This simple vegan jambalaya is a super tasty, satisfying and nutritious dish. It’s a delicious dinner recipe, which is also oil-free and very low in fat.
Jambalaya is a dish from Lousiana, which has its origins in the Spanish and French cuisines, especially in the Spanish dish paella and jambalaia, a French dish from Provence.
Classic recipe is not vegan and is made with some meat or seafood, veggies and rice. We’ve made a plant-based version using chickpeas and beans instead of an animal-based protein.
It’s a super nutritious dish because it contains vegetables, protein and a carbohydrate and is also so tasty because of the spices we’ve used. Besides, you can add or omit any ingredient you want because this recipe always works.
If you like this simple vegan jambalaya, check out these rice recipes: simple vegan fried rice, brown rice stir-fry with vegetables, vegan Spanish paella, vegan butternut squash risotto and vegan risotto balls.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it or tag a picture @simpleveganblog on Instagram and hashtag it #simpleveganblog. We’d love to see what you cook!
Simple Vegan Jambalaya
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
This simple vegan jambalaya is a super tasty, satisfying and nutritious dish. It’s a delicious dinner recipe, which is also oil-free and very low in fat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, we used red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes (400 g)
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 cup uncooked rice (200 g), we used short grain white rice
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth (750 ml)
- 2 tbsp tahini (optional)
- 1 cup canned or cooked chickpeas (180 g)
- 1 cup canned or cooked kidney beans (180 g)
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add the chopped veggies to a skillet or a large pot with some water and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add more water if needed. Feel free to sauté the veggies in some oil if you want, but omit the tahini.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes.
- Add the tamari or soy sauce and the spices and stir. Then add the rice and the water or broth and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Add the tahini (optional), chickpeas and beans, stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Serve with some chopped fresh parsley on top (optional).
- Keep the vegan jambalaya in the fridge in a sealed container for 4 to 5 days.
Notes
- Use any veggies, spices or legumes you like.
- Feel free to use fresh tomatoes instead of the chopped canned tomatoes.
- Add salt instead of the tamari or soy sauce if you want.
- The classic recipe is made with long grain rice, but we used what we had on hand. Use any type of rice you prefer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
- Calories: 305
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 273 mg
- Fat: 4.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.9 g
- Fiber: 9.5 g
- Protein: 13.8 g
how much would you say one seving is?
Quick and easy recipe. I like that it’s all done in one pot. The flavors are amazing! I like to add some vegan sausage to it and use black beans and kidney beans.
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Amazing dish. I used it on top of smoked sweet potatoes and the combo of the two tastes amazing.
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Hi Kimberly! Thanks a lot 🙂 Sounds so good!
I used fresh tomatoes, added zucchini, and 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp of regular paprika. Delicious!!! I will definitely keep this on the rotation. Great bang for your buck recipe as it offers several servings.
Hi Charity! Sounds so good 🙂 So glad you liked it!
I don’t know which rice brand you used, but organic rice takes longer to cook than 15 minutes. By the time the rice cooked, all the vegetables turned into mush. Extremely disappointed by this recipe and the money I wasted. Good flavor but I would recommend to cook your rice before adding it into the pot.
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Hi Diana! I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work for you, but as you can read in the comments, our readers love it so much and it’s actually one of our most popular recipes 🙂 Have a nice day!
Just making it for second time.. very tasty dish
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Hi Shannon! I’m glad to hear that 😉 Have a nice day!
I made this last night for dinner and it was such a hit. It will be a goto dinner for my family. I made the jasmine rice separate because we don’t like mushy rice. So I added less (1 1/2 cup) water and used 1 tbsp mushroom powder to make the savory broth. I used fresh chopped tomatoes and added 2 tbsp of tomato paste. I also pan fried and sliced in 4 vegan sausages at the end. Crazy good! Plan to take this to a Pot luck. Maybe add celery/mushroom next time.
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Hi Marilyn! So glad you liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Great recipe cooked it for my niece who is a vegan and myself and sister who arent, we all loved it great recipe will use again.
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Hi Merriatt! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Wow! All the recipes look very colorful and yummy too. It’s a feast to all the veggies out there. Guys do try these healthy vegan recipes at your home. Thank you very much for sharing with us. Keep posting more delicious recipes.
Hi Akhila! Thanks a lot 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
This was really tasty. I didn’t do onions (but a little more onion powder). I added a full red and green pepper, zucchini and 2 beyond meat sausages. I didn’t have carrots so I used sweet potatoes which gave it a bit of a sweeter taste. I’m shocked how quickly the rice was fully cooked.
Hi Brandon! Sounds so good 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Also, am I correct in thinking if I sauté the veggies in oil, I omit the tahini?
If you use oil, you can omit the tahini 🙂
I think traditional meat jambalaya contains okra. Could I add that here?
Hi Hayley! Yes, feel free to add any veggie you want 🙂
This was pretty good the first time I made it. Gonna make it again tonight.
Quick question: do you drain the canned tomatoes?
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Hi Shannon! No, I don’t, but it’s up to you. So glad you liked it!
Remarkably excellent! I sauteed the veggies and used stewed tomatoes. The spice combo was perfect! Thank you for posting 🍽🙂
Hi Anne! Thanks a lot 🙂 SO glad you liked it!
Greeeeeeaaaat
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Hi Adriana! Thanks a lot 🙂
This recipe is super yummy! I tweaked the recipe a wee bit and used courgettes and spinach as I didn’t have any capsicums. I also used an entire can of chickpeas and kidney beans, 1 & 1/2 cups of rice and 4 cups of vege stock. I ended up cooking it in a casserole dish in the oven at 230c until rice was cooked and stock was absorbed. It was delicious! A great combo of seasoning and very easy to make. Will make again.
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Hi Katie! Sounds so good 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Elizabeth! I haven’t tried it, but I think it could work 🙂
Really nice, full of flavour. Huge portion.
Hi Aisling! Thanks a lot 🙂
This was so good. I used brown rice and dry lentils in place of chick peas. Cooked everythingin the instant pot (20 min high pressure), adding soy sauce and cooked kidney beans at the end. Fast, easy, and delicious!
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Can you give detailed info about Instant Pot method? Thank you.
Hi Francie! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you liked it!
I made this, but without the tahini because I didn’t have any. I had everything else so this meal was basically free for me! It was delicious and made a lot of food for leftovers. I felt like it had a Mexicam food taste and it was great with tortilla chips.
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Hi Cy! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Yes! Delicious! I will be checking out more of your recipes.
Hi Cathy! Thanks a lot. I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
So delicious!
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Hi Maria! Thanks a lot 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
Can I double the recipe and double all ingredients proportionally?
Hi Eva! Yes, of course 🙂 Hope you like it!
Doubled recipe, used fire roasted tomatoes for second can of tomatoes, added a can of black beans, used celery instead of carrots, didnt have tyme or garlic and onion powders but had used plenty of the fresh stuff, dashed a lot of cayenne …. mmmm …. flavors we have been missing since we went plant based!
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Hi Carla! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you liked it!
This was absolutely delicious! This will definitely become a staple for my family as well as a potluck dish. Can’t wait to show it off!
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Hi Pamela! Thank you so much 🙂 SO glad you enjoyed it!
This was delicious! Not a drop left in the pan. Didn’t use the kidney beans but chickpeas instead along with some vegan sausages. Turned out great!
Hi Sue! Thanks a lot 🙂 Sounds great!
Whole family enjoyed this recipe on Mardi Gras!
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Hi Leslie! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
I used jasmin rice – is the dish texture meant to be a Cross between a fried rice and a risotto ? Kinda mushy ? Not sure if I did it right ? I’d prob double all the spices and go a heaped teaspoon of cayenne I like flavour that smacks u in the mouth 🥳
Hi Kelly! It’s not mushy. Try not to stir the rice too much 🙂
This looks amazing, do I cover pot while rice is cooking?
Hi Jennie! Thanks a lot 🙂 I don’t cover the rice, but it’s up to you.
Amazing and super easy. This will definitely be made again from time to time! We used brown rice and let it cook for 50 minutes or so. 🙂
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Hi Anders! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂