this recipe. For a gluten-free and vegan breakfast meat option, try this Tempeh Bacon or make these Vegan Breakfast Patties with gluten-free flour.
- Oil-Free? Sub the oil for more water, veggie broth, or tomato paste.
Nutrition
Please note, while all ingredients used in this recipe have been verified to be vegan and free of applicable allergens at the time of recipe creation, different brands may differ in their ingredients or processing procedures and may change their ingredients at any time. For some recipes, I do include ingredients that are processed in a facility that processes other allergens. Please make sure to check the ingredients and processing procedures for your specific purchases to ensure they meet your dietary needs.
