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My grandmother’s gumbo was one of my favorite things to eat before switching to a plant-based diet. This vegan gumbo recipe has all the flavor, spice, and heartiness as hers but is made with lots of healthy plant-based ingredients. This southern-style dish is sure to be a hit at mealtime.
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Why You’ll Love this Vegan Gumbo Recipe!
This New Orleans recipe for vegan gumbo is a classic comfort food for a reason! It’s satisfying and comforting for the perfect simple but hearty meal. I love that it’s an entire meal in a bowl, with lots of veggies and plant-based protein. This vegan gumbo has all the exquisite flavor and just enough spice as an authentic gumbo.
Plus, it’s easy to make a double batch for meal prep! And you can easily switch up the ingredients to meet your needs or to use what you already have. This Southern style gumbo is delicious served over rice, homemade sandwich bread, or for a more traditional New Orleans meal with cornbread or hush puppies.
The estimated cost per serving is $1.75 -$2.50. This makes it a budget-friendly option when you want to splurge on something a little fancy, or serve it at a dinner party!
Ingredients for this Vegan Gumbo Recipe
This easy vegan gumbo recipe is made with easy-to-find ingredients. Don’t worry about the long list, as most are pantry staples.
- Oil: An essential fat to make the roux. Any plant oil will work.
- Flour: The thickener for the roux contributes to the thick gravy-like broth in this vegan gumbo.
- Veggies: The combination of yellow onion, green bell pepper, and celery is essential to Cajun cuisine. For more color, I’ve also thrown in some red bell pepper.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is my top choice for this vegan gumbo.
- Spices: Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves give this vegan gumbo a bold flavor.
- Canned tomatoes and beans: Fire-roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, and white beans deliver flavor and protein.
- Vegetable broth: Make a more flavorful broth than using water alone.
- Liquid smoke: Just a touch to add some smokiness usually found in gumbo.
- Mushrooms: Not typically found in gumbo, however the tender texture of mushrooms make this dish feel more substantial.
- Veggie sausages: Adding vegan sausage is optional, but I find it really makes it feel more authentic.
How to Make Vegan Gumbo
Step 1: To get started, heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
Step 2: When hot, add flour and stir constantly until it starts to turn light brown. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Step 3: Next, add onion, garlic, celery, peppers, Cajun seasoning, paprika, and cayenne to the flour mixture. Then cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Then add tomatoes, broth, liquid smoke, and bay leaves. Next, stir and bring to a rumbling boil.
Step 5: Turn down the heat. Finally, add beans, mushrooms, and sausage (if using), cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Don’t let the roux or veggies burn. Stirring frequently helps to keep everything moving around to prevent burning.
- Spiciness. Adjust to your taste by changing the amount of cayenne pepper. There may also be some spice in the Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika, but those don’t pack as much of a punch as the cayenne.
- Serve hot. Gumbo definitely is a dish served piping hot. As it sits and cools down it will thicken up more. You want it to be slightly thick but not overly thick like gravy.
FAQs for Recipe for Vegan Gumbo
While okra is often found in gumbo recipes due to its availability and popularity in the South, it’s not an essential ingredient. I prefer to leave it out of my recipe since many people aren’t fans of okra.
Gumbo should be slightly thick and a little bit soupy, kind of in-between the two. You can easily adjust it to your desired preference by adding more liquid or thickening it more with some additional flour.
See the variation recommended below! You should be able to substitute the flour in the roux for a gluten free flour blend like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill. You could also try cornstarch to thicken the soup. The vegetables should be gluten free, just double check the labels on canned goods. Vegan sausage can contain gluten, so find one that is gluten free or opt out of the sausage.
Variations
- Okra gumbo: If you are a fan of okra you can add 1-2 cups along with the tomatoes.
- Other veggies: For an authentic Cajun gumbo, it should include the addition of celery, onions, and bell peppers but you can feel free to add other veggies as desired. Squash, eggplant, and greens would all work well in a veggie gumbo.
- Gluten free: To make a gluten-free gumbo, use a gluten-free flour blend as a replacement for wheat flour. If it doesn’t thicken properly you can thicken it with one tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch slurry in the last five minutes of cooking. Also, check the potential gluten in the vegan sausage.
Storage Instructions
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheat: Return vegan gumbo to a saucepan and heat over medium until heated through. Add water as needed to thin out the gumbo as it will thicken in the fridge.
What Goes With Gumbo?
- Fried Green Tomatoes, another classic southern dish.
- Other cajun favorites – Including vegan etouffee, jambalaya, red beans and rice, or veggie creole.
- Jalapeno Cornbread
- Homemade Biscuits
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Fried Okra or Fried Zucchini
More Hearty Stew Recipes
Vegan Dinners
Hearty Red Lentil Stew [Stove, Crockpot, IP]
Vegan Dinners
Easy Kidney Bean Vegetable Stew
Vegan Dinners
Root Vegetable Lentil Stew
![completed Eggplant Stew [With Tomatoes + Chickpeas] against a white surface](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Eggplant-Stew-Plant-Based-on-a-Budget-19-378x378.jpg)
Vegan Dinners
Eggplant Stew [With Tomatoes + Chickpeas]
If you tried this vegan gumbo recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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Vegan Gumbo Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- 3 Tablespoons of flour
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 ribs of celery diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 Tablespoons of Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can of fire roasted tomatoes in their juices
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of diced mushrooms
- Veggie Sausages (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
- Add flour and stir the flour until it starts to turn light brown. Watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Add onion, garlic, celery, peppers, Cajun seasoning, paprika, and cayenne. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add tomatoes, broth, liquid smoke, and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a rumbling boil.
- Turn down the heat. Add beans, mushrooms, and sausage (if using), cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes.
Notes
- Don’t let the roux or veggies burn. Stirring frequently helps to keep everything moving around to prevent burning.
- Spiciness. Adjust to your taste by changing the amount of cayenne pepper. There may also be some spice in the cajun seasoning and smoked paprika but don’t pack as much of a punch as the cayenne.
- Serve hot. Gumbo definitely is a dish served piping hot. As it sits and cools down it will thicken up more. You want it to be slightly thick but not overly thick like gravy.
- You can serve gumbo over rice or by itself. Enjoy!
delicious!!! I didn’t have all the ingredients so subbed some things and added potatoes, used a cab of pureed tomatoes, served over rice with some Creole seasoning and it was SO good!!!
Love those additions! Bet it was extra delicious. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This is a good vegan gumbo idea. It ended up being flavorful and such a comfort food- especially for a southern vegetarian. Instructions aren’t quite correct though and could trip up someone trying this fie the first time. Caramelize Onions and celery first THEN start the roux with flour 🙂
So glad you enjoyed the gumbo! 🙂
This gumbo looks delicious! Sooo good
It’s a winner! So full of flavor and very very filling!
So flavorful, I love how this came out!
So wholesome and delicious!
My whole family loves this recipe! It is so comforting!
It’s so comforting for the entire family!
This stew is warm, satisfying, and hearty. Will be adding this to my autumn meals list for sure!
Love to hear it! It’s a delicious one!
I love how packed with flavor this gumbo is!!
So much goodness in every bite!
Love all the veggies and flavors in this gumbo! Such a great comfort food dish.
Super comforting!
This was such a hearty gumbo my family didn’t even notice it didn’t have any meat in it. Loved the mix of beans with the mushrooms, super tasty.
Love to hear it! It’s quite a delicious combo of flavors!
Amazing vegan gumbo for our dinner. I use plant balls instead of vegan sausages, next time I will use that.
Bet it turned out just as amazing!
With all that yummy seasoning – am sure it will turn out absolutely delish! We don’t eat much gumbo here but hope to try it some day:)
Let us know if you end up trying it out 🙂
This sounds like my kind of gumbo….NO okra! Love all the beans and seasonings. This will be perfect for fall and comfort food season.
It’s such a yummy combo! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Loved how delicious this gumbo turned out!
I can’t believe no one has commented on this. This is AMAZING!! I did add more oil to make the roux and i only used 1/4 tsp cayenne, but other than that, the taste is soooo rich. The only thing I will change next time is make a little more roux.
Everybody…if you like spicy, make this TONIGHT!! YUM!!
We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! It’s a delicious one alright. Thanks for commenting 🙂