Vegan Gumbo
Savor the bold and robust flavors of this Vegan Gumbo, a healthy plant-based rendition of the classic dish. Packed with colorful vegetables, a velvety roux, and aromatic spices, this gumbo delivers a satisfying and hearty experience. Serve over rice for a quick and flavor-packed meal that celebrates taste and is easy to make!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced and broken into chunks
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 potato cubed
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces okra fresh or frozen
- ½ cup Butler soy curls optional
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp oregano
- ¾ tsp thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium, divided
- 1 tbsp dark miso paste
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or corn starch
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Lay chunked mushrooms onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.
- Sauté the onions and celery for about 5 minutes in a large saucepan.
- Add the green pepper garlic and potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes adding a little vegetable broth to the pan to keep them from sticking.
- Add tomatoes, okra, Butler soy curls (if using), spices, vinegar, mushrooms, and 3 1/2 cups of the vegetable broth and cook on medium high for about 30 minutes.
- Stir the miso and arrowroot powder into the 1/2 cup of remaining vegetable broth and pour into the pan, cooking for a few minutes to thicken.
- Add cayenne pepper to your liking.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 13gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 199mgPotassium: 938mgFiber: 9gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1054IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 157mgIron: 4mg
As a Cajun Texan who has recreated many of my family’s south Louisiana recipes in the last 12 years of being WFPB, I can offer some tips to make this more of a gumbo.
First, you can totally make a roux without oil. Just toast the flour on the bottom of the pot until it is a light peanut butter color, stirring continuously (careful, it will burn easily). Then add the liquid and whisk out any lumps. There is no need for arrowroot powder. Toasted wheat flour will make all the difference to the flavor, thickness, and authenticity. You can also do equal parts flour and nutritional yeast depending on which flavor you prefer.
Second, chop the onion, celery, and bell pepper much smaller and cook them all together until they are very soft and kind of mushy. The trinity is usually a background flavor medley and not meant to be bitten into individually.
Omit the tomatoes, oregano, and thyme.
I’m not a fan of soy curls in soup, so I would sub jackfruit to mimic crab meat or chicken shreds, but this is just personal preference. I like how the jackfruit seed pods look like lumps of crabmeat.
I am from South Louisiana also and I totally agree with your post. You know we get passionate about our gumbo. ?
This is a delicious recipe! Thank you! You are my go to for WFPB recipes. I really appreciate your effort to make them available to us! ???????