Name: Vegan Hayashi Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes (200g after being strained, see directions below); 1 onion, sliced (225g); 1 garlic clove, micro grated (4g); 4 oz button mushrooms, sliced (120g); 5 oz shimeji mushrooms (150g); 2 oz dry soy curls, rehydrated (56g dry); 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegan butter (16g); 4 tsp plain flour (10g // gluten free if needed); 1/4 cup red wine (60ml); 1/4 cup Japanese Worcester (60g); 3 tbsp ketchup (45g); 2 tbsp tomato paste (30g); 2 tsp dark soy sauce (10g); 1 tsp vegan consomme or vegetable boullion powder (5g); 3 tbsp unsweetened non dairy milk (45ml); 1 bay leaf

side shot of vegan tomato mushroom demiglace hayashi stew over rice in a white bowl and wooden spoon

Vegan Hayashi Rice is the ultimate hearty & comforting flavour packed stew. This shortcut version comes together in under 30 minutes and is perfect for chilly weeknight dinners!

hayashi rice with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and soy curls over rice and parsley on top

As we enter soup & stew season, I start to crave things I grew up eating. Something about eating foods that bring back childhood memories is just so comforting. One of my favourite stews to enjoy during the fall and winter is Hayashi rice.

What is Hayashi Rice?

Hayashi rice is a classic Western-style (yōshoku) comfort food in Japan that is popular among both adults and children. It’s traditionally made with caramelized onions, beef and mushrooms stewed in a demi-glace sauce which produces a savoury, sweet and tangy stew that is incredibly delicious.

Boxed vs. Homemade

I grew up eating three different variations of hayashi rice: Instant roux blocks, ‘short-cut’ hayashi without demi-glace and from scratch with demi-glace. My mom would make the instant stuff once in awhile on weeknights that were super hectic and busy because of how instant it was to make. On days she had more time, she’d make her short-cut version (which I’m sharing today!) that doesn’t include demi-glace sauce. And lastly, once or twice a year when I would go to Japan, my grandma would cook us up her hayashi rice from scratch with homemade demi-glace.

I originally wanted to share a vegan version of my grandma’s from scratch recipe first but after 7 trials (so far), I just wasn’t super happy with the results so I decided to share this short-cut version first. I promise though, it’s just as delicious and comforting– just in time for stew season!

ingredients for vegan tomato hayashi stew in white bowls on a blue backdrop

How to Make Vegan Hayashi Rice

The Ingredients

Although one of the main ingredients of hayashi rice is beef and demi-glace, it’s easily made vegan by swapping it for soy curls or any kind of vegan faux meat. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this short-cut version of hayashi:

Onions
Garlic
Mushrooms: button & shimeji
Soy curls
Dark soy sauce
Vegan consomme: or vegetable boullion
Red wine: gives a rich & deep flavour but can omit for alcohol free
Japanese Worcester: if using regular Worcester, add 1 tsp of sugar
Ketchup & tomato paste: most people in Japan will use only ketchup but I personally find it too sweet so use some tomato paste to balance it out
Flour: gluten free blend if needed
Vegan butter
Tomatoes: grated and stewed right into the sauce
Bay leaf: gives a slight demi-glace-esque flavour

The Japanese Worcester, ketchup, tomato paste, tomatoes and bay leaf is what kinda mimics the flavour you would typically get from demi glace.

step by step photos of tomato demiglace vegan mushroom stew cooking in a black pot

The Directions

For this shortcut version, it takes about 15-20 minutes to make depending on how long you allow the stew to simmer which is just as quick and easy as using the boxed roux stuff. Here’s how it goes down:

First fry the onions and garlic with some vegan butter
Next fry the mushrooms and soy curls
Add a bit more vegan butter & flour and fry for another minute and then add in all the sauces
Simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until desired consistency

If you like a thinner consistency, you can add more tomato juice/water or simmer for less time.

vegan tomato mushroom and onion stew in a black speckled pot

Serving Ideas

The most traditional way to hayashi rice dish is over rice (obviously) but it’s also great over other grains and carbs! My mom would use leftover hayashi and add it over mashed potatoes instead of gravy– still one of my favourites to this day. If you have any leftovers, here are some more ways to enjoy hayashi:

use it as a sauce for pasta or noodles
over Japanese hamubrger steak (aka hambagu, recipe coming soon!)
served with toasted bread or baguette
over omurice (aka omuhayashi, vegan omurice recipe coming soon!)

I hope you enjoy this classic Western influenced Japanese comfort dish as much as my family and I do! It is truly one of the most comforting dishes to have, especially during the cooler season.

side shot of hayashi rice with tomato and mushrooms over rice and topped with parsely

More Vegan Japanese comfort food to love:

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

tomato and demiglace stew with mushrooms over rice

If you recreate this Vegan Hayashi Rice recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!