Our vegetarian haggis recipe is a twist on a traditional Scottish classic, and is perfect for celebrating Hogmanay or Burn's Night. You may have just found your new go-to winter dinner. It's easy to make and tastes amazing!
If you love Scottish food, you must try our Scottish steak pie and our cranachan.
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About
Traditional haggis has been banned since 1971 in the US because the food standard's agency prohibits sheep lungs from being consumed and sold due to the chance of getting TB.
Vegetarian haggis was first invented by the Macsween family in Edinburgh, Scotland back in 1984. Their brand is the UK's most popular, as they dominate at 60% of the vegetarian and vegan market.
For people who don't feel comfortable trying traditional haggis, vegetarian haggis is a wonderful option and lets everyone participate in enjoying Scotland's most famous dish for Hogmanay (Dec. 31) and Burns Night (Jan. 25).
Why This Recipe Works
- For the best flavor, we don't use lentils from a can for our vegetarian haggis. We start with dry green lentils that are cooked with a bay leaf. When tender, strain, return to pot and then add salt to taste.
- The first layer of flavor, comes from sauteing the onion, grated carrot, and portobello mushrooms in butter.
- We continue building the flavor by using a blend of dry spices (salt, black pepper, nutmeg, mixed spice, coriander) and flavorings (Marmite, brown sauce, and molasses/black treacle).
- We used steal cut oats (US) pinhead oats (UK) that are added to the mixture and cook while the mixture simmers in vegetable broth.
- Like a traditional haggis, this savory pudding is steamed in a greased pudding basin.
Ingredients
Our vegetarian haggis recipe takes easy to find ingredients. The brown sauce (HP sauce) and Marmite was found in the International section at our local Publix, and we used our recipe for homemade mixed spice.
- Dairy: We used salted butter, but this can be easily switched to vegan butter.
- Vegetables: We used yellow onion, grated carrots and portobello mushrooms. The later for its meaty flavor and texture.
- Grains: We used green lentils and steel head oats (US) or pinhead oatmeal (UK), which gives the haggis a more interesting texture then if it was made with rolled oats.
- Spices: We used freshly ground nutmeg, homemade mixed spice, ground coriander, salt. and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Flavorings: We used Marmite to increase the savory and umami flavors in this dish, along with brown sauce (HP sauce) and molasses (black treacle in the UK).
How To Make
Gather all the ingredients for the vegetarian haggis. Start cooking the green lentils according to directions on the package and add 1 bay leaf. When tender, strain, return to pot and then add salt to taste.
- In a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter until it's foamy, then saute the onion for 2 minutes.
- Add the finely grated carrots and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, then make a hole in the center and melt more butter before adding the mushrooms. Cook for 8 minutes until soft.
4. Stir in the cooked green lentils with a large wooden spoon.
5. Next, add the dry spices: ground coriander, mixed spice, nutmeg, black pepper and salt. Stir in the flavorings next: the brown sauce, Marmite, and molasses/black treacle.
6. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the steel cut oats (US) or pinhead oats (UK). Stir until well mixed then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure you stir it every couple of minutes so the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
7. Taste and adjust the seasonings: adding more freshly cracked black pepper, salt or butter to get it just right.
While the haggis mixture is simmering, prep the large ceramic pudding bowl by brushing the inside with butter and place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom.
8. Pack the haggis into the prepared pudding basin. Cover the pudding basin with foil, tying a string around the edge to seal. Make a string handle for easy removal later.
9. Place a metal jar lid at the bottom of the large Dutch oven to act as a trivet. Place the pudding basin on the trivet and fill halfway up with boiling water.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour, replenishing the water if needed to keep it halfway up the pudding basin.
10. Remove the pudding basin, then remove the cover and turn the vegetarian haggis out onto a plate. Garnish the serving plate with parsley. Serve the vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties (UK) or mashed rutabaga and potatoes (US) along with a savory whisky cream sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Contrary to popular belief, the sheep's stomach isn't eaten when serving haggis, but is sliced open and the haggis is scooped out and plated up.
You won't see any sheep's lungs, heart, or liver in vegetarian haggis, so it appeals to a larger audience world wide that might be to squeamish to try the traditional version. Vegetarian haggis is a blend of steel cut oats, mixed vegetables, lentils, spices, and other flavorings simmered in vegetable broth.
Traditional haggis tastes earthy with a gamey flavor from the offal and is slightly sweet and nutty from the oats. It also tastes a little like a classic pate from the liver, and has a warm peppery flavor. It is crumbly when plated, and it is often served with a whisky cream sauce.
Vegetarians and vegans won't eat traditional haggis, the national dish of Scotland, because it contains a sheep's heart, liver, and lungs and can be cooked in a sheep's stomach. In order for everyone to participate in eating haggis at a Burn's Night or Hogmanay celebration, vegetarian haggis was invented in the 1980's and is a tasty and economical alternative.
Serve
For a beautiful presentation for Burns Night, turn the steamed vegetarian haggis out onto a large plate garnished with curly parsley, kale, or arugula (rocket in the UK).
Serve vegetarian haggis for supper with neeps and tatties (UK) or mashed rutabaga and potatoes (US) along with a savory whisky cream sauce.
If you have leftover haggis, you can also serve it with a full Scottish breakfast which also includes tattie scone, Lorne sausage, white pudding, baked beans, fried eggs, bacon and tomato.
Store
- Make Ahead: You can choose to make the vegetarian haggis the day before, but put it in the pudding basin and steam it just before you want to serve it.
- Leftovers: Any leftovers should be covered and placed in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Place in an airtight freezer container or zip top bag for up to one month.
- Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat the vegetarian haggis in a saucepan on medium heat until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Expert Tips
- Use green lentils that are cooked with a bay leaf until they're soft, then drain, return to pot and season with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning until it's to your liking.
- Add the dry spices (salt, black pepper, nutmeg, mixed spice, coriander) first then the flavorings (Marmite, brown sauce (HP sauce) and molasses (US) black treacle (UK). After the mixture has simmered, taste and adjust seasonings.
- We used steal cut oats (US) pinhead oats (UK) that are added to the mixture and cook while the mixture simmers in vegetable broth.
- This savory pudding is steamed in a greased pudding basin. For more photos, see our plum pudding post.
- Serve with a whisky cream sauce.
Recipe
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Recipe
Vegetarian Haggis
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 ¾ cup onion, chopped
- ¾ cup carrot, finely grated
- 2 large portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup lentils, cooked
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons Marmite
- 2 teaspoons molasses (black treacle)
- 1 teaspoon brown sauce, HP sauce
- 1 ½ cups steel cut oats (pinhead oats), uncooked
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
Instructions
Making the Haggis Mixture
- Start cooking the green lentils according to directions on the package and add 1 bay leaf. When tender, strain, return to pot and then add salt to taste.
- In a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter until it's foamy, then saute the onion for 2 minutes. Add the finely grated carrots and cook 5 minutes more.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then make a hole in the center and melt more butter before adding the mushrooms. Cook for 8 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the cooked green lentils with a large wooden spoon, then add the dry spices (ground coriander, mixed spice, nutmeg, black pepper and salt) and the flavorings (brown sauce, Marmite, and molasses/black treacle).
- Pour in the vegetable stock and add the steel cut oats (US) or pinhead oats (UK). Stir until well mixed then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure you stir it every couple of minutes so the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more freshly cracked black pepper, salt, or butter to get it just right.
- While the vegetarian haggis is simmering on the stovetop, prep a 1.5 L pudding basin by brushing the inside with butter and placing a circle of parchment paper in the bottom.
Steaming & Serving the Haggis
- Once the vegetarian haggis is done simmering on the stovetop, pack the haggis into the prepared pudding basin. Cover the pudding basin with greased parchment paper and foil, tying a string around the edge to seal. Make a string handle for easy removal later.
- Place a metal jar lid at the bottom of the large Dutch oven to act as a trivet, then place the pudding basin on top. (Check to see if the lid of the Dutch oven fits, if not, change out the metal jar lid for a thinner one.) Remove the lid and fill the Dutch oven with boiling water until it's halfway up the side of the pudding basin.
- Cover and simmer for 1 hour, replenishing the water if needed to keep it halfway up the pudding basin.
- Remove the pudding basin, then remove the cover and turn the vegetarian haggis out onto a plate. Garnish the serving plate with parsley. Serve with neeps and tatties (UK) or mashed rutabaga and potatoes (US) along with a savory whisky cream sauce.
Notes
- Use green lentils that are cooked with a bay leaf until they're soft, then drain, return to pot and season with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning until it's to your liking.
- Add the dry spices first, then the flavorings. After the mixture has simmered, taste and adjust seasonings.
- We used steal cut oats (called pinhead oats in the UK) that are added to the mixture and cook while the mixture simmers in vegetable broth.
- This savory pudding is steamed in a greased pudding basin. For more photos about covering the basin, see our plum pudding post.
- Optional: serve with a whisky cream sauce.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
This vegetarian haggis recipe was originally published on January 13, 2023.
Alex
The blend of spices is lovely with the chew of the steel cut oats in the haggis. There's a nice flavor from the onions, too. Very good! ♥
Emma
Thank you so much for your kind words, Alex! We're happy you enjoyed the haggis.
Beth
Although I've never had an authentic haggis, this is a delicious vegetarian substitute. The oats and mushrooms lend a lovely flavor and texture to the haggis.
Emma
We're glad that you enjoyed the haggis, Beth!