Vegetarian toad in the hole
Puffed batter baked around golden vegetarian sausages with a sticky onion gravy — proper British comfort food for four.
This is the cheeky, vegetarian take on a proper British classic — batter puffed up around plump vegetarian sausages, finished with a sticky onion gravy. It’s cosy, forgiving and makes a brilliant midweek supper for four.
Make it on a rainy evening, serve with mashed potato and greens or a crisp cabbage slaw. The trick is a very hot tin and a rested batter — everything else is gravy (literally).
Ingredients
- 210 g plain flour
- 3 large eggs
- 300 ml milk — semi-skimmed or whole
- 5 ml salt
- 5 ml black pepper
- 45 ml rapeseed oil
- 8 vegetarian sausages — choose firm, oven-frying sausages
- 1 brown onion
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 15 ml soy sauce — use reduced-salt if preferred
- 500 ml water
- 5 ml cornflour — for optional thickening
- 10 g fresh parsley — to garnish
Equipment
- large ovenproof baking tin (approx 23x33cm)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional. Put the rapeseed oil into a large ovenproof baking tin (approx 23x33cm) and place in the oven to heat.
While the oven heats, brown the vegetarian sausages in a frying pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp rapeseed oil until evenly golden all over, 8–10 minutes. Turn regularly so they colour but do not burn.
Make the batter: sift the plain flour into a large bowl, add the salt and black pepper. Whisk in the large eggs and milk until smooth and free of lumps.
Leave the batter to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
When the oil in the hot tin is smoking-hot (about 10 minutes after placing it in the oven), remove the tin carefully. Arrange the browned vegetarian sausages in the tin, pour the rested batter evenly over them, then return the tin immediately to the oven.
Bake until the batter is well risen and deep golden brown at the edges, 25–30 minutes. Do not open the oven door during baking.
While the toad in the hole bakes, make the onion gravy. Thinly slice the brown onion. Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a frying pan, add the onion and sweat gently until soft and starting to caramelise, 7–8 minutes.
Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for 1 minute, then add the water, crumble in the vegetable stock cube and stir in the soy sauce. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until glossy and slightly reduced. If you prefer a thicker gravy, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water and stir in, simmering 1–2 minutes until thickened.
Remove the toad in the hole from the oven and rest for 3–5 minutes. Scatter over the chopped fresh parsley and serve slices with plenty of onion gravy.
Tips
- Get the tin and oil properly hot before you add the batter — test by flicking a few drops of water in the tin; they should sizzle immediately.
- Rest the batter for at least 30 minutes at room temperature for a lighter rise; you can mix it the night before and leave in the fridge (bring back to room temp before baking).
- Brown the sausages first so they’re cooked through and have a crispy skin — undercooked sausages will release moisture and make the batter soggy.
- If the top browns too quickly, turn the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional for the last 5–10 minutes.
- Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge; reheat in a moderate oven (180°C fan/200°C conventional) to restore crispness rather than microwaving.
Substitutions
vegetarian sausages → vegan sausages of similar size
Stays closemilk → unsweetened soy or oat milk, 300 ml
Stays closerapeseed oil → olive oil, 3 tbsp
Noticeably differentsoy sauce → 1 tbsp reduced-salt Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian), same quantity
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 572
- Calories
- 22 g
- Protein
- 49 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 800 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegan?
Yes — use vegan sausages and replace the eggs and milk with a ready-made vegan batter (or make with 100 g plain flour + 250 ml unsweetened soy milk + 1 tsp baking powder) and use plant milk.
Why didn’t my batter rise?
Common causes: tin/oil not hot enough, batter not rested, or opening the oven while baking. Make sure the oil smokes slightly and pour the batter straight into the hot tin.
Can I use frozen sausages?
Thaw and pat dry before browning — frozen sausages release water which can make the batter go soggy.
How do I store leftovers?
Cool completely, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat in an oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional until piping hot to keep edges crisp.
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