Easy Vegan "Beef" Stew with Guinness

Name: Easy Vegan "Beef" Stew with Guinness
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 6 large portobello mushrooms; 12 ounces frozen peas; 4 carrots; 1 yellow onion; 2 stalks celery; 2 cloves garlic; 4 cups vegetable broth; 1/2 bottle (5 ounces Guinness Extra Stout); 1/4 cup dry red wine; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 tablespoons coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon thyme; 1 tablespoon Vegan Worcestershire Sauce; 3 large russet potatoes; 1/2 cup all purpose flour; 1 bay leaf

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This Easy Vegan Stew with Guinness is the perfect recipe to serve for St. Patrick's Day! Easy, hearty, and delicious, this stew will have everyone raving!

three bowls on white counter with beer in background

It is almost that time of year! My favorite time of year is St. Patrick's Day! For as long as I can remember, I have always embraced St. Patrick's Day. I don't know if it is because of my Irish heritage, or just the fun aspect of a silly holiday, it has always been my favorite. I have been making Guinness stew for as long as I can remember on St. Patrick's Day. Pre-vegan, I would make it with beef but post vegan, I have begun making this version, and let me tell you. It is perfect. It tastes like a warm hug. This Easy Vegan Stew with Guinness is exactly what you need this year!

For some other great warming recipes, check out this Vegetarian Scotch Broth, or this Tuscan Inspired Barley and Spinach Soup!

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What Makes This the Best Vegan Stew
Ingredient Notes
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
FAQ's
Equipment
Storage
Top tips
Other Great Recipes You'll Love!
Easy Vegan "Beef" Stew with Guinness
Food safety

What Makes This the Best Vegan Stew

Plant-Based- This stew is entirely plant-based! Even the Guinness is Vegan!
Soy-Free- Because the base of this stew is mushrooms, this recipe is soy-free! Most vegan dishes use a meat substitute in place of beef, however this recipe uses portobello mushrooms to give it that meaty, delicious flavor.
Hearty and Delicious- This recipe is super hearty and filling. Filled with delicious vegetables in a savory, hearty broth, this stew will be sure to fill you up!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients on concrete countertop in various bowls.

Vegetables- It wouldn't be a stew if it wasn't filled to the brim with vegetables. This stew has peas, carrots, onion, celery, and potatoes. These are all traditional vegetables that you would find in an Irish stew, however, feel free to add or swap whatever you want.
Guinness Beer- Did you know that Guinness beer is vegan? It is! They have a state-of-the-art filtration process that has removed the use of isinglass as a means of filtration. However, if you don't have Guinness near you, look for a vegan stout of your choosing.
Red Wine- Yes, this recipe uses both beer and wine. It is RICH. Make sure to get a vegan-friendly dry red wine, I like to just a pinot noir.
Portobello Mushrooms- The "beef" in this Vegan Stew is mushrooms! Portobello Mushrooms have a hearty and beefy texture that makes them the perfect mimic of real beef. If you can't find or like portobellos, you can swap it for another vegan meat alternative such as seitan.
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce- Since this recipe doesn't use beef broth, the vegan worcestershire sauce helps to deepen and enrich the flavor. If you can't find it, you can sub it for soy sauce.

See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and quantities.

Instructions

Dice the onions, celery, and carrots and saute over medium heat until the vegetables are softened.
Wash and chop the portobellos into large chunks. The key is to mimic the size of beef chunks so make sure to chop them into large, bite-sized pieces.

Carrots, celery and onion — All those delicious veggies!

Mushrooms added with carrots, celery and onion. — All those delicious veggies!

Saute over medium heat until the mushrooms start to release some of their water.
Stir in the flour, garlic, thyme, and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes until the flour has coated the vegetables.
Peel and chop the potatoes and add them to the dutch oven
Add the vegetable broth, Guinness, red wine, coconut sugar, vegan worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf.

Bring the Dutch Oven to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer on medium-low heat for 1 hour
10 Minutes before serving, stir in the peas

Hint: Both Guinness, tomato paste and red wine are quite acidic so it is important to add the coconut sugar to cut through some of that acidity.

Substitutions

Gluten-Free - To make this vegan stew gluten-free, use a gluten-free beer and swap the flour for cornstarch.
Plant-Based Meat - If you don't like mushrooms, feel free to swap them for plant-based beef tips or another meat alternative.
Alcohol-Free - If you don't cook or consume alcohol, feel free to leave it out and swap it for extra vegetable broth.

Variations

Slow Cooker Instructions

Saute the onions, carrots, and celery, and then add them to the slow cooker
Chop the mushrooms and set them aside
Toss the vegetables in flour and add the remaining ingredients minus the mushrooms and peas. Add the liquid slowly to work out any clumps from the flour.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours or high heat for about 3-4 hours or until the potatoes are very tender.
One hour before serving, add the mushrooms back in
10 minutes before serving, stir in the peas

Check out this other great hearty recipe, Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pot Pie Soup!

FAQ's

What can I use instead of Guinness?

You can replace the Guinness with any dark stout, just make sure it is vegan. If you do not cook with alcohol, feel free to swap the Guinness and red wine with extra vegetable stock.

How can I tell if the beer I choose is vegan?

Guinness is vegan, it is stated on their website, however if you go with a different beer, always check their website out or reach out to the manufacturer. Most are more than willing to reach back out to you. You can also check out the website Barnivore to get more detail on your beer.

Can I add extra protein to this stew?

Sure! This stew would be great with lentils! Just make sure to add an extra two cups of broth to make up for what will be lost as the lentils expand.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe.

Dutch Oven
Chef Knife
Cutting Board
Wine Opener

Storage

Leftover stew can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors will mellow the more it sits. Since this stew does contain flour to thicken it, it will get very thick when chilled. It will come to the right consistency when you reheat it though.

This stew will freeze up to 5 months, just be aware that the potatoes will get starchy after they have been frozen and thawed.

Top tips

Serving Suggestions

This Vegan Irish Stew is such a hearty meal that it is normally served on its own, however, feel free to serve this vegan stew with some crusty soda bread or some mashed potatoes. We even like to cut through some of the richness sometimes and serve it with a light side salad.

How to cook with Red Wine and Guinness

If you don't simmer the stew long enough or use too much alcohol, the stew can have a bitter taste to it. Here are some tips to cook with alcohol.

Make sure the vegetables caramelize by cooking at a high temperature. Stir frequently to make sure that they don't burn. Then when you add the liquid, use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot and scrape the crispy bits off the bottom.
Make sure to use the right amount. It might be tempting to pour the whole bottle of stout in or use a full cup of red wine, however, you will have to cook it much longer to get the bitterness out. That is fine when cooking with a slow-cooking protein like beef but because this stew is vegan, vegetables cook a lot quicker.
Don't forget to add the sugar! Sugar helps to cut through acidity and bitterness.

Large Green Dutch Oven filled with red napkin in background

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