This simple vegan jambalaya is a super tasty, satisfying and nutritious vegan recipe, and a delicious dinner dish made with beans instead of meat.
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, but I’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 (legumes), and a healthy source carbohydrates (rice), and also so tasty because of the spices I’ve used.
I used to sautée my veggies in water and then I added tahini along with the legumes, but I prefer to sautée my veggies in oil now and I also omit the tahini. Both versions are so good, so make the one you prefer!
How to make vegan jambalaya – Step by step
- Add the oil to a skillet or large pot and when it’s hot add the veggies and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes (photo 1).
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes (photo 2).
- Add the tamari or soy sauce and the spices and stir (photo 3).
- Then add the rice and the water or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked (photo 4).
- Add the chickpeas and beans, stir and cook 1-2 minutes more (photo 5).
- Serve the rice (photo 6) with some chopped fresh parsley on top (optional).
Pro tips
- Oil is optional, you can sautée the veggies in some water or vegetable stock, and then add 2 tbsp of tahini if you want when you add the legumes (step 4).
- Use any veggies, spices or legumes you like.
- Feel free to use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. If the rice is too dry, add more liquid (water or vegetable stock).
- Add salt instead of the tamari or soy sauce if you don’t eat soy.
- The classic recipe is made with long grain rice, but I used what I had on hand. Use any type of rice you prefer.
Do you cook rice before adding to vegan jambalaya
No, I don’t, but you could if you want or you could also use leftover rice. In that case, just omit the water or vegetable stock and add more oil or tahini if needed.
What is served with vegan jambalaya?
You could eat it by itself as it includes veggies, carbs, and protein, but here are some side dishes that pair very well with jambalaya:
Looking for more vegan rice recipes?
- Brown Rice Stir Fry with Vegetables
- Vegan Fried Rice
- Vegan Red Beans and Rice
- Vegan Mushroom Risotto
- Garden Vegetable Rice
Did you make this vegan jambalaya recipe?
Please leave a comment below, share it or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!
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Vegan Jambalaya
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Total: 40 mins
- 6–8 1x
- Main Dish
- Vegan, American
Servings 6–8 1x
This simple vegan jambalaya is a super tasty, satisfying and nutritious vegan recipe, and a delicious dinner dish made with beans instead of meat.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 14-ounce can crushed 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), I used short grain white rice
- 3 cups water or vegetable stock (750 ml)
- 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 oil to a skillet or large pot and when it’s hot add the veggies and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed 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 vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Add the chickpeas and beans, stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Serve with some chopped fresh parsley on top (optional).
- Keepleftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for 5-7 days.
Notes
- Oil is optional, you can sautée the veggies in some water or vegetable stock, and then add 2 tbsp of tahini if you want when you add the legumes (step 4).
- Use any veggies, spices or legumes you like.
- Feel free to use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. If the rice is too dry, add more liquid (water or vegetable stock).
- Add salt instead of the tamari or soy sauce if you don’t eat soy.
- The classic recipe is made with long grain rice, but I used what I had on hand. Use any type of rice you prefer.
- Nutritional info has been calculate by using 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and water instead or vegetable stock.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe
- Calories: 197
- Sugar: 2.3 g
- Sodium: 472 mg
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in September of 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in January of 2020.
Easy to understand instructions & it came out delicious! Thank you for posting this!
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Hi Camela! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Delicious!!
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Thank you so much Katherine! Have a nice day 🙂
Anyone tried this using orzo pasta?
Yum! So much better than the store bought mix I’ve used for years. I made as listed except added some vegan sausage and nutritional yeast. Plan to add this to my regular rotation. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer! So glad you liked our vegan jambalaya 🙂 Have a nice day!
This was a great, inexpensive one-dish meal. The only thing we changed was to use one whole can of kidney beans and no garbanzos. Other than that, my 17 year old daughter followed it to the letter and it turned out wonderfully. We served Beyond Sausage on the side and regular andouille on the side for the meat eaters among us. Yum!
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Hi! So glad you all liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Such an easy recipe to follow. Thank you for all the ideas of how to modify it. My dad became vegan last year so I’ve been trying to find recipes that he enjoys as well as the rest of the family.
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Hi! Thanks for your kind words 🙂 So glad you all liked our recipes!
This tastes pretty good, and even better with some vegan chorizo I added to it. It would be much appreciated if you could clarify in the recipe whether we should be draining and rinsing the canned beans prior to adding them to the pot (I did rinse and drain, but wasn’t positive if I needed to).
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Hi Sherell! So glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for your suggestion! Have a nice day!
This was so delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
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So glad you liked it Ashley 🙂 Have a nice day!
Awesome!! Very filling! New comfort food. Hubby amazed! Serving with steamed cor. On the cob for his Father’s day treat! Quick and easy! LOVE IT!!!
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Sounds so good Nancy! So glad you liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!
I made the recipe last night and it was delicious. Definitely a keeper. I would make one adjustment to the instructions. Rice in my experience cannot be fully cooked in 15 minutes. As an experienced cook this didn’t cause me a problem, though dinner was later than planned. I used brown rice. The package directions say to cook the rice for 45-55 minutes. And that was exactly how long it took to fully cook the rice. I wouldn’t want an inexperienced cook to think they just can’t make rice and miss out.
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Hi! So glad you liked it 🙂 Yes, you’re right. Depending on what rice did you use it will take more time to be fully cooked or not. That’s why we specified in our recipe: “Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.”
Have a nice day!
I made this on Wednesday and at the end I added vegetarian chorizo sausage cut up in it… amazing. Your recipe is phenomenal! My husband and I love flavor and This didn’t lack it at all. Our taste buds were alive… Thank you so much for sharing. 😁
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Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 I am so glad you liked it!
Great recipe! I did it exactly as written and it’s a fabulous flavor! I’m excited to have such a tasty alternative to the meat version. Thanks so much for sharing 😊
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Hi Kate 🙂 Thanks for your kind words! Have a nice day!
Delicious! Used the leftovers in so many different ways . Thank you!
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Hello Natasha 🙂 So glad you liked it! Thank you too!
I’m thinking of making this tomorrow for dinner. My family is really picky and mostly meat eaters unless it’s covered with cheese. Do you think if added cheddar and mozzarella cheese to this it would taste good?
Hello Sherry! We are vegans so I can’t help you on this, sorry. Try to cover it with vegan cheese 🙂 I am sure that they will love it! Have a nice week!
Thank you for an amazing vegan recipe. Harilal’s is a famous Indian Vegetarian Restaurant and we would like to appreciate you for encouraging people to try more vegan dishes.
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Hello! Thanks for your words 🙂 Have a nice day!
I made this last night and it was delicious! 5 stars. I did substitute the kidney beans and chickpeas with tofu and vegan sausage, I most certainly will make again. Thank you
Hi Katia, that sounds amazing 🙂 Have a nice day!
This was super delicious. I did not have Chickpeas so just doubled the kidney beans. We also added a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning which blended in well with the other seasoning. Yummy! This is a MUST SAVE recipe.
The only addition I made was some vegan chipotle sausage and frozen corn. It was amazing!
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Hi Eileen, sounds so good 🙂 Have a nice day!
I made that last night and it was AMAZING! I replaced peppers with the fire roasted ones, I also added dry celery in the end. And skipped chickpeas, because I didn’t have them and it’s just so good.thank you for the recipe. Especially I love that you have videos for your recipes, which makes the process so easy!
Hi Lily, so glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for your words!
Can i freeze it after?
Hello Jay, I haven’t try to freeze it but I think you could do it 🙂 Have a nice day!
My two teen kids and husband enjoyed this. Thanks for another great option for the whole family. I used one large can of bean medley (540ml / 19oz) and it came out delicious.
Hi Melanie!! It is great to hear that!! Thank you so much! Have a nive day!!!
Absolutely delicious! So much flavor and made with pantry staples. Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for sharing 🙂 (ps I am absolutely a carnivore, but didn’t even notice the lack of meat)
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Hi Alex!!! We are glad you like it!! Have a nice day!
Amazing. I added corn and white beans. However is my brown rice not cooked or overcooked. It seems to not get done. But the flavor in this recipe is great
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Hi Neesha!! We are glad you like it! hugs!
Simply delicious! I made this for dinner, using short grain brown rice. I had to cook it about 50-60 minutes because of that, but the chewiness of the rice makes it so worth it. My two sons, who are not vegan, LOVED it! The flavors/spices are perfect.
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Hi Karin! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Yes, i did make this recipe and it came out wonderful. Being an indian we never made such a unique combination. I jist loved it amd my family members too.
Hi Kavya! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Amazing! My husband and I didn’t miss the meat at all! Wonderful flavor!
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Hi Lisa! I’m so happy to read that 🙂
Fabulous, simple and quick! I even had all the ingredients. Thanks!
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Hi Fay! Thanks a lot 🙂
Excellent, thank you. Even my non vegan husband really enjoyed this 😊
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Hi Yvonne! So glad you and your husband enjoyed it 🙂
So delicious and easy to make! Just dump it all in a slow cooker and magic happens. Even the non vegans loved it! Thank you or this recipe.
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Hi Melissa! Thank YOU for your comment 🙂
Nice blog and recipes! looks good 🙂
Hi Ohallahan! Thanks a lot 🙂