Chickpea Hemp Seed Sausages

Meatless breakfast sausages made from protein-packed chickpea flour and hemp seeds. Vegan and gluten-free!

Whenever I tell people I’m a vegetarian, they usually respond with one of two things:

1. Wait, you mean you don’t eat bacon?!

2. Oh, you must eat so healthy!

While both of those might be true at this point in my life, I can’t say the second one was always the case. I was twenty-one when I made the decision to give up eating meat. I had no clue what I was doing!

I went straight for the frozen section to stock up on all the faux meat Morning Star Farms had to offer.

It only took a few months of eating like that to realize that it’s extremely easy to call yourself a vegetarian and still eat a bunch of garbage. Not that I’m knocking all of the faux meat out there. I still eat it on occasion.

Like for July 4th, I bought veggie dogs that were definitely NOT considered a whole food. But I think those things are okay in moderation. On a day-to-day basis, however, I try to get my protein from sources that are slightly less processed.

Hemp seeds are easily one of my favorite plant-based sources. They’re high in omega fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, and they contain all of the essential amino acids making them ideal for plant-based diets.

They’re virtually flavorless too so you can add them to almost anything for a little extra boost of nutrition. Toast, cereal, smoothies, salads…whatever tickles your pickle!

I chose to use them as a base for this recipe along with chickpea flour and pinto beans to create a meatless sausage that’s a little healthier than what you can buy in the freezer section at the store.

Now when you scroll down, the ingredient list might seem a little daunting but I promise that you will likely have the majority of them (which are mostly spices and herbs) already stocked in your pantry.

The tamari, maple syrup and liquid smoke are used to imitate that classic smoky sausage flavor but you can always play around with whatever herbs or spices you like for the rest.

To make them, you start by adding all of the spices to a cup of boiling water (I just microwave it until boiling) and then let that sit for a few minutes. Then you warm the beans over medium heat in a skillet along with the spice liquid, using a fork to mash it all together.

After that you combine the chickpea flour and hemp seeds in a bowl, add in the bean mixture and stir everything together.

At this point, the smell may begin to allure a few curious faces into the kitchen. They might think it’s real sausage and that’s okay. Let them think it. ;)

I love that face. <3

The last step is to bake them in the oven for 10 minutes on each side. After that you can refrigerate them or freeze them until ready to eat.

I like to reheat them in a skillet with a touch of olive oil, although that part isn’t necessary if you’re trying to avoid oil in your diet. You can always microwave them, I just think the extra bit of oil gives them more of an authentic sausage texture.

You’ll also notice that I listed cayenne as an optional ingredient. I like the touch of spice it gives them (it’s very mild!) but feel free to adjust that to your liking as well.

I know it isn’t exactly a five minute recipe but considering that you get 20 sausages out of each batch, the payoff is definitely worth it.

They really are great to have on hand for a tasty boost of protein in the mornings. I hope you love them as much as I do!