Walnut Scrapple
Scrapple is a PA diner favorite originating from the Pennsylvania Dutch community. They’re like thick, fried sausage patties with crispy edges and a slightly mushy interior. While the original version is pretty well-known for containing some seriously “don’t ask what’s in it” kind of ingredients, our easy vegan scrapple recipe uses ground walnuts, chickpea flour, and cornmeal for a truly delicious vegetarian version!
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For those who grew up in the Pennsylvania tri-state area, the mention of scrapple evokes one of two very strong responses: absolute love or utter disgust. I, personally, was in the latter group. That is, until this walnut-based scrapple converted me!
For the uninitiated, scrapple, known as the very similar “livermush” in the southern parts of the United States, is a sausage-like breakfast meat patty that originated among the early-settler Pennsylvania Dutch community. It is made from exactly what it sounds like. And because you’re here looking for VEGAN scrapple, I’ll leave it at that!
We are SO very happy to bring all of you former scrapple-lovers – and scrapple haters – this veganized scrapple made primarily from walnuts. Yes, walnuts! For those of you who have been here a while, you are probably aware of our love for “walnut meat“. This walnut scrapple has all of the flavor and texture without any of the gross stuff. That way, you can enjoy your scrapple slab every Sunday. (And especially on National Scrapple Day! That’s November 9, in case you didn’t know.)
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Vegan Scrapple Ingredients
You may wonder: What is vegan scrapple made of? I’ve seen everything from mushrooms to lentils to seitan used to make a vegan or vegetarian scrapple. We opted to use the walnuts because we love their fat content for this (scrapple is very fatty) and for the texture they give the scrapple.
To make our vegetarian scrapple recipe you’ll need 7 simple ingredients + seasonings:
- Walnuts – Walnuts are a fantastic option to mimic ground beef or sausage in a variety of recipes. Check out our Walnut Meat Guide if this interests you!
- Soy Sauce – You can use tamari or Bragg’s liquid aminos for gluten-free options.
- Refined coconut oil – Make sure the coconut oil you use says “refined” or else it may taste like coconut which is not ideal.
- Liquid smoke – Although it may sound exotic, this is a fairly commonly-found product at many major markets in the US. It’s usually located near the BBQ sauces/marinades, etc. Some smoky flavored BBQ sauce can also work in a pinch.
- Spices – Onion powder, Garlic powder, Ground mustard, Cumin, Ground fennel seeds, Celery salt, Smoked paprika, Cayenne
- Chickpea flour – We like to use chickpea flour in this because of the texture and mouthfeel it gives the final product. Plus, it expands as it cooks and helps hold everything together.
- Cornmeal – This is a traditional filler/binder in scrapple-making!
- Oil for frying – Vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or refined coconut oil all work!
How to Make Vegetarian Scrapple
Prep the Walnuts – You need to soak the walnuts in hot water for twenty minutes before you can actually get started, so this is a great time to gather the rest of the ingredients and appliances you’ll need.
Grind the nuts and spices – Drain and rinse your walnuts and add them to your food processor with all the other ingredients except the flour, cornmeal, and water. Pulse/blend the mixture until everything is well-combined and looks like the texture of almost a granular paste.
Make the scrapple mix: Move the walnut meat to a large mixing bowl and add the water, flour, and cornmeal. Stir well to incorporate all the spices. Get in there with your hands if you like, you want it mixed really well.
Prep the scrapple brick: Transfer this mixture to a square molding pan lined with parchment or plastic wrap for easy removal. If you have a silicone mold, use that! We used our 2 cup Souper Cubes silicone molds with a little oil brushed on the inside before adding the scrapple mix and absolutely loved the outcome. Once your mixture is transferred, push it down to make it compact, cover and set it in the fridge overnight or the freezer for 3 hours.
Cook the scrapple: Remove the scrapple brick from its container and carefully slice it into 6 rectangular patties. To cook, heat the oil in a non-stick or cast-iron skillet and carefully add sliced walnut scrapple until the edges are crisp and the slices are slightly browned (to your liking).
How to Serve Walnut Scrapple
Our favorite way of serving this vegan scrapple is with either our tofu scramble or our vegan fried eggs and our foolproof, easy roasted potatoes.
If we’re in the mood for something a little sweeter, we like to pair this with our apple cider waffles or cinnamon roll pancakes.
Or share this walnut scrapple with friends for a whole vegan brunch!
More Walnut Meat Recipes:
- Walnut and Mushroom Stout Pie
- Loaded Vegan Nachos with Walnut Beef
- Vegan Baked Ziti Pizza with Walnut Sausage
- The Complete Guide to Walnut Meat
We hope you fall in love with this vegan scrapple recipe just like we have! And we hope you make it and enjoy it with friends and family who marvel at the versatility of plant-based food. 🙂
When you do try this recipe, we’d love for you to leave a star rating and comment below. It helps more people find us! And don’t forget to tag @theplantpowercouple in your photos on IG, so we can cheer you on!
Vegan Scrapple
Ingredients
For the walnut meat base:
- 2 cups raw walnuts soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 1/4 cup soy sauce use tamari for GF
- 2 Tbsp melted refined coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
For the scrapple:
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp refined coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- MAKE THE WALNUT MEAT: Once they’ve soaked, drain and rinse the walnuts and add them to a food processor with the rest of the walnut meat ingredients. Pulse/blend the mixture until the walnuts are well-combined with the spices and they look like the texture of almost a granular paste. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.
- PREP THE SCRAPPLE BRICK: Transfer the walnut meat to a large mixing bowl and add the water, flour, and cornmeal. Stir with a large spoon or rubber spatula to incorporate well. Transfer this mixture to a square container or molding pan lined with parchment or plastic wrap for easy removal. If you have a silicone mold, use that! We used our 2 cup Souper Cubes with a little oil brushed on the inside before adding the scrapple mix. Once your mixture is transferred, push it down to make sure it’s compact, cover and set it in the fridge overnight or the freezer for 3 hours.
- COOK THE SCRAPPLE: Remove the scrapple brick from its container, maintaining the shape. Carefully slice it into 6 rectangular patties. To cook, heat the oil on medium high heat in a non-stick or cast-iron skillet and once hot, carefully add sliced walnut scrapple. If you have a small pan, you’ll want to do this in batches. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until the edges are crisp and the slices are slightly browned (to your liking).
- SERVE/STORE: Serve this vegan scrapple next to a big tofu scramble or vegan fried egg, toast, and a mountain of breakfast potatoes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 8 weeks. Enjoy!
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