Rich, flavorful Vegan Beef Stew cooks up in a flash in the Instant Pot, and it's even quick and easy on the stovetop.
This special request recipe has been on my to do list for months, and I'm so happy to finally be getting to it! I made this Vegan Beef Stew early in the winter, and several people asked for the recipe. I'm sorry that it took me this long to write things down for you!
My family is having a real stew renaissance right now. My son - who hates most soups and stews - devoured my Vegan Chicken Stew at every stage of testing, and I'm happy to be adding another healthy vegan stew to our repertoire!
How to Make Vegan Beef Stew
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. You just do a quick sauté, right in the pot, then add everything else. Set it, and walk away.
Vegan Beef Stew, ready to cook!
Vegan Beef Stew, ready to serve!
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 Instant Pot recipes.
If you're making this on the stove, it's almost as easy. You'll just need to keep an eye on your pot and stir occasionally. Easy peasy.
About the 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 (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 a drained can of kidney beans or 2 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 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 1 cube per cup of water. I tend to round up, so if I am using 2 1/2 cups of water, I use 3 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 1 teaspoon of their paste per cup of water.
Got your vegan beefy situation sorted? Let's make some stew, y'all!
Vegan Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - optional - you can water-fry, if you prefer
- 1 9 ounce package Gardein Beefless Tips - still frozen is fine - or use 9 ounces of your favorite vegan beef substitute
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 2 cups sliced carrots - think 1/2" rounds
- 2 large red potatoes - cut into 1" cubes
- 1 1/2 cups water - Use 3 cups water for the stovetop.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Not-Beef Bouillon Cubes - Use 3 cubes for the stovetop.
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
Instructions
Instant Pot (or Other Pressure Cooker) 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 1/2 cup of extra water, as needed.
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!