Vegan 'Sancocho' [Recipe + Video] Vegetables and Roots Stew (2024)

En Español Recipe ↆ Video ↆ

Why we ❤️ it

Vegan sancocho? Do you know what a sancocho is? If so, I know what you're thinking: "if it's vegan, then it isn't sancocho". After all, the recipe in our blog is called a "seven meat-stew". You can hardly get any more carnivorous than this beef and meat-heavy stew, that, short of chasing and killing your own prey.

Why a vegan sancocho?

When I told our readers on social media that I was working on a vegan sancocho recipe, some of the reactions were the complete opposite of each other, but everyone seemed to have strong opinions on the matter.

One follower commented: "If it doesn't have meat, it's not a sancocho. It's a vegetable soup!!"

On the opposite side, we get "Sancocho is totally vegetarian -- just take out the meat!". Another hilariously replied, "Sounds good to me [...] it's only my hubby is not open-minded with anything as sacred as his sancocho".

This is no laughing matter for some people.

Vegan "Sancocho" and ingredients.

Serving suggestions

Just like sancocho, this dish is best served with a bowl of white rice, some avocado slices, and some hot sauce on the side (we love the traditional Dominican agrio de naranja).

Top tips

• Mushrooms: I used dry porcini mushrooms, which are available commercially, or you can make yourself and has a very "meaty" taste.
• To make the dry mushrooms: If you do not have dry mushrooms available, you can make them at home. First, wash and pat dry ¼ lb big porcini mushrooms. Place on an oiled baking pan, sprinkle with salt, and cook in the oven at 200 ºF for one hour. Remove from the oven. Cool to room temperature and cut into "spoon-sized" pieces.
• Other ingredients: Dominican sancocho differs from sancocho in other Latin American and Caribbean countries. There are differences even from home to home. Dominican sancocho never contains tomato sauce, potato, or noodles.

About this recipe

So, what makes this soup a sancocho?

Protein, plantain, lots of carbohydrate-rich root vegetables (taro, cassava, yam, plantains), and strong flavors.

By adding yellow split peas to the soup we get the thick, yellowish stew and the protein, the roots and vegetables typical of this dish are present, and for some meat-like texture, I have added dry mushrooms, which you can buy or just make yourself (the process is described in the preparation).

The truth is, I didn't come up with the concept. I've been eating vegetarian and vegan sancochos for decades.

For some odd reason, I once found myself employed by a company with a higher percentage of vegans than should be normal. There were four of us (I was a vegan back then), in a company that employed about a dozen people. The rest were unapologetically carnivorous.

One of my workmates (hi Alex!) introduced me to her vegetarian sancocho, which she made with seitan, a gluten-based meat substitute. I loved it. A few years ago, I posted my version of Alex's sancocho, which was pretty well-received.

So, why reinvent the wheel and create a completely different vegan sancocho recipe?

I am not particularly fond of seitan, and I find the process of making it a little too cumbersome. Plus, nowadays, a lot of people have been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, which was pretty obscure when I first posted the recipe. I wanted to create one that has a wider appeal.

I hope you enjoy it! And remember that we have a lot of vegan recipes in our collection.

¡Buen provecho!

Recipe

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Vegan 'Sancocho' [Recipe + Video] Vegetables and Roots Stew

By: Clara Gonzalez

For the vegans and vegetarians who still love their sancocho (root stew) I've created a simple vegan 'sancocho' recipe that is hearty and filling.

Nutrition

Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 11gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1229mgPotassium: 930mgFiber: 12gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1036IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

More vegan recipes

We have heaps of vegetarian and vegan recipes on the blog from the very beginning. Dominican cooking is very veggie-rich, and many dishes are naturally vegan. But we also include all the adaptations needed to make some either meatless or vegan, so you can adapt them to your own liking.

Some, like this sancocho, and a vegan asopao were designed to be vegan adaptations from start.