Plant-based sausage: A growing vegan option

Plant-based sausage, also menued as vegetarian or vegan sausage, is the next major move in the plant-based meat analog movement, after the widespread growth of meatless burgers.

Similarly to burgers, plant-based sausage gives new options to vegetarians and vegans, as well as people who simply don’t want to eat meat during a particular meal.

Although not necessarily more healthful than their animal-based counterparts, many consumers see plant-based sausage as better for them. Others choose to eat it because they see it as gentler on the environment, and of course no animals are harmed in the production of plant-based sausage.

Varieties from chorizo to Italian sausage to bratwurst also have a slight edge over burgers that compels curious consumers to sample them in that they tend to be very spice-forward, so they’re ripe for experimentation. Their robust flavors also can mask the pea protein with which many of them are made.

Plant-based sausage is just another step-in many consumers’ move toward eating less meat.

Market research firm Datassential reports that plant-based sausage can be found on 2.1% of U.S. menus, up 98% over the past four years.

Click through the gallery for more on this week’s Flavor of the Week and see how one restaurant is using plant-based sausage on its menu.