The Best Vegan Toad In The Hole
If you’re craving some winter stodge, this recipe for vegan toad in the hole hits the spot. The batter is made with gram (chickpea) flour instead of eggs and vegan sausages take the place of traditional meat ones. It’s classic British comfort food – filling, satisfying and completely plant-based.
Toad in the hole is one of my favourite winter recipes. It’s one I grew up with and my mother was a dab hand at it. She sometimes used mushrooms or lumps of cheese instead of sausages, but sausages were always my favourite. Now I can have it even when I’m wanting to eat plant-based or just happen to have no eggs in the house.
Dive Right In
- What Is Toad In The Hole?
- Why Make Vegan Toad In The Hole?
- The Best Vegan Toad In The Hole
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Vegan Toad In The Hole
- Top Tips For The Best Vegan Toad in the Hole
- Other Recipes Made With Gram Flour You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
What Is Toad In The Hole?
Toad in the Hole combines two British favourite foods and is served with two others. Sausages are cooked in a Yorkshire pudding style batter which rises up around the sausages as it bakes in the oven. Traditionally, it’s then served hot with gravy and mashed potato.
It originally came about as a way to eek out meat in less well off households, but it’s now a much loved British staple.
It’s called toad in the hole because the sausages poking out of the batter are said to resemble toad’s peeking out of their holes as they lie in wait for prey. Whatever the origin, it’s a fun name.
In the US, toad in the hole is quite different. It’s an egg cooked inside a slice of bread in which a hole has been cut out.
Why Make Vegan Toad In The Hole?
There are many reasons why you might want to make this plant-based toad in the hole. But mostly it’s worth making because it’s just so good to eat – whether you’re vegan or not.
Comforting and Hearty – The perfect pick-me-up dish for wet or chilly days. It’s warm, filling and satisfying without being complicated to make.
Easy and Accessible Ingredients – Made with simple and affordable ingredients which are either pantry staples or easy to find.
Great for Sharing – Toad in the hole is a real crowd-pleaser and is perfect for a family dinner or Sunday lunch.
One-Pan Convenience – No need to fry the sausages separately in this recipe. Everything bakes together in just one dish.
Plant-Based Twist on a Classic – This recipe delivers all the satisfaction of our traditional British favourite whilst being entirely vegan.
Protein-Packed Batter – Unlike some recipes, there’s a boost of plant-based protein, courtesy of gram flour. This makes the dish as nourishing and satisfying as the traditional one.
The Best Vegan Toad In The Hole
My version of toad in the hold is not traditional in that I use vegan sausages and a vegan batter. I also add red onions and rosemary for flavour and colour. But my goodness it’s delicious.
I use gram flour to replace the protein you’d normally get from eggs. However, it’s quite a heavy flour, which means the batter is heavier than you’d expect if you’ve ever eaten a traditional toad in the hole.
I’ve tried several different ratios of gram flour to wheat flour in order to come up with the best batter. On the fourth iteration, I finally cracked it and this is now my go to recipe for vegan toad in the hole.
The batter rises nicely and the edges are deliciously light and crispy. The bottom is delightfully pudding like.
The batter stores and reheats well, so I tend to make the quantity given in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, even though there are only two of us. We eat half one day, then I reheat the remaining half in the air fryer the following day. It works really well.
I like to eat toad in the hole with vegan gravy, kale and mashed potato. In the image you can see above, I made vegan mushroom gravy.
Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
For traditional toad in the hole, you use plain flour as it’s the eggs that give the rise. For my vegan version I use self-raising flour, baking powder and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda with some vinegar. Although it’s rare for me not to use wholemeal flour, it really is just too heavy for Yorkshire pudding type batter.
I’ve listed other noteworthy ingredients below.
Gram Flour (Chickpea Flour)
Gram flour (chickpea flour) is essential to the batter as it provides the protein you’d normally expect to get from eggs. It’s quite easy to get hold of these days and most supermarkets now stock it. Failing that any good health food shop will sell it.
To the gram flour I add a pinch of ground turmeric to give it a golden colour you’d also normally get from eggs. It’s entirely optional, but the batter does look rather pale without it.
Mustard
A little mustard gives a bit of punch to the batter, but without being too obvious. I use English mustard, but Dijon is fine too. You can use powdered mustard or ready made. I use ready made.
If you prefer, you could add a pinch or more of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika instead.
Soy Milk
Although you can use other plant-based milks, go with soy if you can. It’s the best one for making batter.
Soy milk has similar protein and fat levels to dairy. Protein traps the steam bubbles as the batter cooks which thus causes the batter to rise. In addition soy milk generally can cope with high temperatures without curdling, which is not true of many other plant-based milks.
Red Onions
Red onions aren’t necessary, but they do give additional colour and flavour to the dish. The onions provide a contrasting sweetness which works well with the umami sausages. If you decide not to use them, I’d strongly suggest serving your toad in the hole with onion gravy.
Rosemary
Sprigs of rosemary impart a delicious flavour to the batter and scent as the batter cooks. The resulting crisp rosemary needles are tasty too, though you don’t have to eat them if you’d rather not.
Sausages
Use your favourite vegan sausages, you want them to be as tasty as possible. I like This Isn’t Pork Sausages, but they’re expensive and only have six in the pack. That’s why you’ll only see six sausages in the images in this post, even though the recipe says eight.
My normal go-to are Richmond sausages, which are cheaper and you get eight in the pack. However, there are plenty of options out there, so if you haven’t tried any before it’s worth experimenting. Some are healthier than others.
If using frozen sausages, thaw them before adding to the pan or they may not have time to cook through properly.
How To Make Vegan Toad In The Hole
Vegan toad in the hole is just as easy to make as traditional toad in the hole, if not more so. There’s no need to break eggs for a start. The sausages are cooked in the tin rather than fried separately, so it’s a nice easy one-pan dish.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions, timings and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Prepare Batter
Place the flours, baking powder, salt and turmeric, if using, into a large bowl. Give everything a good whisk to mix and remove any lumps. A balloon whisk is ideal.
Make a well in the centre, then pour in the milk and water. Add the mustard too. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ones until you have a smooth batter which is more or less the consistency of double cream.
Leave the batter to rest whilst you get on with cooking the sausages, but leave it for at least fifteen minutes.
Top Tip
You can even make it overnight and keep it covered in the fridge if you want to get ahead.
Step 2. Cook Sausages
Set the oven to the correct temperature. Pour the oil into your tin and add the sausages. Place in the middle of the oven straight away. By the time the oven has come to temperature, the oil will be plenty hot enough and the sausages cooked.
Meanwhile, peel and halve the onion, then slice it fairly thickly.
You can go two ways with these, either add them to the sausage pan before you pour the batter in, or scatter them over the top of the batter. The first give you succulent onions, the second gives you caramelised ones. I like them done both ways.
Step 3. Add Batter
As soon as the oven is up to temperature, whisk the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar into the batter.
Working quickly, remove the tin from the oven, ensuring you close the oven door to keep the heat in. Pour the batter over the sausages into the hot oil. Do be careful at this point not to get burnt by spitting oil and hot pans.
Scatter the onions over the top, then lightly press in the rosemary sprigs. Put the tin back in the oven as soon as you can and bake until the batter is well risen and golden all over.
The rise is dependent, amongst other things. on steam. So it’s essential to work quickly and get the batter into the hot oven as soon as possible.
Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes. Slice into four pieces and serve whilst still hot with vegan gravy, greens and maybe some mashed potato.
Top Tip
Leftovers store well in an air tight container in the fridge for a couple of days. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer.
Top Tips For The Best Vegan Toad in the Hole
The key to appreciating vegan toad in the hole is to embrace its texture. While the batter puffs up and turns crisp around the edges, the middle stays soft and pudding-like. It’s hearty, comforting, and absolutely delicious. Just tuck in and enjoy.
Here are some top tips to help you make the best plant-based toad in the hole.
- Rest the batter for at least fifteen minutes before baking.
- Transfer the batter into the measuring jug you used to measure the milk, or a larger one if needed. This makes it easier to pour the batter quickly into the hot tin.
- Make sure your tin is the right size and that it’s metal. Metal conducts heat better and heats up really well. I use an enamel baking tray.
- Heat the oil in the tin until it’s spitting hot before adding the batter.
- Be as quick as you can in pouring the batter into the hot tin and getting that tin back into the oven again. You don’t want it to cool down more than necessary.
- Don’t open the oven while the Toad in the Hole is baking.
Other Recipes Using Gram Flour You Might Like
- Carrot & chickpea fritters with halloumi
- Coconut chocolate cake (vegan + gluten-free)
- Courgette chickpea pancakes
- Savoury bread pudding (vegan)
- Tofu schnitzel
- Vegan omelette with cabbage
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this vegan toad in the hold, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making vegan Yorkshire pudding batter?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, tag me @choclette8 so I can see them.
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If you’d like more recipes using sausages, follow the link and you’ll find I have a few. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Vegan Toad In The Hole. PIN IT.
Vegan Toad In The Hole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 g self-raising flour (self-rising flour)
- 75 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric (optional) gives a nice colour to the batter
- 300 ml soy milk
- 100 ml water
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 8 vegan sausages
- 1 red onion halved and thickly sliced
- 3 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Measure the flours, baking powder salt and turmeric into a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the centre.150 g self-raising flour (self-rising flour), 75 g gram flour (chickpea flour), 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp turmeric
- Pour in the milk and water. Add the mustard too. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ones until you have a smooth batter. A balloon whisk is excellent for this.300 ml soy milk, 100 ml water, 1 tsp English mustard
- Leave the batter to rest for at least 15 minutes. You can even make it overnight and keep it covered in the fridge if you want to get ahead.
- Set the oven to 220℃ (200℃ fan, 425℉, Gas 7). Pour the oil into a tin measuring approximately 30 x 23 cm (12 x 10). Then add the sausages. Place in the oven straight away. By the time the oven has come to temperature, the oil will be plenty hot enough and the sausages cooked.3 tbsp sunflower oil, 8 vegan sausages
- As soon as the oven is ready, whisk the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar into the batter.1 pinch bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Working quickly, remove the tin from the oven, ensuring you close the oven door to keep the heat in. Pour the batter over the sausages into the hot oil. Do be careful at this point not to get burnt by spitting oil and hot pans. Scatter the onion slices over the top, then lightly press in the rosemary sprigs. Put the tin back in the oven as soon as you can.1 red onion, 3 sprig fresh rosemary
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the batter is well risen and golden on top.
- Serve with vegan gravy, greens and maybe some mashed potato.
This recipe looks delicious and like so much fun. I’ll remember this when Winter finally arrives here in the Southern Hemisphere. I remember eating Toad in the Hole in England many years ago, delicious. Best. Pauline (@Happy Retirees Kitchen)
Oh don’t wish the summer away Pauline, winter always seems to last so long. We actually have a full on sunny day here and it finally feels like spring. Do give a go though when the weather is drab, it might just cheer you up.