Wondering what to make for dinner tonight? Bring the flavors of New Orleans into your home with this easy, one-pot vegan jambalaya. It's one of my favorite rice recipes and it's a dish so vibrant and colorful, it's like Mardi Gras in a pot!
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A delicious vegan jambalaya
Many traditional Louisiana recipes owe their charm, high comfort factor and deliciousness to the fact that they are a "jumble" of many different ingredients and cuisines, like gumbo or étouffée. A jambalaya is a mélange, too - it borrows elements from three distinctive cuisines (French, Spanish and West African) that, during the course of history, converged in New Orleans. I kept that critical factor at the front of my mind when I designed this meatless, seafood-free vegan jambalaya.
I added lots of umami with tomato paste, mushrooms and mushroom stock, lots of color and flavor with an assortment of veggies, and lots of protein with beans and vegan sausage.
All of those ingredients layered with rice create a dish that can only be described as a party for the tastebuds.
This is the dish I frequently make when I have omnivore friends or family over and want to impress them with a dish that will be filling and satisfying but also rather fun! It always gets lots of compliments and any leftovers are quickly picked up for lunch the next day!
The vegan jambalaya is also nut-free and gluten-free, and it can easily be made soy-free. It has 29 grams of protein and 20 grams of fiber in each of the eight generous servings. Here's the recipe!
Five-Star Review
Thank you for this recipe!!! I fixed it and it is delicious!! My husband loves it he wants to eat it every night!
- Tonya
Recipe card
Vegan Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked basmati rice (Soak the rice in enough water to cover the rice by an inch and set aside. Remember to strain out all water from the rice before adding it to the pot.)
- 14 oz vegan sausage (I used Beyond Meat's hot Italian style sausage)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (finely diced)
- 4 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 3 bell peppers (any color, finely chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced or crushed through a garlic press)
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes (canned)
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (thinly sliced)
- 28 oz canned or cooked kidney beans (If cooking from scratch, use 1 cup dried beans. Strain the beans of all liquid before using.)
- 28 oz canned or cooked black beans (If cooking from scratch, use 1 cup dried beans. Strain the beans of all liquid before using.)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 heaping tsp paprika
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or liquid aminos or soy sauce or vegan Worcestershire sauce, Use coconut soy sauce if soy-free.)
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (or Cajun seasoning)
- 3 cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock, or water with 2 teaspoons of vegetable broth seasoning)
- 6 scallions (finely chopped, or ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped, for garnish.)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Sear vegan sausage links
- Place the vegan sausage links in a Dutch oven or large skillet with lid, along with two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Turn heat to medium.
- Brown the sausages on all sides. This should take 3-5 minutes. Remove the sausages to a chopping board. When they are cool enough to handle cut them in ¼-inch-thick slices. Set aside.
Make vegan jambalaya
- To the same pan, add onions, bell peppers and celery. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Saute for a couple of minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add garlic to the pot and saute for 30 seconds. You should be able to smell the aroma that rises from the garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, oregano and sage. Mix them with the veggies. Cover the pot and let the vegetables cook for five minutes.
- Add the black beans, red beans, soy sauce, Creole seasoning and mushrooms to the pot and mix.
- Add rice and mix thoroughly.
- Add three cups of mushroom stock or water to the pot and season with salt and pepper as needed. The water should be saltier and a bit more heavy on the seasoning than you'd like the final dish to be because the rice and beans will suck in a lot of the flavors.
- Once the water has come to a boil, give the rice a good stir and let it continue cooking for five more minutes. Stir gently once more, then arrange the vegan sausage slices on top. Cover the pot, lower heat to simmer, and let the rice cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
- After turning off the heat, wait 10 minutes before uncovering the vegan jambalaya. Fluff out the rice with a fork or mix it gently. Serve hot, garnished with spring onions or parsley.
Notes
- Taste the stock after adding it to the pot, and make sure it is seasoned a little more heavily than you want the final dish to taste like. The rice and beans will absorb a lot of the seasoning, and it will be harder to add more seasoning after the rice has cooked.
- You can substitute the Creole seasoning with Cajun seasoning.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
My top tips for authentic jambalaya flavor
Jambalaya recipes have flavor from lots of meat, usually ham, pork or chicken and/or sausage. And since it is Louisiana, there's seafood in there too, like shrimp. In a vegan jambalaya recipe you need to replace the natural flavor and umami all of these animal ingredients bring. Here's what I did:
- Add mushrooms, mushroom stock, tomato paste and a bit of soy sauce for umami.
- Give the sausage links a bit of a sear first. This not only makes them tastier, but the oil that oozes out from the vegan sausages has lots of flavor that will spread nicely through the rest of the dish.
- Season the jambalaya generously with herbs and spices, including garlic, dried thyme, oregano, sage, Creole seasoning and paprika.
- Load the recipe with beans and veggies. Beans and veggies not only add flavor and healthy fiber but the beans also add so much healthy protein, making this healthy jambalaya just as protein-rich as a meat-based version. If you don't like using processed vegan meats, you can leave out the vegan sausage, I frequently do.
Recipe FAQs
You can either substitute all of the fresh mushrooms with dried, or add both. Soak one cup of dried mushrooms for at least 30 minutes in three cups of very hot water. Use this water instead of mushroom stock to cook the rice. Slice the wild mushrooms before adding them to the pot, along with or instead of fresh mushrooms.
Use a long grain rice variety like basmati rice or jasmine rice, which will cook up fluffy and separate, making the jambalaya gorgeous to look at and more appetizing to eat.
Yes. To substitute with brown rice, pre-cook the brown rice until it is about three-fourths done, then mix it into the pot with one cup of water. You don't need to pre-cook quinoa - add rinsed quinoa to the pot with two cups water. After covering the pot, cook for 10 minutes.
Use long-grain rice and don't stir the jambalaya more than needed after it goes into the pot to avoid breaking the rice grains, which would release starch.
Use the sauté function of the Instant Pot until step 6. After adding the stock or water, give everything a stir, put on the lid of the Instant Pot, and let the jambalaya cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Force-release 10 minutes after cooking has ended, or let the pressure release natually.
Yes! I usually make this vegan jambalaya without the sausage but I added it this time for an extra protein boost. The jambalaya tastes just as good without it.
Substitute the rice with cauliflower rice, add just ½ cup water or mushroom stock, and steam for 10 minutes. If you want to cut down carbs further, halve the beans or skip them altogether and add more vegan sausage.
Serve the vegan jambalaya by itself. You can also serve it with vegan cornbread and a side of garlicky green beans. Or serve with vegan southern style biscuits and a fresh side salad, like a vegan Caesar salad.
Refrigerate the jambalaya for up to four days, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw and reheat before serving.
First published on Feb. 12, 2018. Updated and re-published on Jan. 28, 2025.
Dominique says
Hi, I'm going to be making this for dinner tonight. Can you tell me how much a portion size is??
Vaishali Honawar says
I haven't measured the exact portion size but this recipe makes eight hearty servings.
John says
Hi Vaishali,
I made this for potluck at our church hoping it will be a success. Anyway, the instructions don't say when to add the rice, so I assumed at the same time as the stock, so that is what I did with no issues. I tasted it and it was very mild in taste (expecting a little more of a kick), so the next time I make it, I will probably give it a little more spice, like Sriracha or perhaps red pepper flakes.
Vaishali says
Hi, happy you tried it! The rice goes after the beans and before the stock - I've clarified it now.
Julie says
I initially took made this recipe for a friend who had just had a stroke. I wanted something in one pot for ease of delivery and her vegan daughter was staying with her. Well, the recipe was a great hit. I then made it for my husband who tries to eat vegan. Again he loved it. I then took it to another sick friend, again a success. This recipe has made the rounds and everyone has loved it.
The only change I make is that I use 3 cups of cremini mushrooms and mushroom or veggie stock instead of water.
Thank you for such a popular recipe! The funny thing is I am the only one who cannot eat it as I cannot tolerate tomatoes (:
Vaishali says
Hi Julie, that's so lovely to hear. Thanks for sharing, and so happy you've loved the jambalaya.
Marcela says
Making it right now and the broth is AMAZING! I didn't have celery so I used lovage stalks from my garden. Also added a bit of red pepper flakes as I didn't have creole seasoning. Absolutely delicious.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Marcela!
Torrin says
Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Perfect just the way it is; I’ve just made for the third time and added some tofu for a bit of extra protein.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Torrin!
Ann says
Made this last night with a couple of modifications and it was fabulous! We cooked the rice separately and didn't use mushrooms but did add 3 cups of water. It was the perfect consistency. We really enjoyed it and will be making it again soon! We loved it as is, but it seems really versatile. Can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Kate Wilson says
I love this recipe. Have made it three times with resounding success. Really good tip about making sure it tastes saltier and more seasoned than you’d like it to be when the rice and water go in; cooks down brilliantly. Solid favourite!
Anonymous says
sorry I just saw it. my mistake.
Ashima says
Great recipe! Made it a couple of times, tastes better with more beans (2X)
One change I’d make though is cook down the tomatoes separately before adding to onion mixture. The jambalaya flavor is overpowered by taste of raw tomatoes. Still tastes good but I’d like the creole flavors to come through more.
Andrew says
I don’t see any water or stock in the recipe. Isn’t it needed for the rice to cook?
Vaishali says
See step 3, you need the 3 cups of water the mushrooms are rehydrated in. That's enough to cook the rice.
Tracey says
Not sure what I did, but it did not seem like there was enough liquid to cook the rice at the end. So, I added water with the rice. I did not add dry mushrooms - so no water to rehydrate the mushrooms. Perhaps that is the missing liquid? Tasted great overall.
Vaishali says
The mushroom stock is necessary -- see step 3, you need 3 cups. If you don't use dry mushrooms you have to use 3 cups of water instead.
Anonymous says
This was Absolutely Delicious!!! A Definite Do Over!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear!
Tonya says
Thank you for this recipe!!! I fixed it and it is delicious!! My husband loves it he wants to eat it every night! I am going to try the Gumbo recipe next week and I am sure it is just as tasty!!!!!!
Anonymous says
Can you put corn in?
Vaishali says
Sure, why not?
Alexandra says
I made this last night and instead of mushrooms I added a green pepper. It was SO tasty! Thank you for this recipe!
Tia says
What can I use instead of celery?
Vaishali says
Leave it out.
John Prescott says
Loved the recipe even though I am not vegan but I am on a low fat diet. So tasty keep them coming
Robin says
Excellent recipe! I couldn’t find the dried shiitake mushrooms, therefore I used fresh, sliced them & still soaked them for 30 minutes in 3C H2O.
I used coconut amino liquids, and topped with vegan cheese. This will definitely be made again!
Ailsa says
I loved this recipe
Anonymous says
Really good, easy recipe! We are a non-garlic, non-paprika househokd, but I simply used my usual substitutes& bingo!
Marlene says
Love this recipe can’t wait to make it. If I don’t like beans is there another best substitute? Soy beans? What would you recommend.
Vaishali says
Tofu or tempeh would be good here!
Jean Kopan says
Has anyone converted this to instant pot? I have made regular instant pot jambalaya but i need to do vegan this time so going to try and convert using the other one and these ingredients.
Kelly says
All your recipes look so delicious. There are a few I’m planning on making. I am starting off with the vegan jambalaya. However, I could not find the dry shiitake mushrooms. Therefore, may I replace them with fresh ones? Additionally, do you have a gluten free vegan bread? Your ciabatta bread looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
Vaishali says
Hi Kelly, thanks for your kind words. Here's my gluten-free sandwich bread recipe: https://holycowvegan.net/gluten-free-sandwich-bread/
Matt M says
Just made the jambalaya tonight. It turned out so great! I doubled it so we would have lunch for the week, and I wanted to say thank you for the delicious recipe!
Vaishali says
Thanks for letting me know, Matt-- so happy you enjoyed it!
Denise says
Loved this! It's a HUGE recipe, so I actually made and kept the rice separate putting the jamabalya on top. OMG but the spices are so perfectly blended! I could not stop eating this! One note: paprika is listed twice in the steps. I just put it in the second mention with all the other spices - ? I also have to say that SMOKED paprika makes a difference. It adds a depth of flavor. Thank you for another fantastic recipe. I see now the gumbo recipe and being an okra fan, I'll be trying that one out next!
Vaishali says
Denise, so happy to hear! I corrected the paprika reference -- thanks for the feedback!
Shweta says
I would love to try this. We are not fans of mushroom. Can I replace it with something else or just plain skip it?
Vaishali says
That's fine to skip it!
Stef says
This looks so delicious! Can't wait to test it out. I love these one pot recipes, can't get much easier than that!
BLDinMT says
Awesome. Sounds perfect for a Fat Tuesday Feast!
Olivia says
This looks delicious, and so colorful! I love your blog!