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5.0 from 6 votes

Proper Vegan Gumbo

This vegan gumbo is a meatless take on the classic Cajun dish, complete with chick'n and Andouille soysage. No beans or other stuff that never belongs in gumbo!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 3 bowls
Calories: 572 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American , Cajun

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 yellow onion
  • ½ bell pepper
  • 1 rib celery
  • ½ head garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ can amber beer (see Note 1)
  • ½ tsp poultry seasoning (*optional)
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper (see Note 2)
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 cups vegetable stock (see Note 3)
  • 1 okara "Andouille" seitan sausage (see Note 4 for recipe; can sub with 1 storebought sausage)
  • 1 cup chickwheat shreds (see Note 5 for recipe; can sub with 1 additional sausage)
  • 2 talks scallions
  • kosher salt (to taste; see Note 3)
  • cooked rice (to serve *can also serve with potato salad)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prep veggies: dice up the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and scallions.
  2. Add oil to a Dutch oven on medium-low heat (err on the lower side if you're nervous about burning your roux).
  3. When oil is shimmering, sprinkle in the flour. It should sizzle when it hits the oil. Start stirring immediately with a spatula or wooden spoon.
  4. As you cook the roux, it will darken in colour and look like it's "splitting" into a sandy texture. Keep stirring until the roux is a dark brown (see Note 6 for a reference photo).
  5. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. More sizzling! After stirring for a minute or two, once the veggies have softened, add the garlic and bay leaves.
  6. Give it another stir, then add the beer.
  7. Once the pot starts to simmer, add the poultry seasoning, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Pour in vegetable stock one cup at a time, stirring continuously and making sure to scrape the bottom to make sure nothing sticks.
  8. When everything comes back to a simmer, turn the heat down very low to maintain it at a bare simmer. Cover and let cook for about 3 hours. The consistency shouldn't be thin but it shouldn't be too thick, definitely on the soupy side. You may leave it uncovered for the final 30 minutes if it's still too watery.
  9. Turn off the heat. Slice the vegan sausage, shred the chickwheat, and stir them into the soup.
  10. Taste for salt and add as needed (see Note 3).
  11. Spoon into bowls, top with scallions, and serve with steamed rice or potato salad. Or both if you love your carbs.

Notes

  • If you're making this for vegans, make sure you use a vegan beer. I recommend the Waterloo Amber beer. Not only is it made by a brewery in my university town, it's also vegan-friendly.
  • You may adjust the cayenne pepper up or down depending on spice tolerance. I also suggest serving with some hot sauce (Tabasco or Crystal Hot Sauce are the most popular in New Orleans) at the table. This way, each person can season their gumbo to taste.
  • Depending on the vegetable stock you use, you may need to add additional salt. I used water + Better Than Bouillon® No Chicken Base so I didn't need to add any additional salt. If your vegetable stock contains no sodium at all, start by adding 1/2 tsp salt (3 g).
  • For the sausage: I use my Vegan Okara Sausage with homemade Andouille spice blend. You can prep these a day or two before. Please don't add the sausage until the very end of cooking; prolonged simmering will cause the sausage to become mushy and it will even start to fall apart into the broth.
  • For the chickwheat shreds: use this vegan chickwheat recipe. You can prep these a day or two before.
  • You want your roux to be around this shade or slightly darker before adding your veggies.

Nutrition Information

Calories 572kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 69g (23%) Protein 26g (52%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Trans Fat 0.1g Sodium 1370mg (57%) Potassium 413mg (12%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 1644IU (33%) Vitamin C 40mg (44%) Calcium 107mg (11%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3bowls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 572

% Daily Value*

Calories 572kcal 29%
Carbohydrates 69g 23%
Protein 26g 52%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 10g 59%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Sodium 1370mg 57%
Potassium 413mg 9%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 1644IU 33%
Vitamin C 40mg 44%
Calcium 107mg 11%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.