If you love brunch food but don’t eat meat, you’ve probably wanted to try eggs Benedict but may not have had a chance. Luckily, meat is only one small part of the Benedict experience, so there are lots of options for how to make it vegetarian. Unfortunately making it vegan is a whole different animal since eggs are more or less the centerpiece of the dish, but if you’re just looking to skip the ham, here are some good ways to make eggs Benedict.
Just Leave Off the Meat
The simplest thing to do is to simply use an English muffin, cheese, eggs, and hollandaise and to simply be missing an ingredient. Since the poached eggs and hollandaise are really what make the dish shine, rather than the ham, it will still be delicious.
Use a Meat Replacement
If you’re itching for that meaty flavor, one option is to use some kind of meat replacement. For example, you could grill up some seitan with salty and smoky flavors, or use fake bacon or sausage instead. Since these are also breakfast meats, they’ll go well with your eggs Benedict even if they don’t taste exactly like ham. You can also try portobello mushrooms, which are often used as a burger patty replacement.
Give Your Own Twist
The last and probably best way to make a veggie Bennie is to make veggies the star of the show. Common veggies used are cooked spinach (a Benedictian take on eggs Florentine), avocado (a Benedictian take on avocado toast), and tomato (for a Benedictian take on shakshuka). That being said, most veggies will go well with eggs and hollandaise, so add whichever is your favorite.
