Most of the time when I veganize or make a meatless version of a classic recipe, it feels special because I can now eat a dish that I enjoyed earlier in life. But this one is different, because I’ve never been a big egg eater. Oh, I could handle eggs if they were mixed all up in something and not highly detectable to my palate, but an egg sandwich? Not for me. This always made me feel like I was missing something. People love egg sandwiches—so they must be really good. I always wished I understood why. Now, thanks to these vegan breakfast sandwiches, I do!
The “eggs” here are made from a seasoned chickpea flour batter. They’re savory and delightfully spongy. (Yes, "spongy" is good in this scenario!) The outside of the patties is ever-so-slightly crispy, kind of like mini-omelettes, and very much like the little egg patties you'll often find on breakfast sandwiches. Topped with avocado, baby spinach and Cholula hot sauce-flavored cashew cheese, they’re also super fun and satisfying to bite into.
Eggs are really easy to prepare, which is part of what makes them great for morning meals, but the chickpea "eggs" in these sandwiches are easy, too; they cook up in less than 5 minutes. You can make things even easier on yourself on groggy weekday mornings by mixing the dry ingredients the night before and blending up your Cholula cheese ahead of time. Come morning, make your eggs by adding liquid ingredients to the dry, then stir, grill, toast and assemble.
It’s worth mentioning that I did test these on someone who is fond of egg sandwiches, and can confirm that they do possess all the good traits of eggs. Egg hater-approved and egg lover-approved. Can’t go wrong with that.
Ingredients
For the Cholula Cashew Cheese:
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water 4-8 hours
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unflavored soy milk or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons Cholula hot sauce or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Chickpea Patties:
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
For the Sandwiches:
- 4 English muffins split and toasted
- ½ cup jarred salsa
- ½ ripe avocado sliced
- ½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves
Instructions
Make the Cholula Cashew Cheese:
- Drain and rinse the cashews, then put them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Process into a thick paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice, milk, Cholula sauce and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Make the Chickpea Patties:
- Stir together the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, coriander, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the water and soy sauce.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, drop the chickpea batter in scant ¼ cupfuls onto the skillet, forming 4 patties, each about 4 inches in diameter.
- Cook the patties until small bubbles begin to form in the center, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another minute on opposite sides. Each patty should be lightly browned on both sides. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
Assemble the Sandwiches:
- Spread 1 tablespoon of salsa on the top and bottom halves of each English muffin.
- Place a few baby spinach leaves over the salsa, then place a chickpea patty on top of the spinach layer. Spread with a layer of Cholula cashew cheese over the patty, and then top with 2-3 avocado slices. Top with a few more spinach leaves, and then the top half of the muffin. Repeat with the remaining muffins.
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
These look delicious Alissa! I'm one of those people who can only eat eggs a set amount of time, so this would be great for me. Love the cholula cashew cheese!
Alissa says
Thanks Jessica! These are definitely perfect for days when eggs aren't doing it for you. 🙂
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
You must have been reading my mind, because I was JUST thinking about needing something like this!
Alissa says
Perfect! Glad I could help out. 😉
Jo says
Yum, these look great! I'm not a big bread eater so iI actually fancy these as part of a salad or as the 'bread' component of the burger in itself. Definitely one to add to my 'list'. 🙂
Alissa says
Thanks Jo! You could definitely do a lot with these patties - I love the idea of putting them into a salad!
Joanne says
I do love eggs, but I can always use a new breakfast sandwich in my repertoire! I have a TON of chickpea flour in my pantry so can't wait to try these!
Alissa says
You totally hit on an added bonus - chickpea flour stores much better than eggs! 🙂
Kara says
What brand of English muffin did you use for these sandwiches? I have had trouble finding a brand that does not contain dairy. Thanks!
Alissa says
I used Trader Joe's British muffins. If you don't live near a Trader Joe's you might be able to find them in the regular supermarket in the refrigerated or bakery section. Some of the specialty brands like Ezikel and Rudy's are sometimes found in the fridge. Otherwise, check the bakery section - I think Thomas' (which seems to be the most common brand) aren't vegan due to a bunch of additives like whey, which should be less likely to be found in store-baked. Good luck and I hope you get to enjoy these! 🙂
Rita says
Saw this recipe featured in your Vegan Meal Plan for 1.30.17 post and made them this morning. I needed to sub Louisiana Hot Sauce (2 tsp) since I didn't have the Cholula Hot Sauce. The only other change I made was to not serve them on English muffins; simply enjoyed them plated on spinach with the cashew cheese, salsa and advocado on top. Very good!
Alissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I've eaten them without the muffins too - like mini omelettes. 🙂 Thanks Rita!
Suzanne says
Has anyone tried making the chickpea mixture and just making one patty at a time, storing the remainder in the fridge for a few days? I'm wondering if I could mix the batter on Sunday night for weekday morning breakfasts.
Alissa says
Hi Suzanne! My only concern with doing that is that the baking powder would loose it's ability to leaven as the batter sits, so any patties you make after the first day wouldn't be as fluffy.
Louis says
Just wanted to say thanks for the chickpea patty recipe! It turned out the perfect size for a bagel and came together so quickly and easily. It looks and tastes amazing too! Thank you!