Rich, hearty, and comforting, this Vegan Beef Stew is the perfect cozy dinner. It is packed with vegetables, vegan beef chunks, and a savory broth full of flavor and pairs wonderfully with a slice of crusty bread.
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Hey Internet, my husband and I cannot agree. Is March 2nd too late in the year to post a soup recipe?
It’s getting warmer here in the Chicagoland area… but high 30’s or low 40’s (Fahrenheit) and rainy is perfect soup season to me. Yet Mr. Zardyplants thinks we should be focusing on Passover and Easter recipes.
So we compromised. I get to post a soup recipe today and then he gets his way on Thursday and we’ll post a recipe perfect for spring. Hah, I still win.
Regardless of our little spat, I’m thrilled to share this delicious vegan beef stew recipe with you all today.
It’s so cozy and warm and savory and delicious… plus it goes phenomenally well with ANOTHER exciting recipe I’m sharing today… my vegan Irish soda bread!
Honestly these together are a delicious meal that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day (and timely, SO THERE, MR. Z) or anytime.
This stew features my Instant Pot Seitan, which is a generic vegan beef recipe I’ve used for anything from vegan philly cheesesteak, vegan gyros, stir frys and more.
It’s quite easy to make, but I’ll detail a few alternatives in the next sections in case you are gluten-free or don’t want to use seitan for whatever reason.
The rest of the soup features a few hacks for making this taste like the beefiest vegan soup you’ll ever eat, and it’s so rich and cozy!
How many times can I say cozy in one post? Shall we make it a [water] drinking game? Lol.
Alright, let’s dive in and make this delicious… coz-I mean comforting- soup.
What You’ll Need
So let’s start with the star of the show, my tender juicy instant pot seitan. You do NOT need an Instant Pot to make it--I have stove top instructions too. It’s just a little faster with one.
It’s vegan, it’s beefy, and it’s dang good.
IF you are gluten-free or otherwise don’t want to make or use seitan, you can use a number of things instead--here are just a few options:
Cubed super firm tofu, soy curls or textured soy chunks, beans, lentils, or a store-bought vegan beef substitute.
For my next trick, vegan beef broth.
I LOVE Better Than Bouillon Concentrated Stock Paste so much I should work for them or something. I don’t, for the record (not yet anyway--bwahaha).
For this recipe I used Better Than Bouillon No Beef Broth Base. It’s delicious and beefy but vegan.
If you can’t find it (I buy mine online, that’s the only place I can personally find this flavor), you could try vegan bouillon cubes or prepared vegan beef broth.
You can also just use vegetable broth and it will work just fine. To get it a browner color, you could add a little reduced sodium soy sauce.
I have one more trick up my sleeve to help this vegan beef stew taste even more beefy: Red wine.
Beef and beef stew are often cooked with red wine. It adds an AMAZING depth of flavor and all the alcohol will cook away so it won’t get you drunk.
It’s easy to find vegan red wine with the Barnivore website--not all wine is vegan, unfortunately.
If you don’t want to use wine, just add a similar amount (about 1 cup) of broth and it will still taste great.
The vegetables in this soup are interchangeable with whatever you like, but I used traditional beef stew vegetables: yellow onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.
For a little extra flavor, I added a splash of balsamic vinegar, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and a small splash of agave syrup for balance of flavors (it needed just a little sweetness in my opinion, but it’s optional).
Because I have the seitan this didn’t need beans or lentils but if you’re adding dried lentils, add 2 cups of extra broth for 1 cup of lentils.
Tips for Making Vegan Beef Stew
- Note about seitan: If you’re using my instant pot seitan (whether you use a pressure cooker or stovetop, instructions for both are included), make it before you start the soup and let it rest for 10 minutes before cubing as much of it as you’d like to use. I used about half of it for this recipe and kept half for stir-fries.
- Note about bread: Similarly, if you would like to make my vegan Irish soda bread to have with this, make it and let it cool for an hour before slicing to eat with this soup.
- Alright, so first, let’s start by sauteing onions in a large nonstick pot over medium high heat. Stir the onions frequently and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until translucent. If you cook with oil, you’re certainly welcome to start with that (I’d use a neutral flavored oil, not olive or coconut). Personally, I cook with water, so I just add a splash of water (about a tablespoon) whenever the onions start to stick.
- Next add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Then add the mushrooms. Saute for another 3 minutes, then add the carrots, potatoes, and herbs & spices. Stir, then add the vegan seitan chunks (if using) and red wine (if using) to deglaze the pot. Stir again. Note, if you’re using tofu, I’d add it once the potatoes and carrots are almost cooked through. If adding lentils, add them now (don’t forget the extra broth to compensate; 2 cups broth per 1 cup lentils).
- Add the vegan beef broth (or vegetable broth), agave, and balsamic vinegar, cover, and set the heat to medium. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.
- Adjust the flavors if needed, and remove from heat.
- Serve with vegan Irish soda bread or a crusty French bread and enjoy! I love eating vegan beef stew with apples on the side. Something about the hot soft soup contrasted with the cold crunchy apples (I refrigerate apples… am I weird?) is just delicious.
- Refrigerate leftover stew in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Ask my husband and he will tell you in a second that I am soup obsessed. What, it’s cozy! (Oops.)
Anyway, here’s a few of my favorite vegan soup recipes. And don’t worry, we’re not done with soup until next fall--I can’t help myself!
- Vegan Stew with Dumplings
- Vegan Cream of Chicken Soup
- Tomato Soup with Vegan Grilled Cheese
- Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
- Vegan Tom Kha Soup
- Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup
- (Instant Pot, but with stove top instructions) Creamy Mushroom Lasagna Soup (weird but good!)
- (Instant Pot, but with stove top instructions) Corn Chowder
- Vegan Double Chicken Noodle Soup
- Hearty Lentil Vegetable Soup
Anything Else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too. It’s rare that we’ll both lick the bowl, but we did!
We had a lot of leftovers from testing this recipe a few times to make sure it was perfect for you, and every day we were excited to eat more of the leftovers--it is quite a feat to make Mr. Zardyplants like leftovers so much!
This Vegan Beef Stew is:
- Cozy
- Rich
- Savory
- Luscious
- Cozy
- Satisfying
- Packed with tender vegan beef
- Nutrient dense
- Protein-packed
- And perfect for family dinner, meal prep or a holiday meal. It’s a crowd-pleaser!
Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
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Vegan Beef Stew
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rich, hearty, and comforting, this Vegan Beef Stew is the perfect cozy dinner. It is packed with vegetables and vegan beef chunks.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow or sweet onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced (more or less to taste)
- ½ pound carrots, diced
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes, diced (peel if you wish)
- 1 pound crimini or white button mushrooms, halved or quartered (omit if you dislike)
- 2 cups diced or torn vegan “beef” like my Beef Seitan (see note 1)
- 3-4 cups vegan “beef” broth (see note 2)
- 1 cup dry red wine (see note 3, can replace with broth)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp agave, optional
- 1 cup lentils, optional (if using, add 2 additional cups broth)
Instructions
- Note about seitan: If you’re using my instant pot seitan (whether you use a pressure cooker or stovetop, instructions for both are included), make it before you start the soup and let it rest for 10 minutes before cubing as much of it as you’d like to use. I used about half of it for this recipe and kept half for stir-fries.
- Note about bread: Similarly, if you would like to make my vegan Irish soda bread to have with this, make it and let it cool for an hour before slicing to eat with this soup.
- Saute onions: Alright, so first, let’s start by sauteing onions in a large nonstick pot over medium high heat. Stir the onions frequently and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until translucent. If you cook with oil, you’re certainly welcome to start with that (I’d use a neutral flavored oil, not olive or coconut). Personally, I cook with water, so I just add a splash of water (about a tablespoon) whenever the onions start to stick.
- Add garlic: Next add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add mushrooms: Then add the mushrooms. Saute for another 3 minutes.
- Add veggies and herbs: Now add the carrots, potatoes, and herbs & spices and stir.
- Add seitan: Add the vegan seitan chunks (if using) and red wine (if using) to deglaze the pot. Stir again. Note, if you’re using tofu, I’d add it once the potatoes and carrots are almost cooked through. If adding lentils, add them now (don’t forget the extra broth to compensate; 2 cups broth per 1 cup lentils).
- Add broth and cook: Add broth, agave and balsamic vinegar, cover, and set the heat to medium. Cook covered for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.
- Adjust the flavors if needed, and remove from heat.
- Serve: Serve with vegan Irish soda bread or a crusty French bread and enjoy! I love eating vegan beef stew with apples on the side. Something about the hot soft soup contrasted with the cold crunchy apples (I refrigerate apples… am I weird?) is just delicious.
- Store: Refrigerate leftover stew in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Note 1: IF you are gluten-free or otherwise don’t want to make or use seitan, you can use a number of things instead--here are just a few options: Cubed super firm tofu, soy curls or textured soy chunks, beans, lentils, or a store-bought vegan beef substitute.
- Note 2: I used Better Than Bouillon No Beef Broth Base. It’s delicious and beefy but vegan. If you can’t find it (I buy mine online, that’s the only place I can personally find this flavor), you could try vegan bouillon cubes or prepared vegan beef broth. You can also just use vegetable broth and it will work just fine. To get it a browner color, you could add a little reduced sodium soy sauce.
- Note 3: Beef and beef stew are often cooked with red wine. It adds an AMAZING depth of flavor and all the alcohol will cook away so it won’t get you drunk. It’s easy to find vegan red wine with the Barnivore website--not all wine is vegan, unfortunately. If you don’t want to use wine, just add a similar amount (about 1 cup) of broth and it will still taste great.
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Jill
Hearty, warming comfort food! Easy and quick to make, in comparison to meaty versions that can take hours to get to this silky, scrumptious gravy. Very good with a dark beer ;)
Leslie Stamey
This recipe is very easy and absolutely delicious! It's remarkable how much it tastes like beef stew. Thank you for helping our family add some vegan options into our menu.
Katharina
Very good recipe, it had become one of my favorites. I haven't had time to try making the bread yet, but I bet I'll be great, too!
PJ Minkler
So good!!! Starting to try and master as many of your recipes as I can they’re fantastic! Thanks for all you do!
Sue
My meat-eating husband said "This is good!" Thanks for having an IP seitan roast recipe.
I will make this again!