Meat free, soy free, and whole food based vegan sausage crumbles! Chickpeas pack it with protein and make it a perfect topping.
I'm knee deep, no chin deep, in a new design for my site! Super excited to be doing all of it myself, from the logo to customizing a new theme, but it's loads of work. So I was going to take this week off of a new recipe post.
BUT, because I love you, and because I finally made these vegan sausage crumbles again and nailed the flavor I was looking for, I decided to photograph and post.
And by photograph, I mean try and snap a few good quality images before the baby eats one of my backboards...well, he only nibbled on one corner so I consider this session a success! And this recipe success number two, because these are the perfect add on to keep around and give your recipes that extra oomph!
I've always loved the sharp bite of sausage flavor. That salty, spicy, zing in your mouth flavor is just so addicting. Thankfully, I am not a huge fan of clogged arteries, saturated fat and eating pigs so that's why I created these vegan sausage crumbles!
No Fake Meat Over Here!
No, these are not a fake meat. They won't "fool" your sausage loving neighbor/friend/family member. BUT, they will add that sausage like flavor when sprinkled on pizzas, salads, soups...wherever you want a little pizzaz.
Keep in mind, these are not meant to be eaten alone, but work best sprinkled on things because they are very flavorful. But that's exactly what we wanted! And they are made with an awesome high protein whole food based ingredient, chickpeas! Sneaky little suckers these chickpeas.
I saw a quote from a reader online once "Why are these vegans SO obsessed with chickpeas?!" We'll, it's because you can turn them into ANYTHING!!! Like this, vegan sausage crumbles.
You Need These Vegan Sausage Crumbles In Your Life
I know you're looking in that pantry and praying you have some chickpeas laying around. If the answer is yes, get to cookin'! If the answer is no, get yourself to the store!
I suggest making a big batch because you will sprinkle them on anything and everything. Sometimes I just eat these vegan sausage crumbles like popcorn. And that's okay too!
Make sure to let me know how you used them! Leave me a comment here, find me on Facebook or tag me on Instagram with your creations at veggiesdontbite #veggiesdontbite so I don’t miss them! I can't wait to see! Oh and PS, I may be working on a dessert with chickpeas. WHA?! I know, I know. Never been a fan of bean based desserts. BUT, I think I've finally nailed a recipe that will change any bean dessert haters mind!
Chickpea Vegan Sausage Crumbles
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas (15 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds , crushed (easily done by using the back of a spoon)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt (see note)
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper , optional
- 1 tablespoon oat flour , use gluten free for gluten free version
Instructions
- Rinse and dry chickpeas very well. Put them in a kitchen towel and rub dry. Try and remove as many of the outer thin skins as possible, rolling them around with your hand on the towel helps. Don’t worry about getting them all, just as many as you can easily remove. Place dried chickpeas in a bowl.
- Add all the spices to the bowl, everything except the flour.
- Using a potato masher, or your hands, begin to crush chickpeas and break them into small pieces. The more skins that were removed, the easier this will be. You don’t want them mashed, just crumbled.
- Add oat flour to the bowl and using your hands combine well to coat the crumbles. This will help separate the crumbles as well.
- Spread onto a parchment lined cookie sheet in an even layer. Bake at 375°F/180°C for 20 minutes, until outside is just beginning to get crispy.
- Sprinkle over everything and anything!
Notes
- This makes 2 cups sausage crumbles. Serving size for nutrition info is ¼ cup.
- Depending on what you use this on will depend on how salty you want it. If you use it as a topping, and there is no other salt in the food, then use 2 teaspoons.
- If you are using it on food with some salt then only use 1 teaspoon. Also, these are very flavorful and not meant to be eaten alone as a meat substitute.
- They work best sprinkled on things for that added sausage like flavor. We love it sprinkled on our pizza sauce, then put the veggies on top.
- They are best fresh, but if stored in the fridge give them a little pick me up and warm them up a bit. Unless you are baking a pizza with them, then they will warm up while baking.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Mary
How would I use this in spaghetti sauce?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Mary! I have used these a few times in pasta sauce and they are really good! I would simply put them in at the end and mix.
Eric
Hi - I found your site while looking for veggie bacon/sausage/crumbles for use in eggs ... I'm trying to do Weight Watchers (it's going well !) This chickpea-vegan-saugage-crumble recipe seems nice - and I can see it's WW-friendly. My question - what is the serving size that goes with the nutrition facts? For us weight-watchers folks, measurements in grams are most helpful. Thanks - Eric
veggiesdontbite
Hi Eric! Glad to hear all is going well. I am in the process of updating all the recipes on my site with a new plugin. I have gone in and updated this for you, the serving size is 1/4 cup and this recipe makes 8 servings. All the nutrition info should be good to go now!
lynn
can this be used in sausage gravy ?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Lynn! I'm not quite sure what you mean by sausage gravy, I have never had it. If you mean making gravy then putting these in, I guess it would be ok. It's chickpeas so it's not going to stay in sausage like clumps because they were not created to be in liquid but you sure could try!
Allison
Hi: just made this recipe and in the oven now. I added parsley and nooch to the recipe and added more oat flour than called for. Hope they come out great. They smell wonderful. Thank you for the sharing the recipe. They will go into my salads.
veggiesdontbite
Oh wow! Let me know how it goes with those additions!! It should be good I think! And it's perfect for a salad!!
Lyndsay
Hi Sophia,
I love your blog and wanted you to know I used your idea for these crumbles in a dish I did re-creating my favorite spaghetti sauce recipe and turning it vegan. This idea was perfect and the sauce was amazing! Thanks for a great idea - I look forward to following your blog.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Lyndsay! Thank you so much!! I have a sauce I'm working on with them too and I was so happy to see it was working great. I can't wait to see yours! So happy you loved them and could use the idea to eat some amazing food!!
Evi @ greenevi
Chickpea crumbles are my new obsession! Have to try your version too, sounds heavenly 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Evi!! It's very flavorful and meant to be a topping, but you could always cut the spices a bit too. Hope you enjoy if you try it!!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship
I'm going to have to try this super soon!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! Let me know if you do!
Jessica {Swanky Recipes}
This sounds amazing! Saw your recipe and the hubs wants me to make it!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Jessica! Thanks so much! It's definitely the perfect way to satisfy the sausage flavor craving without the fake meat. Keep in mind, as I say in my post, it is not meant to be a fake meat. It's really just a flavor substitute with the bonus of added protein with the chickpeas. It's really flavorful so I don't recommend eating it alone, but we sprinkle it on the sauce of our pizza and it's perfect!
Robyn
I thought I would love this. Even let it sit in refrig for a day and reheated today maybe it's me. I was not a fan. And I do looked forward to this. Vegan 30 + years and it wasn't for me. But thanks it was easy to prepare and almost no cleanup. Keep the recipies coming!! Thanks Robyn
veggiesdontbite
Hi Robyn, sorry it wasn't your favorite. It is very flavorful and not meant to be eaten alone or as a meat substitute, as I say in my post. For us it is perfect because we are able to quench our sausage flavor craving by adding some to our pizzas and such, without having to eat processed fake meat. But it's definitely not for everyone! Thanks for being here!
Lucie
Oh wow, can I just grab a spoon and eat the whole jar just like that? Or would that make me a terrible person? 😀 Good luck with your site, I can't wait to see the new version!!!
veggiesdontbite
Ha Lucie! Thank you! They are super flavorful so a little intense if eaten straight. But I have snuck a few pinches in because I can't wait for the food we are using them on to be done. Ha!
Mel@avirtualvegan.com
Ha ha! I saw your teaser on Instagram and thought it was granola. I couldn't have been more wrong! These sausage crumbles look amazing! Chickpeas are just amazing aren't they? You could use these crumbles with so many things although i think if I made them they'd just be eaten by the handful!
veggiesdontbite
Ha Mel! I guess kind of like a savory granola? LOL! I love chickpeas, you can do so much!! These are really flavorful so a little intense if eaten by the handful, but I'm not saying I haven't done that 😉
Megan @ A Dash of Megnut
I need to try this! I'm not vegan but I do end up eating vegan a lot since I don't eat dairy or eggs so this would be great to try!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Megan! Thanks so much! Yes, sounds like you'd eat a lot of vegan recipes to avoid the dairy and eggs. Keep in mind, as I say in my post, these aren't meant to be a fake meat. It's mostly a really flavorful sausage flavored crumble we used to satisfy that craving without eating the processed fake meat. But that being said, as long as you don't go in expecting them to be a meaty type recipe, I think you'd love it if you love all those flavors like we do!
joanna
This looks brilliant! How long do you think it will keep in the fridge or do you think it would work to keep them in the freezer and pull out a little when needed?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Joanna! Thanks so much! I actually think they are best fresh. I kept my leftovers in the fridge, and they get kind of hard and dry until you spruce them up again by warming them. I used them from the fridge on top of pizza we baked and they were good again. They still taste great cold, but just a different texture, more like a hard crumble. I actually didn't mind it on a sandwich that way, I sprinkled it in the hummus. It's really whatever you prefer as they are really versatile! I haven't tried the freezer but it's worth a try! I'm guessing if you warm them in the oven they may bounce back. I haven't kept them in the fridge longer than a few days but that's because we used them so fast! Let me know what you try and how it worked!
Leah M @ love me, feed me
These sound awesome!! So flavourful and perfect for putting on just about anything!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Leah! Yes, the have loads of flavor but we love that!