Vegan Soy Curl Paprikash

This is yet another revision of this vegan chicken paprikash recipe. Now, it is gluten free and eliminates the prepackaged vegan sour cream. There’s also a richer, creamier vegan paprikash sauce made with silken tofu, raw cashews, lemon juice and more.

This is still the kind of meal that you want to serve over egg-less ribbon noodles, mashed potatoes, millet, rice or with some hearty bread, but it’s quicker and more flavorful than the original vegan paprikash recipe. It also tastes awesome paired with Garlic Potato-Zucchini Pancakes.

Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) is a Hungarian dish, and has loads of paprika in it. To maximize the flavor in this vegan recipe, use imported Hungarian sweet paprika and Hungarian hot paprika. They bring a more intense flavor to the sauce.

In my experience, old paprika tastes a little bitter or like nothing at all. Make sure your paprika is fresh. If you can only buy one paprika, make it the Hungarian sweet paprika. You can substitute a ½ tsp red pepper flakes for the Hungarian hot paprika, and still get the heat. Or for a variation, swap out the Hungarian hot paprika for some smoked paprika.

If you use a more processed vegan chicken substitute, this vegan chicken paprikash recipe may taste overly salty or overpowering. Soy curls have one ingredient (soy), so I had to add additional elements to the sauce to make sure it had full flavor. If you use another product that’s already been seasoned, it might be too much flavor. Keep this in mind, if you make any substitutions.

Please enjoy 💚 And make sure to check out more UVK recipes, like Coconut Corn Soup with Soy Curls, Buffalo Soy Curls Wrap, Vegan Southwestern Casserole with Soy Curls, Sweet Corn and Hash Browns and more.

Vegan Soy Curl Paprikash

8 ounce package (or 6 cups) of soy curls

⅓ cup raw whole cashews

12.33 ounce package of extra firm silken tofu, drained

1¾ cup water

2 fake chicken bouillon cubes (I used Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cubes)

1 large Roma tomato

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp vegan butter

1½ cup chopped sweet onion

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp Hungarian hot paprika

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Chopped parsley, to top

Salt, to taste

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the soy curls and cover them with water. Let it sit for 10 minutes, and then, drain them in a colander. Squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside.

2. Next, you’ll work on the vegan paprikash sauce. In a high speed blender (like a Vitamix or Ninja), add the raw cashews, silken tofu, 1 cup water, bouillon cubes, the roma tomato, and lemon juice. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.

3. In a large, deep skillet, add onion, vegan butter, and a dash of salt. Sauté for ~7 minutes over medium-high heat or until they are soft and golden. Then, add the garlic, red pepper, and 2 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika. Stirring around constantly, sauté another 5 minutes over low heat or until the red pepper is soft.

4. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, Hungarian hot paprika and nutritional yeast, and then, move around for 30 seconds. Then, add ¾ cup water and loosen any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

5. Add the contents of the blender (the silken tofu mixture) to the skillet. Stir until the vegan paprikash sauce is well combined.

6. Add the soy curls to the vegan paprikash sauce. Once everything is well combined, turn the heat up to medium-low and cover with a lid for 10 minutes. About every 2 minutes, open the lid, stir the vegan paprikash around and make sure nothing is sticking. If it starts to stick, turn the heat down a little and/or stir in a little water.

7. At the end of the 10 minutes, taste and make adjustments, if necessary (more lemon juice? hot paprika? salt?). Top with chopped parsley. Serve vegan chicken paprikash with potato-zucchini pancakes, over egg-less ribbon noodles, mashed potatoes, millet, rice or with some hearty bread.