23 Jamaican Vegetarian Recipes You Need To Try

Jamaica is famous for many things. It has a rich culture, a beautiful tropical landscape, and some of the best luxury resorts.

It also has one of the most delicious cuisines. 

Jamaican food is full of flavor, healthy, hearty fragrant, sweet, savory, and incredibly addictive.

The best thing about it is that there’s something for everyone. We can choose from the best jerk chicken, seafood, salads, vegetables, and more. 

In fact, thanks to its versatility, Jamaican food is up there with the easiest to prepare if you have a dietary requirement.

For example, if you’re a vegetarian, Jamaican cuisine has a wide range of meatless options to choose from.

There are unique stews, tasty marinades, fresh salads, and so much more to choose from.

Today, we want to show you our favorite Jamaican vegetarian recipes. To do so, we’ve listed 23 in this post.

Let’s take a look at each one together!

1. Jamaican Potato Salad

The first vegetarian Jamaican recipe on our list is a delicious potato salad recipe from That Girl Cooks Healthy. 

The perfect hearty appetizer, this potato salad is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Despite being super rich and creamy, it doesn’t contain any mayonnaise or cream. It is instead made with vegan mayonnaise.

To give this dish a unique twist, sweet potatoes are used.

The sweet potatoes offer more sweetness to this classic, combining with the tanginess of the mayo perfectly.

2. Jerk Tofu

Vegetarians can still enjoy all the Caribbean flavors jerk chicken has to offer. Simply replace the chicken with tofu.

The spice mix used to give the tofu an immense flavor consists of allspice, scotch bonnet peppers, and a variety of other herbs and spices.

Once rubbed onto your tofu, you can grill, fry, or roast the tofu until tender.

The end result is a spicy tofu that packs a punch. The tofu will melt in your mouth too.

3. Curried Jamaican Stew

This vibrant, flavorful stew is perfect for a cold winter’s night. It’s also very healthy.

Packed with fresh vegetables and healthy spices, this stew is also a great option for anyone trying to follow a diet.

It’s a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

The fruits and vegetables you’ll need to make this stew include jalapenos, kidney beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, scallions, greens, and sweet potatoes. 

The addition of coconut milk helps give the dish a divine creaminess.

4. Jamaican Jerk Salsa

If you’re planning a Jamaican-themed dinner party, you’ll need some tasty dips. This Jamaican jerk salsa dip is ideal. 

Easy to make, this salsa is sweet and spicy. It goes brilliantly with tortilla chips, bread, and noodles.

We will warn you though, this salsa is dangerously spicy.

The best thing about this fresh salsa is that you can make it using ingredients you can grow at home.

5. Vegan Ackee And Saltfish

Next up, we have the national dish of Jamaica with a twist. Ackee and saltfish is the national dish of Jamaica.

Traditionally non-vegan, this recipe puts a unique vegan spin on things. 

To produce a fish-like taste, hearts of palm are sauteed with the ackee. Aromatic herbs and spices are then added to give the dish a decadent flavor.

In Jamaica, this dish is usually served with breadfruits, callaloo, or fried plantains so consider doing the same.

6. Callaloo

If you want to serve your vegan ackee and saltfish with callaloo, follow this recipe.

Callaloo is similar to mustard, spinach, or turnip greens. It takes approximately 20 minutes to prepare and make the perfect party dish.

All you need to make this traditional dish is olive oil, tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers, green and white onions, salt, thyme, and garlic.

All you have to do then is cook the ingredients until tender.

7. Jamaican Lentil Pasty

Flaky, crisp, and full of delicious flavors, Jamaican lentil pasties are the perfect lunchtime treat.

They can be filled with meat, vegetables, or sweet ingredients. This particular recipe fills the pasties with lentils.

By seasoning the lentils right, you can recreate the umami flavor without the need for any meat.

8. Jerk Fries With Mango Salsa

No family dinner is complete without the best fries. This recipe shows you how to make golden fries with a stunning jerk seasoning and mango salsa dip.

Whilst the crisp, spicy fries are awesome, it’s the sweet, tangy, and refreshing mango salsa that steals the show.

Offering the most amazing tropical flavors, all your guests will want the recipe.

9. Jamaican Jerk Pizza

The next recipe on our list combines Italian cuisine with Jamaican flair.

The pizza base features a simple jerk sauce, whilst the toppings include pineapple, spicy tempeh sausage, red onion, spring onion, and vegan cheese.

This combination of sweet and spicy flavors creates a delicious pizza with loads of flavor and texture.

You could get your children to help you with this recipe too.

10. Jamaican Jerk Marinade

If you came here looking for a simple jerk marinade recipe, you’ve found it!

Super simple, vegetarian, full of flavor, and versatile, this jerk marinade recipe will help take your veggies to the next level.

Made using staple pantry ingredients, this marinade offers grilled vegetables a powerful kick of authentic Jamaican flavor.

Skip the hot sauce if you’re not a lover of spicy food.

11. Cornmeal Porridge

In Jamaica, cornmeal porridge is a popular breakfast dish. It is typically made for babies and the elderly, but anyone in between can enjoy it too.

It has a rather mild sweet taste that’s easy to put together. As a result, the dish is often jazzed up with berries, sugar, and cinnamon.

If you love a fruity wake-up call in the morning, this healthy dish is perfect for you.

12. Jamaican Rice And Peas

If you’re looking for a simple side dish that can be made in a pinch, look no further than this tasty rice and peas recipe.

Rice and peas is a popular Jamaican dish. It usually consists of pigeon peas, cooked rice, herbs, and spices.

It is easy to throw together, fragrant, and flavorful. What’s not to like?

13. Jamaican Carrots

Another popular Jamaican dish is Jamaican carrots. As far as we’re concerned, there’s no better way to prepare carrots than by making them Jamaican style.

Coated in brown sugar and butter, the carrots become delightfully sweet and rich.

This along with the soft, tender feel of the carrots is to die for.

To elevate the carrots even higher, you’ll throw in pineapple juice, lemon juice, hot sauce, chili powder, and garlic too.

This helps give the carrots extreme flavors that are sweet, tangy, and spicy.

14. Sweet Potato Pudding

It’s only right that you have some delicious Jamaican dessert recipes at your fingertips too. This sweet potato pudding is a great place to start. 

This dessert is a pie made using pureed sweet potatoes, taro, raisins, sugar, and coconut milk. Sweet potato pudding is sweet, filling, and addictive.

The caramelized sugar crust, tender sweet potato, and spice mix are just perfect.

The creamy sweet potato custard then turns things up a notch. 

15. Coconut Drops

Another addictive Jamaican dessert is coconut drops. Surprisingly easy to make, coconut drops are sweet, crispy treats that are extremely comforting.

They can be made by cooking grated coconut with ginger, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and water. 

When sticky and brown, the drops can be placed in portions on a non-stick surface to set.

The end result is a heavenly treat that offers wonderful tropical vibes.

16. Banana Fritters

If you have some overripe bananas left in your kitchen, you have to make some banana fritters.

The ingredients used to make the fritters are simple, and each fritter only contains 49 calories.

Topped with powdered sugar or syrup, these fritters are golden-brown and crisp on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside.

They can be made using bananas, brown sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk, flour, and oil.

17. Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup may be a French dish but over the years it has become a staple Jamaican dinner.

Jamaicans took the recipe and added some Caribbean flair, ensuring the dish was sweeter and arguably more exciting.

Made using green-skin pumpkin, this soup recipe mixes the pumpkin with nutmeg, bay leaves, and orange juice amongst other things.

This creates a well-seasoned, sweet and savory soup.

18. Jamaican Fried Dumplings

A side dish made all over the Caribbean is fried dumplings. However, Jamaica seems to have done it best.

Also known by the name “Johnny cakes”, the fried dumplings in Jamaica are perfectly crispy on the outside and beautifully warm, soft, and fluffy on the inside.

They are super simple to make, with basic pantry ingredients like flour, salt, baking powder, butter, water, and sugar being the only ingredients needed.

19. Chickpea Curry

One of the best things about Jamaican curries is how complex and bold the flavors are. On top of that, they always look vibrant and inviting. 

This chickpea curry recipe is easily one of the best. Bright yellow in color, this curry is filling, well-seasoned, and healthy.

It includes chickpeas, herbs, spices, onions, tomatoes, and carrots. 

You’ll find this curry fresh, hearty, and spicy.

20. Veggie Soup

If you need a hearty healthy dinner that will keep the family warm and full this winter, give this Jamaican veggie soup recipe a try. 

This vegetable soup recipe offers more flair and excitement than most traditional soup recipes.

It contains a bold mix of herbs and spices that pack a punch.

Some of the key ingredients needed to produce the best flavors include tamari, ginger, and thyme. 

The best thing about this recipe is that you can use any leftover vegetables you need to get rid of. 

21. Steamed Cabbage

Steamed cabbage is one of the most popular traditional Jamaican dishes.

Very easy to make, this dish features steamed cabbage with a mix of different herbs and spices. 

Of course, the herbs and spices used to make the cabbage are strongly flavored, spicy, and sweet.

Steaming the cabbage is a great idea because it helps trap all the nutrients. It also prevents the cabbage from losing any freshness.

22. Jamaican Bammy

Jamaican bammy can be made in less than an hour. For those that don’t know, bammy is a type of bread made from cassava.

When made, it looks a bit like small fluffy pancakes.

It was brought to Jamaica by immigrants. Now, it is one of the most popular types of bread on the island.

Free from any cholesterol and saturated fats, bammy is also one of the healthiest types of bread we can make. 

Soaking the bread in coconut milk is a good way to unlock more flavors.

23. Carrot Juice

The final recipe on our list is a healthy carrot juice. Aside from being extremely healthy, carrot juice is actually very tasty.

We have the addition of condensed milk, vanilla, ginger, rum, and nutmeg to thank for that.

Of course, you can leave the rum out if you want a healthier beverage, but if you and your guests want something more unique to drink this summer, give it a try.

Besides, it’s not very often we find an alcoholic beverage that can help us see in the dark. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

As you can see from our list, Jamaican cuisine has a wide range of excellent vegetarian recipes to choose from.

Whether you’re looking for a hearty breakfast, delicious lunch, healthy dinner, sweet dessert, or simple side dish, there’s a Jamaican recipe that suits you.

In this post, we showed you 23 awesome recipes. These should be more than enough to keep you going.

With this list of recipes at your disposal, you should now be able to prepare some of the most amazing Jamaican side dishes. 

Why don’t you start by narrowing the list down to find what you want to make first?