If you’re looking for the best vegan rice recipe to make at home, this is it. I promise, after you make this the first time, you will make it again several times over.
Honestly, I had no idea what I was thinking when I decided to make this dish.
I happened to have sweet potatoes, plantains and tomatoes sitting in my kitchen and wondered what will happen if I just mixed it all together. I mean, isn’t that how the power puff girls were made?
And to my surprise it ended up being the best vegan rice I’ve ever prepared.
My best-friend who happened to be in the kitchen while I was preparing this dish ended up eating 4 plates (no kidding). I guess it’s because this dish had a combination of sweet, sour, gingery, garlicky and salty. And if you don’t already know by now, a combination all of five components creates the best tasting meal.
Ingredients for the best vegan rice recipe
- Rice: I opted for jasmine rice because its fragrance and taste just can’t be beat, but hey, feel free to go with long grain parboiled rice or whatever rice tickles your fancy.
- Water: For cooking the rice in your rice cooker.
- Oil: For sautéing.
- Red onions: You can also use white if that’s what you have. I just prefer the richer flavor of red.
- Garlic: A non-negotiable for me. It’s the backbone of any good sauce, really.
- Cayenne Pepper: A dash of cayenne pepper because I’m all about that subtle heat. However, if you don’t want your food to be spicy, then skip it.
- Curry: It takes the sauce to a whole new world.
- Oregano: For that earthy, slightly mysterious flavor that has everyone asking, “What’s your secret?”.
- Ground ginger: Because a little zing never hurt anybody.
- Salt: To taste
- Tomatoes: Adds a burst of sunshine in the dish.
- Sweet potatoes: Add that cozy, comforting sweetness that just makes everything taste better.
- Plantains: I highly recommend using ripe plantains to achieve that extra sweetness.
- Corn: This is totally optional, but I love the color and sweetness it adds to the dish.
- Vegetable stock: To bring it all together and cook the plantains and sweet potatoes.
- Soy sauce: For that umami magic.
- Lemon juice: I used the juice of half of a lemon.
I always try my best to come up with recipes that are quick and easy, especially now that I’m transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. Because the truth is, I don’t like waiting hours in the kitchen for my meal to be ready. And most vegan meals tend to take several hours to prepare.
This dish is honestly for the lazy cooks out there. So if you happen to be one, this is the best vegan rice dish will have you out of the kitchen in minutes.
How To Prepare the Best Vegan Rice Ever
To prepare this vegan rice, first get the rice cooking.
Step 1: Boil The Rice
Give your rice a good rinse – you’ll want to wash away the starch until the water runs clear. Pop the washed rice into your rice cooker, sprinkle in a bit of salt, and add water. Let it do its thing until it’s perfectly cooked, then just set it aside.
Step 2: Sauté the Onions and Garlic
Grab a pot, heat up some olive oil over medium heat, and toss in your diced red onions and chopped garlic. Give them a good stir until the onions start to lose their sharp redness.
Step 3: Add your seasonings
Add your ground pepper, curry, oregano, ground ginger, and a bit more salt to the pot. Stir them around for a minute to wake up those flavors.
Step 4: Cook your starchy vegetables
Next in line are your tomatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, and corn, followed by a splash of vegetable stock, soy sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix it all up, cover it, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes – you’re waiting for those sweet potatoes to get nice and soft.
Step 5: Combine with the precooked rice and serve
Finally, fold in the precooked rice, give it a good mix, and there you have it. Serve up a plate of this heartwarming dish and enjoy every bite!
The best vegan rice you’ll love
This meal turned out so good that I had no idea what to call it, because it is unique. Unlike most rice recipes that tend to consist of one main ingredient, this one just happens to incorporate more than 3 major ingredients. It will sound weird to call it plantain sweet-potato tomato corn rice recipe, so I decided to just give it a generic name.
It’s important that you precook the rice. Unlike my jollof rice recipe where you can make it all in one pot, this recipe requires you to prepare your rice first. It’s very similar in preparation to my meaty fried rice recipe, but with completely different ingredients and steps.
I know for a fact that you guys would love this. If my friend could have 4 plates on the go, you guys might honestly eat the whole pot.
Let me know if you give this dish a try.
The Best Vegan Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Precooked Rice
- 2 ½ cups rice - jasmine rice
- 3 cups water
- ½ tbsp salt
Sauce
- 3 tbsps oil
- 1 red onion - diced
- 1 garlic clove - chopped
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp curry
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp ginger - ground
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tomatoes - diced
- 1 sweet potato - diced
- 2 plantains - diced
- ½ cup corn
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice - freshly squeezed
Instructions
Precooking the rice
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Add the rinsed rice, a dash of salt, and the required amount of water to your rice cooker. Cook the rice as per the cooker's instructions, then set it aside once done.
Making The Sauce
- Heat up some oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Sauté the diced red onions and chopped garlic until the onions begin to soften.
- Stir in the spices: ground pepper, curry, oregano, ground ginger, and a bit more salt, and cook for about a minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, and corn to the pot.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, soy sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice, and give it all a good mix.
- Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Mix in the precooked rice until everything is well combined.
- Serve your delicious dish and savor every bite!
