Easy Vegan Haggis Recipe
Are you looking for a delicious vegan haggis recipe that is easy to make? My easy vegan haggis recipe will satisfy your taste buds. Made with wholesome plant-based ingredients, this dish is packed with flavour and will ensure that you don’t miss out on any Burns Night culinary pleasures! Follow my simple steps and enjoy a vegan haggis in no time.
Traditionally made with all sorts of meaty unmentionables, it is surprisingly easy to make a decent vegan alternative to the traditional Scottish haggis. It is almost always served with neeps and tatties, or swede and potato (mashed).
Table of Contents
What is Haggis?
But to recreate the beloved haggis, it’s worth revisiting the history, and no such book as the implausibly long out of print, The Scots Kitchen, by F Marion McNeill describes just how important it was (and still is) to the culinary culture of Scotland.
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o the puddin'-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm. - Robert Burns, Address to a Haggis
The first stanza above, from Robert Burns poem, Address to a Haggis, is read at Burns Night celebrations, a steaming hot haggis dramatically sliced open on the tables, reminding the Scottish, and all attendees, of this “thoroughly democratic dish, equally available and equally honoured in castle, farm and croft…the receptacle of the ingredients gives that touch of romantic barbarism so dear to the Scottish heart” (F.Marion McNeill).
The use of cheaper cuts of meat and oatmeal really did make haggis a dish that could feed everyone from “castle, farm and croft” and it is still cheap to buy in the supermarket even today. Stuffing a meat filling inside the stomach lining of a sheep before baking is a practice that goes back centuries, to Roman times, and is mentioned by Apicius in one of his many recipes.
The art of stuffing meat in an encasement gradually refined over the years and became the ubiquitous sausage, a dish served in many incarnations the world over, particularly as a way of preserving meat. The haggis, however, is one of the only recipes that held true to this ancient way of cooking meat.
What is Burns Night?
Since 1801 the Scots have celebrated the birthday of Robert Burns, poet beloved of all Scots, on the 25th January, a night with lots of whisky, traditional food and much singing, concluding the evening with a rousing version of Auld Lang Syne. It is a celebration, not only of Robert Burns, but of friendship and companionship, a great reason to observe Burns night!
Why You’ll Love my Easy Vegan Haggis
- Make ahead mixture
- Store cupboard ingredients
- Quick to prep
- Eggless and Dairy free recipe
- Perfect for entertaining
My version of vegan haggis is a respectful nod to those traditions, and my recipe is based loosely on the original method and ingredients used in the Scots Kitchen, but, to make it accessible to everyone, I have omitted the need for a stuffing case. I considered pilling the vegan haggis into a large tin foil packet or preparing en papilotte (in greaseproof paper), but these methods seemed inadequate. I decided, then, to bake the haggis in a large baking tin, allowing it to get lightly toasted by the oven, adding texture and flavour to the dish.
To give the vegan haggis flavour, I have mixed together vegan mince and vegan sausages. I used sage and onion flavoured sausages by Richmond as they are really tasty. The remaining ingredients are found in most store cupboards, although you might need to pick up a bag of pinhead (coarse) oatmeal. You can use the rest for a vegan cranachan though!
Traditional seasonings for haggis tend to vary, but they all agree on onions, fresh herbs, plenty of salt and pepper and cayenne pepper. Some recipes use allspice or nutmeg.
And finally, two more vegan interlopers, gravy and suet, one adds flavour and the other adds texture and unctuousness.
Ingredients
- onions and fresh herbs (I use parsley and thyme)
- vegan mince. I use a frozen variety, rather than TVP as it has a better flavour.
- vegan sausages. I use Richmond onion and thyme, as they have a good flavour.
- cayenne pepper and ground coriander.
- pinhead or coarse oatmeal.
- thin gravy. What I mean by this is, I pour 500ml boiling water into a measuring jug and add maybe a teaspoon of vegan gravy granules. This makes a thin, but flavourful broth to add to the haggis.
- vegetable suet. This helps to keep all the ingredients moist, and also adds a sort of binder.
This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please see recipe card below for complete printable recipe.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180c.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oatmeal, suet, herbs, spices and seasonings.
Gently sauté the chopped onions in the olive oil.
Add the vegan mince and chopped vegan sausages, mixing well. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring all the time to avoid sticking.
Stir this mixture into the suet/oatmeal mix and combine well. Use a metal spoon or fork to break up any large pieces of sausage. You want quite a fine mixture.
Pour this into your baking dish and cover with the prepared thinned gravy.
Bake for an hour until golden brown.
Storage
- You can store the baked and cooled vegan haggis in the fridge, covered, for a couple of days, reheating as needed.
- You can freeze leftover, cooled haggis in a freezer safe container, thawing out in the fridge as needed, and gently reheating, covered, in the oven.
Easy Vegan Haggis Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Deep baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Onions - peeled, and diced finely
- 450 g Vegan mince
- 300 g Vegan sausages - uncooked, cut into small cubes
- ⅓ cup Suet - vegan
- ½ cup Oatmeal - pinhead (coarse)
- 500 ml Gravy - vegan, very thin (see notes)
- 2 tbsp Parsley - fresh, chopped finely
- 1 tsp Thyme - fresh, chopped
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp Ground coriander
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oatmeal, suet, herbs, spices and seasonings.
- Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the diced onion until just translucent.
- Add the vegan mince and chopped vegan sausages, mixing well. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring all the time to avoid sticking.
- Stir this mixture into the suet/oatmeal mix and combine well. Use a metal spoon or fork to break up any large pieces of sausage. You want quite a fine mixture.
- Pour this into your baking dish and cover with the prepared thinned gravy.
- Bake for an hour.
- Serve with neeps and tatties!
Please note that where the recipe asks for milk, butter or yogurt, this refers to any plant-based version that you prefer.
