Vegan eggs Benedict (for an amazing brunch!)

Nothing says brunch like “eggs benny.”

It’s one of those quintessential offerings for a Sunday 11 am breakfast. It’s up there with a Bloody Mary.

It was one of my favorite restaurant breakfast orders before I went vegan, because it was a lot fussier than the kind of dish I’d typically make at home.

Traditional hollandaise involves 100% more double boilers than I usually use before noon.

Non-vegan hollandaise is made with a base of egg yolks & dairy butter. So it takes a deft hand to insure you’re not covering your breakfast with scrambled eggs instead of sauce.

Luckily, there’s none of that with a vegan eggs Benedict.

This alternative is easy to make. And no double boilers are involved.

In this post:

The original eggs Benedict recipe was conceived of in Manhattan in the late 1800’s. It came on the scene around the same time as egg in a hole.

It was either from Delmonico’s Restaurant or the Waldorf Hotel. There are conflicting accounts & heated debate on who originated the dish.

Traditionally eggs Benedict is made with poached egg & Canadian bacon on an english muffin. It’s topped with egg and butter-based hollandaise.

Vegans basically don’t eat any component of the original version. (Even English muffins are often made with dairy and/or eggs.)

However, you can still get all of the flavors of eggs Benedict in plant based form.

Vegan eggs Benedict is made with eggy tofu, seitan ham, and baby spinach on a vegan english muffin. Then it’s smothered in a creamy cashew hollandaise.

It feels so satisfying and indulgent.

Plus, it’s ready in half an hour.

Easy enough to make anytime. Or for a special occasion like Easter brunch!

Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe.

Oil: You’ll need a little oil to brown the tofu & seitan ham in a non-stick skillet. Any cooking oil that you like can be used here.

Pepper: A sprinkling of pepper brings home that fried egg experience.

Baby spinach: A few leaves of baby spinach add springy color.

Chives (optional): Minced chives add a nice pop of color as a garnish.

To mimic the poached egg on a Benedict, I recommend cutting the tofu slabs into circles.

Cut the tofu into 4 even slabs across the longest part of the block.

Pick a round cookie cutter, ring mold, or glass that’s about the same size as an English muffin. Place it in the center of a tofu slab & cut into a circle. Repeat with the remaining tofu slabs.

(You can use leftover tofu scraps for a tofu scramble or vegan blue cheese dressing.)

Here’s how to make the recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Make the vegan hollandaise sauce recipe.

Then put the tofu circles & vegan ham into an oiled skillet. Brown both sides on a medium heat.

Flip, season the other side, and flip again to seal it in.

Toast English muffins in a toaster until browned. Then butter the muffin halves.

Assemble the vegan eggs Benedict with spinach, a slice of vegan ham, and a tofu slab.

Don’t cut the English muffin with a knife

Instead use a fork or your fingers along the seam of the muffin to pull it apart. You want it to have rough, porous edges, not smooth like sliced bread.

For perfectly-sized vegan ham

If your vegan ham is too big for the muffin, cut each slice into a circular shape with a cookie cutter, ring mold, or cup.

If necessary, you can cut around the cup with a knife or use your fingers to pull the ham away from the exterior of the glass.

Vary the cooking methods

• If you don’t feel like cutting the tofu into circles, just slice it in quick & easy rectangles across the short part of the block.
• Instead of using a toaster to cook the English muffin, butter it & toast it in a warm skillet cut side down.

Vary the ingredients

• Replace the English muffins with bagels, toasted bread, or a biscuit. (Many of the refrigerated canned biscuits are accidentally vegan.)
• Replace the vegan egg with mini vegan quiche, folded Just Egg, or avocado seasoned with kala namak & pepper.
• Replace kala namak with regular table salt. (Be aware the dish will lose its eggy flavor.)
• Replace vegan ham with vegan bacon, veggie sausage, or a slice of raw tomato.
• Instead of the vegan egg and/or ham, use a vegan crab cake as the topping.
• Add a Tablespoon or two of vegan butter to the hollandaise for a richer, saltier sauce.
• Enjoy the Benedict as a sandwich with both halves, similar to a vegan egg mcmuffin. Then use the hollandaise as a sandwich spread.
• Omit the spinach. Or replace it with arugula, sautéed kale, or air fried asparagus.
• Replace chives with fresh dill or parsley.

Gluten free option

To make this dish gluten free, replace the English muffin with a hashbrown patty. Or have it over a bed of greens or gluten free toast.

Then replace the seitan ham with GF tempeh bacon, Beyond Meat breakfast sausage, a slice of tomato, or roasted asparagus.

Soy free option

If you’d prefer vegan eggs Benedict without tofu, replace the eggy tofu with a folded Just Egg, chickpea scramble, or sliced avocado sprinkled with kala namak & pepper.

This eye-catching brunch dish goes well with any of these side dishes.

• Air fryer asparagus
• Sautéed kale
• Broccolini with garlic
• Air fryer breakfast potatoes
• Roasted asparagus with chickpeas & spinach
• Spinach salad with strawberries
• Roasted cauliflower
• Sliced grapefruit

Keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. They will last about 3 days. Although, it’s obviously best fresh.

To reheat, microwave the eggless Benedict for 40 seconds to a minute.

Store leftover hollandaise in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep about 4 days. It will thicken as it cools.

To reheat the sauce, warm in a pot on the stove at a low medium heat, stirring often. Add splashes of non-dairy milk to achieve the right consistency.

Or microwave at 30-second intervals, stopping regularly to stir, until it comes up to temperature. The sauce will have thickened in the refrigerator & while reheating. Stir in splashes of non-dairy milk until it reaches your preferred thickness.

The sauce also freezes well in a freezer-proof container. When you’re ready to use it, move it to the refrigerator to thaw before reheating.

Here are more ideas for a delicious vegan brunch or breakfast:

• Vegan shakshuka
• Vegan French toast
• Vegan frittata
• Vegan breakfast tacos