Soup season is among us and what better way to enjoy the holiday weather than with a bowl of the best plant-based vegan Cajun gumbo that’s a great recipe for beginners!

My family is originally from Louisiana and one of my all time favorite meals as a kid that my mom used to cook was seafood gumbo. She would put chicken, sausage, crab legs, and shrimp in it and it was so, so good. I’m so glad I can still enjoy gumbo and create new memories at our family gatherings with this plant-based vegan recipe.

Whether you are a transitioning plant-based vegan or just looking for a great meal idea , this recipe delivers a hearty and delicious mouthful of oyster or chanterelle mushrooms, vegan sausage and Jackfruit, 3 tasty meat alternatives that makes this recipe feel just like southern hospitality. Vegan shrimp is also a welcomed addition, but unfortunately I had no luck finding any at my local grocers. Honestly, the recipe does well without it.

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Plant-based Vegan Cajun Gumbo

Prep & Cook Time:

Plant-based Vegan Cajun Gumbo

Although this recipe is fairly easy to make, even for transitioning and vegan or plant-based newbies, I do recommend setting aside a good amount of time for prep and cooking. You will need about 20 minutes to prep and the gumbo stew will need to cook for a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours to really marry the flavors.

You are going to want to chop all your veggies up first. Aside from the holy trinity of bell pepper, onion and celery and the rest of the gumbo ingredients, I also added some chopped sweet peppers and green onions to balance the savoriness.

Roux:

Plant-based Vegan Cajun Gumbo

For my roux, I am using almond flour and some grape seed oil. You are going to want to keep whisking it until it turns a nice chocolate brown color. For me it took about 7-8. minutes. But you will need to babysit the pot cause it can easily scorch… let’s be honest, that scorch taste will ruin a good meal.

Next you are going to add your holy trinity of onions, celery and bell pepper. I’ve also added in my sweet pepper medley and the rest of the herbs and spices. Cook all of that down until the onions are somewhat translucent. That’s my cue at least to add the other ingredients

Then you will add the other ingredients including some minced garlic, fresh parsley, stewed or diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Cajun spice, bay leaves, smoked paprika, hot sauce or cayenne pepper and sugar. I’m actually using monk fruit sweetener. If you don’t know what monk-fruit is, it is a small round fruit native to southern China and it’s a really great no calorie sugar alternative. Coming up, I am adding some vegan Worcestershire, vinegar and fresh thyme. And then top it off with about 4 to 5 cartons of vegetable broth, some pink salt, gumbo fillet, and okra.

Proteins

For our proteins, I cooked one package of Beyond Sausage “hot Italian style” plant based links as our beef link alternative. The spicy links really give this gumbo it’s kick! I also sliced up in strips about 3-4 bundles of chanterelle mushrooms instead oyster mushrooms but either one is just as delicious will and a great chicken alternative. To that I added some onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and some Worcestershire sauce. Combine these in our air fryer on 370° for about 12 to 15 minutes.

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It’s also worth mentioning my recommendations for mini appliances I am using for this recipe. I like to cook my proteins separate in an air fryer and then add them later. Except for the jack fruit because I want that to cook longer. But I find that cooking them separate and then adding them at the end retains the texture and chew. When it’s cooked in especially with soup stews, it tends to loose it’s bite. If you are looking for a good air fryer I recommend the Power Air Fryer XL Maxx. One of the main reasons is it’s so easy to clean and cooks so evenly every time!

I drained a can of jack-fruit and patted it dry with paper towels. I added a little squeeze of lemon and a Cajun spice blend that I made. but you can simply use Cajun spice or old Bay seasoning. I let it marinade in the fridge for a few minutes and then added it to the gumbo for another 30 minutes or so.

Now we’re going to add our proteins to our gumbo and simmer on low for another 10 minutes or so. Just so the flavors can do their thing.

Total cook time was probably a little over an hour so you gonna have to set aside some TLC time and taste every so often to see how the flavors are marrying.

All that’s left to do is cook your rice and serve hot! Jasmine rice in my opinion pairs nicely with this gumbo.

If you want to follow along while preparing this recipe, check out my video below and subscribe to my channel for more recipes and lifestyle content

Plant-based Vegan Cajun Gumbo

Recipe by TeetotheCourse: DinnerCuisine: Southern, AmericanDifficulty: Average
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • ROUX
  • 3/4 cup Almond flour or All Purpose Flour (plant-based)

  • 3/4 cup grape seed oil

  • 5 boxes of vegetable broth

  • VEGGIES
  • 1 1/4 cups Celery, chopped

  • 1 cup sweet peppers medley

  • 1 yellow onion

  • 1 green bell pepper

  • 3/4 cup green onions or scallions, finely chopped

  • 1 regular size can of stewed Tomatoes or diced tomatoes

  • 2 tbsp Tomato Paste

  • 2 cups Okra or 1 bag

  • HERBS & SPICES
  • 3 tbsp Garlic, minced

  • 1 tbsp Cajun Spice

  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped finely

  • 2 fresh bay leaves

  • 3 sprig of fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

  • 1/2 tbsp Paprika

  • 3/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper or hot sauce

  • 2 tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

  • 2 tsp Gumbo File

  • 2 tbsp White Vinegar

  • 1 tbsp Monk fruit sweetener

  • PROTEINS
  • 3 cluster bundles of chanterelle or oyster mushrooms

  • 1 package of Spicy Beyond Sausage

  • 1 can of Jackfruit

Directions

  • ROUX
  • First we are going to chop up all our veggies, fresh herbs and spices and set to the side to add to our roux later.
  • For the roux, you are going pour in your grape seed oil over medium low heat and then gradually add in the almond flour. You are going to want to keep whisking continuously for about 7-8 minutes until it turns a nice chocolate brown color.
  • Next stir in your holy trinity of bell pepper, onions and celery as well as your sweet peppers and scallions (green onions) Once the onions are translucent, you can then start adding in the other ingredients.
  • Other ingredients to add: minced garlic, fresh parsley, stewed or diced tomatoes, tomato paste, , Cajun spice, bay leaves, smoked paprika, hot sauce or cayenne pepper and monk-fruit sweetener or regular sugar is fine.
  • Next add 4 to 5 cartons of vegetable broth, some pink salt, gumbo fillet, and okra and bring your gumbo stew to a boil and cook on medium to medium high heat for 30 to 40 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • PROTEINS
  • Chop 1 package of Beyond Sausage “hot Italian style” plant based links.
  • Slice up and about 3-4 bundles of chanterelle or oyster mushrooms. (like you are slicing chicken strips). To that I added equal parts of about a 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and some Worcestershire sauce.
  • Combine both sausages and mushrooms in an air fryer on 370° for about 12 to 15 minutes.
  • In a separate small mixing bowl, drain and pat dry one can of jack-fruit. Squeeze about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of Cajun spice or Old Bay seasoning. Mix with a spoon or folk and let marinade in the fridge for about 5-7 minutes and then add it to the gumbo to simmer for another 30-40 minutes on medium low heat.
  • After 30 minutes, turn off your heat and stir in your mushrooms and sausages. Let the gumbo stew simmer for about 5-7 minutes before serving.
  • Add 1 serving of jasmine rice (recommended) to a bowl and pour your gumbo stew. Serve hot.

Recipe Video

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out my other delicious plant-based recipes: Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese, Plant-based Dressing, and Quick & Easy “Kraft Original Style” Vegan Mac and Cheese. Also, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to follow along with these recipes!