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vegan Jamaican rice and peas

VEGAN JAMAICAN RICE AND PEAS

Plant-Based Passport
Our vegan Jamaican rice and peas delivers on bold Caribbean flavor! Best yet, it is a simple one-pot meal that requires little active cooking. 
4.91 from 10 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Jamaican
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 3 green onions chopped, plus more to garnish
  • 1 cup dried red kidney beans soaked overnight [or substitute two 14-oz can red kidney beans, including the liquid in the can]
  • 2 cups long grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 1 14-oz can coconut milk
  • 5 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 whole Scotch bonnet or substitute 1 whole habanero
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Soak the beans: Soak the beans overnight the day prior to cooking this dish. Otherwise, you can soak the beans for at least 5 hours. 
  • Cook the beans: Add the kidney beans with their soaking water to a large pot. Then add vegetable broth. The liquid should be about 2 inches over the beans, so add additional broth or water as needed. Then add the onions, garlic, ginger, green onions, thyme, bay leaves and whole hot pepper. Then add the salt, black pepper and allspice. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes (or longer depending on how long you soaked the beans). Watch the beans closely to make sure they don’t burn and add additional broth or water as needed. The beans are done when they are fork tender. 
  • Cook the rice: When the beans are cooked, add the coconut milk and rice and stir to combine. (Note: There should only be about a half inch of liquid above the rice). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is tender and the liquids have been absorbed. Stir occasionally to ensure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Adjust seasoning to taste and discard bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and hot pepper before serving. Garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Leave the Scotch bonnet whole: Don't be tempted to slice that bad boy and throw it in your rice. It is one spicy mamma jamma! Just leave it whole and let it add wonderful citrusy, peppery notes to your rice. And don't worry, it won't make your rice and peas spicy. If you can't find a Scotch bonnet, you can sub in a habanero pepper. Lastly, make sure to remove the hot pepper before serving.
  • Dried kidney bean substitution: We recommend using dried beans for better texture. But if you're in a hurry, you can sub in two 14-oz cans of kidney beans, including the liquid in the can. Simply add them in at Step 2. 
  • Tie up the thyme sprigs: Use kitchen twine to tie up the thyme sprigs for easier removal.
Keyword jamaican food, jamaican rice and peas, rice and peas, vegan jamaican food, vegan rice and peas
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