This easy vegan jambalaya is made with a spicy mixture of rice, red beans and peppers. It cooks up quick and easy on the stove, or you can let it simmer away in the slow cooker!
I've never had traditional jambalaya, but one thing I know is that it involves shrimp and sausage. Which basically means that traditional jambalaya is off the menu for me.
However, all the other things in jambalaya, i.e., rice, peppers, spices, hot sauce and the like...those are all things that I LOVE. Which basically means I need some vegan jambalaya in my life.
So I made up a recipe for just that. My meatless jambalaya includes red beans in lieu of shrimp, and optional vegan sausage links in place of regular sausage. You can also just leave the sausage out, which basically makes this dish a Cajun-inspired version of rice and beans, but really, who cares — it's delicious.
You can make this jambalaya on the stove, which is pretty quick and easy, or in the slow cooker, which is quite possibly easier, but not so quick. Be sure to read my notes below if you go for the slow cooker version.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil. You can substitute another high-heat oil if you'd like. You also have the option of skipping the oil if you make this in the slow cooker.
- Green bell pepper. You can use a red one if you prefer, though green is more traditional for jambalaya.
- Celery.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Spices. We're using paprika, cumin, black pepper, thyme, and oregano.
- Vegetable broth.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Hot sauce. Any vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce will work, but I like this recipe best with Crystal brand hot sauce.
- Basmati rice. Okay, this is definitely not the variety of rice you'd normally find in a jambalaya recipe, but it works really well, particularly for the slow cooker version. You can substitute another type of long grain white rice, or even brown rice if you'd like. For brown rice you'll need to increase the broth amount to 4 cups and simmer the jambalaya longer (40 minutes for the stove-top method).
- Red kidney beans. We're using canned beans here. If you'd like to, you can substitute another variety of beans, such as black.
- Vegan sausage. Like I mentioned above, this is optional. I used Field Roast's chipotle flavored links, which aren't exactly traditional for jambalaya, but then again, what about this recipe is? You could also make some spicy meatballs like I did for this vegan gumbo recipe.
- Scallions.
- Salt.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Stove Top Method
- Heat your oil in a large pot and add chopped pepper, celery and onion. Sweat the veggies for a few minutes, until they start to soften up.
- Stir in minced garlic, along with your spices. Cook everything briefly, stirring constantly. Be careful not to let your garlic or spices burn, which could make your jambalaya taste bitter.
- Stir in the broth, diced tomatoes, hot sauce, and rice.
- Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Give the mixture a stir (scrape off any rice that's sticking to the bottom of the pot), lower the heat, cover the pot, and let your jambalaya simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. This should take about 20 minutes.
- Tip: The rice will cook best if you don't peek at it while cooking. If you don't do a whole lot of rice cooking and don't have a feel for when it's done, I recommend getting a pot with a clear lid, so you can see what's going on without removing it.
- If you're using vegan sausage, brown the pieces in a skillet while the rice cooks.
- When the rice has finished cooking, stir the beans and sausage into the pot. Taste-test and season your vegan jambalaya with some salt to taste, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking (I always add more hot sauce at this point!)
- Top your plant-based jambalaya with some scallions and it's ready to serve!
Slow Cooker Method
First, a few words of caution for those who decide to make this in a slow cooker.
- There's quite a bit of variation among slow cookers. This means yours might take a bit more or less time to cook rice than mine. Be flexible and use your senses to make adjustments where needed. (I'm using a very basic 20-year old Rival Crock Pot, by the way).
- This is not a set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker recipe. The first 4 to 5 hours can be, but once you add the rice you'll need to start keeping an eye on it, stirring every 20 minutes, and adding liquid if needed.
Having said that, here's how it's done!
- Optional first step: Sweat the veggies in oil. You can do this in the slow cooker if yours in fancy, or on the stove if it's not. My slow cooker is not fancy, and I always skip this step.
- Add the veggies (cooked or not) to the slow cooker, along with the broth, tomatoes, and hot sauce. Do not add the rice at this point. Cook everything on low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Now stir in the rice, add more hot broth if needed, and let everything continue cooking for another hour to hour and a half. Make sure to stir the mixture every 20 minutes and add more liquid if it's getting too dry in there. Always heat up your liquid before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Brown the sausage if using it, then add it to the cooked rice, along with the beans, scallions, and salt to taste.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan jambalaya will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you don't make it with gluten-containing vegan sausages, it is! Beyond sausage is gluten-free.
You can, but you'll need to soak and cook them first. Try this method.
It is a bit on the spicy side. Leave out the hot sauce if you'd prefer it to be milder, or use extra hot sauce if you'd like it extra spicy.
More Vegan Cajun Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Jambalaya (Slow Cooker or Stove Top!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (this can optionally be omitted for the slow cooker method)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups vegetable broth, plus more as needed (4 cups or more for the slow cooker method)
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can diced tomatoes in sauce
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce, or to taste
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chopped vegan sausage optional, I like Field Roast brand
- 3 scallions chopped
Instructions
Stove Top Method
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the bell pepper, celery, and onion. Sweat the veggies for 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and spices (paprika through oregano). Sauté them for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, tomatoes, hot sauce, and rice. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Lower the heat so that the liquid is at a very low simmer, give the pot a stir, and cover it.
- Cook the mixture for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- If using the sausage, brown the pieces in a skillet while the rice cooks.
- When the rice has finished cooking, remove the pot from heat and let it sit with the lid on for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the beans and sausage. Season the jambalaya with salt to taste.
- Transfer to plates and top with scallions.
- Serve.
Slow Cooker Method
- Optional: Begin by following steps 1 to 3 of the stove top method, then transfer the veggies and spices to the slow cooker.
- Place all ingredients through hot sauce into the slow cooker, using 4 cups of broth. Do not add the rice at this point. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for 4-5 hours.
- If the liquid is near simmering at this point, leave the slow cooker on low. Otherwise, raise the heat to high. Stir in the rice.
- Cover and cook for another hour to hour and a half, stirring in additional hot broth if the mixture becomes too dry during cooking.
- If using sausage, brown it in a skillet when the rice has almost finished cooking.
- When the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the slow cooker and leave the lid on for 10 minutes.
- Stir the beans and sausage into the mixture. Season with salt to taste.
- Served topped with scallions.
Notes
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I recently got a crockpot and have been experimenting with recipes and this is by far my least favorite so far. I make stovetop jambalaya with a different recipe that I will be sticking to. It was oddly bland despite all the spices and needed a lot of salt afterwards. Everything cooked well and was a good consistency, but I would recommend looking for a different recipe besides this one.
We try to eat plant based in our house and this jambalaya is a weekly staple. I tried a different jambalaya recipe and it didn't even come close to being as tasty as yours. This recipe is amazing, thank you!
Feeling frustrated and wish I had read the reviews. I've been cooking my rice for two hours and it is still crunchy and no where near done. It's past dinnertime and I'll have to scramble to get something else for my family to eat as my little kids can't wait two more hours for dinner. This might taste good when it's done but it will be a long time before I know. Disappointed.
Rice needs enough liquid to cook, and if you understood how slow cookers work, you’d have realized this process takes hours every time. That’s not the creators fault, that’s your fault. Hope that helps!
I have made this recipe quite a few times now. I love it. Probably healthy comfort food. I use the Field Roast Mexican Sausages. Wow!
Great recipe! I did make some changes for more soupy/stewy consistency... other changes for personal taste included adding a chopped hot pepper instead of hot sauce, water instead of broth and mixtrue of basmati white rice and quinoa (about 1 cup total instead of 2 cups). Turned out great!!
Can I substitute jasmine rice instead of brown rice? I’m cooking this today.
That should work for the stove-top method, but you'll need to reduce the amount of liquid and cook time. For the liquid I'm guessing 3 1/2 cups of broth, and for the simmer time I'd cut down from 45 minutes to 15 or 20. I'm not sure if it would work with a slow cooker, just because jasmine rice cooks so quickly.
I made this in the slow cooker and really enjoyed it (I used 3T of a cajun seasoning rather than each individual spice, added a diced jalapeno and used white rice because that's what I had). However, I found the rice to be gummy/clumpy rather than fluffy/individual rice grains. I didn't see it in the instructions but should I have rinsed the rice a couple times prior to use? or is this just the nature of using the slow cooker for rice?
Made this on the stovetop to bring to a party tonight and everyone agreed that it didn't taste anything like jambalaya but was still really good! We ate it up! I thought it had a vaguely Tex-Mex flavor and one of my friends said it tasted like something she had growing up in Trinidad. Definitely a keeper! I used black beans instead of kidney and omitted the sausage.
Wonderful! I'm glad it was a hit!
Loved it! Thank you.
So happy to hear that!
I’ve made this 3 times now and each time the rice was hard. Are you supposed to put the rice in raw or cooked? I’ve added the rice raw as the recipe doesn’t specify so you’d assume...
Sorry to hear that! It should go in raw. It might just need more time to cook. My crockpot slow cooker does the job in a bit over an hour, but if yours doesn't get as hot it might take longer. And make sure you're turning up the heat when you add the rice adding extra liquid if it gets too dry.
My family loved this! I used the Italian sausage Field Roast that I had and it was delicious! We have been plant based for 1 year now, and it has been hard to find recipes that both my kids like. Thank you!
I'm so glad it was a hit! Thanks Leigh!
Planning to make this this coming
weekend. For the crockpot method
do you sauté the vegetables in the
oil before putting into the crockpot?
Also I only have a 4qt crockpot, will
this be big enough?
Thanks!
No need to sauté the veggies, but you certainly can if you want to! And 4 quarts should be just big enough for this recipe. Enjoy!
The flavors of this dish are delightful. However I had a hell of a time getting the brown rice to cook through in my crock pot!!! It's going on 4 and a half hours now and the rice is still somewhat hard and inedible! It's been a frustrating experience for me 😪
I'm sorry to hear that! Did you make sure it was on high heat and covered?
This was excellent. I know Paprika and Hot Sauce can be overpowering so I only used half of what the recipe called for. When I make this again (and again) I will try it exactly as the recipe states. I would not have minded more heat. I did it on the stovetop but could have used a few more minutes on the rice. I used canned tomatoes and included the liquid. It turned out perfect. I still could have used a little bit more liquid and cooked the rice a few more minutes. I saw one of your readers used mushrooms instead of celery but next one I think I will use mushrooms instead of sausage. Thank you for the great recipe!
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks Lori!
Hi Lori , wondered if you ever tried mushrooms in place of the sausage and how it turned out. Trying to stay away from processed foods! Thanks,
Hi, how big of a crock pot is needed for this?
Thank you.
I used a 7 quart, but I had room to spare, so I think even a smaller one would be just fine. :)
Can I cook the rice separate in a rice cooker and add it at the end?
I think so, but just make sure you use the broth to cook the rice instead of putting it in the slow cooker or in the pot with everything else. You'll also probably need to reduce the amount a bit.
I have this cooking on the stove now. It’s been cooking for wayyy longer than 45 minutes. More like an hour & 15 minutes, and the rice is still hard. Had to add more broth, and it started sticking to the pot. I had high hopes for this recipe, but not too sure right now. It also tastes rather bland - had to add lots of salt and Creole seasoning to kick it up.
Hmmm...that's very odd! I've never had any variety of rice take more than 50 minutes to cook. Did you cover the pot? Not doing that will generally result in undercooked rice. The only other thing I can think of is to lower the heat - if it's too high you'll end up with too much steam escaping and not enough water for the rice to cook.
I've just made this. I look forward to my boyfriend coming home so that we can sit down to this meal. I'm eager to try it! I tasted a little and it was good. I used Trader Joe's soy chorizo sausage and that seems to have worked really nicely with this recipe.
I bet Trader Joe's soyorizo was delicious in here! I hope you enjoyed the meal!
Eating this as I type and quite pleased with the result. The one thing I would perhaps do differently is reduce the cooking time of the veggies in the slow cooker to allow them to be crunchier as the 4-5 hour initial cooking time does leave the peppers and celery rather soft. Could probably be cooked for an hour or two and then add the rice for another hour to leave the veggies crunchier, but that's just a personal preference.
Otherwise, this tastes fantastic and I'll likely be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you're enjoying it!
Just made this today-only substituted hot sauce with a bit of sriracha, and I cooked it in my instant pot instead. I used fresh tomatoes and one whole green bell pepper and one whole red bell pepper. I'm addicted!!!!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and great to hear that it works in the instant pot!!
Hello, this recipe look delicious! Do you think it would freeze well?? Thanks!
I think it should freeze just fine. Just seal it up tight in a storage container and it should be good for two months or so! :)
I almost always change recipes, but this one is perfect as written. I used all the ingredients and quantities as listed. Perfectly seasoned and spiced. Really enjoyed it! Will definitely make this again!
Thanks!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Laurel!
Going to try this for a family meal tomorrow, grandson veggie. What size of cup when measuring?
Thanks
You'll want to use an 8 ounce measuring cup. You can try this calculator if you normally use different units: https://goodcalculators.com/cooking-conversion-calculator/ I hope you enjoy the recipe!
The flavor was really good. However, as the last person that commented stated, it was a bit spicy! I cooked it in my slow cooker, but I think next time I’ll ease up on the spice and precook the rice. The rice didn’t get tender like it should be. I even added an extra hour to the time on high. Also, I used the Field Roast Chipotle Sausage which was really good for this dish.
Glad you enjoyed the flavor! It is quite spicy. :)
How spicy would you say this is? Mild or medium, etc
I would say it's relatively mild, but I have a taste for spicy food. :) If you're nervous about the heat level you can always add a bit of hot sauce at a time when it's all done cooking.
When do you add the beans and sausage?
They go in at the very end. Just updated the stove-top instructions to clarify. :)
Very yummy. I did the stove top version. Husband enjoyed very much.
I'm glad you both enjoyed it!
Can this last for multiple days?
Yup! It should be fine in the fridge in a sealed container for about 2 days. :)
I'm going to make this tomorrow, really looking forward to it. Do you think I can freeze it? I'm only one person.
I think it should freeze just fine. Enjoy!
Would it work with black rice instead of brown?
Hmmm...I'm afriad I'm not sure! Black rice has a different texture and cooks a bit differently, so I can't say without trying it. Please let me know how it works out if you do!
Do you have an instant pot pressure cooker method for this recipe? I’m new to IP and don’t quite know how to convert recipes yet. Thanks :)
I'm afriad I don't have an instant pot, so I can't be much help! If you're able to do it successfully I'd love to hear how it works out!
About how many 2 cup servings does this make? It looks amazing! Thanks😀
About 6. Thank you and enjoy!
Does this heat up well if preparing for someone else to eat the next day? Any suggestions or modifications?
Thanks!
It does reheat pretty well! I just reheat my leftovers in the microwave - no modifications required. :)
Very tasty! It was almost too spicy at first, but as it sat in the pot and the flavors married together more and more, the tastier and less spicy it got. The timing and instructions worked perfectly for me. I added beyond meat spicy Italien sausage. Thank you for giving us vegan recipes of beloved traditional recipes!
Awesome! I'm so glad the recipe worked out for you and you enjoyed it! Thanks Maddie!
Do you have the nutritional info for this? Calories per serving? Serving size? Thanks
Coming soon! Nutritional information is the current project. It just takes a while to get to all the recipes! Here is something that I find helpful. Enjoy!
https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
Just finished this recipe and it turned out wonderful! I work a night shift so anything I can prep before bed and wake up to is awesome. My daughter was also home sick from school so occasional breaks from naps to stir or add ingredients wasn’t a problem. Multitasking is always key. I did put in two cans of veggie broth which might of been too much since my rice turned out a little mushy.. or I overslept lol..however it smells and taste great and made a great portion for our weekly dinner meal prep! Thanks for the recipe!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Tia!
Do you think I can add dried kidney beans instead? I feel like they will cook after 6 hours in a slow cooker..
I'm afriad I'm not sure! I'd definitely soak them first if you try, and please let me know how it works out if you do!
I'm going to make this next Sunday to eat during football. But I have a question; how much did you measure out for each serving? One cup per serving?
About two cups per serving. I hope you enjoy it!
Which flavor vegan sausage did you use?
Field roast apple sage! :)
I’m chowing down on this incredibly delicious jambalaya as I type to you to let you know......WOW! you’re a genius! Best jambalaya I’ve ever eaten and I made it! lol ...thanks to you. I didn’t have 2 cups of long grain rice and ended using up all the bits and scraps of different types of rice I had lying around to equal 2 cups and it still works. I also substituted mushrooms for celery only bc I didn’t have any. Awesome, thanks for sharing, looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Yay!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Thanks so much Jaclyn!
I accidentally used vegan creamy vegetable broth with soy milk as the main ingredient in the slow cooker with this recipe. Is this going to ruin our dish?
I haven't tried the recipe with a creamy broth, so I'm afraid I'm not sure!
Awesome dish!!! It's definitely going to make it in my "cookbook" for future ideas to make for dinner. When you want something hardy and warmth, this is the dish.
I'm so glad to hear that!! Thank you so much!
I am ready to make this but would need to start it around 7am and wouldn't get back to it until around 3pm to add rice - would that be ok or should I save this for the weekend? Thanks!
I'd be nervous that too much of the liquid would cook off. You're probably best to wait until the weekend!
I made the stove top version of this. So easy and delicious. My non-vegan hubby and friends all enjoyed it. And I like how I had leftovers for lunches!
Hi! I'm looking forward to making this for Thanksgiving. I read where one reviewer said she added nutritional yeast which sounds great to me! Which stage of the preparation should it be added?
I think it would work if you added it to the broth at the beginning. Alternatively, you could sprinkle some on top when serving. :)
Is it ok to cook it on high heat for a shorter amount of time?
Do you mean for the slow cooker version? I think so, but I'm not sure of the time so you'd need to keep an eye on it.
So I just made this... added a little nutritional yeast and chili powder. Even my non vegan friends are eating seconds!! Thanks for the recipe.
I'm so glad it's a hit! Thanks Brittany!!
I'm always skeptical about slow cooking rice because it usually ends up mushy. So thank you so much for adding a stove top method. Looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!!
My husband and I just finished this wonderful dinner! It was very easy to make in the crock pot, very flavorful and of course it was totally Vegan! It was delicious as is but opened my eyes to the potential of switching up some ingredients and maintaining the essence of Jambalaya! The man says he'd eat this once a week so I call that a winner!
Yay! I'm happy to hear it was a hit. Thanks Laura!!
Thank you so much for posting. It is delicious! I added a little more spice because I like a real kick. Your recipe was easy to follow and easy to make. I am a real slow cooker fan and enjoy how easy it can be to prepare a delicious and nutritious meal. Vegan of course!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I tend to throw some extra hot sauce on mine - I'm a big fan of spicy food too!
Mine came out mushy ☹️
I'm sorry to hear that! Did you use the stove top or slow cooker method?
This was amazing! Also a perfect solution to meal time, we have vegetarians and meat eaters. I cooked veggie, chicken, and beef sausage, set it out family style, everyone was happy! Thank you!
Awesome! I'm happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it! Thanks Bev!
You poke the plastic baby into the bottom of the king cake after it's baked :) no plastic in oven necessary. This recipe looks super yummy though.
Haha! Okay, that makes sense! Thanks Katherine. :)
I made this in 2015 and a couple of my friend enjoyed it. One of them even took a doggie bag home lol! I'm making it today for Jambalaya Jan for a group of my compadres. :)
Glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks Kayla!!
I made this for dinner tonight. It's delicious! I made the recipe exactly as instructed, except that I used one cup less of vegetable stock since I used a can of tomatoes and just included the liquid with the diced tomatoes. Very little work for so much food. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. I've been meaning to break out the slow cooker, so I might make this again soon myself. Thanks so much for commenting to let me know how it worked out :)