Vegan Beef Stew - Connoisseurus Veg (2024)

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LAST UPDATED: June 8, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: February 10, 2020

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This hearty vegan stew uses tender portobello mushrooms in place of meat, along with potatoes and veggies simmered in a savory herbed red wine broth. You won't miss the meat in this hearty vegan version of classic beef stew!

I'm all about vegan comfort food recipes this winter, and this stew is no exception. This vegan beef stew was super cozy and delicious, and this is coming from someone who didn't even like beef stew in her omnivore days!

I think it was the beef part that I didn't like, because a bowl of steaming hot potatoes, veggies, and in this case, portobello mushrooms (in lieu of beef) in a savory red wine broth sounds pretty much like heaven to me.

Savory Seasonings

In addition to the herbs you'd normally find in beef stew (rosemary and thyme), I included a few ingredients to give it a savory flavor that might otherwise be lacking.

Marmite

One of the key ingredients to getting a super savory beef-stewy flavor out of this dish is Marmite. I hesitated to include this in the recipe, because I know lots of people will have to seek it out or order it online, so I made it optional.

What is Marmite? you may be asking. Marmite is a spread made from yeast extract. It has a very intense savory flavor. Some folks are fond of eating in toast (something I haven't been brave enough to try yet). It's totally vegan and great for adding flavor to recipes. It's an optional but highly recommended ingredient in this one.

Liquid Smoke

Liquid smoke is also optional in this recipe. I find it to be a pretty polarizing ingredient: some of us love it, some hate it! I'm one of those that love it, and I find it to be great for adding smoky, savory flavor to vegan recipes. If you hate it, leave it out. If you're not sure or have never tried it before, proceed with caution: just add a drop or two to your stew at a time and see what you think of the flavor.

Always keep in mind that with liquid smoke, a little bit goes a long way!

Red Wine

A great cook once told me never to add water to a recipe where I could instead add wine. I think that was pretty good advice. In this recipe red wine adds richness and intensity to the stew.

All of the alcohol should cook off if you let your stew simmer for the right amount of time. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, just leave the wine out.

How to Make Vegan Beef Stew

Start by heating up some oil in a large pot. Once the oil is hot, add your mushrooms. You'll want to let them sit and cook for a few minutes to achieve some browning. Then flip them and let them cook a few minutes more.

Veggies go in next! Add some onion, celery, and carrot. Sweat the veggies for a few minutes until they begin to soften up. Now add some garlic and let it cook for just a minute or so.

Flour is our thickener for this soup, and that's what will go in next. Sprinkle a bit of flour in at a time, stirring between each addition until it coats the veggies. Cook and stir the veggie and flour mixture for about a minute.

Now start adding broth, a bit at a time, making sure to stir and eliminate any lumps before the next addition. Once all the broth has been added, you can stir in some potato and herbs. Raise the heat and bring the stew to a boil.

Lower the heat and let the stew simmer until the potatoes are just tender. Now stir in some red wine, tomato paste, and marmite. Let the stew simmer until the veggies are very tender, the broth is thick, and all of the alcohol has cooked off (taste-test for this).

When the stew has finished simmering, take it off of the burner and season it with salt, pepper, and liquid smoke, if desired.

Vegan Stew FAQ & Tips

This stew keeps well and the leftovers are great! Store them in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
Feel free to add veggies! It occurred to me just before I photographed this stew that peas would be a great addition. Try thawing some frozen peas and stirring them in during the last minute of cooking. You could also add some greens like spinach or kale, and let them simmer in the stew until they wilt.
Can this stew be made gluten-free? I'm not sure, but I suspect cornstarch or arrowroot would be a good substitute for the flour. Make a slurry with either ingredient in some cold water and start pouring it in, just a bit at a time, when the stew is almost done. Continue adding your thickener unil the stew is as thick as you'd like it.
Is there a substitute for the wine? You can simply leave it out if you prefer. Add some extra broth if the stew needs extra liquid, and a tablespoon or two more of tomato paste if the flavor is lacking.
Want to add some protein to your stew? Try my beef-flavored seitan.
Not all red wine is vegan. Check with Barnivore to ensure yours is!

More Comforting Vegan Soups & Stews

Vegan Clam Chowder
Vegetable Stew
Classic Lentil Soup
Vegan Irish Stew
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

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4.82 from 38 votes

Portobello Vegan Beef(less) Stew

CourseEntree

CuisineAmerican

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 278 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

2tablespoonsolive oil
1poundportobello or cremini mushrooms,cleaned and roughly chopped
1large onion,diced
2medium celery stalks,chopped
2medium carrots,sliced
3garlic cloves,minced
¼cupall-purpose flour
4cupsvegetable broth
2poundsred potatoes,cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
2tablespoonsfresh thyme leaves
2tablespoonsfinely chopped fresh rosemary
1cupdry red wine
2tablespoonstomato paste
1-2teaspoonsMarmite(optional, but highly recommended for savory flavor)
½teaspoonliquid smoke,or to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place it over medium heat.
Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the mushrooms in an even layer. Let them cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottoms. Flip and cook for about 5 minutes more, until softened.
Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook everything until veggies begin to tenderize, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle in the flour, a bit at a time, stirring between additions to form a coating on the veggies. Cook the veggies and flour for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Begin adding the broth, a bit at a time, stirring to eliminate any lumps that form from the flour. When all of the broth has been added, stir in the potatoes, thyme, and rosemary.
Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are just tender but still a bit undercooked, about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir in the red wine, tomato paste and Marmite. Bring the stew back to a simmer. Allow the stew to simmer for about another 20 minute, stirring occasionally, until the broth is thick and the veggies are very tender.
Remove the pot from heat and season the stew with liquid smoke, salt and pepper.
Ladle into bowls and serve.

Recipe Notes

This is an older recipe from 2016 that I updated in 2020. If you made it before the update, you may have noticed that the instructions have changed a bit. In the original version I had you adding the wine and letting it reduce before adding the flour. I discovered recently that potatoes cook up softer and faster in the absence of wine, which is why it goes in later now. Feel free to stick with the original process if you prefer - just add the wine between steps 3 and 4, and let it simmer for 4 or 5 minutes to reduce.

Nutrition Facts

Portobello Vegan Beef(less) Stew

Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups)

Calories 278Calories from Fat 56

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.2g10%

Saturated Fat 1.1g6%

Sodium 602mg25%

Potassium 1084mg31%

Carbohydrates 40.1g13%

Fiber 5g20%

Sugar 6.2g7%

Protein 10.1g20%

Calcium 98mg10%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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About Alissa Saenz

Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Heather Wilson says
December 07, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Made this tonight - if you don't have marmite then yeast flakes (from any good health food shop) would be a good alternative. I would definitely give miso a miss as it's a completely different flavour and does not add a 'meatiness' flavour. Plus I added a heaped desert spoon of marmite (yum) - we add it to all our hearty meals e.g. chilli, spag. bol. casseroles etc. We didn't have any liquid smoke so I aded 2-3 tsp of paprika instead. The stew is delicious and so filling I can highly recommend it.
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  December 08, 2019 at 10:38 am
  I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your tips!
  Reply
Al says
December 28, 2019 at 8:39 pm
Loved this! My meat eating husband was totallu satisfied. A winner!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  December 29, 2019 at 3:07 pm
  Yay! Glad it was a hit!
  Reply
Alison says
January 17, 2020 at 9:05 pm
Fresh rosemary doesn’t break down; it just becomes super chewy. So either use dried or some sprigs you can pull out before eating.
Reply
Dawn Harrison says
January 26, 2020 at 10:19 am
Made this last night and it was delicious. I omitted liquid smoke because I don't care for it (next time I might add a dash of smoked paprika), and also omitted marmite since that's not something I'm accustomed to. Served it with toasted wheat bread. This is a keeper!
Reply
Andrea D Wiener says
February 10, 2020 at 5:43 pm
I have a question - what can I use instead of mushrooms?? (I can't eat them)
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  February 15, 2020 at 10:54 am
  Eggplant would probably work well!
  Reply
  - Andrea D Wiener says
    February 15, 2020 at 11:34 am
    Thanks - i'm gonna try that!
    Reply
Grace Carpinello says
February 10, 2020 at 5:56 pm
Substitute for wine?
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  February 15, 2020 at 10:53 am
  You can just leave it out if you prefer.
  Reply
Mary Beth says
February 11, 2020 at 9:32 pm
This was delicious! I realized while cleaning up I forgot to add the liquid smoke! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Reply
Pam Smith says
February 13, 2020 at 8:02 pm

Came out great.
Reply
Michelle Vallejo says
February 16, 2020 at 10:46 pm

Marmite was good, (can't believe they eat it on toast), But I would leave out the liquid smoke next time.
Reply
Michelle Vallejo says
February 16, 2020 at 11:17 pm
Also, I wouldn't finely chop the herbs, I would throw the fresh sprigs in and pull them out after cooking.
Reply
- Henrietta says
  December 16, 2020 at 8:09 am
  See Also
  Fried Deviled Eggs - in the air fryer! - The Food Hussy
  
  I love this recipe, and I have used it so many times over the winter months.
  Is it possible to do in a slow cooker?
  Thank you x
  Reply
  - Alissa Saenz says
    December 16, 2020 at 3:57 pm
    I'm so glad you like it! I haven't made it in a slow cooker myself. If you try it I'm thinking you might want to do everything through step 6 on the stove, then transfer to a slow cooker.
    Reply
    - Henrietta says
      December 29, 2020 at 4:00 pm
      
      I followed your steps, and then placed in the slow cooker. It turned out amazing!! The potatoes and carrots were so tender, and it thickened up nicely. Thank you for the reply. My family loved it :)
      Reply
      - Alissa Saenz says
        December 31, 2020 at 9:20 am
        Awesome! Glad it worked out and was a hit!
  - Lucy says
    December 15, 2021 at 6:55 am
    Henrietta I am hoping to do the same! How long did you put it in the slow cooker for please and at what setting? I was worried the potatoes would disintegrate if left in too long? Lu xx
    Reply
colette says
February 27, 2020 at 6:50 pm

Love the recipe but I did make some changes. Instead of just red wine I used marsala, port, and sherry. I do not like liquid smoke so I put in Hungarian smoked paprika. I used powdered spices. My daughter is gluten free, I do not like her flour and she can't have mine so I use Thick-it. I used three of the biggest portabello s I bought at Trader Joe's. This came out half stew half. bourguignon.
Reply
Derrek says
April 08, 2020 at 12:58 am
Try rice flour instead of wheat flour for a GF alternative. It thickens similarly.
Reply
Sarah Zeltins says
May 02, 2020 at 8:30 am
I've been searching for just this recipe...and never thought to use a might ...by my dad does all the to mm e. In oz, we have Vegemite, Mmarmite, Promote, Cheesymite...we are all raised on vegemite toast for breakfast, on sandwiches, crackers with cheese. So it's on ll Y logical to use!
Reply
Philippa Walters says
June 16, 2020 at 11:52 am

this tastes so good, i added dumplings to this. i left out red wine, and used yeast extract from tesco as there was no 'marmite'. i never used liquid smoke.
i love this recipe. i will defo make again
Reply
- Tammy Hawk says
  October 04, 2020 at 10:21 pm
  
  I made it exactly as directed and it is unbelievably delicious. It tasted like my favorite beef stew recipe that I used to make before being a vegetarian. I recently made a shepherd's pie which uses marmite and thinks a secret ingredient that puts it over the top. If I knew it would make me too full, I'd eat another bowl. Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe. I might making your beef seitan and trying that as well for protein, but using baby bellas that way was perfect.
  Reply
Eva says
September 28, 2020 at 5:26 pm
Could this be made in a slow cooker? What modifications would I need to make?
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  October 03, 2020 at 10:22 am
  I think you could, but I haven't tried so I'm not sure of the exact method. I'm thinking you might want to start it on the stove, going up to step 5, and then transferring everything to your slow cooker.
  Reply
Sasha Ernst says
October 27, 2020 at 1:05 pm
Your recipes are fabulous and like so many others, this did not disappoint. This is the happiest and coziest of stews and my meat-eating S.O. raved. Perfect for cold fall nights.
Reply
Paul C says
October 29, 2020 at 11:02 am
Ok, likely the best stew I've ever made. I am/was a meat eater...we've just recently converted to Vegan...the only thing this meal lacked was picking the strands of stew beef out of your teeth at the end of the meal...seriously, absolutely fantastic. We didn't have marmite - here in Canada one of our grocers just introduced Beef(less) plant based broth - we used that in place of Veg Broth - best stew I've ever made, had! Thank you for making the world better.
Reply
Rita says
November 02, 2020 at 9:12 pm
Excellent! Followed recipe, except subbed red wine with 1 T. apple cider vinegar and smoked paprika in place of the liquid smoke. Even my carnivore husband enjoyed it!
Reply
Kim says
December 29, 2020 at 1:04 pm
I substituted pea protein for the flour and it worked beautifully. This increased the grams of protein, since there wasn't any other major protein source, and it thickened as well as the flour would have.
I couldn't find Marmite , so I used Miso, and it seemed to work fine, but of course I have no idea what marmite would have tasted like.
thank you
Reply
Patrick O'Herron says
January 18, 2021 at 3:30 pm

I followed this recipe with a few modifications. I did not add any flour, as my instinct told me that the starch from the potatoes would thicken the stew right up and I was right. I added a handful of frozen peas as I had them on-hand. I did not have liquid smoke, but I did have applewood smoked sea salt, so I used a bit of that to season. I also used fresh thyme sprigs, which I removed before serving, and DRIED rosemary on the advice of another poster, and it was perfect. Very pleased with this recipe and will make it again!
Reply
Sue says
January 29, 2021 at 8:26 am

Have made this countless times now, it's our go to winter stew recipe. It's so tasty, and has a real "beefy" flavour. I always make a huge pot as it freezes well.
Reply
Ash says
February 25, 2021 at 10:48 am

I make this on a weekly basis, I don't add the marmite because it's not to my taste and I also add in frozen peas. So delicious.
Reply
Celine says
March 09, 2021 at 5:26 pm
This recipe is delicious! I find mushrooms to overpower a dish sometimes, so instead of that I used gardein meatless tips. It was amazing! I also used dry rosemary and thyme so it would blend into the dish more. Served it with some crusty bread and it was a hit! My coworkers even asked me to bring them in a sample!
Reply
Andrea says
March 18, 2021 at 6:02 pm
I made this into an Irish stew for St Patrick's Day, substituting a bottle of stout for the wine and adding 2 parsnips. I didn't use marmite or liquid smoke. It was really delicious! And even tastier on second day, of course.
Reply
- Debby says
  November 20, 2021 at 8:16 pm
  Wow! I Am Absolutely Going To Try Your Guinness Stout Idea Next Time! Irish Lady Too!!
  Reply
Janet says
January 24, 2022 at 12:41 pm
This is my husbands favorite. Thanks so much.
Reply
Daisyheadfayzie says
July 21, 2022 at 11:25 am

I made this last night and it was delicious! I used dried thyme & rosemary. Didn't use the Marmite and only used a dash of liquid smoke. The only change I would make is chopping the carrots so they're larger.
Thanks for such a healthy beef stew alternative.
Reply
Judee Weinstein says
September 06, 2022 at 11:07 pm

Love these recipes!!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  September 07, 2022 at 9:26 am
  Thank you so much!
  Reply
Sandra G says
September 06, 2022 at 11:35 pm

Very similar to my late husband's faux beef stew. He used a can of stewed tomatoes cut up instead of tomato paste, and always added fresh green beans, which seem to make it taste more beefy. Lots of paprika because his family cooked Hungarian dishes growing up. He also tried out TVP a few times, but we liked it just as well without.
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  September 07, 2022 at 9:25 am
  That sounds delicious!
  Reply
SR says
October 16, 2022 at 5:18 pm
Wow. This is just outstanding. I couldn't find Marmite and not a fan of liquid smoke, so I substituted veggie Better Than Bullion and some nutritional yeast flakes. A keeper, for sure!
Reply
Susan says
October 19, 2023 at 10:50 pm

I didn't expect this to be as savory as it was! I had no rosemary or wine, but I did have Marmite which i ordered just because of this recipe and I had never cooked with portobellos before. So much better than with other mushroom types. Following your procedure helped with the flavor as well I am convinced. So comforting. Thank you !
Reply
Tanya says
October 22, 2023 at 8:27 pm
Hi Alissa! If I wanted to add seitan to the recipe, do I have to leave the mushrooms out? Would I need to add more liquid to make up for the addition to the seitan? Thank you!
Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
  October 22, 2023 at 8:38 pm
  Hi Tanya! It really depends on how much seitan you add. I think you could easily add an 8-ounce package of seitan without adding more liquid or leaving anything out. If you use more than that you might want to either cut down on the mushrooms (by about half) or add some extra broth as needed while the stew cooks, making sure you've got just enough liquid to cover everything, as shown in the last process shot in the post. I hope that helps! Enjoy!!
  Reply
Dorie Kosche says
February 18, 2024 at 9:17 pm

Yum, am enjoying this while I'm typing. The broth is so rich and filling. Dorie
Reply