Is Tim Hortons’ Simply Sausage Vegan?

Tim Hortons recently brought back plant-based meat options to their menu with the new Impossible Sausage breakfast sandwiches and wraps. This has left many customers wondering – is their Simply Sausage also vegan? Let’s take a closer look.

A Brief History of Plant-Based Options at Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons first started experimenting with plant-based menu items in 2019. They initially tested Beyond Meat breakfast sausage in 3 offerings – a vegetarian Beyond Breakfast Sandwich, Beyond Meat Farmers Breakfast Wrap, and a vegan Beyond Meat Vegan Sandwich.

The test went so well that within a month, Tim Hortons expanded the Beyond Meat options to almost all of their 4000 locations across Canada. Later in 2019, due to strong demand in Ontario and British Columbia, they decided to continue offering the Beyond Meat breakfast items in those provinces specifically.

However, in 2020 Tim Hortons suddenly dropped all the Beyond Meat menu items from their locations, citing decreasing demand

The New Impossible Sausage Offerings

Now in 2022, Tim Hortons has brought plant-based meat back to their menu – this time using Impossible Sausage instead of Beyond Meat.

The two new Impossible-based options are:

• Harvest Breakfast Sandwich – Impossible Sausage with egg cheese and chipotle sauce on an English muffin

• Harvest Breakfast Wrap – Egg, cheese, hashbrown, chipotle sauce and Impossible Sausage in a burrito wrap

To make either meal vegan, customers can request no egg, cheese or sauce. You can further customize with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, etc.

According to Tim Hortons, the Impossible Sausage provides a “craveable” plant-based alternative for all guests, especially those who had requested a meatless breakfast sandwich option.

Is the Simply Sausage Vegan?

This brings us back to our original question – is Tim Hortons’ regular Simply Sausage also vegan?

Unfortunately, no – the Simply Sausage is not vegan.

Here are the ingredients listed for Tim Hortons’ Simply Sausage:

• Water
• Wheat flour
• Soybean oil
• Modified corn starch
• Salt
• Milk ingredients
• Spices
• Sugar
• Natural sausage flavor (contains milk)
• Ascorbic acid
• Sodium nitrate
• Sodium nitrite
• Smoke

As you can see, the Simply Sausage contains both milk ingredients and natural milk-based sausage flavoring.

So for a vegan sausage option at Tim Hortons, you’ll have to specifically order one of the Impossible Sausage items.

Some other things to note about the Simply Sausage:

• It’s not vegetarian either, as it contains milk

• It’s also not halal or kosher certified

• The Simply Sausage is cooked on the same grill as bacon, which could be a concern for some vegetarians

Other Vegan Options at Tim Hortons

Here are some other vegan menu items you can order at Tim Hortons currently:

• Oat milk – in any hot or iced beverage. Can sub for milk in lattes, cappuccinos, etc.

• Plant-based “meat” – Impossible Breakfast Sandwich or Wrap with customizations

• Hashbrowns – fried in vegetable oil

• Bagels – plain or multigrain

• Muffins – blueberry, bran, corn, raisin

• Timbits – glazed, sour cream, birthday cake

• Oatmeal – order with oat milk and without butter

• Soup – broccoli cheese soup can be ordered without cheese

As you can see, the options are still fairly limited for vegans at Timmys. The new Impossible Sausage items definitely help expand the plant-based offerings. Hopefully they continue to add more vegan and vegetarian menu choices in the future based on customer demand.

Try Making Your Own Vegan Sausage

Since the plant-based options are restricted at Tim Hortons, you may want to try making your own easy vegan sausage at home.

Here is a simple recipe for homemade vegan breakfast sausage patties:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients except vital wheat gluten.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together vegetable broth and maple syrup.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well. Mix in vital wheat gluten until a dough forms.

4. Divide into 8 equal pieces and form into patties.

5. In a skillet over medium heat, cook patties in olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side until browned.