If you're looking for a protein-packed, portable, and plant-powered savory breakfast, look no further. This vegan tofu veggie "egg" patty breakfast sandwich ticks all the boxes and then some.
This post is sponsored by Nasoya. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Blissful Basil!
I've talked about this before, but eggs are a tricky thing to veganize. While store-bought alternatives have certainly improved over the years, homemade egg alternatives are more limited.
And while I love a good tofu scramble, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction a breakfast sandwich elicits.
A warm, toasty English muffin or bagel.
Some sort of egg or egg patty.
Veggies.
Sauce.
🤤
For these particular breakfast sandwiches, you'll create a veggie-filled "egg" patty using a base of Nasoya's Extra Firm Tofu and a small amount of chickpea flour. The combination creates firm, yet fluffy faux egg patties that are highly reminiscent of the real thing and packed with protein, too.
To make them, you'll need:
A few cups of vegetables. I prefer to use mini bell peppers, broccoli, baby spinach, and onion. But other veggies like mushrooms, scallions, shallots, kale, carrots, etc. work well too. Just be sure to stay away from juicier veggies like tomatoes as they'll add too much moisture to the mixture and could potentially create issues with setting.
Nasoya Extra Firm Tofu.
Garbanzo (chickpea) flour.
Nutritional yeast flakes.
Tahini.
Apple cider vinegar.
Spices + seasonings. Turmeric (for color), sea salt and black salt (for eggy flavor), garlic powder, black pepper.
Once you've rounded up your ingredients, you'll get to work on creating these savory, omelette-like vegan "egg" patties.
Sauté the veggies in a bit of olive oil for just 3 minutes, or until they're barely tender. They'll continue to cook in the oven, so you don't want to cook them down much here, or they'll end up mushy.
Next, crumble the tofu into a food processor. Add the garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, a bit of water, tahini, vinegar, seasonings, and spices.
Process the mixture for a minute or two, stopping to scrape down the sides as often as needed.
The mixture should be super smooth and creamy like this:
Transfer the tofu mixture to the pan with the veggies and stir to combine, folding the veggies into the "egg" batter.
Next, divide the mixture evenly between 9 greased muffin top slots.
Now, you can use a regular muffin tin here, but keep in mind that then you'll have to smush the patties to conform to the size of your English muffin/bagel. This is why I recommend using muffin top tins instead. You'll end up with perfectly sized "egg" patties and a more even bake, too.
Once you've divided up the batter, bake the patties for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and have pulled away from the sides of the pan like so:
I recommend preparing your breakfast sandwich base and toppings while the patties bake.
I've listed out topping ideas in the recipe instructions but as always, feel free to get creative. This is just a very basic jumping off point:
Baby spinach.
Spicy vegan mayo (eggless mayo + hot sauce).
Avocado wedges.
Tomato slices.
Pile everything, including the vegan "egg" patties, onto toasted dairy-free English muffins or bagels.
Then, serve and enjoy.
For the photos, I paired the breakfast sandwiches with a simple High-Protein Strawberry Milk Chia Pudding. It's divine and you can find the recipe here. 🍓
Two recipes, one post. Why? Because you're the best. I also somehow overlooked Blissful Basil's 10-year anniversary (July 8th), so you're reaping the benefits now. 🥳 This space wouldn't be possible without you, and I am endlessly grateful for your support, kind comments, and compassion throughout the last decade.
Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do to support me and this special speck in a vast internet sea. 💗 I know you have lots of options, and I'm honored you make it a point to return here.
Vegan Veggie Egg Breakfast Sandwich
Equipment
- Muffin Top Tins (2)
- food processor
Ingredients
Tofu Veggie "Egg" Patties
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced white or yellow onion
- 1 cup finely diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
- 1 (14-ounce) package Nasoya Extra Firm Tofu , drained
- ¼ cup garbanzo (chickpea) flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt + ½ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)*
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Freshly ground black pepper
Breakfast Sandwiches
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce of choice (classic "red hot" sauce and Sriracha both work great)
- 9 vegan English muffins or bagels, sliced and toasted (or as many as needed to serve on demand)
- Baby spinach
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced tomatoes
Instructions
For the Tofu Veggie "Egg" Patties
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 9 of the slots in two 6-slot muffin top tins or 9 of the slots in one 12-slot classic muffin tin. If you have muffin top tins, these work best as they yield an "egg" patty that's perfectly sized for breakfast sandwiches. A regular muffin tin will work in a pinch but you'll need to smush the egg patties down in your breakfast sandwich.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, broccoli, and spinach. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until the veggies just barely begin to soften and the spinach wilts (they'll continue to cook in the oven, so no need to get them too tender at this point). Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Crumble the tofu into a food processor. Add the garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, water, tahini, vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt + black salt, turmeric, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process for 2 minutes, or until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor as needed.
- Spoon the tofu mixture into the pan with the sautéed veggies and stir to combine.
- Evenly distribute the mixture between the 9 greased muffin tin slots.
- Bake the "egg" patties for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and have pulled away from the pan, and the middles are completely set.
- Transfer the tin(s) to an oven safe cooling rack and allow the patties to cool for at least 10 minutes. If needed, run a butter knife around the edge of each patty to release from the pan.
To Assemble the Breakfast Sandwiches
- In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the mayo and the hot sauce to create a speedy spicy mayo sauce.
- Slather one side of each toasted English muffins/bagels with the sauce. Top each with an egg patty, a few pieces of baby spinach, a few slices of avocado, and a couple slices of tomato. Serve immediately.
- Leftover egg patties will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week and can be frozen for up to one month.
Notes
Congratulations 🍾 on your 10th Anniversary! That time has gone fast & still looking forward to each & every post ❤️
This Tofu Veggie Egg Patty looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it & the chia recipe too 😉 Thank you for 10 Years of delicious recipes & getting me & Mike to open our minds to a plant based diet.
Thanks, as always, for your support, mom. 💗
Ashley, I can’t wait to try this this weekend! Tofu scrambles are our favorite brunch and this looks next level! You’re a wizard in the kitchen!!! And a huge congratulations to you on a decade of serving up delicious, health-promoting recipes!!! Sending you love. So grateful for you and your work! 💗
Thank you for your support and kindness as always, Adrian! Hope you enjoy the recipe. :)
This looks so good. I am going to make it this weekend - did you press the tofu?
Hi, Colleen! No need to press the tofu, just drain it. You actually want a little moisture in it—helps with blending smoothly. Hope you enjoy the recipe. Would love to hear your feedback if you have time to share it. :)
I love the creativity with this recipe. It was delicious and definitely hit the craving for an "egg and cheese" sandwich (without the gut rot). I didn't have the large muffin tins so made I made 12 smaller portions. They worked well being cut in half and layering on the bread (Ezekiel sprouted English muffins are my favorite!). Thanks!
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Shari! Love your tip to slice them in half and layer on bread (those Ezekiel sprouted English muffins are my favorite, too!). Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts and rating. Very helpful. :)
I tried this this morning! I halved the recipe, made pretty large egg "cups" and subbed cornstarch for the chickpea flour (a risky move, but it worked!) It was absolutely delicious! I typically just marinate a round cut-out of extra firm tofu and fry it up, but I think I'll have to try this from now on. I'll be freezing the extras for future mornings :~) thanks so much!
So happy to hear your enjoyed it, Ashleigh! And wonderful to know that cornstarch swap worked in place of the chickpea flour—I always brace a little when I see substitutes like that and yet when they're wins, it's very exciting news. Thanks for taking time out of your weekend to come back and share your thoughts and recipe notes—means a lot to me and is helpful for others making the recipe, too. :)
Hi there!
Thanks for the recipe. Isn like to bake in a dish (9x13? Maybe?) and then just cut into squares for “toasted westerns”.
Will that work by just extending bake time?
Thanks Christine
Hi, Christine! I think that should work just fine with a longer baking time. The only potential hiccup could be that the edges end up overdone/browned and the center is underdone. Would love to know how it goes if you have time to report back!