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
Possible to freeze for a later date? How long do you believe this could keep frozen?
Hi Brian! I haven’t frozen myself, but I think it should work. I would freeze it for up to a month 🙂
It was okay. I followed the instructions and the rice, beans and chickpeas were not cooked. Had to add extra cumin, cayenne pepper and soy sauce. Added black pepper too.. cooked it longer and it was pretty dang good.
★★★
Hi Sierra! Did you use canned beans and chickpeas? They’re already cooked and the time may vary depending on the type of rice you’re using.
I am told by doctors I cannot eat rice because of carbs. What can I use instead of rice.
Hi Eric! You could use cauliflower rice: https://simpleveganblog.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/ 🙂
oh this was GOOOOOOD. thank you for the amazing recipe, iosune!
★★★★★
Hi Lisa! You’re so welcome 🙂
This was a great lunch. I added a couple stalks of celery and got so excited i forgot to put in the beans at the end. It spice is perfect. It is now in my do it again file.
Hi Linda! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it!
I was invited to a vegan dinner party last night. Since I’m not vegan, I turned to the internet for ideas and found this recipe. I’ve always wanted to try Jambalaya, but don’t like shellfish or sausage, so stayed away. Not only was this easy to make, it was delicious. I made it early in the day with Jasmine rice and it looked a little dry when I went to reheat it before the party, so I added between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of extra vegetable broth, which worked great! Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
Hi! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
One of my faviourite ever recipes and so healthy! Everything goes in the one pot. I add extra peppers and onion. I also use wholegrain rice and just cook for longer. This does take up to 40 minutes sometimes to cook fully, but it is delicious and even more healthy this way. Me and my partner eat this regularly.
★★★★★
Hi Jennifer! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Have a nice day!
This recipe is amazing and really simple to make. We love this recipe and infact just cooked it again with black rice.
★★★★★
Hi Ameetav! So glad you guys love it 🙂
I made the jambalaya everyone loved it
Hi Dotsie! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe. We added thai green chillies to give it an extra kick.
Sounds great 😀
I have made this recipe almost every week for at least half a year, and it’s absolutely one of our favorites. We make it with brown rice and cook it for a little longer than this recipe says, but the results are amazing. Doubling the ingredients is genius as it yields food for three days or more if we’re in a hurry at home. I’d recommend this recipe to anyone (and I do!). Also, the tahini really takes it to a different level!
★★★★★
Hi Anders! So glad you like it so much 🙂 Thanks a lot for your comment!
Did you have to change the amount of water? or is 200g wholegrain rice still ok for 750ml of stock? thanks
Hi Chevonne! If you use another kind of rice you’ll probably need to add more or less water. Brown rice needs more water, just read the package directions 🙂
I just made this recipe! It was super delicious, the only thing I changed was that I added some spinach and I left out some of the spices we didn’t have. I will definitely be making it again!
★★★★★
I forgot to say! I also used quinoa instead of rice. Nice texture and extra nutrients 🙂
Hi Hunter! Sounds great 🙂
Everyone loved it! I can’t wait to make it again! Not everyone in my family can eat bell peppers so we substituted yellow and green Zucchini. We used celery instead of carrots. And I tossed in a package of soy chorizo (Trader Joe’s) to give it more of a jambalaya feel. The flavors just all work well together and loved how I tossed in what I had on hand and it still worked!
★★★★★
Hi Ms. Karen Chin! I’m so happy to read that 🙂 Sounds amazing!
How the hell do you people make this recipe? I tried it 3 times now and everytime i get essentially a Soup.
Which is obvious since it has WAY too much Liquid to absorb, what are you people doing to say its successfull ?
maybe add more rice to absorb the liquid
Hi Linh! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hi Simon! This recipe is super popular and it works really well. Have you used the same ingredients? Maybe your rice needs less water….