Vegan Colombian Sancocho is a comforting and filling stew-like soup. It is made with a flavorful vegetable stock, different (root) vegetables and is served with white rice and avocado. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
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What is traditional Colombian sancocho?
Sancocho is by far one of the most popular and typical dishes Colombia has to offer. It is a stew-like soup containing broth (stock), animal protein and root vegetables, and you serve it with white rice and avocado. Because you cook the bone-containing animal protein and the vegetables together in water, the base and heart of the soup is a rich, flavorful and fatty broth.
Similar to other typical Colombian dishes, there are many different versions of sancocho throughout the country. The three most common types are:
- sancocho de gallina (containing chicken/hen)
- sancocho trifásico (with three types of meat)
- sancocho de pescado (with fish)
You can use different combinations of vegetables for this soup. Commonly used are cassava (yuca/mandioca), potato, green plantain, corn, pumpkin, yam, and/or carrot. Flavor is added because of the use of onion, garlic, cilantro, and spices.
Ingredients
Vegan Colombian Sancocho
This vegan version of sancocho is based on hearty and homemade vegetable stock. The homemade part is important. If you use store-bought vegetable stock you will not get the rich flavor that is so important in this soup. However, when in a hurry, a good quality premade vegetable broth will do when adding enough flavor makers to the soup.
The homemade stock is seasoned with a mixture of onion, garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika, to add traditional sancocho flavor to the soup. This vegetarian sancocho is rich in (root) vegetables. It contains cassava, potato, green plantain, corn, and pumpkin. Optional when looking for extra protein is to add some cooked beans or chickpeas.
You serve it with the traditional side dishes: white rice and chunks of avocado. Just before serving chopped cilantro is added, and ready is your veggie-packed, comforting and healing sancocho.
More Colombian lunch or dinner ideas you find here!
Ingredients for the homemade vegetable stock
Tips and tricks for the best homemade vegetable stock:
- Homemade vegetable stock you can make with veggie leftovers. In this recipe, I use onion, garlic, leek, carrot, mushrooms, bay leaf, and cilantro. You can switch it up with other vegetables and fresh herbs that you have at home.
- Wash the vegetables, but leave the skins on. They add a lot of flavor. Also faster and easier!
- Bone broth has a rich flavor, is fatty, and collagenous. It is not easy to replicate the taste and texture when using only vegetables. I searched the internet for tips on how to make the most rich-flavored veggie stock and these two tips worked specifically well: 1) adding nutritional yeast for extra umami and 2) adding some oil ánd vinegar. Because of the vinegar, the oil gets incorporated into the stock, giving it the fatty texture that is so important.
- Caramelize the vegetables before adding water and let time do its work by simmering the stock for a couple of hours.
Tips for the best vegan Colombian sancocho
- Make a homemade vegetable stock. Even though it takes some time, the hands-on time is short
- When using store-bought stock, buy the best one you can find. Possibly you want to add a bit more of the spiced onion mix
- Using homemade or store-bought stock, make sure you make it slightly fatty by adding oil and vinegar. The fatty taste and feels make it resemble the original
- Make sure the plantain is super green. A slightly yellow plantain will make the sancocho too sweet
- The same goes for the pumpkin: leave the skin on and don’t overcook. If the pumpkin is added too long or it dissolves, the taste of the sancocho will be too sweet
- Don’t skip the toppings! The rice will deliciously absorb the soup and the avocado gives a creamy touch
- Check the vegetables regularly to prevent them from over- or undercooking (see information about cooking times below the recipe)
You might also like:
Vegetarian Ajiaco (Colombian Potato Corn Soup) a classic
Green Plantain Soup (Sopa de Plátano Verde) with Green Plantain Chips for the soup lovers
Colombian Rice with Vegetables (Arroz sin Pollo) another veggie classic
7 Vegetarian Versions of Traditional Colombian Food so much to choose from!
Arroz Blanco (Colombian White Rice) to serve with the sancocho
Ají Picante (Colombian Hot Sauce) if you like your food spicy
Do you love Colombian food? Click here for more vegetarian recipes!
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Vegan Colombian Sancocho
Ingredients
Vegetable stock
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 1 bulb of garlic, chopped
- 1 leek, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 handful of mushrooms, chopped
- 4 bay leafs
- sprigs of cilantro
- 2 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2,5 liter water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Vegan Sancocho
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
- olive oil
- 2 l vegetable broth (use this recipe, or use good quality premade stock/bouillon)
- 200-300 g peeled and cleaned cassava, cut into 8 pieces (cut in 4 pieces and halve them so you can take out the hard vein in the middle)
- 1 green plantain, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
- 1 cob of corn, cleaned and cut into 4 pieces
- salt and pepper
- 400 g pumpkin, cleaned but with the skin on, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 big white potatoes, peeled and each cut into 4 pieces
- 2-3 sprigs of cilantro
- cooked beans or chickpeas (optional)
Serve with
- cooked white rice
- chunks of avocado
- handful of chopped cilantro
Instructions
Vegetable stock
- Prepare the vegetable broth. You can do this in advance. Caramelize the vegetables in 4 tablespoons of oil, in a large soup pot, for about 15 minutes on a high heat until colored. Add bayleafs, cilantro, salt, water, 2 tablespoons of oil, the vinegar and nutritional yeast ( if using). Stir, bring to a boil and turn low. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 3 hours, or less when short on time. Strain, and the vegetable stock is ready to use.
Sancocho
- Cutting really small or using a blender, chop up and mix the onion, garlic, cumin powder and smoked paprika powder
- Cook the onion mixture in olive oil on a medium heat in your soup pot for a couple of minutes until fragrant
- Add to the soup pot the vegetable stock, cassava, green plantain, corn, salt and pepper, and sprigs of cilantro. Bring to a boil, turn low, cover with a lid and let simmer for 35 minutes (see notes below about cooking times)
- Add pumpkin and potatoes and continue cooking for an additional 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are all tender. Remove sprigs of cilantro
- Serve the sancocho in individual soup bowls. When using cooked beans or chickpeas, place these in the bowl. Evenly distribute the cooked vegetables, and ladle over the vegetable soup. Sprinkle with cilantro. Place white rice and chunks of avocado on a separate plate and serve with the sancocho
