Tempeh Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

This savory tempeh vegan breakfast sausage patties recipe will delight you with sweet, spicy flavor and meaty texture. With our tempeh cooking hack, it's never tasted better!

This post contains helpful tips and tricks to make sure you're successful in your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!

Jump to:

• ⭐Why this recipe works
• 📋 Key ingredients, substitutions, & notes
• 🔪 Pro tips & notes
• 💭 Common Questions
• 🍴 Serving suggestions
• 🥄 Storage & Reheating
• 📖 Related recipes
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe

⭐Why this recipe works

Meaty texture. This vegan breakfast sausage recipe capitalizes on our classic tempeh burger recipe, combining simmered tempeh crumbles, vital wheat gluten, and mushrooms. This foundation makes a hold-together patty shape that can be pan-fried or baked.

Sausage flavor with options. The spice mixture can be modified by adding a few pinches of garlic powder or onion powder. If you want more sausage flare, consider adding crushed or whole fennel seeds for more of an Italian sausage taste. You can make it spicier with additional chili or sweeter with more maple syrup. You can even add nutritional yeast for a salty, cheesy flavor. Adventures in vegan sausage patties!

Healthy vegan protein. Tempeh and vital wheat gluten are tremendous vegan sources of protein, so together, they are a powerhouse to start the morning. This recipe is also made without additional oil, although if you want to use your favorite oil spray for frying, we’ll leave that up to you.

📋 Key ingredients, substitutions, & notes

Tempeh – Tempeh, made from cooked and fermented soybeans, is a versatile vegan meat substitute because it can be crumbled and turned into ground meat substitute or sliced and marinated. Tempeh can be found in blocks near the tofu at the grocery store or health food stores. It’s possible to substitute with textured vegetable protein or vegan mince such as Beyond Beef. However, I've not personally tried this.

Mushrooms – When blended with simmered tempeh and soy sauce, mushrooms contribute to a meaty flavor and texture. Use 4 regular button mushrooms, which is about ½ a cup.

Vital wheat gluten - Vital wheat gluten (seitan) is wheat flour that is moistened, then dried so that only the gluten remains. When vital wheat gluten is wet, it becomes an integral ingredient in making vegan meats.

Soy sauce – Soy sauce or tamari adds a meaty umami flavor than salt alone. You can also use liquid amino acids to replace soy sauce.

Maple syrup – If breakfast sausage has a signature, it's probably maple syrup. If you dislike sweet sausage, omit it or reduce the amount. You can also use a teaspoon of date sugar if that's handier, but you'll miss out on the maple flavor.

Vegan Worcestershire sauce – It can be tricky finding vegan Worcestershire without oil. For a quick substitute, use 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, plus ½ a teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder, respectively.

Smoked paprika – If you use hot smoked paprika, you may want to reduce the amount of red pepper flakes you use. If you want a smokier flavor, consider adding ½ a teaspoon of liquid smoke in place of smoked or regular paprika.

Red chili flakes – Red chili or red pepper flakes give feisty bits of spice. How spicy you want your sausage is your personal preference. Use a little, a lot, or none. You can also use cayenne pepper or hot paprika.

Additional spices – In addition to smoked paprika and red chili flakes, these breakfast patties combine thyme, marjoram, rosemary, sage, black pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.

🔪 Pro tips & notes

The first step in preparing this recipe is to simmer the tempeh. Once you get that started, you'll have 15 to 20 minutes to gather and prep the rest of the ingredients.

Why simmer tempeh?

When you open a package of tempeh, you'll notice that it's harder and denser than tofu. It's chewier and less pliable. For this reason, flavors won't seep into tempeh. Simmering tempeh, especially when making tempeh crumbles or blending it, softens it and creates a texture like ground beef that gives flavors a place to cling to. They make a great alternative to tofu in vegan sausage crumbles.

Another reason to simmer tempeh is to reduce the strong flavor naturally inherent to tempeh. That strong flavor can be off-putting to some individuals (like me). The process of simmering and draining alleviates this annoyance.

Preparation tips

Dice the onion and mushroom into small pieces that will break down when you blend them with the tempeh and other wet ingredients.  

Don't try to blend the mixture until it is completely smooth. Several pulses or about 15 seconds in the food processor should do the trick.

Mix the dry ingredients separately to distribute the dry spices with the vital wheat gluten. When you add the tempeh mixture, start with a spoon and then your hand to make the sausage mixture.

Tip: Add a ¼ cup of vital wheat gluten to a small dish or measuring cup and keep it handy. Once you start mixing and testing the sausage mixture, it's less messy and easier to add.

How to test the sausage mixture

The ideal mixture holds together and stays in whatever form you put it in. So, let’s talk about the ball test.

Grab about ½ a cup of the sausage mixture and form a ball. If the ball crumbles, then the mixture is too dry. Start by adding a tablespoon of broth or water and mix well until you form a ball that doesn't fall apart.

The mixture is too wet if your sausage ball either won't form or quickly melts into a puddle. Add a little vital wheat gluten, mix well, and continue testing.

Try to keep the patties about ¼ of an inch thick. Thicker patties to cook in the middle before the outside browns.

Pan Fry

Preheat a non-stick skillet or heavy-bottomed fry pan over medium heat. Add the sausage patties in a single layer. Cook on one side for about 5 minutes until the bottom is browned, and then flip and cook until the patties are brown on all sides and firm in the middle.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 400 F. and place the sausage patties on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake the patties for 10 minutes or until they start to brown. Flip them and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes.

💭 Common Questions

🍴 Serving suggestions

Breakfast sausage patties make delicious breakfast sandwiches when stuffed between 2 slices of homemade bread or your favorite English muffin. They are a natural accompaniment for a veggie-packed tofu scramble and a side of hashbrowns. And don't forget, vegan sausages are a perfect addition to biscuits and sausage gravy.

🥄 Storage & Reheating

It's best to cook the sausages after they are made and before storing or freezing them. When ingredients are mixed with vital wheat gluten and left overnight, they can expand and get quite chewy.

Store cooked sausage patties in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic or foil. Keep them in the refrigerator for 4 days.

The best way to reheat sausage patties is either in the microwave or foil-wrapped in the oven. You can also steam foil-wrapped sausages.

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