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Last Updated on August 13, 2025 by Tiffany
These brown stew lentils are a new vegan Jamaican classic! Made with traditional yaadie seasonings and cooking methods presented in a nontraditional way. This dish is loaded with Caribbean flavor and plant based protein!
This brown stew lentils recipe is perfect for meal prep, packed with fiber and magnesium, a good amount of iron, and tastes damn delicious!
What is Jamaican Brown Stew?
Brown stew is a popular method of stewing chicken in the Caribbean. It typically uses a sauce called browning which is basically burnt/caramelized sugar. Learn how to make it yourself here.
My family has always used soy sauce for brown stew recipes but today we’re using coconut aminos. Its a slightly sweeter, soy free, low sodium alternative to soy sauce and it tastes so good!
This dish can also be found in other Caribbean islands like the Virgin Islands, Barbados, and Antigua, but originated in Jamaica. I personally have a great love for this dish due to the depth of umami flavor and cultural significance.
Brown stew is one of my favorite dishes ever! I’ve created three other vegan brown stew recipes using tofu, chickpeas, and oyster mushrooms and each are equally delicious.
What you’ll need- Jamaican Brown stew Lentils
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Green Lentils– The best choice of lentils for this recipe
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Coconut Aminos– Click here to grab your own bottle
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Water
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Tomato
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Onion
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Scallion
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Fresh Thyme
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Bell Pepper
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Scotch Bonnet
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Potato
Dry Seasoning- Jamaican Brown Stew Lentils
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Jamaican All Purpose– Grab your own using this link.
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Onion powder
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Garlic Powder
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Paprika
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No Salt Seasoning
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Italian Seasoning
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Salt
How to make vegan Jamaican Brown Stew Lentils
Step One:
Chop the tomato, onion, scallion, and potato into bite sized pieces as shown in the photo. Leave the thyme stems and scotch bonnet whole and do NOT cut or burst as the seeds are very spicy!
Be sure to properly wash and dry your lentils!
Step Two:
Sautee the fresh veg in oil until fragrant or for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the lentils and chopped potato as well as the water, dry seasonings, coconut aminos, and ketchup.
Stir to combine everything and cover. Allow to simmer on medium heat for the next 15-20 minutes.
Step Three:
Once the lentils are cooked, now is the time to possible add in the second round of water if needed (I needed to put it when I made my batch).
Salt to taste, serve with your choice of grain and enjoy!
How to store Jamaican Brown Stew Lentils
This recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS paired with white rice or coconut quinoa and stores well too making it great for meal prep!
Store these brown stew lentils in the fridge for up to 5 days or in a freezer safe container in the freezer for 2-3 weeks.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Sharing is caring! Be sure to share with family and friends and save to your Pinterest board for later.
Other delicious vegan Jamaican Recipes you’ll also love
Jamaican Brown Stew Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dry Green Lentils measured dry
- 5 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos can sub 4-5 tbs soy sauce
- 1 Roma Tomato
- 1 Onion
- 2 Scallion
- 3 Thyme Stem
- 1 Bell Pepper small
- 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper or habanero
- 1 Potato large
- 1.5 Tablespoon Ketchup
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2.5 Water
- 1.5 Water added in after 10 minutes
Dry Seasoning
- 1.5 Teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1.5 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 2-2.5 Teaspoons Jamaican All Purpose
- 2-2.5 Teaspoons No Salt Seasoning
- 1.5 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the tomato, onion, scallion, and potato into bite sized pieces as shown in the photo. Leave the thyme stems and scotch bonnet whole and do NOT cut or burst as the seeds are very spicy!Be sure to properly wash and dry your lentils!
- Sautee the fresh veg in oil until fragrant or for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the lentils and chopped potato as well as the water, dry seasonings, coconut aminos, and ketchup. Stir to combine everything and cover. Allow to simmer on medium heat for the next 15-20 minutes.
- Once the lentils are cooked, now is the time to possible add in the second round of water if needed (I needed to put it when I made my batch).Salt to taste, serve with your choice of grain and enjoy!
2 Comments
thecookpot.com
May 23, 2025 at 10:16 am
Absolutely loved this recipe! The flavors were incredibly vibrant, and I found the instructions simple to follow. The lentils cooked perfectly with that distinct Jamaican touch. Will surely try this again and spice up my meals. Thanks for sharing!
Tiffany
August 13, 2025 at 3:31 pm
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, its one of my favourites as well!