What are the Top Vegan Sausage Brands? Best Vegetarian Sausage Review for 2019
It’s well known that vegan diets that offer the most benefits and tend to be the healthiest require nutritious, whole foods. However, like everything else in life, sometimes you need to strike a balance as a vegan. On top of all the grains, veggies, and fruits you’re eating, sometimes you want to go to a backyard barbecue, or you want to make a dish that’s been in your family for years. What should a vegan do when they get a craving for something on a bun, or a craving for a dish that involves meats?
For many vegans, a simple answer to this is to cook up some vegan sausage. There are many brands out there that create vegan sausages that taste great, are easy to combine with other foods, and sizzle up just like traditional sausages. When you make a meat-based recipe or head to a barbeque, be sure to include your own pack of vegan sausage, which will likely be made from whole grains, vegetables, and tofu.
Vegan sausage has only become tastier over the years. Currently, companies offer sausage in a variety of shapes and flavors. You can make sausage all the time, whether you’d like a hearty breakfast, want to pop something on the grill, or need to add plant-based protein to a recipe. There are lots of vegan-friendly brands out there, and you’re sure to find the best vegan sausage for your next dinner, cookout, or brunch.
Top 5 Vegan Sausage Brands
Features to Consider in Vegan Sausage
As you’re browsing your options and investing in sausage, there are a few things you should keep in mind in order to find the best plant-based product for yourself.
Type of sausage. Just like meat-based sausage, vegan sausage comes in several different types. To figure out what type you need, consider your intentions; are you bringing your sausage to a barbeque and you’d like to put it on a bun and add toppings? Or do you want breakfast sausage to add to biscuits or toast? Or, do you like cooking meat-based recipes and need a plant-based alternative to add to your casseroles, chilis, or tacos? Figuring out the type of dish you’d like to make will enable you to pick out the texture and taste you need from specific kinds of vegan sausage.
Flavor. Consider your favorite comfort food–do you like spaghetti with Italian sausage and tomato sauce? Or, do you go for beer brats that remind you of summer barbecues? The flavoring of the vegan sausage should match the type of dish you have in mind. For example, while apple maple sausages are excellent for breakfast, you wouldn’t want to mix these with your spaghetti. You might also want to consider whether you like savory sausage or spicy sausage, then opt for products that match your personal preferences.
Any potential allergens. As with any food product, carefully look at the ingredients list of the sausage you’re about to purchase. If you have any food sensitivities or allergies, you need to be careful. If you’re intolerant to wheat or have Celiac disease, you need a soy-based vegan sausage, and adversely, if you’re allergic to soy, a sausage made from vital wheat gluten is best for you. Keep in mind that the shorter the ingredient list, the better. Make sure you can pronounce all the ingredients, that you’re familiar with them, and that they all seem healthy to you.
Is It Safe for Vegans to Eat Meat-Like Foods?
This is a viable question to ask; many people wonder whether they’ll be able to stomach foods that mimic the texture and taste of meat while they’re on the vegan diet, or, whether consuming these will make them want to eat meat again. While it may seem hypocritical, it is perfectly fine and safe to consume meat-like foods, and as long as you invest in products that are definitely plant based, you’ll still be able to adhere strictly to your diet.
Vegan sausage is especially beneficial for people who choose to go vegan for environmental or ethical reasons, not because they dislike the texture, taste, or smell of meat, and they find themselves missing eating meat. Rather than breaking your diet, you can find foods that taste like what you’re missing. Sometimes just thinking of grilled sausages or your grandmother’s spaghetti meatballs can be tempting–and don’t worry, this doesn’t make you any less of a vegan. You can handle these cravings and stick with your values.
Buying plant-based meats also can aid the vegan cause, because investing in these products signals to businesses that there is a demand for them. By preventing yourself from purchasing meat, you deny profits and instead provide them to vegan friendly products. This helps to create change in the marketplace, and does have an impact.
The Best Vegan Sausage Brands List
① Field Roast Italian Vegetarian Grain Meat Sausages
These sausages from Field Roast feature grains and vegetables that are simple, whole ingredients mixed with an italian seasoning added to enhance flavor. They come ready to eat, so they’re easy to add to any meal you’re planning; simply peel the casing away and discard before consuming. Once you open the package, keep refrigerated. You can grill it, cook it on the stove, and add to stir frys and scrambles. If you’d like to keep the sausages for a while, you can stick them in the freezer for up to a year. Field Roast attempts to make vegan sausages that smell, taste, and feel like the real thing without giving up on vegan lifestyles. Ingredients include sea salt, spices, garlic, fennel seed, dried red bell pepper, barley malt, garlic, yeast extract, onions, eggplant, red wine, safflower oil, filtered water, and vital wheat gluten–a clean list you’re sure to be familiar with, so you can be rest assured the sausages contain only vegetables and grains. These Italian sausages are traditionally seasoned, and you’ll be able to taste the fennel, garlic, and red wine. Pros Cons
② Viana Veggie Snack Sausages
These veggie sausages from Viana are perfect to eat as a snack and take on the go. They’re certified organic, verified to be non-GMO, are vegan, have absolutely zero cholesterol, and offer an impressive 15 grams of protein within each serving. Just open the package and enjoy to get your daily dose of protein. You can snack happy feeling rest assured that what you’re eating is healthy and contains all the nutrients you need. The snack sausages, which are completely meatless, are individually wrapped and ready to eat, making them perfect for taking to work, on a hike, and to the gym for an energy boost. You can also pick and choose your favorite flavor within each purchase, as the package offers three sausages each of the Picnicker and the Mild Jumbo flavors. If you don’t eat the entire sausage at once, just toss it in the fridge to keep.
Pros Cons
③ Tofurky Gourmet Sausages Original Beer Brats
Tofurky is a well known vegan brand, and these beer brats live up to the company’s hype. Tofurky has been in operation since 1980, and for decades it’s aimed to make vegan’s dreams come true with food that tastes great but also makes the planet, people, and animals happy and safe. You can feel good about consuming these beer brats, no matter how restrictive your diet is. Ingredients include garlic, onion, black pepper, other spices, salt, textured wheat protein, evaporated cane juice, Full Sail Amber Ale (which is made from yeast, hops, malted barley, and water), safflower oil, non-GMO canola oil, vital wheat gluten, and organic tofu. Many consumers have loved that these beer brats actually do contain real beer, even though they’re vegan; the brand holds itself to what its products promise. Before you eat these brats, keep them refrigerated, then you can grill them, cook them on the stove, or pop them in the microwave. If you’re looking for great sausage recipes, check out Tofurky’s website.
Pros Cons
④ Field Roast Apple Maple Breakfast Sausages
Another one from Field Roast, these sausages have a tasty apple maple flavor and are meant to provide you with a delicious breakfast so you can jump-start your day with a protein-packed yet vegan meal. Each package offers 9 sausages, and it’s branded a best quality product. They’re perfect for eating alongside pancakes and other breakfast foods such as scrambles, quiche, breakfast burritos, oatmeal, and biscuits and gravy. Field Roast also prides itself on providing you with products that are perfectly and traditionally seasoned, plant-based, and made simply, so you can feel good about what you’re putting in your body as you take on whatever the day brings you. They have a small hint of maple syrup that’s real, and they include whole, real apples from the Pacific Northwest, where the company is located. You can enjoy the delicious smell and flavor of these sausage links as they sizzle just like traditional sausages while you cook them on the stove, and as you nourish yourself after a good night’s sleep.
Pros Cons
⑤ Harmony Valley Vegetarian Sausage Mix
You can get your vegan sausage fix in a very unique way with this mix from Harmony Valley. It’s very simple to use and provides you with endless possibilities that will always be delicious, no matter how you make it. Simply add some cold water, put in the fridge for fifteen minutes, and cook however you’d like. The sausages are a great source of both fiber and protein, so you get the nutritious boost you need and support for a healthy digestive system. Harmony Valley is certified to be both vegan and kosher, and its soy-based, meat alternative sausage meat can make eating less meat much more versatile and easy. You can find lots of recipes at Harmony Valley’s website so you can get great meals from vegan sausage that has the same versatility and consistency as ground meat. It’s a great plant-based protein that’s perfect to add to all your favorite foods. Made from soybeans and hints of sage and spices, the mix was designed to mimic both the texture and savory, bold taste of traditional meat with a better environmental and personal health impact. Just keep in mind that this veggie product comes in a dehydrated form within a pouch, so you’ll have to add water and cook it.
Pros Cons
Conclusion & What is the Best Vegan Sausage Brand
Whether you’re craving that meat-based dish your mom used to make or you’re going to a summer barbeque, it is possible to get a meaty texture, taste, and smell from vegan sausage that you can feel good about. Going vegan doesn’t mean you can’t participate in what you used to, and choosing plant-based meat alternatives is a kinder choice for our bodies, our planet, and animals. Many of the vegan sausages above are delicious additions to your diet, whether you make a beer vegan brat for a cookout, or add breakfast sausages to your mornings.
Check out our favorite brand, Field Roast Italian Sausages (CHECK BEST PRICE HERE).
Leave a Reply