Vegan Cholent Recipe – Delicious, Flavorful, and Parve

If you’re looking for a vegan cholent recipe that’s delicious, parve, and doesn’t compromise on flavor, this one is a winner! If you prefer a more traditional option, check out my cholent in the dutch oven.

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If you need a vegan option for Shabbat lunch, it might set you in a panic. Fish ain’t gonna cut it. You can’t do dairy. And you definitely can’t put together a delicious, savory cholent because that’s totally dependent on a good chunk of meat, right?

Wrong.

I wasn’t sure I’d get the whole vegan cholent thing right but my husband approves, and that’s all I need. It’s so good that I adapted this recipe to make my weekly cholent!

The spices were a fabulous fit and made for a rich, flavorful result. There’s a tiny touch of heat, which you can easily omit – or multiply.

I did use Trader Joe’s Barbecue 101 spice mix, however you can substitute that for smoked paprika, onion, and garlic powder.

And finally, just like with any cholent, you’ll need to modify it to suit your family’s needs. I quarter my potatoes, but you may prefer to chunk it smaller. I put in three, but you can put in as many as you can fit if you prefer.

You can make this vegan cholent gluten free as well by using brown rice or oat groats instead of the barley. And of course you can skip the wine, add silan (date honey) for sweetness, or do whatever you’d like with my base recipe to make it suit your family’s taste buds. You can play with other flavors, such as barbecue sauce, mustard, etc.

What should you cook your vegan cholent in?

I use a slow cooker with a basic timer these days – Crock Pot’s most basic 4 quart model. You can cook it on high for 6 hours (you may need to add a bit of water in middle) or on low overnight.

You can also make this in a pot on hot plate (check out my favorite Shabbat hot plates here) and while I’ve never tried it on low in the oven, it would work that way as well.

This recipe includes slow cooker instructions. I recommend having hot water handy the first few times you make this vegan cholent until you get the hang of the exact water amount for your cooking method and the time. Even just making it Friday morning vs. closer to Shabbat can impact how much water you need. You can find my favorite hot water urns for Shabbat here.

And finally, if you’re enjoying this vegan cholent recipe, check out more Shabbat lunch ideas to switch it up!

Vegan Cholent Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup baby lima beans
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 med. onions sliced into rings
• 6 cloves garlic (can be whole or crushed)
• 2 Portabella cap mushrooms, cut into strips
• 3-5 medium yellow potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), scrubbed or peeled
• 4 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch long segments
• 1 cup barley (or brown rice for gluten free)
• Half a cup dry red wine
• 7-10 cups water or broth (or at least to cover)
• Optional: T or two of silan if you like it sweet
• Can add a good squirt of ketchup too

Seasoning:

• 1 T bbq seasoning (or a mix of smoked paprika and onion and garlic powder) – I used Trader Joe’s BBQ 101
• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T salt

Instructions

1. Soak the beans overnight. Alternatively, place them in a pot with water, bring to a boil, and allow to boil for five minutes. Add them to the slow cooker.

2. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons oil until the onions start turning brown (you can do this in the slow cooker on high before adding beans if you have plenty of time. ) Add them to the slow cooker.

3. Add potatoes, carrots, barley, and seasoning to the slow cooker. Top with liquids. If you’re careful to pour the liquid over the spices, you don’t really need to mix the pot (but you can if you prefer the ingredients to blend more.

4. Cook on high for six hours or on low for twelve hours. Watch to make sure it doesn’t need more liquid. If you see it’s getting very dry on top, add about half a cup to a cup of liquid at a time.

Do you have something you love to add to your vegan cholent that makes it better? Comment below!