A traditional English breakfast is sumptuous, hearty and greasy. Some people love it; others hate it and find it far too hearty and rustic. We love the British charm and the hearty taste components on the breakfast table. An English breakfast strengthens for the whole day. However, this vegan version of the breakfast classic is much lighter and does not weigh you down.
A traditional “Full English Breakfast” consists of numerous components and is very versatile. The individual components can be varied and supplemented or omitted as desired.
What belongs to a typical English breakfast?
The typical English breakfast is based on a long tradition. Such a “Full English Breakfast” takes relatively long because it usually consists of four courses with hot and cold dishes. Unfortunately, the classic variant is anything but vegan-friendly. The following courses belong to a traditional English breakfast:
1st course: Fresh orange juice and fresh or pickled fruits such as grapefruit.
2nd course: cereals, cornflakes, muesli or warm porridge
3rd course: The main course is much more elaborate and usually consists of 5 to 6 different components. These can be put together according to taste:
- Sausages
- Bacon
- Fried egg
- Scrumbled egg
- Baked mushrooms
- Baked tomatoes
- Black Pudding (blood sausage)
- White Pudding (a light sausage)
- Toast (white or brown)
- Fried Bread (pan-roasted bread with or without egg)
- Baked Beans (white beans in tomato sauce)
- Hash Browns (made from potato)
- Kippers (salted smoked herring)
- Cod (fish)
- brown sauce
4th course: Toast with jam or butter, freshly brewed tea
The reason for the exceptionally rich breakfast is historical: it used to serve as the basis for a whole day of hard work in the field or in the factory. In the 19th century it was an expression of prosperity. From the 1950s on it was eaten all over England and soon became a kind of national dish.
Vegan and Healthier Version of the English Breakfast
As already stated, the classic English breakfast is not something for vegans or calorie-conscious people. But it doesn’t always have to be the classic Full English Breakfast. We have veganized and degreased the English breakfast and made it healthier and lower in calories. In addition, we only serve on of the four courses; the third and most hearty course. If you want to have the second course as well, you’ll find a delicious recipe for porridge here.
The third course contains many fried components. That’s why it’s also called “fry-up”. This course alone is a princely meal that reminds us of nice holidays in mystical England.
Kala Namak gives the typical egg taste
An important element of the “fry-up” is the scrambled egg, which we replaced in the vegan version with scrambled tofu. Essential for an authentic egg taste is the black smoked salt “Kala Namak”. Because it has a light sulfur taste, which reminds strongly of cooked eggs. You can get this in larger supermarkets, Asian markets or online. It is a staple spice in any vegans spice cabinet.
Fried tomatoes and mushrooms are also part of our English breakfast. Finally, they form a welcome contrast to the heavier components. Vegan seitan sausages take on the role of the classic “sausage”. You can make the sausages yourself in no time with our recipe. But of course you can also use ready-made sausages from Tofu or Seitan.
Since we already had so many components for the fry-up, we left out the traditional baked beans this time. But of course you can combine baked beans to your English breakfast. You can make it easy for yourself and buy them in a can. All you have to do is heat them up. But the homemade version tastes much better and can also be prepared without much effort. Here you can find our recipe for quick baked beans from the pot.
English breakfast is served with toast or a slice of good bread. Also ketchup or “brown sauce” (a British seasoning sauce) should not be missing. In our healthier version we have added a bit of fresh salad and served the dish with black tea or Earl Grey with plant milk.
English Breakfast with Scrambled Tofu and Sausages
Ingredients
For the sausages:
- 60 g Seitan Fix gluten flour
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 tbsp tomatoes alternatively tomato sauce
- 60 ml water
For the scrambled tofu:
- 1 block tofu á 200g
- 1 onion
- 5 dried tomatoes
- 4 tbsp vegan yoghurt
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp Kala Namak
- ½ tsp paprika powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp yeast flakes
- salt and pepper
For the rest:
- 2-3 tomatoes
- 7-8 mushrooms
- 4 slices bread or toast
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce
- ¼ cucumber
- 2 tbsp sprouts or fresh herbs
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup alternatively English Brown Sauce
Instructions
For the sausages:
- First mix all dry ingredients for the sausages and season to taste. Then add the liquid components and knead the dough with your hands for 2-3 minutes or until a firm ball of dough has formed. If the dough is still too moist or sticky, add a little more seitan.
- Divide the dough into several pieces and roll them into the form of sausages. Wrap the sausages in a tin foil or aluminium foil and twist the ends firmly.
- Cover the bottom of a pot with water and place a steamer basket inside. Put the sausages in the basket and steam for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Then remove the sausages from the foil and fry them in a little oil in a pan.
For the scrambled tofu:
- Crumble the tofu with a fork. Cut onion and dried tomatoes into fine cubes.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until translucent. Add the tofu and sauté until brown. Add vegan yoghurt, dried tomatoes and spices. Stir well and season to taste. Remove the scrambled tofu from the pan and arrange on a plate.
For the rest:
- Clean and quarter the mushrooms. Wash and halve the tomatoes. Fry the mushrooms and tomatoes in a pan with a little oil. You can use the same pan as for the sausages.
- Wash salad and cucumber. Pluck the lettuce leaves and cut the cucumber into slices. Toast the bread briefly.
- Arrange the sausages, scrambled tofu, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, salad and bread on a plate and garnish with sprouts or fresh herbs. Serve with tomato ketchup or brown sauce.
Notes
Nutritions
If you liked this recipe for English Breakfast you may also like one of these other breakfast recipes:
You will find more delicious recipes from all over the world in our recipe section.
