A few years ago my husband and I took a trip down to the “Big Easy.” This was our very first trip to New Orleans and we had entirely too much fun!
This was in my pre-vegan days, so I was eating everything under the sun! No way I could pass up some good ol’ dirty rice.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? RIGHT! A few days ago I saw a picture of some dirty rice and it quickly brought back memories of our trip.
I’d made dirty rice in the past, but it was nothing to write home about. Ooohhh, but THIS Easy Vegan Dirty Rice?! Amazing. Plus, it’s #PickyAssHusbandApproved! 🙂
How to Make Dirty Rice Easy:
Making vegan dirty rice is super easy! Especially with all of the vegan meat crumbles on the market these days. You can use whatever brand you prefer.
For this particular recipe, I used Gardein meatless crumbles. They taste good and can be found in most grocery stores which makes them easy to find.
You’ll want to start by cooking your rice (if you don’t have some prepared already). I find it easiest to use a rice maker, but you can prepare the rice however you prefer.
While the rice is cooking, you can begin dicing your onion, celery and green bell pepper. Dicing these items ahead of time will help ensure the cooking process runs smoothly.
In addition, you can measure out all of your seasonings and place them in a small dish so that you can add them at one time.
Once the rice is finished, you’re ready to start putting everything together! In a large sauté pan (think large enough to hold the three cups of rice and all of the sautéed veggies), you’ll begin by sautéing the diced onions and garlic with a neutral oil or water (if oil free).
Once the onions are cooked down and the garlic is fragrant, you can add in the vegan crumbles to combine with the onions and garlic.
Now it’s time to add in the diced green bell peppers and celery for your Easy Vegan Dirty Rice. Cook them for 1-2 minutes until they’ve softened a bit. Then stir in the seasonings and cornstarch.
At this point you’re ready to add in the vegetable broth and bay leaves. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the mixture to simmer after you’ve given it a good stir.
After about six minutes, most of the broth should be gone and it’s time to remove the bay leaves. Now it’s time to stir in the rice. I found this easiest to do one cup at a time.
Once all the rice is stirred in you can garnish it with chopped fresh parsley. This is optional, but adds a nice fresh touch to the dish.
Is Vegan Dirty Rice a Meal?
People often wonder if dirty rice is a complete meal. I think this could easily go either way. This Easy Vegan Dirty Rice could definitely be consumed as a meal or main dish.
Alternatively you could serve this as a side dish. Need ideas on what to serve with dirty rice? Here are a few ideas:
- Spicy Cauliflower Wings
- Crispy Breaded Tofu
- Black Eyed Pea Fritters
- Vegan Jackfruit Crab Cakes
- Spicy Chicken Fried Tofu
Enjoy!
I know you’ll love this Easy Vegan Dirty Rice. It’s super flavorful and so easy to make! Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think of it in the comments below!
Other Rice Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
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Easy Vegan Dirty Rice [+ VIDEO]
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 3 cups vegan "beef" crumbles
- ½ heaping cup green bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup celery diced
- 1½ tbsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (add more to taste at the end)
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp chili powder
- black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp thyme
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3½ cups cooked rice about 1¼ cups dried rice
- roughly chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over low medium heat and sauté the diced onions and minced garlic together until fragrant.2-3 tbsp neutral oil, 3 tsp minced garlic, ½ cup yellow onion
- Add in your vegan crumbles and combine with the onions and garlic.3 cups vegan "beef" crumbles
- Add in the diced celery and green bell pepper and combine with the other ingredients in the pan.½ heaping cup green bell pepper, ¼ cup celery
- Next, stir in the cornstarch and all spices (except for bay leaves). Stir to combine.1½ tbsp dried parsley, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 3 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp sea salt, ½ tsp chili powder, black pepper to taste, 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tsp thyme, 3 tbsp cornstarch
- Add in bay leaves and vegetable broth. Cover with a lid and let simmer over medium heat for about 6 minutes.2 bay leaves, 1 cup vegetable broth
- Remove bay leaves and stir in rice one cup at a time.3½ cups cooked rice
- Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy!roughly chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Hi!
I am like you and trying not to make another grocery run this month, do you think you could use lentils instead of veggie crumbles in this recipe? It looks so tasty!
Hey Shai! I don’t think lentils will deliver the same result texture-wise, but I’d say it’s definitely worth a try! Let me know how it goes if you do!
This recipe is amazing!!! I made it along with the seasoned black beans from this website (also bomb), caramelized plantains and kale and it was seriously so delicious. I cook most nights in our house and my boyfriend said this was one of the best things I’ve ever made. The spices used are on point. Will definitely be making this one again!
Oh my goodness! I love your recipes. I tried this one and I served it with the black eyed peas and spicy greens. My husband is vegan but we all loved the food. Thank you for the amazing recipes
LOVED this recipe! Even my meat-eating husband enjoyed this! I will be making this recipe over and over again for years to come!!
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Absolutely loved this meal! This will definitely be a staple in our house from now on! Thank you Desiree!
This was such a nice quick dinner for my family, done in way under 30 minutes because I had some already-cooked rice at the ready. My 5- and 7-year-old gobbled it up! We subbed in drained and rinsed canned red kidney beans for the vegan crumbles and I think it was a successful swap!
This dish was very easy and very flavorful. The recipe was easy to follow and this is a dish that will be often in the rotation!!!!!!!!
This recipe was delicious!!! This will be my go to dish to bring to events. The only thing I added was two Beyond Beef Italian Sausage links. I sliced, and sautéed them. It was so delicious!! My daughter woke up the next day saying “Who ate all the food, I liked that rice!?” It was me… I ate it, Lol!!
This is a great recipe! I made it tonight and it was so easy and delicious. I love that it’s vegan and dirty!
I was a work and all of a sudden got a craving for ditty rice, the way my Big Mama (Great Grandmother) used to make for family gatherings. Opened up ig when I got home and boom!! Here you were with this delicious recipe! So easy to make.. Everything was already in my refrigerator!! Family loved it! Ate it with warmed bread. Used the leftovers the next day for burritos!! Definitely putting this in rotation!