Make Your Own Vegan Scrambled Eggs (easy!)

Scrambled eggs is one of England’s favourite breakfasts or lunches. It’s no doubt delicious, so if you don’t eat eggs (if you’re vegan or have an egg allergy), the good news is that you can make a tasty plant-based alternative.

This creamy vegan scramble (Full of Plants) uses both firm and silken tofu, to replicate the real texture of eggs. It’s good on toast with vegan butter (Flora has no palm oil). Try mixing in some grated vegan cheese or plant-based bacon.

Before cooking, read our post on food safety for people and pets.

Although a little (plain with no butter or salt) scrambled egg is usually a safe treat for pets, don’t give  them salted buttered scrambled egg (or vegan scramble, due to salt and chives).

Also don’t give leftovers to garden birds or wildfowl (salt is toxic and fat can smear on feathers, affecting weatherproofing and insulation).

Just bin onion scraps as acids could harm compost creatures (same with rhubarb, tomato and allium scraps – garlic, shallots, leeks, chives). For tinned ingredients, fully remove lid or pop ring-pull over holes before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped. 

What you need to get that eggy flavour 

A tofu scramble works because tofu behaves like curds when you crumble it. It also takes seasoning well, so you can steer it from simple to spicy, from brunch to weeknight comfort.

• Firm or extra-firm tofu is your base. It gives you curds, protein, and that clean canvas eggs also have. Softer tofu can work, but it turns to mash faster.
• A small splash of plant milk or water keeps the scramble tender. Think of it as steam for the curds. Add it a little at a time.
• Use oil or vegan butter for richness. Eggs carry fat; tofu needs help to feel the same. A teaspoon or two goes a long way.
• Nutritional yeast brings savoury depth. It doesn’t taste like cheese on its own here, it tastes like “more”. It’s the background note that stops tofu tasting plain.
• Turmeric is for colour, and it’s optional. A pinch is enough.
• Black salt (kala namak) is the main “eggy” trick. It has a sulphur smell that mimics cooked egg. Start small, then add more off the heat.
• Finish with salt and pepper. Pepper matters more than people think; it gives the scramble an edge.

Optional add-ins are where you make it yours: onion, garlic, spring onions, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, or tomatoes. Keep them chopped small so they cook fast.

Shopping and storage: tofu keeps well in the fridge until the use-by date. Once opened, cover it in water, change the water daily, and use within 2 days. Kala namak and nutritional yeast both last ages in a cupboard with the lid tight.

Tofu or Chickpea Flour?

There are various recipes. A pinch of turmeric powder gives the yellow colour (not too much if you don’t want scrambled curry!).

Some use commercial ‘vegan egg’, but others use more natural ingredients like tofu (Tofoo is organic and made in Yorkshire). This is basically bean curd, and has no taste so once marinated, it takes on the taste of other ingredients.

Cookbook author Sarah Kramer said that ‘saying you don’t like tofu, is like saying you don’t like cake flour!’ Sarah (often dubbed ‘the world’s coolest vegan’) died recently age just 56, after a 7-week battle with aggressive brain cancer.

She wrote just before she died:

My last wish for all of you is that you find all the ingredients to make your life the most joyful recipe. But please don’t forget to taste your dish once in a while, to make sure the ingredients work together. The best part of a recipe gone bad, is that you can always just toss it in the bin, and start again from scratch.

A surprising but very popular ingredient for vegan scramble is chickpea flour (which produces the right texture and has plenty of protein). Chickpea flour is made from finely milled chickpeas and is naturally gluten-free, adding a nutty and slightly sweet flavour to many recipes including falafel and pakora. You can also use it to thicken sauces.

Himalayan Black Salt (kala namak)

The stand-out ingredient for good vegan scramble is Kala Namak (Indian black salt) which gives the authentic sulphur smell and taste of real eggs. This is volcanic rock salt that is actually brown/pink when ground, and contains sulphur compounds to give food an ‘eggy flavour’.

Also used in vegan egg salad, quiche and mayo, it’s high in iron and potassium, and lower in sodium than regular salt, though should still be used in moderation.

You only need to add a pinch, to make tofu taste of eggs! You can also sprinkle it on top for a savoury boost, and use in chutney, raita and creamy dishes. Once opened, keep in an airtight container in a cool dark place. Above is an online link, but you may also find it in Indian grocery stores.

For cheesy, add a spoon of vegan cream cheese or a handful of vegan grated cheese at the end. For spicy, stir in chilli flakes and finish with hot sauce. For smoky, add a pinch of smoked paprika and a teaspoon of sautéed chopped spring onions.

Best ways to serve it (vegan scramble

• Piled on toast with cracked black pepper
• Wrapped in a breakfast burrito with salsa
• On a toasted bagel with vegan butter and chives
• Alongside baked beans and grilled tomatoes
• With hash browns and a squeeze of ketchup
• Folded into fried rice with peas and spring onions
• Spooned onto a jacket potato with vegan cheese

Why Make Vegan Scrambled Egg?

If you eat real egg, then always choose certified free-range (organic), as there is a lot of green-washing with egg labels in shops. Obviously if you have an allergy, this is one reason why this recipe is good.

Plant foods are also cholesterol-free. So if you have high cholesterol but still wish to enjoy regular scrambled egg, this dish is a bonus too!

Vegans don’t eat eggs, because often the male chicks are suffocated at birth, as they are of no use to the egg industry (and older hens are often killed, when their egg-laying slows down). No doubt some small friendly farmers don’t do either. But it’s a grey area, unless you personally know the farms.

Commercial farming tends to rush sexing chicks, so sometimes they get mixed up. This is what happened when one woman bought three duck eggs (presumed unfertilised) from Waitrose. But they hatched (thankfully she knew what she was doing). She named them Beep, Peep & Meep!

Ready-Made Vegan Scrambled Eggs

If you want to cheat, try Tofoo’s ready-made version, sold everywhere. Most councils now recycle soft plastic packaging (inside the cardboard box).

Also look in stores for Just Egg, which has just arrived on these shores, for an easy homemade vegan scramble.