As a native Scotsman with a vegan food blog, this occasion is nothing short of momentous. After much trial and tribulation – and lots of meals to use up the leftovers of experiments gone wrong – it gives me great pleasure to share my recipe for the ultimate vegan haggis.
There are few things more Scottish than the hallowed haggis, and upholders of tradition will no doubt have steam coming out of their ears at the thought of veganising it. But times change, and all I’ll say is don't knock it until you’ve tried it.
If you have any leftovers, why not treat yourself to a vegan haggis toastie, haggis fritter, or haggis quesadilla?
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What is haggis?
Often described as Scotland’s national dish, traditional haggis is a meat pudding that consists of sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs, together with oatmeal, suet, and spices, all cooked inside the stomach of the animal itself. It is usually served alongside neeps (mashed swede or turnip) and tatties (mashed potato).
Haggis is eaten throughout the year in Scotland, but its popularity spikes around 25th January when it plays a central role in Burns Night celebrations.
The truth about haggis
Want to know a secret? Most modern Scots don’t prepare haggis from scratch themselves. Like sausages, they either get it from a local butcher or – as is much more common – straight off a refrigerated supermarket shelf.
Fair enough. Even as a meat-eater, I rarely had sheep’s heart, liver, or lung lying around the house to make haggis with.
And while you could make the same argument about vegans or vegetarians buying their meat-free versions from a supermarket, at least there’s a viable alternative here to create your own from scratch.
What’s in vegan haggis?
It’s quite straightforward to recreate the texture and flavour of traditional haggis, with the key ingredients of pinhead oats, pepper, and nutmeg (just like in this vegan white pudding).
Beyond that, different recipes call for different lentils or beans to substitute the offal, and nuts or seeds to add some fat and texture. I include portobello mushrooms and yeast extract to cover the umami side of things.
Is vegan haggis healthy?
The oats, lentils, and sunflower seeds in this recipe are packed full of plant-based protein. In fact, one serving of this vegan haggis will provide you with over 50% of the recommended daily amount of protein.
Pulses like lentils are nutritional powerhouses, offering fibre, vitamins, and minerals in a way that won't break the bank. Want to learn more? Check out my Beginner's Guide to Pulses.
Using the right oats
To get the right consistency, it’s important to use pinhead oats a.k.a. 'steel-cut' oats. I played around with several versions that used normal rolled porridge oats, but this resulted in a completely different texture (they're better for porridge or things like easy oat cookies).
I managed to track down pinhead oats in a local wholefood shop, where I also picked up the black beluga lentils.
How to make haggis gluten-free
Oats are a gluten-free ingredient, however they are sometimes processed in environments where there's a risk of cross-contamination.
If you're wanting to ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use pinhead oats, a yeast extract, and a vegan stock that are certified gluten-free.
How to make vegan haggis
Start by frying the onion and carrot together in a pan, followed by the mushrooms, lentils, and spices.
Then it's in with the pinhead oats, Marmite, and veg stock. Cook this together for 15 minutes until you have a very thick porridge mix, before turning off the heat and stirring through the chopped sunflower seeds.
Spoon the mix into a greased loaf tin and bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes. To make the outside extra crispy, turn up the heat slightly towards the end.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for five minutes before serving.
What to serve with vegan haggis
Haggis is traditionally served alongside neeps (mashed swede or turnip) and tatties (mashed potatoes), as well as greens such as cabbage or kale. The neeps and tatties are both very easy to veganise – simply use plant-based butter and plant-based milk when mashing.
If you want to take your haggis game up a level, I'd highly recommend pairing it with this vegan whisky cream sauce. Featuring a creamy cashew base, subtle sweet whisky notes, and hints of mustard and lemon, it's the perfect way to top it all off.
Other suggestions for sides include vegan cauliflower cheese, vegan roast potatoes, and sprouts with tofu bacon.
Variations/tips for vegan haggis
- Quantity: If making larger quantities of the haggis, make sure you have large enough tins/dishes to bake it in the oven.
- Lentils: I'd highly recommend the black beluga lentils if you can find them, but tinned or pre-cooked cooked brown, green, or Puy lentils would also work.
- Oats: It's important to use pinhead or 'steel-cut' oats for this – rolled porridge oats simply don't work in the same way. You could swap out some of the pinhead oats for cooked pearl barley.
- Texture: If you want a meatier texture, try adding some plant-based mince.
- Sauce: I personally like this dish without any sauce, but you could add gravy or vegan whisky cream sauce. Some people like to pour a dram of straight whisky over their haggis, but I'll leave that decision entirely up to you...
How to store vegan haggis
Refrigerate: Store this haggis in the fridge for up to four days. The easiest way to reheat is in the microwave, but you could also reheat in the oven (covered with foil to prevent burning).
Freeze: Store this haggis in the freezer in sealed containers or resealable bags for up to six months. Defrost before reheating in the microwave or in the oven (see above).
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Ultimate Vegan Fish Pie
- Vegan Biryani with Chickpeas
- Vegan Goulash (Hungarian Stew)
- Black Bean Burgers
- Vegan Cranachan (Scottish Dessert)
- Vegan Skirlie (Oatmeal Stuffing)
- Jackfruit 'Beef' Stew
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
You can also check out my full list of Scottish vegan recipes.
Full recipe
Ultimate Vegan Haggis
Ingredients
- 20 g plant-based butter or margarine
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- 2 portobello/flat cap mushrooms, finely diced
- 1x 400 g tin black beluga lentils, drained (you could also use cooked brown, green, or Puy lentils)
- 1 level teaspoon white pepper
- 1 level teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 250 g pinhead oats (affiliate link – it's important to use pinhead or 'steel-cut' oats, see notes below for gluten-free option)
- 1½ tablespoons Marmite (or other yeast extract if GF)
- 400 ml veg stock (plus more water if needed)
- 30 g sunflower seeds, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Add in the finely diced mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add the lentils, white pepper, and nutmeg and stir through for a couple of minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
- To the pan, add the pinhead oats, Marmite, and veg stock. Cook for 15 minutes on a low heat, stirring regularly. The mix should become quite thick, but add a splash more water if it seems too thick.
- After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and stir through the chopped sunflower seeds.
- Spoon the mix into a greased loaf tin and bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes. To make the outside extra crispy, turn up the heat slightly towards the end.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for five minutes. Serve with neeps, tatties, cabbage or kale, and vegan whisky cream sauce. If you have any leftovers, why not treat yourself to a vegan haggis toastie, haggis fritter, or haggis quesadilla?
Notes
- Ultimate Vegan Fish Pie
- Vegan Stovies (Scottish Potato Stew)
- Easy Vegan Scotch Broth
- Vegan Cranachan (Scottish Dessert)
- Smoky Mushroom & Red Lentil Pâté
- Vegan Cottage Pie
- Easy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes (Dauphinoise)
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
Nutrition
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Lori Zuppinger
Since giving up red meat a few years ago, I found myself missing haggis at this time of year, and I've tried various veggie recipes that have been 'just okay'. But I knew that fantastic veggie haggis existed, because I remember having some in Edinburgh years ago. This recipe is exactly what I'd been looking for!! Absolute perfection, and easy to make (once I tracked down Marmite, which isn't as common in Canada). I have literally never felt moved to comment on a recipe blog before, but this is JUST THAT GOOD.
The Pesky Vegan
I'm honoured that this recipe was deserving of a rare comment, glad you enjoyed and thanks very much!
Gabby
Hi! So excited to make this for Burns Supper this year from the US! My friend and I studied abroad in Scotland, and we want to still celebrate from here. Marmite isn't very common here, do you know any good gluten free substitutes we could use?
The Pesky Vegan
Hi there, great to hear you'll be giving it a go! If you don't have Marmite (or another yeast extract), you could try substituting miso paste and/or a few tablespoons of gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Hope this helps!
Donna Barski
Hi!
We have never heard of haggis or Burns night. Now we know why Burns night and this dish are so special for you Scotts. (My husband tells me that he has enjoyed many of Robert Burn poems.) And, we are eager to try out your traditional dish eaten during this Scottish celebration. It looks a bit unusual to us but with such rave reviews, we will try it soon. Sorry we missed enjoying it on Burns night. I'm going shopping today and have added the ingredients I need to my food list. Thank goodness you came up with a vegan version. The original meat ingredients would have made this dish off limits for us, even when we were not vegan.
Thanks for the education!
From Donna and Dan in Arcade, New York
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Donna and Dan! Yep this recipe is one of the most popular on my blog and I still regularly make it. It's obviously hard to compare if you've never tried traditional haggis, but I can confirm that it's a faithful substitute and many meat-eaters have told me they love it. You're not too late for Burns Night as this will be next Tuesday 25th January, so plenty of time!
Donna Barski
Don't know how I missed the date in your blog! So, it Looks like we will be able to feast on your traditional (vegan) dish, Haggis, on Burns Night after all. We will give you Scots a toast as well and read a Burns poem to boot!
Thanks!
The Pesky Vegan
Enjoy, cheers!
Greg
Hi, I haven't tried this recipe out yet but was wondering if I cook the mix as small patties could they make good Haggis burgers? or would the texture be a bit too crumbly?
The Pesky Vegan
Hi there! No this should work just fine, the mix should hold its shape well provided you use pinhead oats (a.k.a. 'steel-cut') and follow all the recipe steps before it goes in the oven. The burgers will be smaller and so won't require quite as much cooking time - I'd suggest cooking for 15 mins then checking every 5 mins or so to see how they're getting on.
Greg
Awesome! thanks for getting back to me. Already got my pinhead oats ready to go (:
The Pesky Vegan
Great, let me know how you get on!
Jules
This has become a firm favourite in this household. I tend to let it cool and then cut it into slices and store in the freezer. It appears as main meals but it's also great for breakfast and as a sandwich filling and if you're so inclined makes great vegan haggis pakoras.
To my taste it's miles better than any other vegan haggis I've tried and I always make sure we have some in the freezer.
I'm approaching 50 years since I started my vegan journey and I might even have some of this on my birthday!
Thanks again for the recipe
Nairn, Scotland
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear you've had so much enjoyment out of it, I also like to make sure there's always some in the freezer. Thanks very much for the review!
Elaine Ferguson
Delicious - tasted and smelled like the real thing.
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review Elaine, glad to hear it went down well!
Bill Buller
I have never had traditional haggis; however, I really enjoyed this recipe. And several days after Robbie Burns birthday, I found myself saying, "oh yum, there's still some leftover haggis." I believe you can only say that with the vegan version!
The Pesky Vegan
Good stuff, cheers!
Caitríona O'Leary
Brilliant! Delicious! Thank you!
I tweaked slightly by adding a few more spices (a little bit of allspice, cinnamon & mustard) & finely chopped celery, left out the fat, and used brown miso instead of marmite. Also, I toasted the oats before using. But otherwise followed the recipe!
Leftovers are amazing! Even after having been frozen in slices.
Thank you again!
The Pesky Vegan
These sound like good tweaks to me, great to hear it turned out well. Thanks again for the review!
Rachel K.
Totally making this again! Me an me Scottish partner totally loved it. The beluga lentils and yeast extract really make it (though as my tiny tiny jar of Vegemite is 10€+P&p a pop here in Germany I swapped that for low salt soy sauce. Thanks a bunch for coming up with this.
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed, thanks for the comment!
Pauline
Panic stations as I realised my usual nut roast wellington would be a no go for Christmas dinner due to nut allergies!!! So I’m going to wrap your haggis (which I make a lot) in puff pastry instead. Maybe a layer of garlicky mushrooms running through it might be nice. Panic over! I’ll report back.
I have to make a lot as the meat eaters seem to think the veggie option is an acceptable side dish…
The Pesky Vegan
Sounds like a plan and a garlic mushroom layer sounds great!
Pauline
It worked well. And all disappeared very quickly. There was far too much for the wellington, so I froze the rest in takeaway boxes. We turned them out and cooked rubbed in oil from frozen. This works perfectly. In the end I added some barley with the lentils which I cooked from scratch. This added yet more texture. This really is a startlingly good recipe. The pastry case was ok and festive, but we prefer it with a crispy outside.
The Pesky Vegan
Sounds great - I'll be experimenting with my own vegan wellingtons this year (including haggis) so thanks for the feedback and inspiration!
Marna
"Ultimate".....is there a better word....if there is use it. This is the most amazing recipe... I mean the entire dinner (tatties, greens and oh, oh that whiskey sauce!!!!). I had haggis once in my life (not knowing what it was) back in 1975 while visiting friends on a farm in Lewes, East Sussex when I was ....much younger. Other than that bygone experience I have had none since.....so I was intrigued when I saw this recipe. It rated the top "10 stars" according to my family even though they had never heard of Haggis (not common Oregon USA ). I have a LARGE collection of vegan blog recipes I keep in a binder and only the best 'chefs' have their own section....you totally earned it....now for the Fish Pie!
The Pesky Vegan
Wow thanks Marna! Makes me very happy to hear that you all enjoyed the meal. It's my honour to be given my own section in your recipe collection!
Katie Noon
This was absolutely belting! Made the whiskey sauce to go with it and oh my days! Loved it! This is going in my “hall of fame” recipe book. Thank you so much!
The Pesky Vegan
Excellent stuff, I'll take 'absolutely belting' as a review any time!
Tracy
Definitely a favourite in our house 👍 Empty plates all round! Sometimes we have it with the whisky sauce and sometimes without. Tastes great either way and we had TPV haggis toasties with the leftovers. Great recipes! 😋 Thank you.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers for the review Tracy - glad you all enjoyed!
Charlie
Have made this several times and we love it, have used it for base of other meals such as putting mash on top or making into "sausage rolls" by wrapping sausage shapes in pastry (even the most avid meat eaters of the family liked this option)
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review Charlie, great to hear you've been enjoying the recipe!
Shaun Doyle
I made this for Burns night and its become a regular, probably once a month, made it 2 days ago and the rest for dinner tonight, absolutely scrumptious. Thank you Alistair
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks very much for the review!
Julie
My family absolutely love this vegan haggis - it’s so good! I’ve been vegetarian for over thirty years (vegan for two years) and this recipe is the best I’ve tried.
Thanks!!!
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review Julie, great to hear you and the family enjoy it!
Christine Anderson
Sensational served with amazing vegan Haggis - winner winner
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed, thanks very much for the review!
Katy
What a bloody winner! Loved this. Directions spot on, really easy and makes loads! Thank you.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Katy, glad it went down well!
Janice
I didn't tell my Scottish partner what we were having for diner as he's used to me serving up veggie dishes unannounced - "this is really nice, it tastes like haggis"! Result! It was delicious and we will certainly be having it on the menu again, and we won't be waiting for next Burns Night!
The Pesky Vegan
That's the best kind of review - thanks and glad you enjoyed!
Cathy
On Burns Night I went to 7 shops in Totnes, trying to buy vegetarian haggis. They had either sold out, or didn't even know what haggis was.
I made this and it was really nice. I substituted oat groats, and that worked fine. Not sure why I haven't tried making my own before.
Just about to make it again (substituting oat groats again, and a bit of pearl barley).
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Cathy, great to hear you had success with the recipe - thanks very much for the review!
Vicky Brown
Made this last week. Thought it was fabulous. I had a packet of ready cooked wheat, which I added. My first Pesky Vegan recipe. Will definitely try more of your recipes. Tofu Jalfrezi is next on the list.
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, glad you enjoyed!
Coral
Wow. I'm not Vegan or veggie but I LOVE this recipe. Well done thanks for sharing, really enjoy this more than the meat version I am a convert!
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the rave review, glad you enjoyed it!
Jane
Very good recipe which I adapt by omitting fat and adding beans, other seeds and nuts. As a Scotswoman I can verify that this has an authentic haggis taste and texture!
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks very much for the review, glad you enjoyed!