This Vegan Jollof Rice will definitely blow your mind. You won’t believe it’s not the original. Guess what? It’s one of the easiest and most delicious Jollof recipe.
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We all know the ever popular Jollof rice from West Africa. Yes. It’s a very popular Rice dish made in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Gambia. In fact it’s actually one of Gambia’s national delicacies.
Jollof Rice is made from a delicious mix of Rice, meats, oil, blended tomatoes (plus or minus tomato paste) , bell peppers and onions. It’s a recipe to try if you haven’t. Jollof Rice has never really been known to be vegan or vegetarian since majority of Africans are meat lovers.
You don’t have to miss out on the culinary masterpiece that is Jollof Rice because it isn’t vegan. Indulge in this vegan / vegetarian version #veganjollof #vegan
Honestly I wouldn’t have ever thought of ‘Veganizing‘ Jollof Rice if my brother hadn’t mentioned to me a while ago how his Irish friend wanted to try Jollof Rice and when he shared my Jollof recipe with her. She mentioned something about the need to make this vegan. He appealed to me to make a ‘Veganized’ version of this culinary masterpiece that is Jollof because as he rightly said the world has evolved and many people now have a different WOE ( Way of Eating ) for Heath reasons or simply just because..
It’s so easy to ‘Veganize’ Jollof Rice. Find out how to make this delicious Vegan Jollof Rice below. You won’t even notice the difference.
Table of Contents
How to make Vegan Jollof Rice.
Making Vegan Jollof Rice is actually easier than you think. With a swap of a few ingredients here and there. Your Standard Jollof recipe couldn’t be more vegan/Vegetarian.
The only ingredients in a regular Jollof Rice recipe that isn’t vegan are the meats, meat stock and chicken bouillon. Every other ingredient like Parboiled Rice or Basmati Rice, Fresh Tomatoes or Tomato Paste, Red bell peppers and green bell peppers, onions , etc are all vegan.
Vegan Jollof Rice can be cooked either on the stove top or in the oven. Which ever method you decide to use, this is truly a delicious recipe.
Pro Tip:
Whether you are cooking Jollof Rice on the stove top or baking it in the oven. The built up steam in the pot or Foil pan is what ensures an evenly and well cooked Jollof Rice. Therefore a tight fitting lid and or foil is very important to the success of this dish.
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links! Please read full disclosure here.
What to eat with Vegan Jollof Rice
- Fried Plantains
- Grilled Tofu
- Vegan Meatballs
- Chopped Banana
- A side of veggie salad
Thinking of making this recipe soon? Awesome!
Click on the links below to buy Handy Stuff you need to ‘Veganize’ your Jollof Rice.
Ingredients:
Tools/ equipment
Heavy duty foil or aluminum lids (if your aluminum foil pan doesn’t come with a lid.)
Anyone these cooking utensils would work
- Aluminum Foil Pans I love these because they come with lids
Did you enjoy this vegan Jollof recipe? Then you would love these other Recipes
- Asaro ( skip the ground crayfish )
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Easy Vegan Jollof Rice
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Parboiled long grain rice washed thoroughly and drained completely
- 2 Tbsp Tomato paste diluted with 1/4 cup of water
- 1 Large onion chopped
- 3 sprigs of spring onions chopped
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
- ½ cup cooking oil of choice
- salt/ vegetable bouillon to taste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF /180ºC
- Heat up oil in a 10/12 in cast iron skillet, sauté onions and garlic till onions is translucent.
- Stir in the diluted tomato paste add the bouillon powder or cubes, curry, thyme, rosemary and ground gingerthen stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir fry for another 2 minutes to get the flavors in.
- Pour the vegetable stock into the skillet. Stir, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. It should taste slightly salty. Don't worry the rice will absorb the salt when cooked and the flavors will balance out.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Transfer to the lower rack of oven and bake for 45 mins or until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Allow to stand in oven for another 5 mins, then bring out, sprinkle the chopped spring onions then use a fork and fluff the rice.
This is so fragrant and easy to make to take basic rice up a level. I added some Los Calientes Barbacoa hot sauce for a bit of heat. Paired well with Indian food leftovers and in Middle East shawarma wraps. 🔥
Made this for the first time on Christmas , it was such a hit; it was devoured fast I had to make another pot, this time double the recipe the following day.
Hi Ki!
Happy you enjoyed it. A double batch isn’t a bad idea at all. Yummy.
I have not made this yet as I’m looking for a suitable vegan protein to serve with it. What would you suggest? I’m leaning towards a tofu option but really not sure. Looking to avoid legumes if possible. This recipe looks delicious.
Hi Christina!
Thank you. It sure is delish. Tofu or mushrooms would work. Enjoy!
Chichi
My vegan family loves this dish! We went looking after watching Ted Lasso and seeing all of the dishes brought by the football team. We also use it as a blank canvas, typically adding diced tomato and whatever pepper we have handy. So delicious!
Hi Michael,
That’s amazing. This is one of our favorites too. I agree with you, it can serve as a blank canvas that opens doors to many variations. Thanks for taking time to leave a feedback.
This was very easy to make and very tasty too. My family enjoyed it so much. Thank you.
Hi Amana,
That’s awesome! You are welcome. Thank you for letting me know.
-Chichi
What a winner! I really love the flavors in this rice. It is delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I will make this again!
Hi Katrina!
Happy you loved it! Thanks for taking out time to let me know. I appreciate that. Enjoy 😊
The show Atlanta features this exact recipe in season 3
Hi Ted!
That’s good to know. We love this recipe. Many people do too, it’s no wonder it was featured in the show. Would you mind sharing the episode, I’d love to watch. Thank you.
I seriously question 4 cups of stock to 2.5 cups of par boiled rice — it’s already half coooked. I make jollof rice in rice cooker with 1.5 cups water to 1 cup of raw long grain rice (not the fast cook stuff). Rice has to have texture when its cooked.
Hi Dave Big Chief,
The Parboiled rice used in this recipe is different from pre cooked rice you are referring to. The parboiled rice used I’m here is still raw but has been slightly parboiled by the factory. (Hope that makes sense) below is a link to the type of parboiled rice used in this recipe *aff* https://amzn.to/2XtJIY7 hope that helps. Thanks for stopping by.
-Chichi
I just made this jollof rice for my sister and I and mixed in edamame beans near the end to add some color to the dish. It turned out great, I’ll be making this again for sure! Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe!
Hi Ian,
You are welcome! Happy you enjoyed and your sister enjoyed it. I love the addition of Edamame that’s sounds delish. I like the fact that this recipe can act as a blank canvas. Thank you for taking out time to leave your feedback! I appreciate it!
– Chichi
This is my go to recipe!
Hi Elo!
Yay!! That’s awesome! Thank you for your feedback 👍
-Chichi