Mushroom & Chestnut Sausage Rolls (vegan recipe) (2024)

Golden, puff pastry sausage rolls filled with a delicious mushroom, chestnut and thyme filling. These are perfect for adding to lunchboxes or serve with baked beans for a simple nursery-style dinner and watch them disappear quickly at parties.

Don't you just love a good sausage roll?

Biting into that crisp, golden pastry and hitting the rich, tasty filling.

You can't beat them and you don't have to miss out if you're vegetarian or vegan either. They are super simple to make.

And don't they look good?

Vegan Sausage Rolls

Vegan or vegetarian sausage rolls can be made by encasing veggie sausages in pastry and baking, but for a real flavour hit, try making your own filling.

For these vegan sausage rolls I went for a seasonal twist and used mushrooms and chestnuts as the main ingredient.

I flavoured the mushroom and chestnut mix with garlic, soy sauce and fresh thyme.

Vegetarian sausage rolls would use egg to bind the mixture, but I used peanut butter.

How to serve vegan sausage rolls

I'm going to show I have no class here. I like to dunk sausage rolls in ketchup. I know, but it tastes so good. If that's not for you, then here are a few ideas of how to serve them.

1. Cold in lunchboxes with crunchy vegetable sticks
2. Hot with chips (fries) and baked beans for a nursery style dinner
3. As party food, everyone loves a sausage roll at a party
4. With a tomato chutney or cranberry sauce at Christmas
5. Cold with potato salad and a green salad
6. As part of a buffet
7. Sliced into small pieces and served on a vegan cheeseboard with cheese, olives and chutney
8. Hot, wrapped in foil to keep them warm to eat on Bonfire Night
9. For dinner with onion gravy, mash and vegetables

Chestnut Mushrooms

I used chestnut mushrooms for these sausage rolls because they have a nice nutty flavour.

Chestnut mushrooms are the same kind of mushrooms as white mushrooms but they are slightly different, with their brown top and nutty flavour.

They are high in antioxidants and vitamin B6. They also contain potassium, selenium, copper and folate.

How do you clean mushrooms?

Never wash or submerge mushrooms in water. They will soak the water up and go soggy.

Mushrooms should either be wiped with damp kitchen paper or peeled.

Cooking chestnuts

Chestnuts can be boiled or roasted.

To roast chestnuts, cut a slit in each nut, then roast in a tray for half an hour until the skins start to peel off and they are soft inside.

To boil chestnuts, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Refresh them with cold water and peel off the skins.

Chestnuts can also be bough pre-cooked in sachets.

These are the type I used for this recipe. Quick and convenient, with all the work done for you.

Health benefits of chestnuts

It's important to include nuts and seeds in a balanced vegetarian or vegan diet. A handful each day can really make a difference or add them to recipes like this one.

Chestnuts are rich in fibre, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin B2 and vitamin E. They also contain traces of iron.

Fresh Thyme

Thyme pairs really well with mushrooms and the flavour really sings in these sausage rolls without overwhelming any of the other flavours.

You could use dried thyme in this dish too as it is lightly cooked with the onions. Fresh thyme does give a better flavour as dried thyme can lose it's flavour the longer the jar is open.

Thyme is a member of the mint family and is grown across Europe and it's available all year round.

How do you prepare thyme?

Wash it under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.

To remove the leaves, take a stalk at a time and pull your fingers along the stalk against the leaves and they will drop off.

Once you have a pile of thyme leaves you can add them to dishes or chop them for a finer finish.

Puff Pastry

Shop-bought puff pastry is usually suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Avoid the pastry that says all butter, as it is exactly that. Check the back of the pack before buying,

Puff pastry can be bought in a block or ready rolled. You get more height and puff from the block, but ready rolled is ready to use and a very quick option.

How do you get golden puff pastry without egg?

Puff pastry is usually brushed with an egg wash or milk before baking for that golden finish.

For that golden finish on a vegan pastry dish, brush the pastry with olive oil or rapeseed oil before baking.

If you don't brush the pastry with plant milk or oil, they will come out very pale and won't take on that beautiful golden colour.

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Make these sausage rolls for lunch and lunchboxes; serve them with beans for a comforting and easy nursery style dinner; serve them at birthday parties and on buffets or serve them at Christmas with some tomato chutney.

How to make vegan sausage rolls

Step 1 - Onions and thyme

In a large frying pan, saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Don't worry if they take on a bit of colour, that's fine for this recipe.

Add the thyme and cook for another minute or two.

Step 2 - Mushrooms and chestnuts

Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until soft.

Add the chopped chestnuts and soy sauce, then crumble over some vegetable stock cube. Stir in and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flavours have a chance to mix together.

Step 3 - Blend

Spoon the mushroom and chestnut mixture into a food processor.

Add porridge oats (oatmeal) and peanut butter to bind the mixture together.

Whizz into a pate type texture, but don't over-blend, you still want texture.

Step 4 - Pastry

Roll your block of pastry into a long rectangle or unroll your ready-rolled puff pastry.

Cut down the middle lengthways so you have two long strips.

Divide the mixture between the two strips and place in a line down the middle of each strip.

Step 5 - Roll the pastry

Pour some water into a small bowl and brush along the far side edge of the pastry with water. I just dipped my finger in the water and worked it along the edge but you could use a pastry brush.

You don't want to much water, just to dampen the edge to help the pastry stick together.

Lift the edge of the pastry nearest to you and pull slightly as you wrap it over the filling, then roll so the join is underneath.

Cut each long sausage roll into four pieces.

Do the same for your other strip of pastry.

Cut diagonal slashes in each sausage roll, to let out steam as it cooks.

Step 6 - Glaze

Place the sausage rolls on a floured or lined baking sheet. Leave a space between each.

Brush each sausage roll with rapeseed oil or olive oil for that golden finish.

Step 7 - Bake

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden and the sausage rolls are cooked through and hot.

Serve and enjoy!

Scroll down for the full recipe, which is printable.

Puff Pastry Recipes