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
Vegan Irish Stew
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
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Cindy says
it came out super tasty. I used the nitro guiness which has a milder flavor. only problem with the recipe was it took much longer than 10-15 minutes to soften all the hard root vegetables
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Stephanie says
so far, so good! I've got this simmering away and it tastes great so far. the combination of stout, broth and tomatoe paste is greater than the sum. The glaze is just right! I've noted the comment earlier that suggests a longer time to sinmer - my vegetables are chunky and will likely benefit from a longer simner. very excited to tuck into a plate of this!
Tam says
Mmmm.. It's simmering and I just tried a little to see if I needed to do anything. Nope. It's delicious and perfect. I don't like any beers other than Coors Light, but to get my Irish on, I used Guinness. I don't find it all bitter. The only thing I changed was to add a little marmite. Thank you!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic, thanks for sharing!
Pat Morgan says
I was skeptical about the tomato paste but holy cow....this recipe is fantastic! I made a huge pot for a St. Patrick's Day get together. It turned out beautifully; looked just like the photos. Delicious! I added big chunks of fried tofu for some added protein. Truly a great recipe. I didn't find it bitter one bit (but then I didn't follow all the quantities exactly as I tend to cook free-style) Thank you kindly - I'll definitely make this again.
Linda says
Hi! I cannot bring alcohol into my home. Can you tell me what to substitute? Thank you.
Linda says
Sorry- I just read substitute with broth. Thank you.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Perfect! 🙂
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
No problem, you can substitute with mushroom broth.
Hailey says
They also make non alcoholic beer you can use I’m sure
Debbie says
This looks amazing. Going to make over the weekend. Has anyone done in a crockpot?
Mary says
I don’t cook with onion or garlic, but, I like to use thinly sliced fennel for the idea of onion. This recipe is really quite amazing and I make it all the time.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Sounds great, Mary!
Philly Wayne says
A note to everyone trying this for the first time: This stew is Wonderful!
I've made this for the past few years... I think maybe since Sam first posted it on her youtube channel.
Each week, through the winter months, I make a different soup or stew and this is one of three that is made each month. Served with some fresh crusty bread it makes a complete and satisfying meal.
I've served this for holiday meals and just to take the chill off on odd weeks. The taste is amazing... and this is one recipe that I don't bother to alter at all (though I have found more bitter beers to be closer to our preference). Guests love it and have asked if it will be available again 🙂
I do recommend keeping the parsnips for, but if you are shy with these, just add one and chop it into smaller chunks than everything else - it will meld nicely with everything else.
In addition to it's wonderful taste, this makes an amazing presentation with the satiny gloss of the 'gravy'. I've prepared this stew, to serve up to 18 (so there was some to send home with guests) and the recipe stands without tweaking.
Many thanks to Sam for this creation! This will fill our happy bellies for years to come
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're so happy you love this recipe and have been enjoying this for years! Great suggestions too!
Susan says
Hi, Sam! I finally got this stew made and it’s delicious. I do not find it at all bitter. I added the third cup of broth so it’s a bit more soup like than stew like but that’s ok! How about a recipe for vegan soda bread to go with it? I still have a can of Guinness to use so I can make more to go with the soda bread. Win win!! Thank you for another good recipe. You are awesome
Sarah says
1/2 cup of tomato paste? This can’t be right, that’s a full tube, and not if was cooking for 20 people, would I ever use this much. Is this an error? Or does tomato paste mean something else in the USA
Mary says
I totally leave out the tomato paste and it is the best stew ever.
GMa in RP says
Excellent stew!!! Not being a fan of Guinness I just used 3/4 of a can of Michelob light. I used 2 cups of vegan better than beef bouillon and 2 cups vegetable broth for the liquid. Everyone, both vegans and non vegans, loved it.I will definitely be making this again. It was also very, very easy to make. Thanks for a great meal!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Great suggestions! Thanks for the great review!
Kade says
very earthy beery stew, liked it! skipped the parsnips and added tofu for some protein. also added some cocoa powder at the end. I think it would be great with oyster mushrooms
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you liked it Kade!
DX says
I used only 1 cup of stout and didn't find the stew bitter at all. I also used a teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet which darkened the broth nicely. But I thought the cooking time was way off; after only 15 minutes the vegetables were still very crunchy and underdone. I ended up cooking the stew for a total of 45 minutes or so and it came out good.
Michaela says
Soup was too bitter with a full can of beer, will try again with less beer as it was tasty otherwise!
Anonymous says
I had a craving for stew and this recipe hit the spot! Didn’t have mushrooms so I added some red lentils for a subtle hint of heartiness and protein that melted right into the stew and added to the thickness. I also really wanted to use a vegan beef broth but forgot to pick some up at the store so I stirred in some marmite. Since I wasn’t sure that the others eating this dish would enjoy the added bitterness of the marmite (which I personally enjoy), I used your tip with the brown sugar and it went swimmingly.
Sam Turnbull says
I updated the recipe with tips about bitterness in the first step. Hope that helps 🙂
Makaia says
This stew is sooo delicious!! Super easy recipe! The flavors and texture of this stew remind me of the stew my mom would make growing up! So good 🙂
Barry says
I swapped out the mushrooms (i have an allergy) for lentils cooked in "Better Than Bouillon" Vegetarian Beef stock along with soy curls soaked in vegetarian beef stock.
This will be my go to stew recipe going forward.
I think I may include chunks of Sam's (also amazing) Vegan Seitan Steak instead of soy curls next time.