Crispy Vegan Sausage Crumbles (tofu)

This vegan sausage crumbles recipe is made with tofu, savory spices, and a kiss of heat. The seasoned tofu is to prepare in under 10 minutes then the oven does all the work. Tofu sausage crumbles are a quick, inexpensive plant protein that's gluten free, sugar free, nut free, and super delicious.

Tofu is cheap and readily available at the supermarket in the refrigerated aisle (usually near produce, cheese or deli). Plus it's super versatile - there's really no better vegan meat replacement in my opinion.

These days, there's a wide variety of veggie crumble options to choose from (homemade and store bought). This vegan sausage tofu crumble recipe joins my wildly popular walnut taco meat and Mexican spiced tofu crumbles. Any one of these meatless crumbles is delicious in plant-based tacos, vegan burrito bowls, vegan breakfast burritos, and vegetarian nachos.

These tofu sausage morsels are quick and easy to make with only a handful of ingredients and the flavor is spectacular. Great meal prep recipe! Let's get into the details.

Ingredients for Tofu Sausage Crumbles

Here's what you need to make savory sausage baked tofu:

• Tofu: Extra firm tofu is best. It has a lower water content than other types of tofu like medium and silken perfect for main dishes.
• Soy sauce: For rich umami, salty flavor. Sub with gluten-free soy sauce, tamari or low sodium soy sauce.
• Mayonnaise: Vegan mayonnaise adds a creamy, rich mouth feel, flavor and moisture.
• Sriracha sauce: For a kick of heat.
• Basic spices: Onion powder, coarse ground black pepper, and ground fennel seeds. See below for more flavor options.
• Nutritional yeast: Adds cheesy, umami depth of flavor.
• Cornstarch: To lock in the flavor and moisture for succulent tofu with crispy edges.
• Olive oil: Oil adds a rich, traditional sausage texture and helps crisp up the small pieces and edges.
• Hemp hearts: Optional ingredient that adds nutty, crunchiness to the coating AND lots of nutrition too!
• Maple syrup: Optional to give a hint of maple flavor for making vegan breakfast sausage crumbles!

Ingredient Substitutions & Variations

Play around with the level of salty, sweet, and spicy to suit your taste. This tofu crumble recipe is super versatile so you can customize the flavor to your heart's content. Here's a few suggestions:

• How to cut tofu: You can make this same recipe using any tofu shape - cubes (above), chunks, batons or slabs too.
• Vegan chorizo tofu crumbles option: Chorizo sausage is known for its deep smoky flavors! Just add smoked paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, garlic powder, oregano, tomato paste, and more heat with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to this recipe.
• Other sausage flavors: For vegan breakfast sausage, I add a splash of maple syrup to give the sausage morsels that signature maple flavor. KFC seasoning and sage and onion seasoning are both delicious flavors for sausage tofu crumbles as well.

How to Make the Best Vegan Sausage Crumbles

This is a quick and easy tofu recipe to make on busy weeknights. Here's how to prepare the tofu crumbles in under 10 minutes:

1. Press the tofu if needed: Start by pressing the tofu if needed (see tips for how to press tofu below). I rarely to never press extra firm tofu.

2. Flavor time!: Mix all the wet and dry spice ingredients together in a large bowl (except the nutritional yeast and cornstarch).
3. Crumble the tofu: Crumble the tofu (not too big, not too small) into the bowl with the seasoning. Toss the tofu with the seasoning to thoroughly coat. Add the nutritional yeast and stir to incorporate. Then add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and stir to coat. If the tofu is too wet, add a bit more cornstarch. Finally sprinkle with the hemp hearts (if using) and stir together.

4. Time to bake: Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil over the parchment lined baking sheet and spread it out evenly with your hands or a paper towel (optional step). Arrange the sausage crumbles on the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake in a preheated 400º F oven for 20-35 minutes* until the smaller pieces are GBD and the larger pieces are succulent, crispy, and chewy. *The bake time depends on the size of the tofu crumbles, how hot your oven runs, and how firm you like your tofu.
5. Ready to use: Serve as a high protein snack, in a taco or quesadillas, on a epic salad or sprinkle over baked potatoes.

Pro Tips

This is an easy baked tofu recipe, but here's a few helpful tips:

• MILLION DOLLAR TIP: Read through the recipe (all recipes) and don't add anything you don't like! If you know your family doesn't like anything too spicy or hot, reduce or skip the hot sauce. If you are following a low salt diet, choose a low sodium soy sauce. If you family loves a kiss of sweetness, add the maple syrup. You can always add more of an ingredient, it's more difficult to correct a recipe when you've added too much of something. Taste as you go - it's your dinner!

• Order of ingredients: I recommend following the recipes instructions in the order written. Here's why I don't add all the ingredients at the same time. The mixture of wet ingredients and spices acts like a tofu marinade. Nutritional yeast absorbs moisture so once the tofu pieces are well coated with marinade, add the nutritional yeast to soak up excess liquid so the coating sticks to the tofu. The cornstarch is added last to lock all the flavors onto the tofu nuggets (the mixture should not be wet at this time). See photo above.

• What size should I make the tofu pieces?: A variety of sizes makes the best sausage texture - chewy, crispy, crunchy, and tender. See photos for reference.
• Don't over cook your tofu: The larger crumbles should be tender with a crispy seasoned crust and the smaller morsels should have a bit of crunch. If you overcook tofu, it's dry, dusty, and not good. Tofu texture is a personal choice (that evolves the more you eat it) so that's why there is a big baking range for these sausage crumbles. Test as you go. Keep in mind, tofu firms up as it cools.

Storing and Reheating

Storing leftover tofu: Leftover over crumbles will keep in the fridge all week. The next-day texture of cooked tofu is no longer crispy (obviously), but it's still incredibly tender and meaty (not dry) - highly delicious.

Reheating tofu: To bring some of the crispness back to the sausage crumbles, pop the leftovers into an air fryer at 380ºF for ~2 minutes until heated through.

Ways to Use Tofu Sausage Crumbles

Once you've made a batch, you'll find plenty of ways to enjoy these savory sausage tofu morsels! Here's a few ideas for how to serve:

• As a topper: Sausage crumbles are incredible on vegan pizza, over stuffed baked potatoes or on vegan nachos!
• In a bowl: Add some heartiness to a Buddha bowl or grain bowl.
• Elevate your salads: Bump up the plant protein in your favorite salad - Thai Crunch Salad, Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad or Mason Salad Jars for a healthy lunch or dinner.
• As a main: Serve tofu sausage crumbles with crisp air fryer potatoes and oven baked veggies or a side salad for a healthy and filling plant based dinner.
• As a side dish: Serve the spicy maple sausage crumbles with tofu scramble and hashbrowns for breakfast or brunch. Or tuck them into your vegan breakfast burrito.

The Best Tofu Recipes

We love tofu! It makes a delicious plant-based meal in minutes. If you do too, here's some of my fastest and best tofu recipes to try next:

• Easy Italian Crusted Tofu
• Crispiest Pan-Fried Tofu
• Crispy, Crunchy Air Fryer Tofu
• Succulent Oven Baked Tofu
• Tofu Scrambled Eggs
• 10 Best Tofu Recipes

Did you make this Vegan Sausage Tofu Crumbles recipe? Please let me know how you served them, and leave a comment and rating below! Appreciate it 🙏🏻
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