Sausage-Style Walnut Meat
This vegan sausage-style walnut meat recipe is easy to make in your food processor with fresh California walnuts and a few plant-based kitchen staples. The smoky savory flavor is just incredible! Walnut sausage is the perfect no-cook vegetarian topping for pizzas, baked pasta dishes, or vegan breakfast tacos. Thank you to our friends at California Walnuts for sponsoring this post!
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Have you tried walnut meat yet?
We’ve been making it for years, and it’s incredible stuff. I’m not usually a huge fan of walnuts, but the texture and flavor fresh California walnuts take on when ground up with the right spices and herbs is out of this world.
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The walnut meat recipe we’re going to share with you today is a little different from others we’ve seen out there that are usually seasoned to taste like ground beef. If you’re looking for a recipe like that, check out our Spicy Beef-Style Walnut Meat!
Today, we’re talking about Smoky Walnut Sausage!
Ingredients in Walnut Sausage
This sausage-style walnut meat recipe was born out of a random weeknight epiphany. One day, when we were cooking dinner together and noticed our spice cabinet was running a little low, we realized if we could make a beef-style walnut meat, we could totally make a sausage-style one.
And thus, we got to work.
But actually, it didn’t take much work. We just went with the same methods and swapped a few seasonings:
We kept the soy sauce and olive oil and swapped out the beefy spices for more sausage-y spices (very technical terms, I know) like: liquid smoke, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder, ground fennel, celery salt, and smoked paprika.
And bing, bang, boom, this easy walnut sausage was born!
How to Make Sausage-Style Walnut Meat
Like I said, this no-cook vegan ground sausage is so easy to make. We especially love making walnut sausage in the summer because you don’t even have to turn on the oven!
All you have to do is soak a cup of California walnuts in cool water for about 20 minutes, drain and rinse them, then throw everything in a food processor, pulse a couple times, and EAT.
How to Use This Walnut-Based Vegan Sausage
We love this smoky plant-based meat on:
ALL. THE. PASTA! Stuff this walnut sausage into meatless lasagna, toss it with penne, or add it to baked ziti! Seriously ALL the pasta.
PIZZA! From a classic sausage and pepper pie to a less traditional pesto pizza, this sausage-style walnut meat is going to be your new favorite pizza topping.
One word: Breakfast. Stuff it in breakfast tacos or use it to top a tofu quiche. Or just throw it right on top of your morning tofu scramble served next to a mountain of roasted potatoes. This plant-based breakfast meat is a total game-changer!
Dips + Appetizers! This sausage-style walnut meat is amazing in or on top of hot dips. We also use it in these cute stuffing balls that are perfect meat-free appetizers for the holidays!
More Walnut Meat Recipes
- Spicy Vegan Walnut Beef
- Chorizo-Style Walnut Meat
- Vegan Walnut Stout Pie
- Can’t get enough walnut meat?! Check out our full Walnut Meat Guide to make your own variations!
If and when you give this walnut meat recipe a try, we’d love to hear what you thought and how you used it!
Leave a comment and rate the recipe below or tag us in your photos on Instagram. If you’re not already hanging out with us over there, we are @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
ENJOY!
Sausage-Style Walnut Meat
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw California walnuts soaked in cool water for 20 minutes
- 2 Tbsp ssoy sauce use tamari for GF
- 1 Tbsp olive oil omit if you avoid oil
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the walnuts and add them to a food processor with the remainder of the ingredients.
- Pulse the mixture 6-7 times or until the walnuts are well-combined with the spices and they look like the texture of ground meat. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Enjoy this walnut sausage on pizzas, pasta dishes, tofu scramble, etc.!
I LOVE this stuff! I put it on top of roasted spaghetti squash with marinara and vegan mozzarella… so yummy! I can’t wait to try it in more recipes!
YAY!! That sounds AMAZING, and we are ecstatic to hear how much you love the recipe! Thank you so much! 🙂
This is amazing. Delicious, smoky, spicey, sausagey. I did use only half the amount of soy sauce and still found it quite salty but perfect as a base for stuffed baked eggplants. Definitely a keeper recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it, Mirth! Thank you so much for reaching out to let us know! (Sounds great with stuffed eggplant!)
Going to try for church pot luck can the nut meat be added to sauces.
Hi, Tina! How exciting!! You can totally use the walnut meat in sauces. We love using it to make vegan sausage gravy and our Tater Tot Hotdish.
This looks great! Is the texture fairly similar too?
Hi, Suzanne! Thank you so much. We love this stuff! 🙂 The texture is less tender than animal-based ground sausage but more tender than biting into a handful of raw walnuts. It kind of reminds me of those really crispy pieces of ground sausage or beef that I always loved growing up!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi, Vanessa! You are so very welcome. 🙂 I’d say it will last up to 5 days in an air-tight container in the fridge!
Hi this is a amazing recipe I just used it for our breakfast and I added mushrooms to it. I have some left over so I’m going to put it in our spaghetti tonight! Thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much, Maya! Thank you for sharing that with us!
This stuff is mind-blowing. So easy, versatile and delicious. I’ve made it a few times now, and even modified the spice blend once to make it chorizo-style—it turned out great! Walnut meat FTW!
This is AWESOME, Jenny! And we SO need to try that chorizo trick. I’m drooling just thinking about it! haha
This is our go-to for sausage replacement! We use it on pizza, in sauces, and today it is going in acorn squash! Thanks so much for the recipe!
How would this do if I added it to a dish and froze it?
Hi, Jessi! Walnut meat freezes really well. We’ve frozen it in recipes like our Tater Tot Hotdish with great success!
This stuff is amazing!!! I make it all the time now and even my nonvegan friends love it!
So happy to hear how much you’re enjoying this, Nicole! 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING! At first it seemed a little salty just trying it on its own but on the pizza it was delicious. Might scale back the soy sauce just a tad on my next version but my friend who is ever skeptical about my vegan substitutions said this would completely fool her and she totally loved this! Great recipe!
SO happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipe! Yay!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I modified it for my own recipe (cream cheese sausage braid) so I used sesame oil instead of olive oil and I used sage (for breakfast sausage taste) and dehydrated onions and it kinda gave it the “everything bagel” taste it was super good. I mixed the “sausage” in with the cream cheese and sauteed onions and celery and put in croissant braid. I can’t wait to try the Italian style though in Spaghetti squash. I will let you know how it is after the one we just had I know it’s going to be good! Thanks again for sharing!
Yaaaas! So happy to hear this, Cindy! And that cream cheese sausage braid sounds like a pure work of art. We’ve gotta try it!!
I made this but added mushrooms and created meatballs for my vegan friend’s Birthday Dinner. It was a hit! Thank You
Omg, what an amazing idea! Thinking about it is totally making me hungry. 🙂 So happy to hear it was a hit!
Wondering. Could you use ground walnuts for this? My husband bought ground by mistake lol
Hi, Amber! That depends on how “ground” the walnuts are. If they’re more like walnut pieces, you’re good to go. If they’re ground into a dust, it’s a no-go. Hope that helps! 🙂
Can the spices be changed to mimic other sausage, like chorizo, perhaps?
Absolutely! Feel free to play around with it and let us know what you come up with! 🙂
Can I batch make this and freeze it as is? Sounds like something I’d like to have on hand. I don’t want to measure out spices every time. It would’ve nice to just grab and add!
On the other hand I do make several little containers of spices in a recipe, label the for specific recipe and have it all measured out for the next time I make the recipe. It really saves on prep time!
Oooh, I LOVE the idea of making a sausage seasoning mix for this. Thank you for that idea! I don’t think we’ve ever frozen it on its own, but I do think it would work. I’d love to hear how it goes if you do freeze it!
Has anyone tried making this with a different nut? I would love to try this but I’m allergic to walnuts.. Hmm maybe pecans?
Hmm, I’ve only used walnuts in this recipe. I’m honestly not too familiar with pecans, but I’d say it’s worth a shot! Let us know if you do try it.
Shame you didn’t like it, Matthew. We’ve literally never had anyone say it needed more spices, but to each their own. Have a good day.
I’d love to make this. I don’t have a food processor. Will a blender do the job?
Evelyn
If I am being honest I was very skeptical about making this recipe, but it turned out soo good and tasted like real meat, yall really outdid yourselves, thank you!☺
So glad to hear you overcame your skepticism about it, Savannah! Really happy you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Why the liquid smoke? I am going to try this recipe but i am leaving out the liquid smoke. Do you think it will taste ok without it?
Hi, Joyce. The liquid smoke is a flavoring-agent often used in various iterations of vegan “meat” dishes, particularly those based on pork and beef dishes. The final result will definitely taste different without it, but you’ll have to let me know how it tasted.
After reading the comments, I halved the soy sauce and omitted the oil as walnuts are very high fat/calories to start with. I still found the walnut meat very salty using only 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, next time I’ll use even less. It could be because I don’t use much salt in any of my foods though, for health reasons, so things seem salty to me when others might find it “usual”. Thanks for the recipe though I will use some of it for a vegan mac and cheese topping tonight! And a pasta topping tomorrow night! Yum yum!
Glad you were able to adapt it to your tastes and needs so easily, Mandy! Sounds like a fantastic use of it with that mac and cheese! Thank you for reaching out and letting us know!
Who knew?! After reading your recipe for walnut sausage, I saw California Walnuts at the market, so I added it to my grocery cart intent on whirling up a batch of plant based sausage (walnuts… genius!). It was easy to make, all crumbly and perfectly spiced. I picked up a vegan white pizza at our favorite pizza place (okay, I took the somewhat effortless route) and generously sprinkled the simmering walnut sausage on top. It was close-your-eyes-and-savor-every-bite delicious 😋
I’m so glad you liked it, Susan, and that pizza sounds divine! It IS a really easy recipe, isn’t it?! lol! Thank you SO much for reaching out and letting us know how much you enjoyed it! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Hi, have only just found your site when searching for a homemade veg bouillon powder and so pleased I did and have subscribed. This walnut recipe sounds great and I would love to make it into vegan sausages to fry. Do you have any suggestions for best binding ingredients please?
Hi, Sandy, I’m so glad you’re liking the site! I would use a flax egg and some all-purpose flour to bind the patties together.
Here’s a link on flax egg in case you’re not familiar:
https://www.plantpowercouple.com/recipes/flax-egg/
Hope this helps!
What a fantastic recipe. Wish I found it sooner. 🙂
Thank you so much, Shellie! Glad you found it and glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe. I used it for my sausage and egg burritos. Wish I could gind a way to make into a patty.
Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Diane!
You might be able to use some chickpea flour or all purpose flour and a flax egg as a binder to make them into patties. We used a similar process for our walnut scrapple recipe linked here.
It was ok. It tastes strongly of walnuts and is crunchy. I think tofu, TVP, or mushrooms would work better. Or maybe a combination.
The seasonings also seemed to be a mix of breakfast sausage and Italian sausage.
I want to try this recipe, but cannot find Liquid Smoke here in Costa Rica and I’ve tried several of the big grocery stores here. Is there anything else I can use as a substitute?
Hi, Regina! Yes, liquid smoke is hard to find outside the US. I always suggest using some kind of smoky BBQ sauce or even some extra smoked paprika!