Vegan Stew

A hearty vegan stew is so comforting and makes a delicious winter dinner! This onepot meal is full of veggies, potatoes and beans in a thick and rich sauce.

Table of Contents

• Ingredient tips
• Step by step pictures
• Substitutions and variations
• Serving
• Storage
• More vegan comfort food
• 📖 Recipe

This cozy vegan stew is a delicious dinner that will warm you up on chilly days!

It's a wholesome meal with classic vegetables such as carrots, onions and mushrooms together with potatoes and beans for carbs and protein. The thick sauce is herby and rich in umami.

The flavours of the veggies combine perfectly with the red wine and other seasonings. But it's actually quite a simple recipe!

And this vegan stew is also easily made gluten-free - just check the vegetable stock to be sure it doesn't contain any gluten or wheat.

Ingredient tips

Here's what you need to make this hearty stew:

For the herbs, we love the hearty and aromatic mix of fresh thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. You could use dry herbs instead.

Tomato puree, also known as tomato paste in the US, brings some depth and tang to the sauce.

Red wine - Not all wines are vegan, so look for the vegan label on the bottle.

Miso paste - This is a fermented product which adds umami flavour. We used white or yellow miso paste for this recipe. Red miso can also be used and will result in a stronger flavour. Miso can vary in saltiness, so we recommend salting the stew to taste.

Beans - You can use any variety of canned beans. We used navy / haricot beans in the stew pictured, but other types such as white beans, black beans or red kidney beans will all work.

Cornstarch slurry thickens the stew. The starch is first mixed with some water so that it doesn't create a lumpy texture.

Step by step pictures

Here's a visual guide on how to make this hearty vegetable stew. For the full, adjustable and printable recipe, see the recipe card at the end of the post.

Substitutions and variations

We haven't tested the recipe without red wine, but a splash of balsamic vinegar and extra vegetable broth is a possible substitute.

This recipe is very versatile and you can be quite flexible with the veggies you use. Here's some ideas:

• Use shallots or a leek instead of the onion.
• Use pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or swede/rutabaga as an alternative to potato.
• Add a sliced stalk of celery at the same time as the carrot.
• If you are not a fan of mushrooms, you can simply leave them out and increase the other veggies or beans. Or, add an alternative ingredient such as courgette/zucchini, aubergine/eggplant, or tempeh in their place.

As an alternative to beans, soy curls, soy chunks, seitan or storebought vegan pieces could be used to make a vegan beef stew.

In place of the cornstarch, you can also an equal amount of arrowroot starch or use twice as much plain or all-purpose flour to thicken the stew.

If you have it at hand, a vegan beef or chicken broth in place of vegetable broth adds some extra flavour too.

Serving

As a garnish, some fresh parsley is a refreshing and colourful touch.

This stew is delicious served simply with a slice of crusty bread.

Dumplings or savoury vegan scones are also a great side.

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days.

To reheat, place in a pan on the stove and stir often until thoroughly heated through. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick or dry.

You can also reheat individual portions in 30-60 second intervals in the microwave, stirring each time, until thoroughly heated.

We don't recommend freezing this stew, as pieces of potato tend to become grainy after freezing.

📖 Recipe