Aldi: The Best Plant-Based Sausage?

Since going vegan over 2 years ago, we have been on the hunt for the best plant-based sausages to replace the traditional pork sausage we used to love so much. From the taste and texture to the price and the amount of protein per serving, this article will go into detail on each aspect of these delicious plant-based sausages.

Over the last few years, more and more supermarkets have been adding to their meat-free options, offering vegan alternatives, Aldi being one of those. The Aldi vegan range for 2022 has exploded with choice and variety – from veggie sausages and burgers, to fully plant-based sausages and meatballs. With so many vegan options now available, it can be hard to know which vegan sausages are any good, and which ones to avoid.

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So that you don’t have to waste any money sampling various brands, in this article, we will be starting off with the Aldi UK vegan range – specifically the Aldi Plant Menu Onion & Rosemary Vegan Sausages.

So, do the Aldi meat substitutes meet expectations?

The Price Of The Aldi Plant-Based Sausages

With the cost of living going through the roof, a lot of us are having to tighten the purse strings a little, especially when it comes to non-essential food items – as these sausages might be for some people. So, as the price could be very high up on your list of whether you buy or not, we wanted to give you a price comparison between a few of the major supermarkets here in the UK.

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As you can see from the list below, Aldi is the cheapest at £1.15 when it comes to vegan sausage brands, with Tesco coming in close behind with their Plant Chef Herby Bangers at £1.35. However, if you can get the Tesco ones on offer with your club card, they are generally cheaper – although i haven’t seen them go on offer yet.

Some other brands of vegan sausage include…

• Aldi – £1.15 (pack of 6)
• Tesco – £1.35 (pack of 6)
• Morrisons – £1.75 (pack of 6)
• Waitrose – £2.40 (pack of 6)
• Sainsburys – £3.90 (pack of 5)
• Heck – £2.00 (pack of 8)
• Linda McCartney – £2.00 (pack of 6)
• Richmond – £2.50 (pack of 8)
• Quorn – £2.50 (pack of 6)
• Wicked – £2.50 (pack of 6)

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The Taste Test Of These Vegan Sausages

However, the price isn’t everything. The price might be great, but if they taste like cardboard, you aren’t going to buy them! So, how do they taste?

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Honestly, i wasn’t sure how they would taste given the low price. I wondered if the low price might also mean they would be low on flavour. In fact, it was quite the opposite, they had lots of flavours to offer. Some of the meatless sausages listed above seem to have no flavour at all, and definitely shouldn’t be eaten on their own. They are the kind of vegan product you need to hide under a mountain of garlic and tomato sauce, far from the real thing!

However, the Aldi vegan sausages taste great both in meals or on their own. Even dipped into a little ketchup as an afternoon snack – bangers on the go! The onion and rosemary flavouring comes through well and they smell great when they’re cooking in the oven, just like the real deal. It reminds me of a home-cooked roast dinner – i guess mainly because of the onion and rosemary wafting through the house. I can imagine these sausages would also make great hot dogs because the texture is spot on to that of a traditional sausage. Great to have for a BBQ on a summer’s day.

For best results, i found either cooking them in the oven, or an air fryer gave the best outcome. Slightly crisp on the outside, yet still perfectly cooked in the centre for that real sausage experience.

So yes, the Aldi vegan sausages are a great option for plant-based alternatives and taste great!

The Texture

The next element to talk about is texture. Some vegan products taste great, but they have a very odd texture to them. For example, my husband can’t stand the texture of some vegan mince as he says it sort of melts into goo in his mouth.

The Aldi vegan sausages are very similar in texture to meat-based sausages. However, the closest plant-based sausage would be the Tesco vegan herby bangers, or the vegetarian sausages by Linda McCartney (onion & rosemary) – just without the super sweetness of the Linda McCartney ones. Way too sweet for our liking!

In fact, if you were to put these vegan sausages from Aldi on someone’s plate without them knowing they were vegan, i doubt they would even notice.

The Plant-Based Ingredients

The Aldi vegan sausages are, of course, only made using vegan ingredients. The main ingredients include…

• Rehydrated Soya Protein
• Onion Purée
• Water
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Rapeseed Oil
• Kibbled Red Onion
• Red Onion Powder
• Sea Salt & Sugar
• Yeast Extract
• Rosemary Powder
• Sunflower Oil
• Black Pepper
• Ginger Powder

Nutritional Values

This is per 100g serving size which works out at approximately x2 sausages…

• Calories 133
• Fat 4.3g
• Saturated fat 0.4g
• Carbohydrate 2.5g
• Sugars 1.4g
• Fibre 7.6g
• Protein 18g
• Salt 1.2g

As you can see, the vegetable protein in these plant-based sausages is soya instead of the pea protein or rice protein alternatives some brands like to use. So do take this into consideration if you have an intolerance to soya products. Also, the salt and added sugars are well under your recommended daily value, making them healthy vegan food.

Amount Of Protein Per Serving

Of course, being vegan means we are always on the hunt for things higher in protein. So, how do the Aldi vegan sausages stack up when it comes to protein? 

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Actually, the Aldi vegan sausages are packed with protein. Per 100 grams, there is 18 grams of protein and only 133 calories – which when compared to some of the other vegan sausages, is actually much better in both aspects. Either the protein seems to be low, or to get a good amount of protein in them, the calories are through the roof. These seem to offer a great balance of both and are a great way to increase your protein intake.

For example, the Tesco Herby Bangers have 16.9 grams of protein per 100 grams, however, the calories are much higher at 171 per 100 grams.

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So, all in all, if you’re looking for a cheap vegan sausage you really can’t go wrong with the Aldi meat-free sausages and their meaty texture. Great on price, taste, texture, and protein and lower in calories than most other brands. Who needs real meat sausages when you can eat these on your plant-based diet.

In my opinion, these are the best vegan sausages but what do you think of the Aldi plant-based meat alternatives? 

FAQ’s

Can You Eat Vegan Sausages Raw?

Generally speaking – no! Most, if not all vegan sausages should be cooked before being eaten.

Is A Vegan Sausage Healthy?

Like with anything, it really depends on how much of it you’re having, and on your circumstances. What’s healthy for one person, might not be for someone else. Generally though, yes, vegan sausages are healthy – in moderation.