The Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll costs £1.35, carries 308 calories, and remains the most argued about pastry in British history. It launched on 3 January 2019, sold out across the country within days, and dragged a bakery chain into a national culture war fronted by Piers Morgan. Seven years on, the fuss has faded but the roll has not: it sits permanently among the chain's best sellers, now listed on menus as the Vegan Roll. This guide covers what actually goes into it, how the price and calories compare with the classic Sausage Roll, what it tastes like bite by bite, and who should order it.
| Item | Price | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan Roll Pork-Free | £1.35 | 308 kcal |
| Sausage Roll | £1.35 | 348 kcal |
| Regular Latte | £2.25 | 114 kcal |
| Hash Brown (2 pack) | £1.50 | 154 kcal |
What is in the Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll?
The filling is seasoned Quorn, a mycoprotein grown by fermentation, wrapped in the same style of 96 layer puff pastry used on the meat version. Greggs worked on the recipe for months to match the peppery seasoning of the original rather than settling for a generic vegetable filling. The pastry itself contains no butter, which is what makes the whole product fully plant based rather than just meat free.
Allergen wise, wheat and soya sit on the label, so coeliacs are out of luck. The roll weighs in slightly lighter than the classic, and the Quorn centre holds together more firmly than sausage meat, which means less crumble and cleaner bites. Official ingredient lists live on the Greggs allergen guide, and the figures shown across this site come from that same published data.
Price and calories against the classic Sausage Roll
The pricing tells its own story: the Vegan Roll costs £1.35 and the classic Sausage Roll £1.35. Parity pricing was a deliberate launch decision, and it removed the usual plant based premium argument before anyone made it.
Calories land close too. The Vegan Roll carries 308 calories against 348 for the pork original, a saving of roughly forty. Fat and saturates drop further thanks to the mycoprotein filling, though salt stays similar because the seasoning does the flavour work in both. Anyone counting macros gets slightly more fibre from the Quorn version. The full nutrition panels for both sit on their item pages, pulled from official data.
The launch that broke British Twitter
Greggs announced the roll on 2 January 2019 with a mock tech launch video, complete with an iPhone style unboxing. Piers Morgan called himself sickened by the news to his seven million followers, and the Greggs social team replied with a line that marketing lecturers still quote: "oh hello Piers, we've been expecting you."
The exchange earned coverage from the BBC to the New York Times. Shops sold out by mid morning for weeks, some rationing rolls per customer. Greggs reported a 9.6 percent rise in like for like sales for early 2019 and credited the Vegan Roll directly. The company followed with a vegan Steak Bake the next January, though the roll remains the one that changed how big UK food chains treat Veganuary: every major bakery and supermarket now launches plant based lines each January.
What it actually tastes like
Blind taste tests keep reaching the same conclusion: most people struggle to call which roll is which. The pastry behaves identically, golden and flaky with the same grease through the bag. The Quorn filling runs a touch smoother than sausage meat, with the pepper forward seasoning carrying the flavour. Served hot from the shop oven, the difference shrinks to texture at the centre.
Eaten cold, the gap widens slightly, and the meat version holds richness better. The fix is simple: order at busy times when fresh trays rotate constantly. Pair it the same way as the original, with a Regular Latte at £2.25 in the morning or as the anchor of a cheap lunch alongside Hash Browns when the breakfast counter still has stock.
Is It Worth It?
Yes, with one honest caveat. At £1.35 the Vegan Roll is one of the cheapest plant based hot snacks in the UK, it tastes close enough to the original that carnivores order it without noticing, and the calorie saving is real if modest. The caveat: committed sausage roll loyalists who eat theirs cold will clock the texture difference at the centre. Everyone else, vegan or not, gets one of the best value savouries on the high street. Order one hot, judge for yourself, and check the current price on the item page before you go.
Items in This Guide
Vegan Roll Pork-Free
Greggs' most hotly-debated Vegan Roll Pork-Free. Seasoned Quorn with Mycoprotein…
- 308 kcal
- 11g protein
- 21g carbs
Sausage Roll
The Nation's favourite Sausage Roll, made from seasoned sausage meat and wrapped in…
- 348 kcal
- 9.2g protein
- 24g carbs
Regular Latte
A freshly ground double shot of Fairtrade espresso topped with steamed milk. This…
- 114 kcal
- 7.8g protein
- 13g carbs
Hash Brown (2 pack)
Made from shredded potatoes, lovingly seasoned and perfectly fried, then baked in…
- 154 kcal
- 1.1g protein
- 22g carbs
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