Start your day off right with this Vegan Eggs Benedict with avocado - made to perfection with seasoned tofu and homemade vegan hollandaise sauce.
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Who loves to brunch?!
I do! I do. One of my favorite ways to start off a weekend day is with a nice big vegan brunch.
When I first moved to this city, over a decade ago, I discovered the amazingness of vegan brunch. Before coming to Portland, my options were limited. If I was lucky, I may be able to find a place with a breakfast burrito minus the egg. Then, just as I was about to despair, I found myself in the vegan mecca of the world. It is here that I learned about all the amazing vegan brunch foods that I never knew were possible.
One of my favorite brunch foods has been the tofu benedict. I am a fan of savory through and through and I love the combination of fresh vegetables, eggy tofu, and sweet and creamy hollandaise sauce.
This is vegan comfort food at its finest.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients & Substitutions
- English Muffins
- Tomato - Use a steak tomato or large Roma tomato.
- Extra Firm Tofu - Look for high-protein extra-firm tofu. This particular tofu does not need to be pressed. If you can only find water-packed tofu, make sure to thoroughly press out the water with a tofu press. Softer tofu will crumble and not give you the same chewy texture.
- Oil - Use a high heat oil. I recommend avocado or coconut.
- Nutritional Yeast
- Salt and Pepper
- Mixed Greens - You can use mixed salad greens, spinach, or arugula.
- Avocado
- Vegan Hollandaise Sauce - This recipe is a mixture of vegan butter (look for a high-quality butter like Earth Balance), all-purpose flour, non-dairy milk (I recommend soy) nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you will need a saucepot, a sauté pan, baking sheets, and basic kitchen utensils including a chef’s knife and cutting board. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Eggs Benedict
When it comes to veganizing eggs benedict, there are two things we must recreate: vegan egg and vegan hollandaise sauce. Let's first take a look at the hollandaise sauce.
Step One - Make the Hollandaise Sauce
Traditional hollandaise sauce is made with butter, eggs, lemon, and salt and is considered one of the 5 basic sauces in French cuisine. To make vegan hollandaise sauce, we need to sub out the butter and eggs. For the butter, I used Earth Balance buttery sticks. Easy peasy.
It took a little more trial and error to replace the eggs. Eventually, I discovered that by making a paste with flour and butter, I was able to form a roux. From there, I added non-dairy milk to create a thick, rich, and golden sauce. Once the sauce had the perfect creamy texture, I removed it from heat and flavored it with lemon juice and nutritional yeast.
This silky smooth, incredibly rich vegan hollandaise sauce is incredible!
Step Two - Make the Tofu "Eggs"
The second step in vegan eggs benedict is making vegan eggs. Traditionally eggs benedict are made with poached eggs. To replicate the texture, I used pan-fried firm tofu. Medium tofu works as well but avoid extra-firm tofu as the texture is too tough.
This tofu is lightly crispy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside. It is flavored with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast for a delicious egg replacer. While it won't fool anyone into thinking they are eating eggs, it is a delicious tofu alternative that everyone loves!
Step Three - Assemble and Serve
To assemble these tofu benedicts, start with a toasted English muffin. Top with mixed greens and a thick tomato slice. Add sautéed tofu, hollandaise sauce, and avocado. To be extra decadent, add some vegan bacon to your vegan benedict.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Once assembled, these tofu benedicts should be eaten immediately. Serve tofu benedict as part of your brunch with fruit, potatoes, and a Bloody Mary.
Storing - Leftover hollandaise sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to use, gently reheat it over the stove or in the microwave.
More Vegan Brunch Recipes
- Vegan French Toast
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- "Huevos" Rancheros
- Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
- Shiitake and Caramelized Onion Quiche
Vegan Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
Tofu Benedict
- 2 English Muffins
- 1 large tomato, cut into slices
- 8 oz firm tofu
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- a small handful of mixed greens
- 1 small avocado
- hollandaise sauce, recipe follows
Vegan Hollandaise Sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter, I use Earth Balance
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
- salt and pepper
- pinch of cayenne
Instructions
- To make the Hollandaise Sauce, place vegan butter in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Add flour and whisk until it forms a paste. Slowly add milk, whisking continuously until well combined. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking frequently, until sauce begins to thicken (about 1-2 minutes). Remove from heat and add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and seasoning. Stir together. Set aside.
- Next, make the tofu. In a cast-iron skillet, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Slice tofu ½ inch thick and sprinkle each side with nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Place tofu in a pan with hot oil and pan-fry on each side for about 4-5 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat.
- Slice the English muffin in half and toast. Top each muffin with a small amount of mixed greens and one tomato slice each. Place pan-fried tofu atop each tomato and smother with Hollandaise Sauce. Finish with sliced avocado and serve immediately.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Joy Hyde says
Needs more milk and seasonings
Susan says
Looks delish. Not a fan of nutritional yeast. Will miso work?
Sarah McMinn says
Yeah, I think that would be good!
Zen says
This is my new favorite breakfast. I put the tofu and sauce over fried potatoes.
Suzie says
This looks super delicious! I never heard of egg benedict before, but I like the idea, especially that this is a vegan version! 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us!
I also shared it on my blog! 🙂
Suzy says
Loved it! The only modification I made this time was to use black salt/kala namak instead of regular salt on the tofu pieces. It gave it such a great "eggy" taste! It's rather powdery, so I pinched some between my fingers and just scattered it on both sides of the pieces. Next time I make it, I'll lightly toast the muffin, and slice the tomato paper thin. I've never eaten a Benedict of any kind, so I had no point of comparison, but this was great! Thanks!
Suzanne says
This was so delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!