Our Vegan Crawfish Boil has all the spicy, aromatic deliciousness of a traditional boil, without any of the guilt associated with mass crustacean homicide.
We know what you’re thinking. Vegan crawfish boil? HOW? It can be done, friends, and we did it. And believe us, you won’t miss the mudbugs. We trade mudbugs for mushrooms, which sop up that delicious boil seasoning and provide that meaty bite you crave—but without all that annoying peeling.
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🦞 WHAT ARE CRAWFISH?
Crawfish are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, common in the swamps of Louisiana.
Long before the French arrived in Louisiana, the Native Americans of the region fished for mudbugs. In fact, the red crawfish was one of the symbols of the Houma Tribe. By the 1700’s when the Acadians—now called Cajuns— landed in Louisiana from Canada, crawfish was seen as poor folk food. It was eaten mainly out of necessity because it was cheap and readily available. The Acadians soon began modifying Canadian lobster recipes to suit the smaller crustacean. To quote the Louisiana Office of Tourism, “Creole restaurateurs in New Orleans caught on, and once it took off in the Big Easy, the secret was out: Crawfish became synonymous with Louisiana cooking.”
⚜️WHAT ARE CRAWFISH BOILS?
A crawfish boil is a Louisianian method of cooking crawfish in a vat of heavily seasoned boiling water, along with butter, sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes.
There is something truly magical about visiting Louisiana during the months of February through April. If you happen to find yourself in the Pelican State during the Lenten season—where Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays— you’re bound to come across these enormous stainless steel vats heated by a propane flame. You can’t miss them. They’re seemingly on every street corner and in every strip mall parking lot, just boiling and bubbling away. And if you venture close enough to one of these simmering cauldrons, you’re almost certain to be smacked in the face by the delectable aroma wafting out. It’s a scent that’ll get in your nostrils and embed itself in your brain, putting you under its spell. You may find yourself asking: What manner of voodoo witchcraft is simmering inside those stainless steel vats? The best kind, naturally.
We’re talking about boiling water seasoned with a ton of black pepper, coriander seeds, allspice, cloves, garlic and onion powder, thyme, organo, dry mustard, dill weed and bay leaves—all cramming flavor into every ounce of the potatoes, sausage, corn, halved lemons, and crawfish inside.
Given Houston’s close proximity to Louisiana, and the sizable population of Louisianian natives living in H-Town, crawfish boils are something we grew up on. It’s important to note that a boil is no ordinary meal. It’s an experience. A damn-near full-day experience, usually involving more than a few ice cold beers. While you can find crawfish on many Cajun and Creole restaurant menus during the season, the truest and best form is almost always found in someone’s backyard. Our recipe is an adapted version from Val’s brother—who, in our humble opinion ought be crowned the King of Crawfish. Since we don’t eat seafood these days, we knew we had to find a way to veganize this Louisiana classic!
HOW WE VEGANIZED THE CRAWFISH BOIL
So at this point, you’re probably asking yourself: How the hell did Val & Mani figure out a way to veganize a three-inch crustacean with sharp pinchers and a reclusive personality? The answer is simple, really: We just omitted the hard-shelled SOB! We replaced the crawfish with halved mushrooms, which soak up on the crawfish boil spices and provide a meaty bite. Additionally, we used vegan sausage and butter.
The fact is, it’s not the crawfish that makes the boil. Rather, it’s the boil that makes the crawfish. In other words, all the spicy, delectable, so-damn-delicious-you-wanna-start-screaming-Who-Dat-at-the-top-of-your-lungs flavor comes from the seasonings. The crawfish is just along for the ride. Fortunately, so are the potatoes, sausage, corn, and mushrooms. So if we’re being honest—and we would never lie to you, dear reader—just nix the mudbugs. They’re a pain in the ass to peel anyway.
📝 INGREDIENTS
- Vegan sausage, baby potatoes, corn on the cob: Classic crawfish boil ingredients.
- Olive oil: Fat used to brown the sausage.
- Mushrooms: Our stand-in for crawfish. Adds a meaty bite and absorbs the boil seasoning flavors.
- Orange/lemon juice and slices: Add much needed acidity to cut through the lusciousness of the melted butter.
- Onion, garlic, bay leaves: Aromatic elements in our boil.
- Boil mix: You can’t have a boil without a spicy, complex and flavor-packed boil seasoning.
- Melted vegan butter: To finish your boil with a layer of richness.
- Parsley: Adds freshness a pop of color.
🔪 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
***Check out the recipe video we made below!***
- Brown the vegan sausage in a pan, let it cool to touch and then slice into one-inch pieces, and set aside.
- Fill a 16 to 20-quart pot with water, boil mix, onion, garlic, citrus juice/slices and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Then add potatoes, mushrooms, corn, and sausage and cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove from pot and let sit 10 minutes. Strain, pour over melted butter, top with additional boil seasoning (optional) and garnish with parsley.
💡RECIPE TIPS
- You don’t need a giant, stainless steel, propane-fired pot to make your boil. A large stovetop pot will suffice. We use a 16 or 20-quart pot.
- Be liberal with the seasoning. You want to penetrate every molecule of the sausage, potatoes, corn and mushrooms. That being said, be aware that it can have a bit of a kick, so season your boil according to your spice preference.
- Our favorite boil seasoning brand is Louisiana Fish Fry Products. If you don’t have it at your local grocery store, you can buy it online here.
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Spicy
- Addictive
- VERY easy to make!
Did you make our Vegan Crawfish Boil?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE VEGAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
Vegan Crawfish Boil
Ingredients
- 1 lb vegan sausage we used Beyond Sausage’s Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ to 1 lb boil mix depending on your heat preference, plus more to top (optional) (We like the Louisiana Fish Fry brand)
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- 1 garlic bulb cut in half
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 orange sliced
- 1 lemon sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 lbs mushrooms sliced in half
- 2 lbs baby potatoes
- 2 ½ lbs corn 8 mini corn on the cob or 3 wholes ears of corn, cut into thirds
- ½ stick vegan butter melted
- Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Brown sausage and let cool. Then cut into 1-inch slices.
- Fill a 16 to 20-quart pot with water, add boil mix, onion, garlic, orange and lemon juices, orange and lemon slices and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Then add mushrooms, potatoes, corn, and sausage. Cover and return to rolling boil at medium-high heat. Cook 10 mins, or until potatoes fork tender.
- Remove pot from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then strain and pour over melted butter. Top with more seasoning (optional) and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- You don’t need a giant, stainless steel, propane-fired pot to make your boil. A large stovetop pot will suffice.
- Be liberal with the seasoning. You want to penetrate every molecule of the sausage, potatoes, corn and mushrooms. That being said, be aware that it can have a bit of a kick.
- Our favorite boil seasoning brand is Louisiana Fish Fry Products. If you don’t have it at your local grocery store, you can buy it online here.
Heck yeah! This is so creative. Crawfish without the cruelty.
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thanks for providing this information.
A big thank you for your article.
The mushrooms worked so well in this! Thanks!
These totally crushed my crawfish craving. Making this again and again for sure.
You’ve got it going on in a huge way. Vegan crawfish style boil, has to be my first seeing this anywhere. I enjoy what you’ve said also about the seasoning making the dish. Super awesome!!!
Thank you so much!