Vegan Red Beans and Rice

This Louisiana-style vegan red beans and rice features hearty kidney beans and vegan sausages in a rich stew flavored with Cajun spices. Delicious and perfect for family dinners!

All stews are fantastic, and this vegan red beans and rice dish is amongst the best. Flavour, texture, and aromatics make this delicious stew a crowd-pleaser. It’s naturally gluten-free and easy to cook too!

This recipe will soon become your favourite go-to dish for when having a large crowd coming over for dinner. Here’s how to make this veganized Southern delicacy.

Key Tips To Follow

• Cajun seasoning gives this stew its vibrant personality. If you can’t find it, make your own by combining paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, black and white pepper, onion powder, dried oregano and cayenne.

• A splash of cider vinegar is optional, but recommended, it balances the stew’s fattiness and adds a vibrant flavor to the broth.

• If you can’t find fresh thyme, use dried thyme. It’s not the same but will work just fine.

• We’re adding a few bay leaves to give flavor to the beans, but don’t forget to remove them, they’re inedible, and although harmless, it’s not nice to find them in your bowl.

Ingredient Notes

• Dried red kidney beans – soaked for at least 8 hours or overnight for a quicker cooking time.
• Vegan sausages – I used Beyond sausages which are gluten-free but feel free to use any vegan sausage you like.
• Diced onions, celery stalks and bell peppers – these form the base of the dish and they’re what gives the stew its Southern flavors. This is the creole “Holy Trinity” of ingredients.
• Apple cider vinegar – optional but helps balance the flavors.

How To Make Vegan Red Beans and Rice

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium flame. Cook the vegan sausages until they brown.

2. Add in the onion, celery and bell peppers and stir occasionally. Cook until the onion is translucent and the bell peppers are slightly roasted.

3. Add the vegetable stock and the seasonings, including the Cajun spices, bay leaves, thyme and garlic. Add the vinegar and black pepper. I recommend waiting until the end to taste and season with salt if the stock and sausages are also salty.

4. Add the soaked and drained red beans and cover the pot. Let the stew cook until the beans are soft. It might take up to one hour and a half. Cook the rice while you wait.

5. Thicken the stew by mashing a few beans and simmering for 5 more minutes. This is totally optional. Remove the bay leaves and serve the stew with rice.

Other Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Use hot peppers to bring some extra heat to the table.
• You could also use a cup of corn kernels to add color and a wonderful sweetness to the stew.
• Substitute the kidney beans for white beans, chickpeas or lentils for an entirely different experience. They’re all legumes, and they can all become satisfying meals inspired by this recipe.

Storage Suggestions

Let the stew cool to room temperature. If you used a large pot, you might want to transfer it to smaller containers to cool down faster.

Once at room temperature, portion and store in air-tight containers in the back of the fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze it for several months.

How to Reheat

The best way of reheating this stew is using a pot over medium flame until it’s boiling. If it’s frozen, you can thaw it overnight in the fridge to help speed up the heating. Add some extra water if it’s too thick.

Be careful not to reheat more than once. You can get an upset stomach or worse. Reheat only the necessary servings, and once reheated, make sure you eat the whole thing.

Serving Ideas

Drizzle a little olive oil to add an extra layer of flavor, and you can also sprinkle a pinch of oregano for fresh parsley over each bowl.

White rice is the traditional side for this lovely stew, but feel free to serve white bread instead. Make sure it’s a nice artisan bread, though. It will allow your guests to soak up every last drop. You can also serve it with some sauteed kale and potatoes for an even heartier meal.

More Southern-style Vegan Recipes:

• Jambalaya
• Grits and Greens
• Biscuits and Gravy
• Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Vegan Pulled “Pork” Sandwich with Mushroom
• Instant Pot Collard Greens
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pecan Pie

Louisiana-style Vegan Red Beans and Rice

4.91 from 11 votes

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs

Servings: 4

Calories: 596kcal

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This Louisiana-style stew features hearty kidney beans and vegan sausages in a rich sauce flavored with Cajun spices. Delicious and perfect for family dinners!

Author: Jhanelle Golding

Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
• ▢ 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
• ▢ 4 (340 g) vegan sausages, I used Beyond Sausages, sliced
• ▢ 1 medium (110 g) onion, diced
• ▢ 2 stalks celery, diced
• ▢ 1 medium (120 g) green bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 2 tbsp (30 g) Cajun seasoning
• ▢ 5 cups (1183 ml) vegetable stock
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 teaspoon (10 g) fresh thyme
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon (5 ml) apple cider vinegar, optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (2 g) black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ Salt to taste

To serve:

• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) long white grain rice

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the vegan sausage slices and cook until they start to brown.
  1 tbsp (15 ml) oil ,4 (340 g) vegan sausages
• Add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent.
  1 medium (110 g) onion ,2 stalks celery ,1 medium (120 g) green bell pepper
• Stir in the Cajun seasoning, vegetable stock, bay leaves, thyme and garlic.
  2 tbsp (30 g) Cajun seasoning ,5 cups (1183 ml) vegetable stock ,2 bay leaves ,2 teaspoon (10 g) fresh thyme ,3 cloves garlic
• Drain the red beans and add to the pot. Season with black pepper and vinegar. If the brand of stock, sausages and Cajun seasoning used are salty then taste and season with salt closer to the end of cooking.
  1 cup (200 g) dried red kidney beans ,1 teaspoon (5 ml) apple cider vinegar ,½ teaspoon (2 g) black pepper ,Salt to taste
• Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the beans are soft. Add more water if needed.
• Meanwhile, cook the rice as directed on the package.
  1 cup (200 g) long white grain rice
• To help thicken the stew, mash a few of the beans against the side of the pot and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves and serve with rice.

Notes

• If you can’t find cajun seasoning, make your own by combining paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, black and white pepper, onion powder, dried oregano and cayenne.
• If you can’t find fresh thyme, use dried thyme. It’s not the same but will work just fine.
• To store, let the stew cool to room temperature. If you used a large pot, you might want to transfer it to smaller containers to cool down faster.
• Once at room temperature, portion and store in air-tight containers in the back of the fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze it for several months.
• Recipe inspired by neworleans.com

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Nutrition

Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1204mg | Potassium: 1161mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2672IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Cajun

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian