I see myself as something of a sausage connoisseur. I know, sounds a bit fancy right? Really it just means I have quite a big obsession with sausages.
I’ve always loved them and always probably will. They were one of the only types of animal-based products that I actually missed when turning vegan back in 2015. I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with the animal flesh stuffed inside them though, it had more to do with what it had been turned into. When cooked, they turned lovely and crispy on the outside and the inside had a lovely umami flavour.
Because of this obsession of mine, I’ve pretty much tried all of the vegan sausage options in the UK. In this guide, I am going to take you through the best vegan sausages so you can get back to eating great sausage sandwiches and fry-ups.
1. THIS Isn’t Pork Sausages
Made from: Pea protein
Protein per 100g: 14.4g
Calories per 100g: 189kcal
It should come as no surprise that THIS takes the top spot for the best meat-free sausages. Their products are consistently tasty and realistic enough to fulfil your cravings. These sausages in particular are my favourite meat alternative of all time. They are exactly what I used to love about animal-based sausages, but fully plant-based.
Find out more about why I love these sausages in my THIS Isn’t Pork Sausages review.
They work perfectly in a sausage sandwich, served on the side of a vegan fry-up, or chopped up into chunks and cooked into a pasta sauce.
To top it all off, they are gluten and soya-free and jam-packed full of protein, whilst also being relatively low in calories. And unlike their animal-based counterparts, there is plenty of fibre and 75% less saturated fat.
2. Beyond Meat Sausage
Made from: Pea, rice & fava bean protein
Protein per 100g: 17g
Calories per 100g: 238kcal
These are probably the most humongous sausages I’ve ever seen, plant-based or not. They come in a pack of 2 and I believe that 1 sausage could quite easily feed 1 person.
Just like most other Beyond Meat products, their Beyond Sausage is really meaty and tasty. Although, it does taste very similar to most of their other products, so if you regularly buy their vegan burgers and mince meat, you’ll find this to be much the same. Which is great if you love their products!
Because of the size of these sausages, you could eat them as a meat substitute on the side of a plate of potato mash and vegetables. Or, you could serve up one inside a hot dog bun, a huge one of course, with plenty of ketchup and mustard drizzled on top.
If you are looking for a high-protein vegan food product, then these are the sausages for you. They contain 17g of protein per 100g, the highest of all the sausages mentioned here.
3. Heura Vegan Chorizo Sausage
Made from: Soya protein
Protein per 100g: 16g
Calories per 100g: 154kcal
These chorizo sausages are like the Spanish cousin of THIS Isn’t Pork Sausages (mentioned above). They are really tasty and have a wonderfully chewy texture that is reminiscent of animal-based chorizo.
These can be eaten in the same way as normal sausages, say in a sausage sandwich or in a fry-up, or they can be paired up with Spanish dishes like Paella. I eat them both ways and always really enjoy them! I also recommend trying them in my vegan chorizo pasta dish.
Heura has made these in a gluten-free environment so they are also suitable for coeliacs, which is awesome. On top of this, they are high in protein and also one of the lowest in calories. It can be pretty healthy eating tasty vegan grub!
4. Richmond Meat Free Sausages
Made from: Soya & wheat protein
Protein per 100g: 8.7g
Calories per 100g: 148kcal
It almost pains me to mention these meat-free sausages because they are produced by Richmond, a company that also sells animal-based products. But I can’t deny the fact that these actually tasty pretty similar to the cheap sausages I used to eat as a child. They take me on a little nostalgia trip that I don’t experience with any of the other vegan sausages.
The skin has a great chew and the inside really does taste like pork sausage. I don’t find them as juicy and satisfying as THIS Isn’t Pork Sausages, but they are a great cheaper alternative.
I much prefer buying from vegan companies, but when money is tight and the options in your supermarket are limited, these sausages from Richmond are a solid choice. I guess there is also an argument for buying products from non-vegan companies to show there is demand for plant-based alternatives, but I’ll leave that decision with you.
5. M&S Vegan Bangers
Made from: Soya & pea protein
Protein per 100g: 7.9g
Calories per 100g: 242kcal
These cute chubby bangers from M&S are an absolute winner for me. They aren’t as realistic as some of the other sausages mentioned here, but they are really quite tasty.
The inside has a lovely doughy soft chew that makes it really suitable for cooking into dishes with some sort of sauce element, like a stew. But you can also fry these off in chunks and add them to my vegan breakfast bake recipe.
They aren’t the healthiest option of the lot, nor do they have as high a protein content, but I do like to buy this occasionally for the taste factor alone.
6. Miami Burger Lincolnshire Sausages
Made from: Soya & pea protein
Protein per 100g: 13.1g
Calories per 100g: 216kcal
These soya-based sausages from Miami Burger are a great alternative to Lincolnshire sausages. They have a lovely peppery taste with a great crisp casing on the outside.
These don’t require any frying as they bake perfectly in the oven for about 25 minutes. Great if you are looking for a faff-free breakfast or lunch.
I find these work really well in a sausage sandwich or on a vegan fry-up, but I would say they also work great being served as they are with a side of gravy and vegetables.
They are relatively high in protein and are made using soya and pea protein, so no gluten here! I particularly like that they use European-grown soya and they advertise this on their packaging.
7. Moving Mountains Plant-Based Hot Dogs
Made from: Vegetables & sunflower seeds
Protein per 100g: 7g
Calories per 100g: 128kcal
I am a big fan of Moving Mountains and their plant-based meat offering. They sell most of their products in the freezer aisle which means they can get away with putting all of their products inside a cardboard packet without any plastic – hurrah!
Find out more about my thoughts on this brand in my Moving Mountains burger review.
These plant-based hot dogs make for a great alternative and will keep everyone happy at your next summer BBQ party, meat eaters and all. They are predominantly vegetable-based and they get their protein from sunflower seeds, which is great for anyone who has allergies to common protein sources, like pea, soya and wheat protein. This does mean that they are lower in protein though, but also much lower in calories.
8. Green Cuisine Meat-Free Sausage Rolls
Made from: Wheat & pea protein
Protein per 100g: 8.4g
Calories per 100g: 216kcal
I couldn’t write a guide to the best vegan sausages without mentioning vegan sausage rolls, probably one of my favourite ways to eat sausages. Pastry always makes everything you eat that bit better.
Just like the vegan sausages from Richmond, I do somewhat struggle with the idea of buying fake meats from non-vegan brands like BirdsEye, but it is still good to support their vegan offering.
These sausage rolls are really affordable and tasty. They make for the perfect snack or unhealthy lunch. Cook them in the oven and take them with you to your next picnic in the park!
Because this is a pastry-based product, it does contain wheat. They also use gluten to create the sausage ‘meat’ inside, so these sausage rolls are really quite gluten-heavy. This isn’t great for anyone with slight gluten sensitivities, like me. So I only eat these as a real occasional treat.
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