Best vegan sausages: the budget supermarket bangers that impressed our tasters

Meat-free bangers, usually made from soya, pea or mushroom protein, can be a tasty alternative to the real deal - but only if you pick the right ones.

The range of choices has expanded rapidly in recent years, with new vegan brands and supermarket options springing up everywhere.

To find the best-tasting (and most convincing meat substitutes), we asked a panel of 70 vegans and flexitarians to blind-taste and rate nine brands of vegan sausage, from Quorn, Meatless Farm, Sainsbury's and more.

Tesco, This Isn't Pork and Richmond vegan sausages tied for the top spot in our tests, while Tesco's budget bangers also nabbed our Great Value badge, as they're notably cheaper than average.

Not all the plant-based pretenders impressed our tasters though. Read on to find out which ones to steer clear of and how your nearest supermarket versions fared.

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Best vegan and vegetarian sausages

Three vegan sausages were tasty enough to be named Best Buys this year; Tesco, This Isn't Pork and Richmond.

If you don't live near a Tesco, or you're not a fan of the others, we also found plenty of other great tasting bangers from alternative brands, so keep scrolling to find a suitable option wherever you shop.

Best Buy: Tesco Plant Chef 6 Cumberland Style Bangers - 71%

£1.75 for 6 (29p per sausage)

Tesco shoppers can bag some Best Buy budget bangers in their weekly shop and feel confident that they will look good drizzled in gravy - they were one of the best-rated sausages for appearance.

Most people found that these Tesco vegan sausages were just the right thickness, and the moistness was spot on.

They weren't rated quite as well for flavour as some rivals, but they still scored well overall, and are the second cheapest per 100g on test.

Available from Tesco

Best Buy: This Isn't Pork Plant Based Sausages - 71%

£3 for 6 (50p per sausage)

These pea-based sausages were some of the highest-scoring bangers on test. They received good marks across the board, with their full flavour and satisfying thickness proving a hit with our tasters.

If you're keen for a convincing alternative to the real deal, these ones were highly rated on that front, alongside Tesco's offering.

They are the second most expensive on test per 100g though, so if you're looking to save money and you live near a Tesco, opt for its Plant Chef sausages instead.

Available from Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco

Best Buy: Richmond 8 Meat-Free Sausages - 71%

£2 for 8 (25p per sausage)

Scoring 71%, meaty heavyweight Richmond was rated joint-best overall for its meat-free offering, pipping rivals to the post on taste. These soya-based sausages were also rated highly for texture, aroma and appearance.

Around 75% of the panel said they were just the right thickness, and they're also some of the most affordable sausages on test.

Available from Amazon, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose

Pair your Best Buy sausages with a drizzle of our top-rated tomato ketchup.

How other vegan and vegetarian sausages compare

Plenty of other vegan bangers also impressed our tasters, though Asda shoppers might want to try elsewhere for the tastiest alternatives.

Here's how the rest of the sausages fared:

• Garden Gourmet Sensational Cumberland Sausages - 69%. Scored highly for flavour and 86% of the panel thought the thickness was spot on. £2.75 for 6 (46p per sausage).
  Available from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco
• Quorn Brilliant Bangers - 69%. Rated well across the board, but not quite as impressive as our top three. £2.50 for 6 (41p per sausage).
  Available from Asda, Ocado, Sainsbury's,Tesco and Waitrose
• Co-op Gro Sizzlin' Sausages - 67%. These own-brand bangers were one of highest-scoring sausages for flavour and they're affordable too. £1.45 for 6 (24p per sausage).
  Available from Co-op (in store only)
• Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers 6 Cumberland Shroomdogs - 63%. These sausages might look and smell appetizing but they were rated poorly for flavour. £2.50 for 6 (41p per sausage).
  Available from Sainsbury's
• The Meatless Farm Plant-Based Sausages - 63%. The flavour disappointed our panel and nearly half thought they were too dry. £2.50 for 6 (41p per sausage).
  Available from Morrisons, Ocado and Sainsbury's
• Asda Plant-Based Meat-Free Sausages - 58%. The lowest rated sausages on test. They scored poorly for flavour, texture, appearance and aroma. £2.35 for 6 (39p per sausage).
  Available from Asda

Catering for meat-eaters too? See our pick of the best pork sausages

What are vegan sausages made of?

Most vegan sausages typically contain either pea, mushroom or soya protein, along with oils, spices, and other plant-based ingredients.

For more on plant-based meat substitutes and what they're made of, see our full plant-based meats guide.

Are vegan / vegetarian sausages healthy?

No-one is going to argue that sausages are a health-food, but many would argue that meat-free options are at least a 'healthier' choice. But beware the health halo - these are still processed foods. High salt content is one issue to look out for.

Which? nutritionist Shefalee Loth says: 'The vegan sausages in our taste test vary significantly in fat and saturated fat content. However, based on the traffic light system most of the sausages are still classed as “medium” for fat, saturated fat and salt. A few get a red rating for salt meaning they are high in salt.

The protein content also varies between 5.6-16g per 100g. Soya, peas and mushrooms are all good vegan sources of protein, but soya beans are higher and are a complete protein - they contain all the essential amino acids that we need.

The sausages containing soya have more protein and are comparable to meat sausages, although they are typically lower in fat and saturated fat.'

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Are vegan sausages eco-friendly?

Vegan sausages are considered more sustainable than meat sausages, mostly because of the way in which the meat is farmed leading to higher emissions compared with its vegan alternatives.

But there are still some issues around specific types of vegan protein, namely soya.

Soya has been linked to deforestation in South America, which itself worsens climate change. However, most of this soya is used for animal feed.

If you'd still prefer to avoid soya, other meat-free sausages we tested use pea and mushroom proteins.

Find out more: plant-based milks: what's best for you and the planet?

How we tested vegan and veggie sausages

We included nine vegan and vegetarian branded and own-label plant-based sausages in our taste test, conducted in February 2022.

Each sausage was tasted and assessed by 70 people, including vegans and flexitarians. They rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each product and told us what they liked and disliked about each one.

They also rated how convincingly meat-like each plant-based banger was.

The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn't know which brand they were trying, and the order they sampled the sausages in was fully rotated to avoid any bias.

The sausages were cooked following the instructions for best results or the first method on the back of the product's packaging.

How to recycle vegan sausage packaging

Unfortunately, the packaging your plant-based bangers comes in isn't fully recyclable.

Only some councils will accept plastic trays in household recycling waste, so it's best to check beforehand. Make sure to give the tray a quick rinse to prevent contamination.

Plastic film isn't recyclable, so you'll need to remove it before putting the tray in your recycling bin.

Some packs also have a cardboard sleeve, which you can put in your household recycling bin.

Prices correct as of 6 April 2022.