Vegan Irish Stew! Perfect for St. Patrick's Day. Hearty vegetables in a rich, earthy, thick stout beer broth. It's a stick to your ribs kinda stew! This Vegan Irish Stew is just so many good things in a bowl it will make your stomach smile. So dang hearty, I'm pretty much obsessed with the mixture of chunky vegetables in the rich stout based broth. Eeeerrrrrrrrk! ~Record scratch~ I'm sorry, did I say stout, as in beer? Yes, yes I did.
Irish stew is traditionally a lamb stew made with Guinness stout beer. Obviously, lamb isn't vegan, but now Guinness is vegan!! Believe it or not, the people at Guinness announced they changed their 250+ year recipe to make it vegan! Is that a sign of the times or what!?
Back to the broth: The stout beer in this recipe gives the broth rich, thick, and deep earthy tones. The alcohol gets cooked out, and the end result tastes wonderful. Seriously, good things are happening in my kitchen today.
If you don't like Guinness, you can use the handy-dandy Vegaholic app or check out Barnivore online to find a vegan-friendly stout you love.
This Vegan Irish Stew is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's day, or really any day that you want a warm rich stew. Serve it with a crusty loaf of bread or a soda bread for cleaning up every last bit of broth and you have yourself one mighty fine meal! It's a good thing. 😉
To Make Vegan Irish Stew:
Gather up all your hearty veggie goodness. Omnomnom.
Chop up all the veggies into chunky pieces because this stew is all about rustic chunks of veggie deliciousness... and beer... but we'll get to that shortly.
Sauté the celery, onion, and garlic in the olive oil, until the onion becomes translucent and just begin to brown. Now sprinkle in the flour. Stir well to coat the veggies, and cook for another minute to heat up the flour. Add the vegetable broth, and scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to get any bits off the bottom.
Add in all of the remaining veggies, tomato paste, spices, and the beer! (See, I told you we would get to that part). It will probably foam and do beer-like things, but that's ok, the bubbles and alcohol will cook right out.
Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until the veggies are fork-tender, but not mushy. The stew will be very thick. If you prefer a thinner stew, feel free to thin it out to taste with 1 to 2 more cups of vegetable broth.
Common Questions:
Is Guinness vegan friendly?
Yes, Guinness is 100% vegan!! No animal products have been used in its brewing or filtering, or as ingredients since 2018.
What should I serve with stew?
Be sure to make sure the ingredients are vegan but a nice crusty loaf, soda bread, or dinner roll is the perfect companion to a hearty stew.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Irish Stew
Servings: (makes about 1.5L)
PRINT
PIN
Video
COMMENT
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 - 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can (473ml) vegan stout beer
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks (optional)
- 8 oz mushrooms, quartered
- 2 ½ cups baby potatoes, halved (or about 2 regular potatoes and cut into chunks)
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Please note that some people find this recipe bitter. I love the bitter taste, but if you do not like bitter flavors here are my tips: make sure you use a beer you like the flavor of, if you don't like it before it goes in the soup, you won't like it in the soup. You can start with less beer to taste or replace the beer completely with a vegan beefless broth. If you find the finished soup too bitter try adding fat such as 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, or vegan butter and some sweetness such as 1 - 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar, agave, or maple syrup.
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and when hot add in the celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent and just begins to brown about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour. Stir well to coat the veggies, and cook for another minute to heat up the flour. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth, and scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to get any bits off the bottom. Add in the beer, all of the remaining veggies, tomato paste, and spices. The beer will foam up, but that’s ok, the bubbles and alcohol will cook right out.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until the veggies are fork-tender, but not mushy. The stew will be very thick! If you prefer a thinner stew, feel free to thin it out to taste with 1 to 2 more cups of vegetable broth. Remove bay leaves before serving, and enjoy hot. Allow leftovers to cool and store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Brady says
So glad I stumbled upon this recipe. I feel like so many vegan stew recipes call for some sort of beef replacement and I prefer a whole food approach to my food. Also, I wonder if the folks who think this is too bitter aren't regular beer drinkers... one can of Guinness was perfect for me! Threw this over some buttered rice and it was soooo good!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thank you for the kind review Brady, and so happy you loved the stew!! 🙂
Pia says
Way too bitter had to throw this away I have made vegan irish stew before use half the amount of stout- trust me on this
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Pia, that is why I added the note for step 1: "Please note that some people find this recipe bitter. I love the bitter taste, but if you do not like bitter flavors here are my tips: make sure you use a beer you like the flavor of, if you don't like it before it goes in the soup, you won't like it in the soup. You can start with less beer to taste or replace the beer completely with a vegan beefless broth. If you find the finished soup too bitter try adding fat such as 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil, or vegan butter and some sweetness such as 1 - 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar, agave, or maple syrup." I hope that helps.
Mary says
If I wanted to crock pot the recipe how long would I have to cook it?
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
You'd likely have delicious results if you cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
Melanie says
I made this last week and it was incredible! Love the bitterness that you describe! I also made vegan soda break to pair with it, yum! I will definitely make it again but will add tofu (or soy curls?) so there is some good chewiness to it. Yum yum!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So thrilled you love it, Melanie! Ooh, soy curls or tofu would both work great. If adding tofu, I recommend making the crumbles from this recipe and stir them into the stew at the end. If using soy curls, soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes, squeeze them really well, pan-fry in oil until crispy, and then add them to your bowls of stew just before serving. Enjoy!
Deb Richard says
Made this tonight. I didn’t have Guinness but had a can of Busch. I also threw in some vegan ground, a small can of mixed beans and a sweet potato in place of parsnips. Used what I had. It was absolutely delicious over some mashed potatoes. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll definitely make this again
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you loved it Deb!!
Rae says
Any thoughts on adding lentils? Maybe cooking beforehand...
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Rae! To add lentils to the stew, simply stir in ½ to 1 cup of dried lentils along with the other vegetables. You may need to add a bit more vegetable broth and cook a little longer (about 15-20 minutes) until the lentils are tender. Enjoy!
Ellen says
I cooked it longer and added more powdered stock to thicken it as it was a little runny. Added more sweetness and salt as it was very bitter and a little bland. A good base recipe to start from, does end up being a very tasty stew.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks for sharing! We're happy you were able to customize it for your ingredients and taste buds.
Laura says
I enjoyed this as a base recipe for vegetarian stew, though I found the veg very firm after 15 minutes. I ended up leaving it to simmer for a whole hour while I made some beer bread and it was nicely cooked after the hour. I did end up adding extra carrot and mushrooms to use some up, and used a few Tbsp butter instead of oil, and added a bit of worchestershire sauce and soy sauce. Very yummy with beer bread
Dede says
I made this last year and loved it, also added some "beef" seitan I made. Made it again yesterday and having it again tonight!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you love it Dede 🙂
Swash☠️B says
In order to get the full flavor of the tomato paste it should be sautéed with the soffritto.
A huge umami boost is adding one tablespoon of marmite.
David Morgan says
Could I add a cup of dried lentils to this?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi David, sure, but you would need to make sure that the lentils simmer in the soup long enough to cook. You will also probably have to add more vegetable broth or water as the lentils will absorb a lot. Enjoy!
Thinki says
Is there a beer substitute?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
You can omit the beer, if need be. You can use mushroom broth in its place.
Yanic says
This is a go to for us every St Paddy's Day! Perfect recipe... make vegan soda bread with it to dip in. YUM!
We use Alcohol-Free stout beer and the taste is perfect. Even the kids love it.
Dawn says
OMGosh!!! I have made this recipe multiple times. It is so delicious. My husband, who is a devout meat and potato eater, ate it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for all of the work that you do for those of us who like to cook. I was a big foodie before becoming vegan. Not so much now with the offerings at most restaurants. But with your recipes, especially this one, I am starting to feel my “foodie” mojo returning. LOL
Anne-Marie says
I made this last night, for the second time. So hearty, warming and delicious for this chilly, wet November weather in the UK.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're glad it warmed you up!
Hilary says
Best stew ever So filling, perfect for the colder weather. I mixed a little bit of curry powder with anything left over for a pasty filling. Delicious.