This crumbled Tofu Breakfast Sausage Recipe is the perfect addition to your omelette, breakfast taco, or to mix into southern country gravy and serve over biscuits or crispy grit cakes. It's savory, a little spicy, and full of meaty texture and plant-based protein. The perfect breakfast of champions!
If you've already tried my Crispy Chinese Tofu (that tastes like pork!), you're familiar with this genius crispy tofu method I learned many years ago from Christina Chaey in Bon Appetit Magazine. From this brilliant chef, we learned to crumble our tofu and toss it in cornstarch, then brown it in a skillet until crisp and douse it in flavorful sauce.
For this tofu breakfast sausage recipe, we are using a handful of dry seasonings, herbs and spices, to flavor the tofu. The result is impressive - crispy and tender and full of that savory, spicy sausage taste we all love. But in a nutrient-dense tofu crumble package.
What you'll need to make this recipe:
Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:
Tofu: extra firm tofu is the way to go for the perfect texture. Firm is an adequate substitute, but won't reach the same crispy level.
Cornstarch: adds the crunch we're looking for in these sausage crumbles. Substitute potato starch, if needed.
Spices: poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt and chili flakes is all you need. Feel free to add in a pinch of onion powder, paprika or even smoked paprika. For a mild sausage, reduce or omit the chili flakes.
Full ingredients and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions:
1. Press and crumble tofu
To begin, use a tofu press, skillet, or weighted plates and paper towels (or a clean tea towel) to press excess water out of your block of tofu. I like to cut my tofu into 2-3 equal slices to accelerate the process.
After at least 30 minutes, crumble the pressed tofu into small pieces. Then, in a small bowl, combine the crumbled tofu with the cornstarch and toss to coat well.
2. Cook tofu
Heat 3 tablespoons of neutral oil in a cast iron skillet or large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the cornstarch-coated tofu crumbles. Then season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Toss quickly in the pan to coat, then spread the tofu crumbles into a single layer and leave for 3-4 minutes to allow the tofu to crisp.
Then toss and leave undisturbed for another 2-3 minutes. Add additional oil, if necessary. The entire crisping process can take 10-12 minutes, on medium heat.
3. Party time!
Once the tofu sausage has crisped, taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and top with diced chives. Serve with eggs, grit cakes, southern country gravy or in breakfast burritos.
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FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
Using this same cooking method, add fennel seeds (or ground fennel), onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and a touch of smoked paprika, along with salt and pepper. This Italian version of the breakfast sausage crumbles would be delicious on pizza, in pasta recipes or in wraps and calzones for meal prep.
I have only used cornstarch in this recipe, but if you're looking for an alternative, potato starch, tapioca, chickpea flour and even all purpose flour will help with the coating. Your crisping levels may vary.
The red pepper flakes add a balanced level of heat to the sausage crumbles. If you're looking for more, a pinch of cayenne pepper will do the trick. I also like to serve any dish like breakfast sandwiches or burritos with a bottle of hot sauce, so everyone can customize their own heat level.
You really need extra firm tofu or firm in order to make this crumbled sausage recipe work. Firm is the only substitute, but still won't produce an equivalent texture. Soft tofu and silken tofu won't hold their shape enough to make the sausage dish come together.
I don't recommend a food processor, just because the hand crumbling allows for more variation in the crumb, which I really like in this recipe. You don't want to turn your tasty sausage crumbles into powdered tofu by processing just a little bit too long!
To store, transfer tofu crumbles to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Tofu sausage crumbles can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Tofu Breakfast Sausage Crumbles Recipe
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8-10
Ingredients
1 pound block tofu, extra firm
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons neutral oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon diced chives, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- To begin, use a tofu press, skillet, or weighted plates and paper towels (or a clean tea towel) to press excess water out of your block of tofu. I like to cut my tofu into 2-3 equal slices to accelerate the process.
- After at least 30 minutes, crumble the pressed tofu into small pieces. In a small bowl, combine the crumbled tofu with the cornstarch and toss to coat well.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of neutral oil in a cast iron skillet or large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, Add cornstarch-coated tofu crumbles. Spread the crumbles into a single layer. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and red pepper flakes. Toss quickly in the pan to coat, then spread the tofu crumbles into a single layer and leave for 3-4 minutes to allow the tofu to crisp. Toss and leave for another 2-3 minutes. Add additional oil, if necessary.
- Once the tofu sausage has crisped, taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and top with diced chives. Serve with eggs, grit cakes, southern country gravy or in breakfast burritos.
Notes
Extra firm tofu is important to get that crispy texture on your tofu crumbles!
The entire crisping process can take 10-12 minutes, on medium heat.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
[…] I love to make breakfast sausage from tofu. The highly seasoned crumbles are the perfect addition to this southern white gravy recipe. […]