Vegan Jamaican Stew Peas with Kidney Beans

Vegan stew peas in a coconut bowl with herbs and a spoon.

5 from 8 votes

Vegan Jamaican Stew Peas with Kidney Beans

This Vegan Jamaican Stew Peas is the most comforting, flavorful dish you'll eat especially during the cooler months. Made with red kidney beans, full-fat coconut milk, carrots, bell peppers, scotch bonnet peppers, and seasonings + herbs; this recipe is hearty and jam-packed.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Keyword: beans, carrots, classic, creamy, dairy-free, dinner, easy, food, garlic, gluten-free, healthy, healthy bowl, herbs, homemade, Jamaican, kidney beans, plant-based, recipe, savory, soup, spicy, traditional, vegan, veggies, weeknight meals

Servings: servings

Calories: 707kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

STEW PEAS:

2 (15 oz.) cans organic red kidney beans, drained + rinsed (See Notes for Dried Beans option!)
1-2 Tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil (See Notes)
1 (14 oz.) can full-fat coconut cream/milk
2 cups organic vegetable stock
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ red onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (You can also use a handful of mini sweet peppers as well)
2 carrots, peeled + chopped
3-4 scotch bonnet peppers (You can also use habanero peppers if those are available)
2 stalks of scallion (aka 'green onions')
handful thyme sprigs
1-2 Tbsps pimento seeds, optional
1-2 tsps sea salt (I increase the amount of salt since there is an absence of actual pork. Feel free to use as much/little as you'd like)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
hot pepper sauce, optional

JAMAICAN "SPINNERS" (DUMPLINGS):

1 cup organic all-purpose flour (See Notes for GF version)
½ teaspoon sea salt
pinch of black pepper
½ cup COLD water, if needed!

OPTIONAL GARNISH:

Chopped scallion (aka 'green onions')

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

TO MAKE THE STEW PEAS:

In a deep skillet or 5 qt. dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and once fully heated, add the minced garlic and onions, sautéing until translucent and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the chopped carrots and bell peppers followed by: the salt, black pepper, parsley, thyme, smoked paprika, allspice, and pimento seeds and stir together until combined and veggies are coated with seasoning.
Next, add the beans, veggie stock, and coconut cream/milk, stirring everything together and bringing it all to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and let everything simmer for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, make your dumplings.

MAKE THE JAMAICAN "SPINNERS" (DUMPLINGS):

Start by adding the flour, salt, and black pepper to a bowl and whisk everything together. Slowly add the cold water and gently knead together until a stiff dough is formed. NOTE: Do NOT ADD ALL THE WATER AT ONCE; DON'T MAKE THE DOUGH TOO MOIST!
Pinch off a small pieces of dough and gently roll dough into the palms of both of your hands together until a long, round-like dumpling is formed. Repeat until all dumplings are made.
Add in the made dumplings and stir to incorporate.
Finally, add in the thyme sprigs, scotch bonnet (slitting them in the sides), and scallion (crushing them a bit with your hands to release the flavors), and stir again to incorporate.
Let the stew continue to simmer for another 10 minutes and if it's not thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, add the thickener. NOTE: To thicken, add the arrowroot and WARM water to a small bowl, mixing it together until it's smooth and "milk-like". Add it to the stew while stirring frequently until it begins to thicken. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Once the veggies and dumplings are fully cooked and tender, you're good to go!
Remove from heat, discard of thyme and scallion, and serve immediately into prepared bowl(s) and enjoy with a side of white rice (I like to use basmati rice) or fried dumplings and garnish with chopped scallion, if desired.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

STORAGE: Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place stew in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve.
DRIED KIDNEY BEANS: When using dried beans, be sure to soak about 3-4 cups of red kidney beans in a pot or bowl covered with water overnight. To begin cooking, rinse the soaked beans and add fresh water to a pot along with beans. Boil for the first 10 minutes and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 50-60 minutes or until kidney beans are tender.
THICKENER: The dumplings should thicken the sauce pretty well. However, if you need to thicken it more----you can use 1 tablespoon of the following (along with 2-3 Tbsps of water): cornstarch, all-purpose flour, arrowroot, or tapioca flour, which all act as a thickening agent.
COCONUT MILK: Makes things nice + creamy; If using the canned coconut milk instead of canned coconut cream, be sure to refrigerate overnight to make it thick.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: To make this stew peas gluten-free, simply substitute the flour for the dumplings with GF-friendly flour. Also, ensure that the coconut milk/cream is GF-friendly.

Nutrition