Vegan Chicken and Dumplings
Vegan chicken and dumplings is plant-based comfort food at its best. Vegan chicken soup cooked with fluffy vegan biscuits on top all simmered in one pot. The dumplings turn the broth into a creamy stew that melts in your mouth.
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Why make this recipe
We love vegan chicken soups like my soy curl noodle soup, vegan cream of chicken soup, and vegan white chili with shredded vegan chicken, but this vegan stew and dumplings recipe has remained one of my family’s favorites for years now.
This chicken and dumplings is so creamy and comforting, that it’s sure to be your family’s new favorite plant-based stew too!
Made this yesterday. It was so good! I’m excited to have leftovers today for lunch.
—Lynn
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive Oil – to saute the veggies.
- Onion – optional, but recommended.
- Salt – for flavor. Feel free to adjust the amount to suit your taste.
- Carrots – optional, but recommended.
- Celery – optional, but recommended.
- Garlic – cloves give the best flavor, but you can use garlic powder instead.
- Poultry Seasoning – for an authentic flavor.
- Parsley – for flavor
- Turmeric – for color and flavor.
- Black Pepper – optional for flavor.
- Broth – I highly recommend that you use a vegan chicken-style broth like Not Chick’n Broth or Better than Bouillon No Chicken.
- Vegan Chicken – I like to use Butler Soy Curls for the “chicken” in this stew since it is easy and affordable, but I also love to use my homemade shredded vegan chicken or easy seitan if I have extra time to make it. You can also use any vegan chicken substitutes that you choose.
- Fresh Parsley – optional for a great fresh flavor.
For the dumplings
- Flour – Any white all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour will work. You can also use my homemade all-purpose gluten-free flour recipe for this if you need it to be gluten-free. Don’t use almond flour, it must be grain-based flour.
- Baking Powder – to make the dumplings fluffy. You will need 1 tablespoon. I know that this sounds like a lot, but trust me, you need that much. Don’t use baking soda! It will not do the same thing.
- Salt – for flavor.
- Refined Coconut Oil – Shortening (Crisco) or vegan butter will also work well.
- Plant-Based Milk – to get the right moisture level. Any type of non-dairy milk like soy milk, cashew milk, almond milk, rice milk, or oat milk will work or you can also simply use water instead of plant milk.
Helpful tools
- A large Dutch Oven – or soup pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Food Processor – optional but not necessary.
How to make vegan chicken and dumplings
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Start by sauteing a diced onion in olive oil on low heat and sprinkle with some salt. (Sautéing the onion very slowly to give a slight sweetness to the broth.)
Step 2 – While the onion is slowly cooking, chop up the celery and carrots. Then toss them in after the onion has become slightly translucent.
Step 3 – Give it a stir and add the herbs and spices. Then add the water and Not Chick’n broth cubes and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. You can use any vegan chicken-flavored broth, but this one is my favorite. (Soy curls soak up the broth so reduce the water by 1 cup if you are not using soy curls).
Step 4 – Add the butler soy curls or other vegan chicken products, stir, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Make the dumplings
Step 5 – While the soup is simmering make the dumpling batter. In a large food processor or a large bowl, measure out 1 1/2 cups of flour, (use a spoon to fill the measuring cups) 1 tbsp of baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt, into a bowl. Give it all a stir.
Step 6 – Add 1/4 cup of room temperature coconut oil (or cold vegan butter) to a food processor and plus it a few times until the mixture looks like sand (or mix in a large mixing bowl with a pastry cutter or large fork until well combined).
Step 7 – Once the dry ingredients and fat are mixed well, slowly add the plant-based milk and fold the mixture until a soft dough is formed. (You may need slightly more or less milk depending on how you measured and what type of flour you are using). Mix just until you can no longer see dry flour and you have a shaggy dough.
Step 4 – Add spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering soup until all the dough has been added. Cover with a well-fitting lid and simmer covered for 20 minutes until the dumplings are cooked in the center. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and salt to taste.
Pro Tips
- Cover the stew with a tight lid and leave it on the whole time the dumplings are cooking.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer the vegan stew and dumplings so it’s cooking at a low boil.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This vegan chicken and dumplings will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container. It tastes great the next day reheated for hot lunches.
Freeze: Freeze the stew and dumplings in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat a serving of the plant-based chicken and dumplings in the microwave for about 3 minutes or reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.
More vegan soups
- Coconut Curry Soup
- Vegan Potato Corn Chowder
- Creamy Vegan Bean Soup
- Classic Vegan Cream of Mushroom
- Vegan Orzo Soup with Spinach and Lemon
- Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Broccoli Potato Soup
Vegan chicken and dumplings recipe
Vegan Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 medium carrots , peeled and chopped into pieces
- 3 stalks celery , washed and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 11 cups of water, (use 10 cups if not using soy curls)
- 2 Not Chick’n bullion cubes , or equivalent that makes 4 cups of vegan chicken-flavored broth
- 1 ½ cup dry Butler soy curls , or 3 cups of your favorite vegan chicken substitute
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, optional
- more salt and pepper to taste
For the dumplings
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, or vegan butter
- 1/2 cup plain soy milk, or other plant-based milk (plus a 1-3 tablespoons extra if need)
Equipment
- large soup pot with a lid
- food processor is helpful but not required
Instructions
- Start by sauteing a diced onion in olive oil on low heat and sprinkle with some salt. (Sautéing the onion very slowly to give a slight sweetness to the broth.)
- While the onion is slowly cooking, chop up the celery and carrots. Then toss them in after the onion has become slightly translucent.
- Give it a stir and add the herbs and spices. Then add the water and Not Chick’n broth cubes and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. You can use any vegan chicken-flavored broth, but this one is my favorite. (Soy curls soak up the broth so reduce the water by 1 cup if you are not using soy curls).
- Add the butler soy curls or other vegan chicken products, stir, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Make the dumplings
- While the soup is simmering make the dumpling batter. In a large food processor or a large bowl, measure out 1 1/2 cups of flour, (use a spoon to fill the measuring cups) 1 tbsp of baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt, into a bowl. Give it all a stir.
- Add 1/4 cup of room temperature coconut oil (or cold vegan butter) to a food processor and plus it a few times until the mixture looks like sand (or mix in a large mixing bowl with a pastry cutter or large fork until well combined).
- Once the dry ingredients and fat are mixed well, slowly add the plant-based milk and fold the mixture until a soft dough is formed. (You may need slightly more or less milk depending on how you measured and what type of flour you are using). Mix just until you can no longer see dry flour and you have a shaggy dough.
- Add spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering soup until all the dough has been added. Cover with a well-fitting lid and simmer covered for 20 minutes until the dumplings are cooked in the center. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and salt to taste.
Notes
- If using soy curls, note that they are dehydrated and when added to the soup, they will absorb about 1 cup of broth.
- Cover the stew with a tight lid and leave it on the whole time the dumplings are cooking.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer the vegan stew and dumplings so it’s cooking at a low boil.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
I found an easy trick for making dumplings. Just add a can of coconut milk to about 2 cups of flour in place of both the liquid and the fat. They come out great!
Hi Monica. I was excited to try this recipe since “chicken and dumplings” was one of my favorite meals growing up in the 1950s and ’60s. I’ve missed so many favorites since I began a vegan diet to try to lower my cholesterol. This recipe was great, but I did substitute my family recipe for the dumplings since it doesn’t call for additional fat or egg. I used a homemade recipe for vegan chicken bouillon powder and it was delicious. I wasn’t even aware that there were vegan substitutes for bouillon until you posted this recipe. I’ve made it several times and it always tastes so good. This gave me an idea for another favorite family recipe using vegan bouillon powder, chicken pot pie (the Pennsylvania Dutch style.) I had to substitute broken lasagna noodles for the pot pie noodles since all of the commercially made pot pie noodles that I found were egg noodles. It was also delicious.
I’m so happy that you liked the recipe. I have never had the PA Dutch style pot pie with lasagna noodles. I’ll have to try that!
Made this yesterday. It was so good! I’m excited to have leftovers today for lunch.