This homemade lentil and walnut sausage rolls recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and only requires 10 minutes of prep time! Plant-based eaters and carnivores alike will love this vegetarian take on classic sausage rolls.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
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Why this recipe works
There’s nothing quite as tasty or comforting as a hot-out-of-the-oven homemade sausage roll. So, I set out to create a vegan and gluten-free version that could rival the classic British savoury pastry and hold its own. Safe to say, this lentil and walnut sausage rolls recipe fits the bill!
You only need a handful of fresh ingredients — many of which I’d bet you keep stocked — like mushrooms, garlic, canned lentils, walnuts, fresh herbs, and store-bought gluten-free puff pastry and 10 minutes of prep time to make this vegan sausage roll recipe from scratch. Then, let your oven do the rest of the work, slice, serve, and enjoy!
This is a great recipe to serve if you’re taking part in vegan for January, aka “Veganuary,” or just looking to reduce your meat and dairy intake. It pairs well with other vegan comfort foods like my butterbean and leek pie and my Christmas hot chocolate!
If you’re looking for more lentil recipes then check out my Easy Lentil Wellington or 20 Minute Lentil Bolognese.
Ingredients to make lentil & Walnut sausage rolls
- Olive Oil — I love sautéing veggies in extra-virgin olive oil because of its flavour and its high smoke point. You could also use avocado oil.
- Garlic — It offers a spicy bite that accentuates the veggies, herbs, and walnuts.
- Mushrooms — I used chestnut mushrooms for their size, colour, and flavour, but you could also use baby bellas, sliced portobellos, or button mushrooms. If you have some spare then make my Garlic Mushrooms on Toast.
- Walnuts — Raw and unsalted, they add the “meatiness” to the rolls.
- Fresh Herbs — I love using fresh chopped rosemary and thyme in this vegan sausage rolls recipe, but you could also use sage and/or oregano.
- Green Lentils — These are preferred over red or brown lentils for their texture and flavour. Make sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly. Use any spare tins to make my Vegan Lentil Meatballs.
- Tamari — This packs a ton of umami flavour while keeping these lentil and walnut sausage rolls completely vegan and refined sugar-free. Think soy sauce, but sweeter with more tang.
- Flour — I used gluten-free, but you can use any plain flour you prefer.
- Puff Pastry — I love using store-bought puff pastry in this vegan sausage rolls recipe because it cuts down on prep time. Opt for gluten-free, if possible. If you fancy a dessert using puff pastry then check out my Puff Pastry Apple Tart.
- Cranberry Sauce — This really ties everything together. It’s sweet, tangy, and bright — the perfect contrast to the earthy flavours of the vegan sausage mixture. If you wondered how you can make your own then here’s my Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe.
- Sesame Seeds — For garnish. Optional, but highly recommended. You could also use everything bagel seasoning.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Garlic: If you’re out of garlic, you could swap it for minced shallots or onion.
- Nuts: Not a fan of walnuts? You could use pecans. I like walnuts as a vegan sausage filling alternative because they contain a good amount of fat, but pecans would also work.
Variations
- Spicy: Add some diced jalapeños, cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes for some heat!
Instructions to make lentil & Walnut sausage rolls
Step 1: Start by chopping the mushrooms, walnuts, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. (It doesn’t have to be precise or fine because it will all end up in the food processor.)
Step 2: Heat a nonstick pan with olive oil, and add the chopped ingredients to it once the oil is shiny. Sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms have softened.
Step 3: Next, add in the drained lentils, tamari, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Sauté for another 5 minutes or so to incorporate all of the flavours.
Step 4: Transfer the vegan sausage mixture to a food processor and pulse into a mince texture. (Not paste!)
Step 5: Tip out the mix into a large mixing bowl, and add in the flour. Fold it through the mix. (It’s OK to see streaks of flour.) Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Step 6: Meanwhile roll out your pastry sheet. Place the lentil mix to one side of the sheet and shape into a long sausage roll. Top with cranberry sauce, and fold over the top. Crimp the edges, glaze with olive oil to make the top of the puff pastry brown, and top with sesame seeds. Allow to cool for a couple minutes, then enjoy!
Hint: I prefer to slice into small sausage rolls before baking at 200C for 25 minutes or until golden just so it slices more cleanly later for presentation’s sake.
Leftovers
Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 days. Or portion servings out into individual containers for meal-prep ahead of a busy week.
Recipe FAQs
No, this ingredient is completely optional, but I highly encourage including it. Opt for refined sugar-free, when possible, or try making your own Homemade Cranberry Sauce! Other fruit jams or jellies would also work. Pepper jelly would also be a great swap if you want to incorporate some heat.
I love serving these vegan sausage rolls as a holiday appetiser or finger food, but it also makes a great snack, or even a main course for lunch or a light dinner.
You can absolutely freeze these cooked lentil and walnut sausage rolls if you’re looking to stock your freezer. Wrap individually or as one whole roll in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Reheat in the oven at 200C for 15 minutes or so until heated through and crispy, or in your air fryer (even better!).
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Tried this Lentil & Walnut Sausage Rolls recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
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Recipe
Lentil & Walnut Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 100 g mushrooms sliced
- 110 g walnuts chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 can green lentils drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoon plain flour (I used gluten-free)
- 1 sheet puff pastry (I used gluten-free)
- 4 tablespoon cranberry sauce (optional)
- sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Firstly, chop the mushrooms, walnuts, garlic, rosemary and thyme
- Heat a non stick pan with olive oil adding in what you just chopped and fry for a few minutes until the mushrooms soften
- Now add in the drained lentils, tamari, generous pinch of salt & pepper and fry for a further 5 minutes
- Transfer the mix to a food processor and pulse into a mince texture (don't over blend into a paste)
- Tip out the mix into a large mixing bowl and add in the flour and fold it through the mix. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool
- Meanwhile roll out your pastry sheet. Place the lentil mix to one side of the sheet and shape into a long sausage roll (see photos above) top with cranberry sauce (optional) and fold over the top, crimp the edges, glaze with olive oil and top with sesame seeds (optional). I prefer to slice into small sausage rolls before baking at 200C for 25 minutes or until golden
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that Nutrition information is a rough estimate
Hi James – could you clarify whether or not you can freeze these, please? First you say you absolutely can freeze the cooked rolls but later you say you don’t recommend it!
I want to make these but we won’t eat them all quickly enough. Thank you 🙂
Hey Caroline, my mistake! Yes you can freeze them 🙂
Thanks James.
Made these last night and everyone loved them and were very impressed! Some including me enjoying more than normal sausage rolls.
So tasty and filling and beautifully crunchy with the G.F pastry.
I will definitely be making these again.
Thank you for sharing the awesome recipe ☺️
This was yummy. I used soy sauce because I didn’t have tamari, but I’m guessing tamari would be better. I made a double recipe and put cranberry sauce in one of them. It was a nice addition, but the flavour sort of got lost in all the other ingredients. I think it would be best served on the side. Most of my family liked it, which is high praise from this picky bunch.
They are very good but a little bland – when I make them again I will use more herbs and more oil (they were pretty dry) but will be a nice treat for the vegans on Xmas day! Had to guess on lentils – used about 16oz of soaked and boiled dry lentils – seemed to work!
Also wondering about the amount of lentils. I prefer to use soaked rather than canned. (well that’s what I have!)
Very tasty but had problems mixing the frying pan mix in the food processor. The lentils and nuts just jammed the motor up and would not mix properly at all and ended up mashing it with a fork. Possibly better doing it when the mix is dry?
Apart from that easy to make.
Just finished making these – they are delicious! I can’t wait to wow my family with these. I did wonder what size of can of lentils you used? I’m in Canada and I used a 19 oz (540 ml) can.