Easy mushroom sausage rolls with puff pastry

I defy you to tell the difference between these mushroom sausage rolls and sausage rolls made with meat! These tasty 'sausage' rolls are made with mushrooms, shallots and walnuts (for texture) and wrapped in puff pastry with a touch of cream cheese, for extra flavour. Perfect for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike!

Jump to:

• Mushroom sausage rolls at a glance
• My new favourite 'sausage' roll
• Why you should try these meat-free sausage rolls
• Ingredients for mushroom sausage rolls
• Instructions
• Tips for a successful outcome
• Equipment
• Storage and freezing
• FAQ
• Save for later
• Similar recipes
• 📋The recipe

My new favourite 'sausage' roll

If you've ever wondered, 'What can I use instead of sausage meat in sausage rolls?', then read on - this post is made for you!

Meaty pork sausage rolls have to be one of my favourite snacks, but unfortunately, they're probably not the healthiest of options. Which is why I decided to try my hand at making mushroom sausage rolls!

I've got to tell you, I'll be making these again! Not only do they taste amazing, but you get all the health benefits provided by mushrooms, and the taste and texture are not too dissimilar from the meaty taste of sausage rolls. And because the sausage rolls are meat-free, they are suitable for vegetarians too.

I used shop-bought puff pastry for convenience, but you could just as easily make your own flaky pastry and use that instead. See this recipe for bacon and egg pie for a pastry recipe that would be suitable.

The mushroom filling is made by blitzing mushrooms, onions and walnuts in a food processor, frying it until all the moisture has evaporated, then mixing it with breadcrumbs, egg and seasoning. It forms a thick mixture that holds together, and can be formed into a sausage shape and enclosed in puff pastry.

When I made these mushroom sausage rolls, I tried them out on my carnivore husband without telling him what was in them - his verdict? 'Yes, these are nice - I like the flavour - what did you put in them?'

So here they are - I hope you enjoy them too!

Why you should try these meat-free sausage rolls

• They are far better for you than regular sausage rolls. Don't get me wrong, I do love a good meaty sausage roll, but the savoury mushroom filling in these vegetarian sausage rolls is so much healthier and removes the guilt if you eat two at once!
• Economical. You can pick up a pack of mushrooms at less than half the price of a packet of sausages, making this a much cheaper alternative to regular sausage rolls.
• Simple ingredients. You don't need anything fancy - these are made with everyday ingredients like mushrooms, onions, shop-bought puff pastry and a few flavourings.
• Perfect for sharing. Make them small for your cocktail buffet table, or larger to pack in a lunch box. These mushroom and cream cheese sausage rolls can be served either hot or cold, making them ideal for any occasion.

Ingredients for mushroom sausage rolls

**This is just a description of why I used a certain ingredient. You can find the exact ingredient measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**

• Mushrooms. You will need lots of mushrooms - I used an entire punnet, which weighed 8 ounces (225 grams). For best results, use firm white or cremini mushrooms as they contain less moisture than the larger Portobello mushrooms.
• Shallots. You need approximately 1 cup of chopped shallots - I used 4 banana shallots, which made about the right amount. If you don't have shallots, you can substitute with a small onion.
• Walnuts. This may sound like a strange ingredient, but trust me, it works! The chopped walnuts add extra texture to the filling. You can substitute them with unsalted cashew nuts. Walnuts are perfect for adding to savoury tarts - you might like to try this recipe for stilton and walnut tarts too.
• Garlic. This is optional; leave it out if you don't like it.
• Thyme. I used dried thyme because I forgot to buy fresh. I highly recommend adding a little thyme - it goes perfectly with the mushrooms. Try this recipe for an easy mushroom galette if you don't believe me.
• Dark soy sauce, Dijon mustard, tomato puree (or tomato paste) and black pepper. These are the flavouring ingredients - the soy sauce adds a savoury element, while the Dijon mustard gives a slight tang. The tomato puree adds sweetness, but I've no idea how to describe what black pepper adds, other than to say you'd miss it if it wasn't in there.
• Breadcrumbs. These are used both for bulk and to soak up any excess moisture in the mushrooms. I like to use Panko breadcrumbs because they are ultra-absorbent, but you could substitute them with fresh breadcrumbs instead.
• Egg. This is used to bind the filling and stop it from falling apart. I used a large egg, beat it lightly with a fork and poured three-quarters of it into the filling. The other quarter, I used to brush on top of the pastry before baking.
• Cream cheese. This is optional, but it adds a lovely taste to the sausage rolls. I spread it onto the puff pastry before adding the mushroom filling. You could leave it out.
• Puff pastry. Shop-bought puff pastry - if it's good enough for Jamie Oliver, it's good enough for me!
• Poppy seeds (not pictured). To sprinkle on top of the sausage rolls before baking. Substitute with sesame seeds or leave them out.
• Butter (not pictured). I like to fry the mushrooms and shallots in butter - I think it adds a better flavour than using vegetable oil.
• Salt (not pictured). This is optional, and it depends on how salty your particular brand of soy sauce is. I normally make the filling, then taste (before adding the egg) and add salt only if I think it needs it.

Instructions

Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to make the mushroom sausage rolls.

There's a small amount of up-front prep to be done before you start:

• Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel to remove any bits of dirt. Cut the mushrooms in half or in quarters. Never submerge mushrooms in water - they are like little sponges and will soak up the water and release it back into your food. For this recipe especially, we don't want that - we want to get the filling as dry as possible so the pastry doesn't go soggy.
• Peel the shallots and cut them into large chunks.
• Peel the garlic cloves.
• Beat the egg. Break the egg into a small dish and whisk it lightly with a fork.
• Defrost the puff pastry if it has been frozen.

Make the mushroom filling

Assemble and bake

Tips for a successful outcome

Here are my top tips to ensure your meatless sausage rolls always turn out perfectly:

• Don't overprocess the mushrooms and shallots. You should just pulse a few times until they are the size of grains of rice; otherwise, you'll end up with a paste rather than finely chopped mushrooms and shallots.
• Cook the filling until it is quite dry. I've already mentioned this, but I can't stress enough how important it is to get rid of all the moisture in the filling. A wet filling will just soak into the puff pastry, and you'll end up with a soggy mess. A little moisture is fine - the breadcrumbs will soak it up.
• Cover the pan with a lid for the first 5 minutes. Covering the pan with a lid encourages the mushrooms to steam and consequently to release their moisture. Remove the pan after 5 minutes and leave them uncovered for the remaining cooking time to allow the moisture to evaporate.
• Don't add the egg to a hot filling. This is important - if you add the egg to a hot filling, you'll end up with scrambled eggs in the filling. The idea is to incorporate the raw egg into the mushrooms so that it can firm up and bind the filling once the mushroom sausage rolls are in the oven.
• Cut the sausage rolls to the required size before baking. I've suggested cutting each strip into 7 pieces. If you want to make smaller cocktail sausage rolls, cut them smaller. Whatever size you cut them to, the cooking time will remain the same.

Equipment

• A food processor makes it easy to chop the mushrooms, walnuts, shallots and garlic into rice-grain-sized pieces. However, if you don't have one, you can use a sharp knife and a chopping board - it will just take a bit longer.
• A large flat-bottomed frying pan is ideal for cooking the filling. The large flat surface encourages evaporation.
• You will need a large flat baking tray to bake the mushroom rolls. I like to line my tray with a silicone liner or a sheet of baking parchment to prevent sticking. You could just lightly grease the tray instead.

Storage and freezing

• Refrigerator. The mushroom sausage rolls can be stored for up to 4 days in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Reheating. I normally put a single sausage roll in the microwave for 15 seconds. It takes the chill off the mushroom sausage roll without making the pastry go soggy. To reheat a number of mushroom rolls, place them on a baking tray in the oven at 160 °C / 350 °F for 10 minutes or so.
• Freezing. Open freeze the cooked mushroom sausage rolls until solid, then transfer them to a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Defrosting. Allow the frozen mushroom sausage rolls to defrost on the counter for half an hour or so (they defrost quite quickly) and reheat them as above.

FAQ

Save for later

If you would like to try these mushroom sausage rolls, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

Similar recipes

Why not give my other sausage roll recipes a try?

📋The recipe

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!

If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.