Ital stew peas is a vegan recipe made with red kidney beans, vegetables cooked in coconut milk. This well-flavoured savoury dish (with a hit of sweetness from the coconut) makes the perfect high protein dinner for any vegan.

Ital Stew Peas Is Vegan

So what is Ital anyway?

Ital is the term used by the Rastafarians of Jamaican to describe their food, which is meatless and cooked with very little salt.

Ital is vegan, and so is the stew peas recipe shared below.

I used a bit more salt than if a Rastafarian was cooking this vegan stew peas because not everyone is used to eating saltless meals.

Stew peas is red kidney beans cooked in well-seasoned coconut milk.

The most popular way to cook stew peas is with meat. But if you eliminate the meat you get the perfect vegan stew peas.

The coconut milk carries vegan stew peas, so it is better to use fresh coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk tastes much better than tinned ones and that extra flavour makes the stew pops.

Don’t just take my word for it, give it a try.

What You need To Make Ital Stew Peas Vegan

Red kidney bean: Use dry kidney beans, as the dish will turn out better. I pressure cook the beans to soften them. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, it will take more time to cook the beans. Soaking the beans overnight will help to cook the beans more quicker.
Fresh coconut milk: Trust me when I say fresh coconut milk is best for this stew peas dish. You’re cooking a bean stew, so you want to add the best ingredients to taste great. Fresh coconut milk is best, as it has that fresh, sweet taste tin coconut doesn’t have. With that said, you can use tin coconut milk if that works for you.
Red onion: You don’t have to use red onion, but in my mind, pairing red onion with red kidney beans is better.
Vegetable stock: My grandmother would use Grace Soup Mix but substitute it for vegetable stock whiles still keeping the rich traditional flavour.
Jamaican flavour: Pimento (allspice), thyme, scallion and scotch bonnet pepper are ingredients that go in every Jamaican stew, so they are a must.
Plain flour: To make the small dumplings called spinners that go into this dish

What Are Spinners

Snippers are the small dumplings that are in the dish. There are made from plain flour mixed with water.

Add water a little at a time to the plain flour and knead to form a soft dough. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. Take small pieces of the dough and roll them in the palm of your hands to make the spinners.

For some people, plain flour mixed with has no taste. If that you, add a pinch of salt when making the dumpling dough. I don’t do this because the flavour from the stew is enough for me.

How To Cook Vegan Stew Peas

Prepare the coconut milk: If using fresh coconut milk, prepare it first. Blend the coconut with a cup of water, juice the blended mixture and set aside the coconut milk.
Cook the beans: Give the beans a thorough wash, then add them to the pressure cooker with water and pimento (allspice). Cover the pressure cooker and pressure for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make your spinners: Whiles the beans pressure, use that to make spinners.
Soft beans: After 10 to 15 minutes, the beans should be soft enough to crush between your fingers.

Season the pot: Add the coconut milk, garlic, onion, thyme, scallion, carrot, scotch bonnet pepper, salt and vegetable stock. Cover a bring to a boil.
Taste test: Now is the time to taste your cooking to see if it’s seasoned to your liken.
Add the spinners: Roll the dumpling dough in the palm of your hand to make the small spinners and add them to the pot. The dumplings will help to thicken up the sauce.
Serve: Once the stew peas finish cooking, remove the scotch bonnet pepper, the thyme stems before serving.

Cook Without Stew Peas A Pressure Cooker

Two tins of beans will work for this recipe. Add them to a pot, the coconut milk and the rest of the seasons. At the same time, add the spinner, cover and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens.

If you wish to use dry beans, wash and soak the beans overnight. Soaking the beans overnight starts to soften them, which will reduce the time needed to cook them.

When cooking the beans, you will need more water than the recipe below suggests. Add about 4 cups of water, pimento and the beans to a pot and cook on high heat until the beans are soft. Once the beans are cooked, follow the rest of the instructions below.

What To Serve Ital Stew Peas It With

The only thing Jamaican serve with vegan stew peas is plain rice. Since so much is going on in the ital vegan stew peas, a simple side dish goes well.

Try it will my coconut rice.

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Lesa

Jamaican Stew Peas Without Meat (Vegan Recipe)

5 from 13 votes

This Jamaican Stew peas recipe without meat is a rich, comforting vegan twist on the classic dish. Made with kidney beans simmered in coconut milk, herbs, vegetables, and spinners, it’s hearty, flavourful, and naturally satisfying. You can make this Stew peas recipe without a pressure cooker on the stovetop or use a pressure cooker for a quicker method. Perfect for a plant-based Jamaican meal that’s both filling and delicious.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Servings: 5 Servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Jamaican

Calories: 449

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

2 cups Kidney beans
3 cups Coconut milk See notes
1 medium Red onion
1 stalk Scallion
2 medium Carrots
3 cloves Garlic
5 Pimento berries (allspice)
1 sprig Thyme
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Vegetable stock powder See notes
7 cups Boiling water See notes

Spinners

¾ Cup Plain flour
Water

Method

Rinse the beans thoroughly under cold running water. If you’re not using a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight to help them cook more quickly and evenly.
Add the beans to a pressure cooker with 3 ½ cups of water, the pimento berries (allspice), 1 garlic clove and 1 teaspoon salt. Lock the lid in place and cook at high pressure for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender. After cooking, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid. The beans are ready when they’re tender enough to mash easily between your finger
If you’re not using a pressure cooker, add the beans to a large pot with 4 cups of water, the pimento berries, 1 garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Check the pot occasionally and add more water as needed to keep the beans covered (see Notes for details).
Dice the carrots, chop the onion, garlic, and scallion. Add them to the pot along with coconut milk, thyme, vegetable stock, and a whole scotch bonnet pepper. Dice the carrots, chop the onion, garlic, and scallion. Add them to the pot along with coconut milk, thyme, vegetable stock, and a whole scotch bonnet pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. At this point, taste and add more salt if needed.
To make the spinners, add the flour to a small bowl and gradually stir in the water until a firm dough forms. Knead briefly until smooth, then pinch off small pieces and roll them between your palms to form long, oval-shaped dumplings. Add the spinners to the pot, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid reduces and the sauce thickens.
Remove the scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Serve with your side of choice.

Nutrition

Serving: 300gCalories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 11gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 26gSodium: 503mgPotassium: 736mgFiber: 7gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4129IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 8mg

Notes

Kidney beans: Raw kidney beans work best for this recipe, but you can also use canned beans; however, the dish will have less body. If using canned beans, use two tins, drain and rinse them, then add the beans to the pot with all the ingredients and cook until the sauce thickens..

Coconut milk: Homemade coconut milk will give the dish the best flavour and richness. If using canned coconut milk, use 1 (1⅔ cup ) can and add extra water as needed to balance the consistency.

Onion: Red onion gives this dish the best flavour and the colour works best for this recipe, but you can use any onion you have on hand.

Scotch bonnet pepper: Leaving the Scotch bonnet pepper whole adds its signature flavour and aroma without making the dish overly spicy.

Vegetable stock: Some Jamaicans, including my grandmother, traditionally use Grace vegetable soup mix. You can use that, or substitute your preferred vegetable stock or seasoning blend.

Water: Pressure cooking requires less water for the kidney beans. If cooking on the stovetop, the beans will need more liquid and a longer cooking time — about 7 cups of water in total. Add the water in stages as the beans cook, rather than all at once. This way, you won’t end up with too much liquid in the pot once the beans are fully cooked.

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