This Vegan Inexperienced Gumbo, or gumbo z’herbes, is Louisiana Creole delicacies at its best, with a plant-based twist. Savory mushrooms, hearty vegan sausages, earthy greens, and a splash of scorching sauce make it comforting, soul-satisfying, and better-for-you—one thing you’ll need to make on repeat. Scrumptious as a standard Lenten or Easter dish—or an anytime cozy meal, particularly in the course of the colder months.
For those who’re in search of extra vegan soul meals recipes, you’ll additionally love my Vegan Jambalaya, Vegan Hoppin’ John, and Mushroom Étouffée.
Fast Look: Vegan Inexperienced Gumbo
- Prep Time: quarter-hour
- Cook dinner Time: half-hour
- Whole Time: 45 minutes
- Serving: 6 servings
- Energy: 157
- Taste Profile: Earthy, deeply flavorful, and comforting with an non-compulsory spicy end
- Issue: Newbie-friendly soul meals with a couple of intermediate strategies, guided by step-by-step photographs
Inexperienced gumbo is a staple of lent traditions in lots of Southern Louisiana and Creole Catholic households in the course of the Lenten season [source]. The gumbo’s nourishing vegetable-forward heartiness is believed to assist maintain the physique by the Good Friday quick.
Inexperienced gumbo might be loved year-round, from New Yr’s Day (with crispy black-eyed pea fritters and fluffy vegan cornbread) to cozy Sunday suppers.
I’m joyful to say I’ve landed on my favourite model of collard inexperienced gumbo but, and I hope you’re feeling the identical. Made with a wealthy roux (flour cooked slowly in fats), layered with onions, celery, and garlic for an earthy, gently candy base, and completed with browned vegan sausage, it’s healthful, soulful consolation meals at its best.
Key Components
Further Virgin Olive Oil: Varieties the bottom of the roux. Use further virgin oil for clear, peppery undertones. For a richer style, swap in vegan butter. Avocado oil can be utilized for a impartial style.
All-Goal Flour: Toasts within the oil till golden and nutty, giving the gumbo a deep, toasty taste whereas barely thickening the gravy because it simmers. Want a gluten-free model? Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mix.
Child Bella Mushrooms: Also called cremini mushrooms, they add savory umami whereas holding the inexperienced gumbo recipe plant-based. In addition they add further diet and nice texture.
Porcini Powder: Comprised of finely floor dried porcini mushrooms, this powder provides intensely earthy, umami-rich depth to the gumbo, giving it a meaty taste whereas holding it vegan. You will discover it at well-stocked grocery shops, specialty spice retailers, or on-line.
Vegetable Bouillon Paste and Water: When combined, they act as a flavorful broth or inventory, loosening the gumbo, including savoriness, and making it completely scoopable. For those who don’t have bouillon paste, use a home made Vegetable Inventory.
Darkish Leafy Greens: Equivalent to collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and/or kale. For the most effective taste and diet, I like to recommend utilizing a mix of greens. Rinse and chop them properly earlier than measuring—you’ll want 8 cups. I like to make use of the stems from the swiss chard. As a substitute of throwing away the stems, chop and add them to sauté with the onions in order that they have time to get tender. Be at liberty to make use of the stems from the opposite greens when you’d like.
Soy Sauce: Provides a scrumptious umami richness and rounds out the flavors. For a gluten-free variation, use gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos.
Vegan Sausages: For heartiness, texture, and a savory chew. Use home made vegan sausage for a nutritious, budget-friendly possibility or store-bought for comfort.
See the recipe card for full data on elements and portions.
Recipe Variations
In relation to soul meals, including your individual signature contact is very inspired, and this recipe isn’t any completely different. Listed below are a couple of concepts to contemplate:
- Add Black-Eyed Peas: Stir in a can of drained black-eyed peas (or home made black eyed peas) together with the greens for further protein and good luck—good for having fun with at New Yr’s! Don’t have or can’t discover black-eyed peas? Chickpeas work properly, too.
- Purée the Greens: For a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to mix 1/4 of the gumbo earlier than stirring within the browned sausage.
- Skip the Sausage: Benefit from the unique traditional type by skipping the sausage altogether. Spoon the gumbo over steamed rice and topping with a couple of shakes of scorching sauce.
- Make it Spicy: For further warmth a spicy vegan sausage, or add as much as 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or pink pepper flakes together with the opposite spices.
- Make It Holy: Add 1 cup of diced inexperienced bell pepper together with the celery and onions to boost the earthy sweetness and full the “holy trinity” of seasonings (onion, celery, and inexperienced pepper).
Cook dinner Vegan Inexperienced Gumbo
Get pleasure from this tasty inexperienced gumbo any time of 12 months with approachable prep. Making a roux could seem intimidating, but it surely’s easier than it sounds—I’ll stroll you thru each step with these illustrated directions:
- Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a big pot over medium-high warmth.
- Make the roux: Add the flour and stir, then cut back the warmth to medium. Toast the flour within the oil till it turns a wealthy golden coloration. For a deeper, richer taste, proceed cooking till it turns into a darker golden brown.
- Add the onions, garlic, and celery, (and swiss chard stems if utilizing––these are the pink items seen on this photograph) and sauté till the onions start to show translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, black pepper, thyme, smoked paprika, and porcini powder. Stir properly and cook dinner till the mushrooms soften, about 8 minutes.
- Add the chopped leafy greens and soy sauce and stir. Cook dinner for about 10 minutes, or till the greens are tender, cooking longer when you choose softer greens.
- Whereas the gumbo cooks, pan-fry the sausage in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium warmth for about 3 minutes or till browned and crispy.
- Stir the sausage into the gumbo, then season to style with salt and pepper.
- Serve scorching with scorching sauce to cross!
Jenné’s Recipe Ideas
- Cook dinner the roux longer for a deeper taste. The longer the flour toasts within the olive oil, the nuttier and extra advanced it turns into. Cook dinner till a light-weight golden brown for a mellow base or to a deeper golden brown for further richness.
- Don’t rush the mushrooms. They often want about 8 minutes to melt and launch their moisture. This concentrates the savory, meaty taste, and is important for that traditional gumbo style.
- Regulate the greens’ cooking time. Simmer for about 10 minutes for tender, barely toothy greens. For softer greens with much less chew, cook dinner an extra 5–10 minutes. Decrease the warmth to medium-low for longer cooking to maintain them from turning into mushy.
- Season to style earlier than serving. Greens mellow as they cook dinner, so style and regulate the soy sauce and different seasoning on the finish to get the right taste steadiness.
- Adjusting the thickness. If it’s too thick, add an additional splash of broth. If it’s too skinny, simmer uncovered for a couple of minutes till it reaches your best consistency.
Serving Recommendations
Like many gumbo greens recipes, this vegan model is scrumptious served scorching over rice (or attempt my Immediate Pot quinoa recipe for a plant-based protein increase!), with scorching sauce on the facet. Make it an entire soul meals feast by pairing it along with your favourite traditional sides remade with a vegan twist:
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerating: Retailer leftover greens gumbo in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
- Freezing: As soon as cooled to room temperature, freeze the gumbo in a freezer-safe container for as much as 3 months. Defrost within the fridge in a single day. The sausage could change texture barely, however it can nonetheless be scrumptious.
- Reheating: Heat the gumbo in a saucepan over medium-low warmth or reheat gently within the microwave till scorching.
Inexperienced Gumbo FAQs
Although it was initially made with out meat, many fashionable variations of the recipe embrace sausage, ham, or turkey. This model is made with plant-based sausage, honoring each the standard meatless roots and the savory depth of recent variations.
You should utilize only one sort of greens if that’s what you may have, however I like to recommend a mixture each time attainable for the most effective depth of taste and diet.
My commonplace recipe requires collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and kale, however any number of chopped leafy greens will work. Spinach, turnip greens, and beet greens are all nice options.
Actually—actually, the flavors deepen because the inexperienced gumbo rests. It additionally reheats very properly and works nice for meal prep.
Gumbo Z’herbes might be spicy or not. Spice lovers could make it with spicy sausage and serve it with scorching sauce. Whereas those that aren’t a fan of spice can use delicate vegan sausage and skip the recent sauce to maintain it delicate.
Extra Vegan Soul Meals Recipes
For those who tried this Inexperienced Gumbo recipe or every other recipe on my weblog, please go away a star ranking and let me know the way it went within the feedback beneath. Thanks for visiting!
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced celery, about 2 stalks
- 10 oz child bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp porcini mushroom powder, non-compulsory
- 1 tbsp Higher Than Bouillon vegetable base + 6 cups water, OR 6 cups vegetable inventory
- 8 cups assorted darkish leafy greens, chopped (or 2 cups every collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and kale)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 vegan sausages, sliced
- scorching sauce, for serving
- salt, to style
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
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Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a big pot over medium-high warmth.
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Subsequent, make the roux. Add the flour and stir, then cut back the warmth to medium. Toast the flour within the oil till it turns a wealthy golden coloration. For a deeper, richer taste, proceed cooking till it turns into a darker golden brown.
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Add the onions, garlic, and celery (plus inexperienced stems if utilizing), and sauté till the onions start to show translucent, about 3 minutes.
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Add the sliced mushrooms, black pepper, thyme, smoked paprika, and porcini powder. Stir properly and cook dinner till the mushrooms soften, about 8 minutes.
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Add the water and bouillon paste (or vegetable inventory) and produce to a simmer. Add the chopped leafy greens and soy sauce and stir. Cook dinner for about 10 minutes, or till the greens are tender, cooking longer when you choose softer greens.
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Whereas the gumbo cooks, pan-fry the sausage. Warmth the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium warmth. As soon as scorching, add the sliced sausage and cook dinner for about 3 minutes per facet, till browned and crispy.
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Stir the sausage into the gumbo, then season to style with salt and pepper. Serve scorching with scorching sauce to cross.
- Refrigerating: Retailer leftover greens gumbo in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
- Freezing: As soon as cooled to room temperature, freeze the gumbo in a freezer-safe container for as much as 3 months. Defrost within the fridge in a single day. The sausage could change texture barely, however it can nonetheless be scrumptious.
- Reheating: Heat the gumbo in a saucepan over medium-low warmth or reheat gently within the microwave till scorching.
Recipe Professional-Ideas
- Cook dinner the roux longer for a deeper taste. The longer the flour toasts within the olive oil, the nuttier and extra advanced it turns into. Cook dinner till a light-weight golden brown for a mellow base or to a deeper golden brown for further richness.
- Don’t rush the mushrooms. They often want about 8 minutes to melt and launch their moisture. This concentrates the savory, meaty taste, and is important for that traditional gumbo style.
- Regulate the greens’ cooking time. Simmer for about 10 minutes for tender, barely toothy greens. For softer greens with much less chew, cook dinner an extra 5–10 minutes. Decrease the warmth to medium-low for longer cooking to maintain them from turning into mushy.
- Season to style earlier than serving. Greens mellow as they cook dinner, so style and regulate the seasoning on the finish to get the right taste steadiness.
- Adjusting the thickness. If it’s too thick, add an additional splash of broth. If it’s too skinny, simmer uncovered for a couple of minutes till it reaches your best consistency.
Energy: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fats: 10g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 7g | Sodium: 785mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2658IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1mg
