This Vegan Eggs Benedict recipe is the perfect weekend brunch dish! Crispy English muffins piled high with vegan ham, scrambled tofu, and slathered in creamy vegan hollandaise sauce. You’ll be saying “yum” with every bite!
Are you ready for an amazing vegan brunch? You’re going to fall in love with this vegan eggs benny! It’s perfect for special occasions, or to make any weekend delicious!
The hollandaise sauce is so creamy and luscious, you’re going to want to put it on everything! In addition to this recipe, we also enjoy it drizzled over our breakfast potatoes and our steamed vegetables.
The vegan ham can be made in advance, sliced and frozen, so you can enjoy it with your breakfast any time you want. (It’s also great in sandwiches and on pizza!)
As long as you have the vegan ham made in advance, this recipe comes together very quickly!
What is eggs benedict?
Eggs benedict is two English muffin halves topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. Virtually none of that is vegan. But I’ve managed to change out some ingredients to create the most delicious vegan eggs benedict!
Using tofu for eggs, seitan ham for the Canadian bacon, and a lemony tofu cream sauce for the hollandaise, you can have a decadent plant based breakfast or brunch any time you want.
What do I need to make vegan eggs benedict?
For the vegan hollandaise sauce, you need:
- Raw cashews
- Nutritional Yeast
- Lemon juice – fresh squeezed lemon juice is best, but bottled will also work.
- Dijon mustard
- Turmeric – gives the sauce its yellow color
- Garlic Powder
- Black salt (kala namak) – this Himalayan salt has a high sulfur content which gives this sauce an “eggy” flavor
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
For the tofu egg, you need:
- Tofu – I usually use extra firm tofu for this recipe, but have also used firm tofu. There is no need to press the tofu. Just drain out the excess water – the rest of the water will evaporate as you cook the tofu.
- Nutritional yeast – this adds a nice umami taste to the dish, as well as a hint of cheesiness
- Kala Namak (black salt) – even though it is called black salt, it it actually pink in color.
- Turmeric – gives the tofu the yellow color. This spice also has some wonderful anti-inflammatory properties.
- Diced onion – I use yellow onion, but other colors are fine
- Onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper – for flavoring
To assemble the vegan eggs benedict, you need
- Vegan English muffins
- Vegan Ham
How to make vegan hollandaise sauce
Soak the cashews by pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit for 20 minutes. If you have a high speed blender, you can skip the soaking step.
Place the drained cashews and all the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce contents into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
How to make vegan egg
Many recipes for vegan eggs benedict use a round or square slice of seasoned and fried tofu to replace the poached egg. I’ve chosen to use some scrambled tofu, as I like the flavor to be more incorporated into the tofu.
Saute the onion in a non stick skillet, adding a bit of water if the onion starts to stick.
Squeeze a bit of the water out of the tofu, but it is not necessary to press it. The liquid will absorb while cooking the tofu.
Crumble to tofu into the pan with the onion. Add the seasonings and stir to combine. Cook until the tofu is hot and the liquid is absorbed.
How to assemble the vegan eggs benedict
Toast the English muffins and place them open faced on a plate.
Lightly saute the slices of ham, and then place a slice on each muffin half.
Place a scoop of the scrambled tofu on top of the ham.
Drizzle each with the hollandaise sauce.
Top with paprika, fresh dill, chives, or other garnish of your choice.
Variations
- Instead of vegan ham, you can add vegan breakfast sausage to your eggs benedict.
- Add some fresh or sauteed greens like spinach or kale.
- Add some sliced avocado or some tomato slices.
- Instead of the scrambled tofu, bake my Vegan Frittata in muffin pans and use a mini frittata on you eggs benedict.
- Add some steamed or grilled asparagus.
What goes with vegan eggs benedict?
I like to serve this dish with some fresh fruit, some breakfast potatoes or hash browns, some steamed broccoli, or some sauteed kale.
Frequently asked questions
Each of the parts of the recipe can be made in advance. Then you can simply toast your English muffins, heat the tofu scramble, vegan ham, and hollandaise sauce, and assemble the tofu eggs benedict right before serving. You definitely want to make the ham at least a day in advance.
Store the hollandaise sauce in a jar and the scramble tofu in an air tight container. Both can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The vegan ham can be refrigerated for 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend slicing the ham before freezing.
The tofu eggs and the hollandaise sauce are already gluten free. Gluten free English muffins or other gluten free bread can be used. If you are unable to find a gluten free vegan ham, substitute it with another topping like tempeh bacon, sliced tomatoes, or other veggies.
More vegan breakfast recipes:
- Vegan Fritatta
- Vegan French Toast
- Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Breakfast Hash
- Vegan Breakfast Sausage
- Vegan Breakfast Casserole
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Vegan Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
Tofu Egg
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 14 – 16 ounces firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black salt
Assemble
- 4 whole wheat English muffins
- 8 slices Vegan Ham
Instructions
Hollandaise Sauce
- Soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain. The soaking is not necessary if you have a high speed blender.
- Place the cashews and all the remaining hollandaise sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Stir constantly to keep the sauce from scorching and becoming lumpy.
Tofu Egg
- In a non-stick skillet, saute the onion in a small amount of water until it becomes translucent. Add additional water if the onion starts to stick.
- Squeeze a little of the water out of the tofu. It's not necessary to press it. Crumble it into the pan of sauteed onion.
- Add the seasonings and stir to combine.
- Continue cooking until the tofu is heated through and the liquid is absorbed.
Assemble the Tofu Benedict
- Toast the English muffins.
- Place two English muffin halves on each plate.
- Top each English muffin half with a slice of vegan ham, a scoop of the tofu egg, and some hollandaise sauce.
- Garnish as desired with chopped chives, fresh dill, paprika, black pepper, or a dash of cayenne pepper.
