Vegan Country Breakfast Skillet

A fully loaded vegan country breakfast with crispy potatoes, creamy scramble and savory vegan sausage with lots of cheesy goodness! If you’ve been missing diner-style breakfasts, this it. (gluten-free and nut-free)

I’ve been meaning to make a version of this for a while because my assistant, Dalana, always talks about the amazing breakfast at her local diner. So this is our vegan version of it!

It has  these amazingly delicious potatoes, and crispy sausage-y crumbles added to a tofu scramble and topped with some cheese. It’s just mind-blowingly delicious!

For this vegan version, we are cooking the sausage-y crumbles first. You can use any ground meat substitute or vegan sausages of choice. Or, make your own with tofu crumbles, like my smoky tofu, then add fennel seeds to it for that sausage flavor.

Then, we brown our potatoes in the same skillet and set those aside. In the same pan, we cook crumbled tofu with my scramble seasoning and some non-dairy yogurt. Layer that tofu scramble with the sausage crumble and the crisp, brown potatoes. Top with vegan cheese, and it just gets so hearty and satisfying.

This is a multi-step recipe, but you can prep the tofu scramble and sausage crumbles ahead of time. The potatoes are best day-of, when they’re freshly browned and cooked. They’re still taste amazing the next day, but texture-wise they’re best day-of.

This vegan breakfast skillet is super versatile! You can turn this into a sandwich or breakfast casserole, or use it as a filling for breakfast burritos for breakfast on the go with some hot sauce and spinach all sealed on a skillet. All of those details are in the notes of the recipe card below.

Why You’ll Love this Country Breakfast Skillet

• smoky sausage crumbles, creamy tofu scramble, crispy potatoes, and melty vegan cheese
• layers of flavors and textures, all in 1 pan
• versatile! Make in the skillet or as a casserole, serve with toast or as a sandwich or breakfast burrito
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free

Ingredients

• veggie grounds – This is the base for your sausage crumbles. You can use chopped vegan sausage or soaked and chopped soy curls or TVP, if you prefer. Use a gluten-free meat substitute, if needed.
• oil – To sauté.
• herbs and spices – For the sausage crumbles, we are using crushed fennel seeds, crushed pepper flakes, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt. Season the breakfast potatoes with thyme and/or oregano, salt, black pepper, and onion powder. The tofu scramble uses my homemade scramble seasoning, which is a blend of nutritional yeast, Kala Namak, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and paprika.
• potatoes – Peel some russet potatoes and chop into 3/4″ cubes. You can make more potatoes, if you want extra on the side, because who doesn’t love a side of crispy potatoes?
• aromatics – The breakfast potatoes get texture and flavor from bell pepper, onion, and garlic.
• tofu – For the tofu scramble.
• non-dairy yogurt – Makes the scramble so creamy! Use nut-free, if needed.
• toppings – Top the scramble with vegan cheese, sliced green onion, black pepper, and crushed pepper flakes.

How to Make a Country Breakfast Skillet

Crush the fennel seeds, if you haven’t already. You can do this in a mortar and pestle or just use a knife to chop them up a bit.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the veggie grounds or chopped vegan sausage. Stir in the crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt. Mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the water and ketchup or tomato paste, mixing well to combine. Depending on the protein that you’re using, you may need to add more water to rehydrate the mixture. Mix that in and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture absorbs the moisture and starts to get golden. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the oil and let it get really hot. Spread the potatoes in an even layer and let them cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, so they brown on one side. Stir or flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes to brown on the other side. Repeat until multiple sides develop color.

Add in the bell pepper, onion, garlic, thyme or oregano, black pepper, onion powder, and salt. Toss well to coat, then cook another 2 to 3 minutes, so the bell pepper and onion start to brown. 

Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once midway through, until the potatoes are cooked to preference. If the pan is drying out too much when you check midway, add a small splash of water. Remove the potatoes from the skillet and set them aside.

In the same skillet, increase the heat to medium, mix together the non-dairy yogurt, scramble seasoning, and ¼ cup water. Also add the vegan butter, if using. Bring the mixture to a boil. 

Crumble the tofu directly into the skillet and toss well to coat. Cook for a minute or so, then taste and adjust with salt and black pepper, as needed.

With the pan still over medium heat, fold in about half of the sausage crumbles and some of the cooked potatoes into the tofu mixture. Spread the mixture evenly in the skillet, then distribute the remaining sausage crumbles and potatoes over the top.

Top it with the vegan cheese, cover immediately with a lid, and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the cheese melts.

Garnish with sliced green onions, more black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately with toasted bread, garlic bread, pita, or a side salad.

Variations

To make this as a casserole, preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Transfer the tofu mixture to a casserole dish and mix in some of the sausage crumbles and potatoes. Spread the remaining crumbles and potatoes over the top, then add the vegan cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes or longer, until the cheese melts and the potato layer on top starts crisp a little bit. Serve immediately. You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 days. If baking from chilled, add a few extra minutes to the bake time.

For breakfast sandwiches, spoon a generous portion of the skillet contents onto toasted bread and top with sprouts. You can also spread some mashed avocado onto the bread before topping with the breakfast mixture.

For burritos, spoon the casserole mixture onto a large, warm tortilla, add spinach, fresh herbs, salsa, and/or hot sauce, then fold tightly. Place the burrito seam-side down in a hot skillet and cook until browned and sealed.