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Vegan Sausage Patties

Introducing vegan sausage patties!

I’m super excited to finally share this recipe with you guys! These vegan sausage patties that are perfectly tender, meaty, high in protein, and incredibly versatile. Let’s make vegan sausage!

Vegan Sausage Patties

These patties are inspired by Vietnamese fish cakes, called “chả cá”. I used to love the vegan version sold at the local market. Unfortunately, because of the language barrier, I could never figure out how they made it. Plus, they would probably not share their secret recipe.

After many failed attempts, I can finally say I nailed it!

These patties have a super tender texture, are very slightly chewy, and can be prepared and cooked in an unlimited number of ways!

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SAUSAGES

We start with firm tofu (if you are not a tofu lover, trust me, you will never guess these are made with tofu!). We squeeze it in a nut milk bag to drain as much water as possible. To give you an idea, I started with a block of about 400g and drained about 80g of water. Depending on the brand of tofu used, this ratio can vary.

Once our tofu is drained, transfer to a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. We are using:

  • All-purpose flour: Essential to give the sausage structure. Without it, the patties are crumbly, oily, and too soft. I haven’t tried with a gluten-free blend yet. If you do I would love to hear your results!
  • Tapioca starch: It adds some elasticity to the texture without making it chewy.
  • Garlic and green onions: Fresh aromatics to add some flavor.
  • Salt, sugar, pepper: Seasonings are important here if we don’t want a bland flavor.
  • Vegan fish sauce (optional but recommended): It really adds a deeper flavor and some umami; don’t worry, it doesn’t add a “fish” flavor. You can substitute with soy sauce, but I would highly recommend sticking with vegan fish sauce if you can.
Vegan Sausage Patties

FLAVOR IDEAS

The main recipe I’m sharing here yields sausages that have a subtle flavor, to be incorporated in many dishes without overpowering the other ingredients. However, there are many ways to customize these sausages to your taste. Here are 4 different flavors for you to try!

  • Pepperoni: Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons crushed chili flakes, and 1 extra garlic clove before processing.
  • Fish Cakes: Soak 3 tablespoons of dried seaweed for 30 minutes, then drain and process with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Smokey: Add 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke, or smoke the finished patties in a stovetop smoker for about 10 minutes.
  • Garlic & Herbs: Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, parsley, and thyme, and one extra garlic clove.
Vegan Sausage Patties

Process all the ingredients together in a food processor for a few seconds or until it forms a sticky “dough”. Once this is done, it’s time to shape into patties and deep-fry. Why deep-fry? Well, deep frying not only quickly cooks the patties, but it also gives them a beautiful golden color. At first, the crust is crispy but will soften as the patties cool.

Can these sausage patties be baked instead of fried? I would not recommend it as you won’t get the same texture, and the end result won’t look as appetizing.

Vegan Sausage Patties

HOW AND WHERE TO USE VEGAN SAUSAGES

These vegan sausage patties are incredibly versatile. Here are a few ideas on where to use them:

  • Braised: Sautée garlic and onions, add your diced vegan sausages, and braise for a few minutes. Next, add some water, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  • In stir-fries: Simply slice your sausages into thick slices and add to your vegetable stir-fries.
  • With noodles: Thinly sliced, perfect for adding texture and protein to your noodle dishes.
  • In sandwiches or bánh mì: These sausages make a great addition to bánh mì, avocado toasts, and more.
  • In salads, spring rolls, wraps, and more!
Vegan Sausage Patties

I hope you will love these sausage patties! They are easy and quick to prepare, customizable, and incredibly versatile! The texture is between ham and sausage; it’s meaty, tender, and so GOOD! This recipe is a favorite here!

Vegan Sausage Patties

Looking for more meaty dishes? Check out our Best Vegan Chick’n, High-Protein Vegan Burger, or this Vegan Roast Pork!

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

Vegan Sausage Patties
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Vegan Sausage Patties

Vegan Sausage Patties

5 from 6 votes
Author: Thomas Pagot
These vegan sausages are tender, meaty, high-protein, and can be used in a handful of ways! A MUST-TRY!
Prep Time : 45 minutes
Cook Time : 15 minutes
Total Time : 1 hour
Servings 6 patties
Calories 196 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 14 ounces firm tofu
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce or 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 tbsp chopped green onion
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp tapioca starch
  • 2 cups of oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Place the tofu in a nut milk bag and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. You should remove between 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of liquid depending on how moist your tofu was.
  • Transfer the drained tofu to the bowl of a food processor. Add the salt, vegan fish sauce, black pepper, garlic, green onions, and sugar. Process for about 5 seconds, or until everything is mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Next, add the flour and tapioca starch, and process for another 5-7 seconds.
  • Heat about 2 cups of oil in a medium-size saucepan.
  • In the meantime, scoop out about 1/4 cup of the mixture and place it on a sheet of cling film. Wrap to shape the mixture into a ball, then unwrap the ball. Place another layer of cling film on top and press it down to flatten the ball into a circular shape of about 1/2-inch thick. If you don’t want to use cling film, oil your hands and shape the patties with your hands as the mixture is quite sticky.
  • Once the oil is hot, carefully submerge one patty into it. Depending on how large your saucepan is, you may be able to fry two at a time. Fry for 4-5 minutes, flipping once, or until the patties are light golden brown. Don’t fry for longer than that otherwise the “crust” will be too thick.
  • Transfer the patties to a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
  • Let the sausage patties cool for at least 30 minutes. Use in stir-fries, curries, sandwiches, salads, and more! These sausages will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Sausage patty | Calories: 196 kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.7 g | Protein: 10.1 g | Fat: 11 g | Fiber: 0.9 g | Sugar: 1.8 g
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : Vietnamese
Did you make this recipe? Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants
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About the Author

Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.

Learn more ➜

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5 stars
I made these for Christmas for my non-vegan family and they really liked them!

5 stars
Hi Tomas! Do you think I could air fry them? With some spritz of oil on both sides?
One more time I wanna say how AMAZING all you make is!

5 stars
These turned out pretty good. Everyone sampled and was happy with them.

My mixture was dryer than yours so perhaps your tofu had more moisture to start or you used a silkier type of tofu. In any case, it was easy to mold and still moist after cooking.

I made them for the bob bo hue I trying to tonight. Thanks for including this recipe!

And the sausage texture looked more like yours at after cooling down and it worked well in the soup!

In place of the AP flour, would a vital wheat gluten give it a better texture? Either way these look great and can’t wait to try them!

5 stars
Hi Thomas,
Made these with a commercial gluten free flour blend and they were great! Great make ahead recipe for a busy weeknight.
Thanks!

Has anyone tried these in an air fryer? Just curious, as I have to avoid added fats in my diet. TIA.

I made the second batch with the air fryer setting in my oven and it worked ok. The crust is a bit different (dryer) and the oil adds a bit more flavour but my husband thought it was just as good. I made it gluten free too with 2 tbsp. of brown rice flour and 3 tbsp. of oat flour instead of wheat flour. Last time, I felt the flavour improved after it sat on the counter for a few hours and today I didn’t let it rest very long so it’s hard to compare exactly. Still good.

I am wondering if I could add some seaweed or the likes to make a fishy taste as it reminds me of though deep fired fish sausages/cakes like Odeng or Haka fish sausage

Hi Thomas!

I am just stepping into the vegan food scene and was hoping to try this recipe. I was wondering if you can substitute tapioca starch for corn starch?

Hi Thomas, I have two questions – can these be baked instead of frying and are they freezable? Cheers

This is such an amazing one, Thomas! Thanks
Regarding freezing, will u freeze them pre or post frying?!

Oh that’s a shame. Oil and frying are totally off my plate for health reasons so guess I’ll have to pass. Sounded so good too.

5 stars
Hi Thomas, I tried the recipe. Since I didn’t have a food processor handy, I used Vitamix. Although the dough came out very sticky, after I oiled my hands, I was able to shape the patties easily, and the sausages came out great. The texture I got was very firm and chewy. I am pleased with the end result. Thanks!

I can’t wait to try this recipe!! Looks a lot like something from my childhood, maybe like Vietnamese cha lua chien!! So excited to try this!!

5 stars
Very good guidelines on making this VEGAN sausage recipe. I am now going to try it. Keep it on!!!