Homemade Vegan Sausage Rolls

Name: Homemade Vegan Sausage Rolls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion (finely diced); 2 celery ribs (finely diced); 1 medium carrot (finely diced); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 10 chestnut mushrooms (finely chopped in a food processor, 250-300g); 1 14-oz can lentils, drained and rinsed (400 grams); 1 tsp dried rosemary; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 1 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1 tbsp red miso paste (or any you have); 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; sea salt; cracked pepper; 1 cup baby spinach (finely chopped); 3 sheets puff pastry (vegan); ¾ cup panko bread crumbs; water (for sealing your pastry); 2 tbsp dairy-free milk; 1 tsp maple syrup; 1 tsp black sesame seeds

Last updated on March 13th, 2023 at 09:22 am

Straight from the pages of my cookbook, these vegan sausage rolls combine earthy mushrooms, lentils and rosemary wrapped in flaky puff pastry.

This recipe was originally posted in Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family and posted here on September 25, 2018. It was updated March 2, 2023 with how-to images, ingredient substitutions and new images.

Why You'll Love these Vegan Sausage Rolls

Reader Review. These rolls are delicious! I have happily served them to both vegans and non-vegans, and they all love them, as do I (I am not a vegan, but when I cater for parties, I always like to have plenty of choices for the vegans and vegetarians.) A non-vegan friend of mine once scoffed six of them at one sitting! ★★★★★

These vegan sausage rolls are probably one of the meatiest meat-free dishes I have created. So much so that my eight year-old didn't notice the swap from her regular sausage rolls to this new meat-free version.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Sausage roll ingredients in grid labelled.

Mushrooms. I generally use chestnut or button mushrooms for these vegan sausage rolls. I have made them with Portobellos and Swiss - you'll need around 250 - 300g. Don't get too fussy about it, anywhere in that range is fine.

Mirepoix. Trust the French to make something as simple as onion, celery and carrot sound sexy. The base of many-a-good soup and casserole, mirepoix creates the foundation of our flavour.

Lentils. Our protein! You could also use chickpeas here but give them wee chop to break them up a little.

Nutritional Yeast for a boost of umami. If you don't have it, you could go for a tablespoon of soy sauce - you made need to add more breadcrumbs at the end to balance out the additional moisture.

Miso Paste. Red miso has a deeper umami flavour but I've also used Shiro (white miso paste) and it has worked great. Both are available at most grocery stores.

Dijon Mustard for a touch of warm tang. You could use seeded mustard in a pinch, just note that you'll get a sharper flavour from it.

Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar to add a little punch.

Rosemary. Our secret weapon! Rosemary tricks the brain in to thinking we are eating something meaty.

Spinach because it's good for us!

Puff pastry. Many brands of puff pastry are vegan and available at most supermarkets.

How to Make the Tastiest Vegan Sausage Rolls

You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step 1. We're going to heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté our mirepoix. Take your time with this; it may take 10-minutes for the vegetables to soften and become all translucent-y. Add the garlic and cook for another 30-seconds.

Step 2. After finely chopping your mushrooms (hopefully in a food processor to save yourself some time), add them to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes and then stir in the lentils, rosemary, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, miso paste and apple cider vinegar.

Let it cook down for 5-7 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped spinach. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a large bowl to cool.

Two images with vegetables cooking in a large pan.

Now this step is really important. You need to go away. Grab a cuppa, a magazine, a load of washing...whatever. You need to let the mixture cool now. Warm mixture added to pastry equals soggy sausage rolls. No, thank you.

Step 3. To assemble your vegan sausage rolls, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Remove the puff pastry from the freezer to thaw for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the breadcrumbs into the “sausage” mixture. The mixture should hold together when squeezed; add some more breadcrumbs if needed.

Two images with cooked vegetables in a pot and spooned onto pastry.

Step 4. Slice the thawed pastry sheets in half lengthwise. Take one-half and lay it with the long side closest to you. Wet the sides and the top edge of the pastry with water spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 g) of the filling onto the pastry edge closest to you. Shape the filling into a log. Gently but firmly roll the pastry and filling away from you to form a large roll. Press the edges to seal.

Two images with filled pastry rolls brushed with milk and cut into sections.

Step 5. Brush each roll with the dairy-free milk, sprinkle with sesame seeds and place on the lined baking tray seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and pastry.

Step 6. Slice the roll into 4 or 5 smaller rolls and make an incision into the top of each.

Step 6. Bake the rolls in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and puffed.

Recipe Tips

Take the time to cook your mirepoix - onion, celery and carrot mixture. This is the base off the recipe and where we begin building flavour.

Cool the mixture completely before filling your pastry. Hot filling will make your sausage rolls soggy.

FAQs

Can I make these sausage rolls ahead?

You can. Make the sausage rolls and cut them into serving-size pieces. Pop them on a lined baking sheet, wrap the whole thing in cling wrap or foil and store in the fridge until ready to bake and serve. You can do this a day ahead.

Do they freeze?

Yes! To freeze the rolls, allow them cool on the baking paper before popping them in an airtight, freezer-proof container for up to 3 months.

Looking for more small bites or snacks? Try these.

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Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used, in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, without prior permission in writing from the Publisher. Published by Page Street Publishing. Distributed by Macmillan.