This stew encompasses all the flavors of a traditional Irish stew, especially with the intentional use of Guinness stout in the flavorful broth. But it’s an excellent VEGAN Irish stew recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day that allows to to stick with your plant-based lifestyle.
The prep time is simple, and this can easily be a one-pot meal. Serve it up with some hearty whole-grain bread with butter (or vegan butter) and dinner is served!
If you’re interested, you can also try my Spicy Vegan Brunswick Stew, my take on a fascinating stew of questionable origin.
Meat Options for Vegan Irish Stew
For this recipe, I needed to find the best plant-based substitute for steak. Traditional Irish stew is made with lamb, mutton, or beef so the search was on for something with a meaty texture and similar taste to red meat.
Choices are limited in my area, but I found Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips. They fit my needs to perfection! The product also bears the American Heart Association’s approval for being certified heart-healthy.
The protein source is wheat gluten and faba bean protein, so for all our friends with Celiac disease….this is not a gluten-free product! However, this recipe isn’t gluten-free either, as it uses all-purpose flour
You may be able to find gluten-free alternatives to steak, such as those containing soy or pea proteins. Many recipes online use seitan as a meat alternative, though seitan is made from wheat gluten and is therefore NOT gluten-free.
You can find more information on plant-based meat alternatives in my Spicy One-Pot Vegan Brunswick Stew recipe post.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil– I always use extra virgin olive oil, not olive oil, not canola oil. Good ol’ EVOO which has many health benefits and is packed with antioxidants and polyphenols.
- Onion, carrots, and celery– The holy grail, “mirepoix” of veggies.
- Garlic—I used fresh garlic for this stew recipe, but you can also use canned, minced garlic, which I always have on hand.
- All-purpose flour– A little bit of flour helps get that thick, gravy-like broth you need for this stew.
- Guinness stout beer– Create the perfect, rich broth from this dark stout beer- that just happens to be vegan-friendly.
- Parsnips, mushrooms, and yellow potatoes—an Irish stew is incomplete without some hearty veggies! 😉 I prefer yellow potatoes for their more buttery flavor.
- Black pepper– to taste.
- Stevia sweetener– Stout beer can be bitter, so a little sweetener can help balance things out.
- Bay leaves and rosemary– for a more complex, earthy flavor.
- Vegetable broth– Needed to create more rich broth to slurp up!
- Bragg’s liquid coconut aminos– To keep this Irish stew vegan (and to give it that meaty “umami” taste).
- Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips– These plant-based tips are the closest meat substitute I could find. They worked out great! Just remember to add them towards the end and not to overcook them, as the texture gets tough and chewy when overcooked.
How To Make This Vegan Irish Stew
Step 1: Prep and Sauté the Veggies
After chopping all your vegetables, the first thing you want to do is heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion, carrots, and celery and sauté these for about 5 minutes. The onions will begin to sweat and turn translucent.
Next, add your garlic and sauté an additional one minute.
I usually use canned, minced garlic in recipes. However, I happened to have some fresh garlic on hand, which was perfect for this vegan Irish stew recipe. Fresh garlic does take more time to prep, but it gives such a wonderful flavor! If you do use the canned, mince garlic for this recipe, simply substitute 4 tablespoons.
Step 2: Adding the Stout and Broth
Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and use a wooden spoon to mix and coat all the vegetables. This coating will help make the stew liquid thicker after adding the stout and broth.
When everything is coated in flour, slowly pour in the Guinness stout beer. If you cannot find Guinness, you can use any vegan stout.
Keep in mind that not ALL Guinness beers are vegan! Guinness Stout and Guinness Extra Stout are perfectly fine and give a rich flavor when used in stews. The Barnivore website is a great place to search for other vegan-friendly beers.
Note: Don’t worry about the alcohol content if you’re serving this Irish stew to children, the alcohol cooks off during its time on the stove.
Step 3: Simmer and Wait
Add the vegetable broth, parsnips, potatoes, herbs, spices, Bragg’s coconut liquid aminos, and granulated sweetener. Basically, all other ingredients EXCEPT the mushrooms and vegan meat alternative.
Cover the lid and bring the stew mixture to a quick boil. Then turn the heat down to a simmer, stirring frequently. You’ll be simmering here for about ten to twelve minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Chopping all of your potatoes to about the same size will help them cook more evenly and simultaneously- no mushy potatoes or potatoes still raw in the center!
Step 4: Plant-Based Protein Time
It’s now time to add the mushrooms and plant-based steak tips! I find that it’s best to add these two ingredients for the last few minutes of cooking in order to maintain the texture.
This is especially true of the vegan steak alternative. If you cook some of these “meats” too long, they can become tough or chewy.
After adding the mushrooms and vegan steak bites, simmer for four to five additional minutes. The Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips I used were already pre-cooked, so it’s okay to add them straight from the package and into your stew.
Step 5: Eat Up!
The last and final step is to serve your heart-healthy, vegan Irish stew in serving bowls and dig in!
I love serving any soup or stew with some whole-grain bread or with butter (or vegan butter). ENJOY!
Serving Suggestions for Vegan Irish Stew
My all-time favorite pairing for any soup or stew is some good ol’ crusty bread with butter. I usually buy Italian or French bread, but considering this is an Irish meal, how about some Irish soda bread? Try this one from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking.
You can also serve this with some of my favorite easy and cheap garlic bread.
More Soups and Stews To Love
If you need more heart-healthy yet comforting soup and stew ideas, try some of these recipes!
- Irish Colcannon Soup (Heart Healthy Version)
- Tuscan White Bean, Sausage, and Kale Soup Recipe
- Unexpectedly Good Dilly Bean Stew with Cabbage
- Spicy One-Pot Vegan Brunswick Stew
- Easy Broccoli Feta Soup
Vegan Irish Stew with Guinness
Equipment
- 1 large soup or stock pot at least 8 quart size
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup yellow or white onion about 1 medium onion
- 3 carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 11.2 fl. oz. Guinness stout beer
- 2 medium parsnips chopped
- 1 lbs baby yellow potatoes chopped, about 2½ cups
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary or 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 3 tsp. Bragg's coconut liquid aminos or low sodium tamari
- 2 tsp Stevia or monk fruit granulated sweetener
- 4 oz. white button mushrooms
- 10 oz. Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Then add garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute.
- Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and mix to coat all vegetables. Pour in the Guinness stout beer or any other vegan stout you prefer.
- Add the vegetable broth, parsnips, potatoes, herbs, spices, Bragg's coconut aminos, and granulated sweetener. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and plant-based steak tips and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Serve with fresh, crusty bread with vegan (or regular) butter and ENJOY!
Video
Notes
- You can substitute any plant-based meat of your choosing for this recipe. See my Vegan Brunswick Stew recipe for more suggestions. Just be sure to add your plant-based meat substitute at the end to prevent a rubbery texture- the longer it cooks, the rubbery it will become.
- The steak tips I used were already “seared,” but if you use another plant-based meat that needs searing before adding to the stew, do this as step #1 and set your meat substitute aside until it is ready to add.
- You could also omit the meat alternative entirely and opt for a meatier mushroom, like chunks of portobello or baby portobello.
- Using low-sodium or no-salt-added ingredients significantly reduces total sodium. Feel free to add salt to taste if needed.
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Kiran Campbell, RDN is a registered dietitian and entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in nutrition and health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in both dietetics and psychology, and is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Cardiovascular Health and Well-being Dietetic Practice Group. Kiran is dedicated to delivering up-to-date, science-backed information on heart health and nutrition. Her mission is to support individuals living with heart disease and empower others to prevent it through informed, heart-smart choices. Learn more about Kiran by visiting her About Page.