While we all know the healthiest vegan diet is one based on whole, nutritious foods, life is about balance. Sometimes you want to be able to eat a familiar food on a bun at a backyard barbecue, or you’re really craving a dish your grandma used to make when you were a kid. For many people, sausage is one of those vegan foods.
Vegan sausage has come a long way, and many brands have a chewy, “meaty” texture that’s perfect on the grill or fried up next to your tofu scramble. Available in many flavors and shapes, they’re also a great source of plant-based protein.
Read on to learn more about our favorite vegan-friendly brands for your next brunch, backyard cookout, or easy weeknight dinner.
Future Farm
This Brazil-based brand offers six innovative vegan meat products, one of them being the Future Sausage. The gluten-free, pork-like links are made with a blend of soy, peas, and chickpeas, and they sizzle just like the real deal.
Impossible Foods
This brand announced the launch of its Impossible Sausage Links, which come in three different flavors: Bratwurst, Italian, and Spicy. They’re made with the brand’s own vegan ground sausage, which is then stuffed into a plant-based casing. According to Impossible Foods, its vegan sausage production releases 71-percent fewer greenhouse emissions than the pork alternative.
Beyond Meat
This brand offers a wide range of realistic-tasting plant-based meat products, including pork-like sausages. The brand’s range includes Brat Original, Sweet Italian, and, if you like a bit of spice, Hot Italian Style, too. Each product contains around 16 grams of protein per serving, plus, according to the brand, they contain 35 percent less saturated fat than products from “leading pork sausage brands.”
THIS
This brand offers two different types of sausages, it’s This Isn’t Pork sausages and a caramelized onion variety. According to the brand, the sausages are a source of fiber, they’re packed with protein, and they have 75-percent less saturated fat than pork sausages.
Light Life Foods Smart Sausage
Lightlife is a brand that has been a part of the plant-based industry since the 1970s. The brand has a wide range of vegan products, including a line of vegan sausages. The brand offers a range of 3 sausage products, including Smart Sausage® Chorizo, Smart Sausage® Italian, Gimme Lean® Sausage.
MorningStar Farms
As part of its line of Incogmeato products, the brand offers Plant-Based Breakfast Sausage Links and other creative vegan sausage products, like Plant-Based Pancake and Sausage on a Stick.
This brand offers a range of vegan sausage products, like Spicy Italian Saus’ge and Bratwurst Plant-Based Saus’ge. The latter, which is soy-free, is made with a “rich blend of warm spices” and contains 16 grams of protein.
Gardein
This brand offers a range of vegan sausage products, like Spicy Italian Saus’ge and Bratwurst Plant-Based Saus’ge. The latter, which is soy-free, is made with a “rich blend of warm spices” and contains 16 grams of protein.
Field Roast
Field Roast is a brand that has been a pioneer in the plant-based industry since the 1990s. The brand’s success is largely attributed to its innovative approach to vegan sausages. Field Roast’s co-founder, David Lee, started the brand after experimenting with European charcuterie sausage-making methods, only he replaced the animal meat with grains. Today, the brand’s vegan sausage range includes flavors like Smoked Apple & Sage, Italian Garlic & Fennel, and Spicy Mexican Chipotle.
Tofurky
Tofurky is a well-known brand in the plant-based food industry, with a history dating back to the 1980s. The company has a wide range of vegan products, including a line of delicious and satisfying vegan sausages. Tofurky’s vegan sausages come in several flavors, including Italian, Kielbasa, and Beer Brats.
What to Consider When Purchasing Vegan Sausage
While the vegan sausage brands above are our tried-and-true favorites, with an ever-expanding market for meat-free foods, you’re bound to encounter some products “in the wild” that aren’t included in our guide.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you’re searching for your next favorite plant-based sausage.
Type of Sausage
Are you planning to bring your sausages to a barbecue, and char one up to pile into a bun with all kinds of toppings?
Do you need small breakfast sausage links to fry up alongside your scramble and toast?
Or do you need a sausage product that easy to crumble to make into tacos, chilis, or breakfast casseroles?
Think about the type of dish you’re planning to make with your veggie sausage, and choose something whose form allows you to create the taste and texture you need.
What’s Your Flavor?
One of my favorite comfort foods is spaghetti with a tangy tomato sauce and sliced cooked Italian-style sausage. In the case of a certain cuisine, the flavorings of your sausage will need to match – while delicious on its own; a sage-and-apple vegan sausage wouldn’t taste quite right when paired with an Italian-inspired pasta dish.
If you’re looking for a sausage to function as the focal protein to be eaten with side dishes, you can opt for a product that’s as flavorful or as mild as you please. However, certain styles of food, like Italian or Mexican, work best with vegan sausages that share a similar flavor profile.
Allergens
Lastly, take a look at the ingredients list, especially if you have any allergies or sensitivities. Someone with Celiac disease or a wheat intolerance should opt for a soy-based product, while those with an aversion to soy can choose something to make from vital wheat gluten.
To choose the healthiest option, a shorter ingredient list is better – look for items that contain as few ingredients as possible, which are mostly pronounceable, and contain few preservatives and/or artificial flavors.
Is it Okay to Eat Something Meat-like if I’m Vegan?
An assumption about vegans is that they somehow need to dislike the taste and texture of meat, or that eating a meat amalgam is somehow hypocritical. This simply couldn’t be further from the truth, and it is a common, often unfair attack on people who are simply trying to do what they believe is right.
While some people do go vegan because they dislike the sight or taste of meat, vegans who abstain for ethical or environmental reasons may still love the taste of meat, but know it does not align with their values. Veganism is only abstaining from actual animal products – plant-based substitutes are perfectly acceptable under this definition.
Additionally, the purchase of plant-based meat substitutes furthers the vegan cause. By opting for a plant-based alternative when you would have formerly purchased meat, dairy, or eggs, you are signaling to businesses that there is demand for these kinds of products – that their profits would be affected if they were to sell a vegan-friendly product.
Voting with our dollars is the single most effective way to create change in the marketplace, and in the world.
If you’re a vegan who still drools at the sight of a slightly-charred sausage on the grill, it’s okay – none of this makes you “less” of a vegan. By choosing a plant-based sausage, you’re feeding yourself the food you crave while furthering the cause and staying aligned with your values – everyone wins!
Guilt-Free Tasty Vegan Sausage
Just because you’re forgoing animal products doesn’t mean you can’t participate in beloved traditions like a sausage at a football game, or flavorful italian sausage in Nonna’s tomato sauce.
By replacing meat-based sausages with plant-based alternatives, you’re not only making a kinder choice for the animals and our planet, but you’re signaling demand in the market for vegan-friendly products. Many of these products are delicious additions to your own diet, as well as a good way to introduce meat-eating friends and family to plant-based cooking.