Spicy Italian Vegan Sausage

Smoky, spicy, savoury, and loaded with Italian sausage vibes, these Spicy Italian Vegan Sausages are the kind of plant-based sausage that makes you forget you’re eating plants! Made with TVP, lentils, fennel seed, and plenty of bold spices, they’re chewy, flavour-packed, and wrapped in a crispy rice paper casing—or you can skip the casing entirely if you want.

Watch how to make Spicy Italian Vegan Sausage over on my YouTube channel! And don’t forget to subscribe while you’re at it  😉

Inspiration & Ingredients

I wanted to make a vegan sausage that felt distinctly different from my other homemade sausage recipes (hello, Vegan Sausages, Vegan Breakfast Sausages, and TVP Sausage Crumbles!). This time, we’re going for Italian sausage energy: plenty of fragrant fennel seeds, smoky paprika, garlic, herbs, a little heat, and enough umami to make these taste like they have absolutely no business being made from lentils and TVP.

The combination of TVP (textured vegetable protein), oats and lentils is what gives these sausages their incredible texture. The TVP and oats bring the chew, while the lentils add substance and keep the sausage from becoming one uniform, suspiciously smooth blob.

And then there’s the rice paper. Soaking rice paper and wrapping it around the sausage mixture gives you an easy vegan casing that crisps up beautifully when pan-fried or air-fried. It’s optional, but highly recommended if you want that classic sausage experience with a delightfully crisp exterior.

Why You Need to Make Spicy Italian Vegan Sausages

They’re actually chewy. The TVP gives these sausages a hearty, meaty texture while the lentils add some lovely little pockets of texture throughout. We’re not trying to make a lentil loaf and then pretend it’s a sausage. These actually feel like sausages.

The flavour is BIG. We’re talking smoky paprika, garlic, herbs, fennel, umami-rich tomato paste and Worcestershire, plus a little chili heat. These aren’t shy little sausages that need to be rescued by a mountain of toppings.

They’re ridiculously versatile. Stuff them into a bun with peppers and onions, throw them into a grain bowl, serve them alongside roasted potatoes, or eat them directly over the kitchen counter while dipping them in ketchup for ‘nostalgia’.

You can make them with or without the rice paper. The rice paper gives them a crispy, chewy casing that makes them feel extra sausage-y, but the sausage mixture itself holds together beautifully. So if you’re out of rice paper, or simply can’t be bothered, skip it.

They’re easy. There’s no tofu pressing, no complicated sausage-making equipment, and no hours of simmering. Just hydrate the TVP, mix everything together, shape, wrap if you want, and cook.

How to Make Spicy Italian Vegan Sausages

Instructions

1. Hydrate the TVP: Add the TVP and boiling vegetable broth to a bowl and stir to combine. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until the TVP has absorbed the liquid and softened.
2. Mash the lentils: Add the cooked lentils to a large bowl and roughly mash about half of them with a fork. Leave the rest mostly intact—you want some whole lentils throughout the mixture for texture.
3. Mix the sausage mixture: Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, and all of the spices and give it a good mix. Then stir in the hydrated TVP, rolled oats, chickpea flour, oat flour, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast. Mix everything really well until you have a thick, sticky mixture. (TIP: Don’t skip the rest! Let the mixture sit for about 10–15 minutes. This gives the oat flour, breadcrumbs, and chickpea flour time to absorb excess moisture and helps the mixture firm up.)
4. Shape the sausages: Divide the mixture into 6–8 portions. Use your hands to firmly shape each portion into a sausage. Compress the mixture as you shape it. At this point, you can either cook them as-is or give them a rice-paper casing.

option 1: rice paper casing

1. Soften the rice paper: Fill a shallow dish with warm water. Quickly dip one rice paper sheet into the water until it softens. Don’t leave it submerged for ages—it will continue softening as you work with it. Place the softened rice paper onto a clean work surface.
2. Wrap the sausages: Place one sausage in the centre of the rice paper and fold the sides over the sausage. Roll it up tightly, just like a little vegan sausage burrito. If your rice paper is large enough, you can use a second sheet for a sturdier casing. Repeat with the remaining sausages.
3. Cook: Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat and cook the sausages, turning occasionally, until the rice paper casing is golden brown and crisp on all sides. You can also air fry them until browned and crispy.
4. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving—the inside will firm up as they cool.

Without Rice Paper Casing

1. No rice paper? No problem. The sausage mixture is perfectly happy to go commando. 😜 Simply shape the sausage mixture firmly into your desired sausage shapes and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet or air-fryer basket.
2. Cook until they’re browned and firm on the outside, turning as needed for even cooking. Because there’s no casing to protect them, handle them gently while they’re hot. Once they’ve cooled slightly, they’ll firm up considerably.
3. Pro tip: If you’re making them without rice paper, chilling the shaped sausages for 15–30 minutes before cooking can make them even easier to handle.

Tips for making the perfect vegan sausage

• Don’t skip the fennel! Fennel seed is technically optional, but I highly recommend it. It’s what gives these sausages that unmistakable Italian sausage flavour. Lightly crush the fennel seeds before adding them if you want their flavour to spread more evenly throughout the mixture.
• Let the mixture rest. This is important for the texture. The chickpea flour, oat flour, and breadcrumbs need a little time to absorb moisture and firm everything up.
• Don’t over-soak your rice paper. A quick dip in warm water is all you need. If it’s completely floppy and sticking to everything like a wet napkin, you’ve gone too far.
• Wrap tightly. When using rice paper, roll the sausages firmly so there aren’t large air pockets between the sausage mixture and casing.
• Let them cool slightly. Vegan sausages can be softer immediately after cooking and will firm up as they cool. Give them a few minutes before slicing into them.
• Want more heat? Increase the chili flakes or cayenne, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the mixture. These are spicy, but they’re not trying to send you directly to the afterlife.
• Make them ahead. You can prepare and shape the sausage mixture ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook. They’re also fantastic for meal prep.

Sausage, Party of one

These Spicy Italian Vegan Sausages are smoky, spicy, chewy, packed with flavour, and approximately 900% more exciting than the sad little veggie sausages of yesteryear. Whether you give them the crispy rice-paper treatment or skip the casing altogether, they’re proof that lentils and TVP can absolutely bring the sausage vibes.

If you liked this recipe you might want to try my Vegan Sausages, Vegan Breakfast Sausages, or TVP Sausage Crumbles!

Love this recipe? I’d really appreciate if you gave me a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below! Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of recipe videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!