This cozy vegan beef stew with tender carrots and potatoes is super simple to make in the Instant Pot or on the stove. This beefless stew is a quick, easy, one-pot vegan dinner that you are going to love!
When I was a kid, my dad would make beef stew any time the weather cooled down. He'd simmer that stew on the stove all day long, and it made the whole house smell amazing.
By the time dinnertime arrived, we could barely wait to shovel it into our faces. This vegan beef stew recipe is my simplified, veganized version of that childhood food memory.
Need more cozy meals? Try these easy vegan soups and stews!
The thing is, y'all, I don't have all day to simmer supper on the stove. Honestly, I don't know how dad found the time. Instead, my beefless stew takes about half an hour to make, from chop to finish.
I adapted this recipe from my Vegan Chicken Stew, and it's just as easy to make and delicious as that one is!
Vegan beef?
This recipe is pretty straightforward, ingredients-wise, but we do need to talk about the vegan beef situation. My preferred beef substitute is Gardein Beefless Tips (not a sponsor, but get at me, Gardein!). They're easy to find, and I think the texture and flavor are great.
If you can't find the Beefless Tips for this stew (or don't want to use them), you can use beef-style seitan or any vegan beef that comes in chunks (rather than slices or grounds).
If you super don't want to use meat substitutes, I'd recommend making this recipe with two cups of portobello mushrooms, cut into 1" pieces. I wouldn't call it vegan beef stew at that point, but I would still call it hearty and delicious!
The other key to this recipe's beefy-yet-beefless vibe is choosing a good vegan beef broth. I love using the Not-Beef Bouillon Cubes from Edward & Sons (also not a sponsor, but hit me up, y'all!). For this option, you use one cube per cup of water. I tend to round up, so if I am using 1 ½ cups of water, I use two broth cubes.
Better than Bouillon (nope, not a sponsor) also makes a great beefless bouillon option, which comes as a paste, rather than cubes. Just use one teaspoon of their paste per cup of water.
Recipe notes
You can make this beefless stew in your Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker), and I'm including stovetop instructions, too, for folks who aren't as gadget-obsessed as I am.
What I like about making vegan beef stew in the Instant Pot is that I don't have to be there for most of the cooking process. Just like on the stove top, you cook the whole dish in that single pot.
First, use the pot's sauté function to quickly brown the Beefless Tips slightly and start cooking the onion right in the pot. Then, add everything else, set it, and walk away.
Supper will be ready before you know it!
Want to know more about the Instant Pot? Check out this post, which answers common question and includes some of my family's other favorite vegan Instant Pot recipes.
If you're making beefless stew on the stove, the process is very similar. You'll just need to use more water, keep an eye on your pot, and stir occasionally. It's a bit more hands on but by no means difficult.
Vegan beef stew recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - optional - you can water-fry, if you prefer
- 1 9 ounce package Gardein Beefless Tips - still frozen is fine - see note
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 2 cups sliced carrots - think ½" rounds
- 3 medium red potatoes - cut into 1" cubes, about 3 cups
- 1 ½ cups water - Use 2 ½ cups water for the stovetop.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground sage - or 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme - or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 Not-Beef Bouillon Cubes - Use 3 cubes for the stovetop - see note.
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Instant Pot directions
- Set your Instant Pot to saute, and add the olive oil, Beefless Tips, and onion. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the onions soften.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover, and lock the lid. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a 10 minute natural release.
Stovetop directions
- In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the Beefless Tips and onion. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the onions soften.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add up to 1 cup of extra water, as needed.
Damian
I’ve now made this recipe approx. 20 times and I have to say it’s a go-to comfort dinner now. Thank you so much!!
Becky Striepe
That makes me so happy to hear, Damian!
Kezia
I’ve made this often and even my nonvegan mother-in-law loved it when we had to stay with her during a home renovation. You know a recipe is good if it’s one you reach for when you’re stressed out by mothers-in-law, nonvegans, and construction.
Becky Striepe
Oh, I am so glad this is becoming a comfort food go-to for you, Kezia!
Geo
We didn't have beef and are a mostly vegetarian family. We just got over covid and I needed a hardy stew. Quick too so this worked great for instantpot. Few things seemed off as I read the recipe though so here's my suggestions. In the spice mix add about a tablespoon of corn starch and a tablespoon of curry (pick your spice level, we went with not spicy curry). I also added salt and pepper to the vegan filets I used and have the seasoning mix. I also added a clove of garlic minced to the saute.
Did everything else as shown and it came out thick and harty. We eat it with Jasmine rice.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Becky Striepe
Thank you for sharing your variations!
Jeannette
So....I did a thing, it wasn't intentional, yet turned out to be very good in the end !
Due to lack of stock on the shelves, I couldn't find any of the bullion cubes or better than bullion ( I too am a huge fan of both)
With my heart set on trying this recipe I grabbed Lipton Beefy Onion Soup (Accidentally Vegan per "Is It Vegan" app ) so I took a shot at it and made my broth out of it instead.
I did throw about a tablespoon of flour in the bag of Gardein tips so that when I sauted them them I would get a roux.
I made the soup mix @ 3 cups strength since a packet makes 4 cups, and here's the unintentional thing I did-misreading the stovetop measurements for the instant pot measurements, I added the 3 cups of the soup to my instant pot! In the end I ended up with more of a hearty beef soup !
Salt , Pepper and Nooch at serving and I was a happy girl! (I LOVE soups ,so this was actually not a fail, imo ) Ate two bowls! Wish I could share pictures! Thanks for the awesome and obviously very versatile recipe!
Becky Striepe
Oh, that sounds lovely! And thank you for the tip about the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup. I have been wondering about subs, since stores haven't been well-stocked around here lately.
Kayla Sweeten
I loved this!! So easy too! I’m new to instant pots and some recipes get too complicated but this was perfect. Saving this one for sure
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Kayla! And thank you for taking the time to rate and review - it means a lot to me whenever people do that!
kelli brandt
Finally tried my instant pot and did this as my first recipe and it was AMAZING!!!!
Becky Striepe
Oh yay! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate. I love hearing from folks who make my recipes!
Juliana Fendez
Love this! I made a couple of substitutions: no celery, green lentils instead of brown, mixed veggies mix instead of frozen peas, and I think my daughter added an extra teaspoon of salt. It came out very flavorful and we served it with garlic bread. I’m new to the instant pot and this is my favorite recipe so far!
Becky Striepe
Oh, I am so glad to hear it!
med
I don't see that lentils are called for (green or brown) Am I missing something? Thanks for the recipe; I'm going to make it today! I am not a fan of mushrooms so I am glad that they aren't called for in this recipe.
Becky Striepe
There are no lentils in the recipe. :) Enjoy the stew - it's one of my family's faves! My son isn't into mushrooms, either, so you're in good company there.
Kathy Hester
I love this and it's perfect for fall!
Cadry
This looks so hearty & comforting. I know it won't be long until there's a serious chill in the air. I'm bookmarking this warming stew for then!
Dianne
Mmmm... I love this kind of stew! I usually make something like this with seitan, but I bet it's amazing with those Gardein beefy tips!
Becky Striepe
Ooh and you have me wanting to try it with beef-style seitan. That sounds lovely, too!
Carrie Joyce
The perfect winter stew. Simple and SOOO good. Just had it with my omnivore boyfriend and we both loved it.
Made it with about twice the onion (had a huge onion and wanted to use it all up), 4 freshly grated cloves of garlic instead of powdered, 2 large russett potatoes instead of red, and herbs de provance because we didn't have plain sage on hand. We threw some chopped celery in too. Had it with crusty french bread and Earth Balance
Becky Striepe
That sounds lovely! I'm glad you enjoyed it!