Vegan Toad in the Hole with Onion Gravy

A Vegan Toad in the Hole served with a delicious vegan onion gravy, is easy to make and also suitable for those looking for a dairy free version. Juicy sausages are cooked in a light fluffy batter with red onions and rosemary and served with a sweet onion gravy.

Toad in the Hole is a classic British comfort food dish with an unappetizing name! The dish evolved centuries ago as pieces of meat cooked with batter as a way to stretch out the meat and make a filling meal. There is a story that Toad in the Hole originated from a town in Northumberland. The local golf course was overrun with toads and a chef in the town devised the dish with sausages as a joke to resemble the toads poking their heads out of the holes on the golf course.

Despite the weird name, it is a great tasting dish. If you're looking for more vegan versions of British Classics, you might also like Vegan Sausage Casserole or Vegetable Stew with Vegan Dumplings or my Cottage Pie with Mixed Beans

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Vegan Onion Gravy
• Tips
• Mini Toad in the Hole
• What to serve with Toad in the Hole
• Equipment
• Storage and Reheating Instructions
• Sustainability
• 📖 Recipe

Ingredients

I tested several recipes for a vegan batter and landed on this one as it gives a nice light batter with minimal ingredients.

• Vegetarian or Vegan Sausages. There are loads of varieties of vegetarian and vegan sausages available. For more information, check out my comparison chart.
• Unsweetened Soya Milk. This is a savoury dish so you want to use unsweetened soya milk.
• Chickpea or Garam Flour. This helps to thicken the batter and gives it a slightly yellow colour.
• Oil. You need to use vegetable or sunflower oil in your metal tray. Olive oil will not work as it doesn't get hot enough.
• Worcestershire Sauce. Be sure to use a vegan version as the original version contains anchovies.
• Self Raising /Rising Flour. Unlike a traditional batter, this vegan version needs self-raising flour instead of plain flour.
• Red Onions. Red onions work best because they have a slightly sweeter flavour than brown ones.
• Rosemary. This is optional but adds a nice flavour.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Place the sausages in a large metal tray, add the olive oil and cook the sausages for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the flours and baking powder.

Make a well in the centre and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir it all together until you have a smooth batter. Let the batter rest whilst the sausages cook.

Remove the tray from the oven and pour over the batter. Add in half the red onion and a few sprigs of rosemary. Quickly place the tray back in the oven on the middle shelf for 30 minutes.

Hint: Don't be tempted to open the door during the cooking time as heat will escape and your batter won't rise as well.

Vegan Onion Gravy

Onion gravy is the best accompaniment to Toad in the Hole. Be sure to use a vegan Worcestershire sauce as the original version contains anchovies.

1. In a saucepan, fry the diced red onion in olive oil and sugar over a low heat for about 10 minutes. 

2. Stir in the flour then pour over the vegetable stock and Worcestershire sauce stirring all the time until the gravy thickens. Bring to a boil then simmer until you are ready to serve.

Tips

There are two important things to remember when cooking batter.

1. Let your batter mix rest for at least 15 minutes before cooking. You can do this while the sausages cook. Resting the batter will give you a lighter texture. Give the batter a quick whisk before adding it to the hot tray as it may have separated a little. If you're leaving it for less than an hour, you can leave it at room temperature. Longer than this, pop it in the fridge.
2. Batter needs an instant hit of heat to rise properly. This is why you need a metal tin. Ceramic and stoneware don't store enough heat.

Mini Toad in the Hole

Cooking mini or individual toads in a muffin tray is a great alternative way to cook this recipe. Plus, you get an even distribution of sausages! They also need a slightly shorter cooking time as they are smaller.

1. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to each muffin hole.

2. Cut the sausages into two so you can fit two pieces in each muffin hole and bake for 15 minutes.

3. Pour in the batter about ¾ of the way up each muffin hole and bake on the middle shelf for 15 minutes. Make sure they have enough space above them to rise.

What to serve with Toad in the Hole

Toad in the hole is best served straight away as it starts to deflate as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve with a seasonal green vegetable on the side. You can also serve it with baked beans. A sweet onion gravy made with red onions is a traditional accompaniment to this dish. If you want to make this dish go further, you could also serve it with mashed potato. Mini toads are great served with ketchup!

Equipment

You will need a metal tin to make this recipe. This is important as the batter needs to be kept hot for it to rise and stoneware or ceramic trays won't hold enough heat. You need a tray roughly 30cm x 20cm.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

The batter can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Toad in the hole will store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat it, cover with foil so the top doesn't brown further and reheat in the oven at 160°C /320°F for around 30 minutes until the sausages are piping hot. You can also freeze leftover portions for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, cover with foil and reheat for around 35 minutes until the sausages are piping hot. You should only reheat dishes once.

Sustainability

The average vegetarian sausage has about a quarter of the carbon footprint of a traditional pork one. Finding vegan substitutes for common dishes you enjoy, even once in a while can help reduce your overall carbon footprint. Greenhouse gas emissions used in the production of plant-based milks are also lower than for dairy milk meaning that overall this vegan toad in the hole has a much lower carbon footprint than a traditional version.

📖 Recipe