Spicy Breakfast Sausage Patties {Vegan, Grain-Free, High Protein}

Spicy, super-flavorful breakfast “sausage” patties, made vegan, grain-free and high in protein with canned pinto beans. The secret to the great texture is the additions of coconut flour, some milk, and a bit of baking soda, all of which keep the patties light and tender.

Hello everyone! I hope your summer is in full swing and you are enjoying the great outdoors in one way or another. It has been beautiful, albeit boiling hot and humid, here in the Piney Woods region of Texas, but it’s ideal weather for dips in the pool and lazy evenings spent sipping cold drinks on our screened porch.

It’s also my preferred weather for running. I happen to be one of those strange beasts who actually enjoys running when it is warm, which is a good thing considering my 18-week training program got under way this week! I am registered to run the Marine Corps Marathon in the DC area this fall and I am beyond excited, especially since two of my Nacogdoches running buddies will be there, too.

If you are wondering how any of this relates to breakfast sausage, it is this: me very hungry.

Yes, as soon as I upped my running, I knew I needed more fuel in my day. I already eat first & second breakfasts (I am, apparently, a hobbit), as the morning is my hungriest time of day, but I am amping things up further with these filling, delicious, & nutritious breakfast patties:

These patties can be mixed up in minutes, baked in a few more, and enjoyed as part of a sit-down breakfast, nestled into a biscuit for breakfast to go, or eaten plain for an instant snack (I even eat them cold). They are high in protein (about 8 grams for 2 patties) and fiber, and have the flavor and texture of spicy breakfast sausages.

You likely have the ingredients on hand, so how about stirring up a batch right now? No time like the present! They re-warm nicely in the a.m.

Rinse and drain a can of pinto beans and mash them with a fork. I prefer to mash the beans by hand; using the food processor here can (too) easily result in a hummus-like puree, which you definitely do not want. Finely mash the beans; you will still have some bits of texture.

On my first run through, I tried using some chickpea flour and water in addition to the beans and spices. They were tasty, but I found the texture too dense. And dry (so…thirsty…) How could I give these a more tender texture?

The answer is coconut flour.

I used coconut flour in the grain-free beet burgers I made a few months ago; I loved the tender texture it produced. It works perfectly here, too, allowing for the addition of a relatively generous amount of liquid to the patties (result: moist patties!). Further, the coconut flour plus liquid equals fluffiness, balancing out the meaty density of the mashed beans.  Whoohoo!

Further tweaks included nondairy milk in place of water, a splash of oil, and a hint of sweetness (maple syrup).  Mix everything together and shape into 8 medium patties, each just under 1/2-inch thick.

Bake for about 16 minutes, flipping halfway through, and you’ve got some savory, spicy, breakfast goodness to power you through all that your morning requires.

Enjoy, and happy eating everybody!

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