10 Best Plant-Based Sausage Links To Try
Whether you're an omnivore or a vegan or any variation in between, you've likely encountered one of many available plant-based meat alternatives. Research from the Plant-Based Food Institute shows that between 2020 and 2021, the retail market for plant-based foods grew by over 6%, with most plant-based foods outpacing their animal-based competition. Nowhere is that more clear than in the proliferation of plant-based sausages. Now consumers can choose from links, breakfast patties, and crumbles, — once only found in pre-spiced mixes like vegan chorizo.
Here, we're looking at our favorite plant-based sausage links. Links can, like their meat counterparts, be connected by the sausage's casing. But they can also be stand-alone links like hot dogs. As with meat-based sausage, the combination of spices, texture, and the mouthfeel of the link make or break the quality of a plant-based sausage. However, the difference with plant-based sausage is it requires less water and carbon. Also, its ecological footprint is significantly lower than with traditional beef or pork. That's a win for the animals, the planet, and your tastebuds.
1. Beyond Sausage Brat Original
Searching for a plant-based alternative that will answer all your summer grilling needs? Reach for the Beyond Sausage Brat Original. Like a classic animal-based German Brat, this vegan sausage is a blank canvas meant to be grilled then slathered in mustard. Because grilling is such an important part of the bratwurst taste, the casing for the Beyond Sausage really shines in this variety. The sizzle of the fats comes from refined coconut and sunflower oils that also give the Brat Original a realistic sausage mouthfeel. That's by design: Beyond Meat believes that in order to entice consumers to eat plant-based, companies need to offer not just an alternative to meat but something even better tasting. The Beyond Sausage Brat Original exemplifies this mission.
Give your Brat Original an extra Teutonic touch with some white onions or a dollop of saurkraut. The umami of the brat contrasts with the acidity of the toppings for the perfect flavor combination. Guten Appetit!
2. Impossible Spicy and Italian
Impossible offers several plant-based sausages to suit all tastes, but Impossible Spicy is our favorite variety. It is, as advertised, spicy, infused with a hearty blend of cayenne, paprika, black and chili pepper, coriander, and red pepper. But Spicy is not too spicy — it's got just the right amount of fire without becoming overwhelming. Toss some on the grill, brown them in the oven, or sear them in a skillet. Whatever your cooking method, you'll be amazed at how much the links resemble animal sausages in size, mouthfeel, and that captivating spice.
The Italian sausage from Impossible Foods is a close second from Impossible and teems with basil, fennel, oregano, and garlic. Add in a dash of black pepper to tie it all together, and you've got a well-spiced link that's just got enough of a kick to keep it interesting. The sausage features a realistic casing that is created by using a derivative of algae and an Asian root vegetable called konjac. Snap into the link, and it bursts open with juicy goodness. Cook the sausage in the skin, then remove the casing before serving. Or treat the link like a crumble and remove the skin from the start.
3. Lightlife Smart Sausage Chorizo
For some plant-based eaters, the idea that a vegan sausage would cook and taste like real meat is an appalling thought. Thankfully, Lightlife Smart Sausage Chorizo doesn't pretend to be real Spanish-style chorizo. As one of the original meat alternatives companies, Lightlife introduced its number-one-selling plant-based hotdog way back in 1993. Today, even at first glance, Smart Sausage links are clearly plant-based. Lightlife has more of a first-generation vegan meat flavor and texture that reflects its wheat and soy protein base. These garlicky links taste best when sliced into rounds or crumbled into loose meat for tacos. Give these vegan sausages a bit more time to get brown and crispy — the extra crunch is worth the wait and really adds to the overall taste.
Lightlife, too, is a carbon-neutral company aiming to slash its overall environmental footprint in half by 2025. By 2030, the company hopes to cut its absolute carbon emissions — unavoidable emissions generated by growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food — by 30%. With other initiatives in sustainable energy, water conservation, and food waste, Lightlife remains a leader in the plant-based space.
4. Tofurkey Italian Sausage
Tofurkey Italian Sausage earns its place on this list because of its delightful and singular flavor. Sweet and fragrant, the Italian is packed with sun-dried tomato and basil with a hint of garlic and other Italian spices. Nobody would mistake these vegan sausages for animal sausages — and that's a good thing! Tofurkey isn't trying to outdo meat at its own game. And there's a place for all kinds of vegan sausages, including this veggie-forward option.
Tofurkey Italian links' chunky, homemade texture comes from wheat and — no surprise — tofu. Unlike other more meat-like sausages, this first-gen protein combo cooks surprisingly quickly. You can even boil these sausages in water for just 90 seconds, and they're ready to enjoy. Our favorite cooking method: slice the links and pan-sear in that veggie goodness. The crunch gives these richly flavored links an added dimension. Top your pizza with it or add it to pasta e fagioli.
Tofurkey is also a B Corporation, giving back to environmental causes. Great taste, fewer resources — exactly what plant-based sausage should be.
5. Lightlife Plant-Based Italian Sausage
Lightlife didn't stop developing its catalog of plant-based meats with Smart Sausages. In recent years, the company added Plant-Based Sausages to the roster. These links more closely mimic the look, flavor, and texture of pork. Of the two flavors, we like the Plant-Based Italian Sausage best. These links come in a vegan-friendly casing made from algae, akin to other "better than meat" sausages on this list. You'll enjoy a better texture and flavor if you brown or char the Plant-Based Sausages on both sides. The heat changes both the flavor and the texture of this pea protein and modified cellulose meat.
Lightlife's Plant-Based Sausage doesn't quite measure up as a true meat replacement, but it's still a good vegan sausage. The dried red peppers give these mildly sausages a subtle hint of sweetness, and the links work well as slices in single-pan pasta recipes. Lightlife Plant-Based Sausages are a gluten-free, soy-free meat alternative that will do in a pinch.
6. Field Roast Spicy Mexican Chipotle
With a flavor profile all its own, Field Roast Spicy Mexican Chipotle sausage links delight the taste buds with chile de árbol, sweet onion, and garlic. Seasoned with oregano and whole cumin seeds, every bite offers a new array of flavors that prove its place in the top five of this list. Because all Field Roast sausages lack the outer casing that give some of the alt-sausages a real meat quality, they lend themselves well to crumbles or rounds. Nowhere is that more useful than with this sausage. It's the perfect plant-based protein for paella, tacos, and fajitas.
When it comes to bold flavors made from grains, veggies, spices, and herbs, Field Roast leads the pack. The Seattle-based company was founded in 1997 and began selling vegan sausages in 2005. Back then, very few plant-based alternatives tasted — and more importantly, behaved under heat — like animal products. What reigned supreme then still does today: flavor.
7. Beyond Sausage Sweet Italian
Beyond Sausage Sweet Italian has the flavor of the Hot Italian without the added peppery kick. All the Beyond Sausages get their signature bite from a combination of peas, rice, and fava bean protein. When combined with potato starch and apple fiber, the protein transforms into a texture so similar to meat, you'll have to check to package to make sure you picked up the right item.
If you love that classic, fennel-forward Italian sausage flavor, the Sweet Italian will hit the spot. Since they're so well-spiced, these links shine on their own or in a plate of spaghetti. Serve these plant-based sausages with onions and peppers for the ultimate vegan twist on a Southern Italian classic. Want the spice but not too much? Cook up both the Hot and Sweet Italian for a half-and-half combo that will give you the best of both worlds — with a much lower environmental toll.
8. Future Sausage
Experts who examine the ways food contributes to the climate crisis predict future farms might not include animal agriculture. Or at least not nearly as much of it as we currently have. That's because livestock, in addition to generating methane emissions, is also the number one source of deforestation and uses nearly half of all habitable land. Future Sausage from the Brazilian company Future Farm uses soy, pea, and chickpea protein to sustainably replicate the taste of a meat sausage using 92% less land, 96% less water, and emitting 99% fewer emissions.
Future Sausage is our favorite non-spiced pork-style sausage flavor. With just a hint of white pepper, it's great on its own or topped with whichever flavors you prefer. No matter how you cook it, the vegetable-based casing around the sausage will give you that satisfying snap while keeping the juicy, fatty goodness inside.
Like Field Roast, Future Farm is a carbon-neutral company, offsetting Amazon deforestation in their home nation. The company is also on its way to earning the prestigious B Corporation certification. Welcome to the future of meatless meat!
9. Field Roast Smoked Apple & Sage
A delightful taste that's a bit off the beaten path secures Field Roast Smoked Apple & Sage sausages a spot on our list. All Field Roast sausage links are linked together inside a plastic casing that you discard as you unravel. This extra attention to detail sets it apart from the many plant-based sausage alternatives on supermarket shelves. In lieu of more common legume protein, Field Roast uses wheat along with safflower oil, apples, and potatoes to craft a hearty bite.
Although it's not technically classified as a breakfast sausage, the Apple & Sage makes the perfect early-morning non-meat treat. Just a hint of sweetness behind the savory creates an irresistible flavor combination. Serve it with waffles and maple syrup or caramelized onions and potatoes. Either way, you'll be satisfied by the flavor and the texture of this plant-based sausage.
Plus, Field Roast is a carbon-neutral company striving to achieve a zero-carbon footprint. With sustainability initiatives like offsetting emissions with wind power and reforestation, Field Roast sausages do some real good in the world.
10. Beyond Sausage Hot Italian
With a perfect amount of spice and the most realistic flavor of all the plant-based links on this list, the Beyond Sausage Hot Italian from Beyond Meat tops our list. Beyond Sausage relies primarily on pea protein with refined coconut and sunflower oils to recreate the mouthfeel you expect from a finely ground pork-style sausage. This perfectly peppery link is so tasty, even the sausage lover in your life might be fooled into thinking it was the genuine article. Instead, you get a soy-free, gluten-free, and animal-free alternative that'll leave you licking your chops.
Perhaps the most amazing realistic detail of all the flavors of Beyond Sausage is the "pop" that happens when you first sink your teeth into one of the tightly packed links. In meat-based sausage, that sound comes courtesy of breaking the air seal on the animal-based casing that encloses its meat. For an animal-free version, Beyond Sausage turned to algae. This plant-based casing sizzles in the griddle or on the grill, giving you the crispy crunch you want before soaking in all those Italian spices.