‘An aftertaste that haunted me’: the best (and worst) meat-free sausages, tasted and rated

I was vegetarian in the 1980s, so I know how far meat-free sausages have come. In fact, some now taste almost identical to their ultra-processed meaty counterparts. Whether that represents progress depends on your perspective: are we creating healthier, more sustainable alternatives or simply replicating the industrial food system’s problems in plant form?

Veggie sausages split into two main categories. The first are what I call meat analogues, which are usually made with pea protein isolates (plant-based protein) or textured vegetable protein (TVP), a byproduct of the soya bean oil extraction process, and designed to imitate processed sausage meat. The second are made from mashed whole foods, such as chickpeas and vegetables, and are a less processed and more textural veg-love affair.

TVP was invented in the 1960s and led to the creation of more processed, roughly textured soya-based products, such as Linda McCartney’s range. Contemporary “sausages”, however, include pea protein isolates and more thickeners, have smoother textures, and are uncannily similar to ultra-processed meat, which often contains a huge amount of plant-based fillers and flavourings to lower the price.

I scored all these sausages on flavour first, then factored in additive content, value and sustainability credentials; I didn’t consider their likeness to meat. Today’s test group demonstrates how the industrial food system has evolved and become more processed over time, but even so, three products did stand out.

Best overall:
Gosh! veggie sausages with sage, lentil & black pepper

★★★★★

Described by Gosh! as a Cumberland-style sausage, these are made from real ingredients (chickpeas, lentils, beans, herbs and spices) and crisp up and turn golden brown. Sweet, herby and savoury, though a touch dry, so best fried in oil or served with sauce. The only completely artificial additive-free sausage tested, and a detailed sustainability effort. Soya-and palm oil-free, too.

Best bargain:
Cauldron Lincolnshire sausages

★★★☆☆

A modern-style TVP sausage (not vegan, because it contains egg white) in alginate casings that brown well and hold their shape. A pleasant, peppery and herby flavour with rich umami notes of soya, sage and onion. Good, firm bite, but a touch rubbery. Excessive additives, including stabilisers (dicalcium phosphate, methylcellulose).

And the rest …

This Isn’t pork sausages

★★★★☆

Looks and tastes like an ultra-processed sausage, only better. Full-flavoured, umami-rich and piquant with a sweet note and a hint of sage. Firm, meaty texture. B Corp-certified. Contains thickeners (methylcellulose, konjac, carrageenan, xanthan gum) and pea protein isolate, though.

Linda McCartney’s vegan red onion and rosemary sausages

★★☆☆☆

A retro “sausage” brand founded more than 30 years ago. Made with TVP, which gives these a rough texture that I’ve become rather fond of. Nostalgia aside, I don’t love the taste, which has a strong onion and yeast extract flavour, as well as clear rosemary notes. Firm bite, but pasty. Contains methylcellulose.

Heck meat-free chipolatas

★☆☆☆☆

A modern industrial vegan sausage, uniformly pink, with a calcium alginate casing that peels off during cooking. Sweet and peppery with a strange fungal undertone from an overcomplicated ingredients list, including intriguing flavourings in the form of hibiscus, black carrot juice powder and grilled white onion. A nice snap, but a floury texture. Contains methylcellulose and the preservative sodium sulphite.

Meatless Farm pork & apple sausages

★☆☆☆☆

Textured pea protein sausage in a sodium alginate casing. Sweetened with apple, with an unpleasantly intense umami flavour and a coarse, pasty texture. Contains methylcellulose, preservative (potassium lactate) and sulphites.

PlantLiving mushroom & leek sausages

★☆☆☆☆

A mushroom-based sausage in a sodium alginate casing. Overwhelmingly savoury, dominated by leek and onion, and with a strange, fibrous yet gummy texture that’s hard to swallow. Contains certified sustainable palm oil, methylcellulose and preservative (sodium metabisulphite).

Richmond meat-free sausages

★☆☆☆☆

As awful as these are, they taste almost identical to their meaty cousins, so if you want a plant-based stand-in for an uber-processed pork sausage, these are spot on. These shrivelled, blistered, gummy sticks are as processed as food gets, containing flavourings and stabilisers including sodium alginate, guar gum and methylcellulose. Gets one point for flavour.

Beyond sausage

★☆☆☆☆

Pea protein sausages that leak loads of fat and slurry, leaving dark brown, wrinkled, rubbery sticks. Intensely artificial flavour with an aftertaste that haunted me. Zero points for texture, with an unappetising, bitty mouthfeel of separate rubbery particles. A cocktail of additives, including preservatives, stabilisers and smoke flavouring. Expensive and repulsive.

Morrisons Plant Revolution herby sausages

☆☆☆☆☆

A retro, dark golden-brown, TVP sausage with a rough surface and an unpleasantly artificial taste reminiscent of packet soup. Pasty, floury and unappealing. Contains methylcellulose and emulsifier (soya lecithins). Zero points!