Author: 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)
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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: try using less tomato paste to start, adding more later to taste if desired. 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
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
CLC says
The potatoes give this stew a nice, filling heft, and the mushrooms add the meatiness you would expect in Irish Stew. It was quick and easy, and I liked the undertone of the beer. I did add some pepper flakes. Don't know if that's Irish, but the pepper added to the overall taste. The carnivores I feed loved it, and I have added this recipe to my regular meal rotation.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks CLC! So happy you loved it! 😊
Joe says
Love it! This tastes better than the beef Irish stew I made last week. Mine was not 100% vegan. I used beef broth instead of vegetable broth. I also used a bit of butter when I sautéed the mushrooms. I used cremini mushrooms and a small handful of a dried mushroom blend. I also added a tablespoon of soy sauce. So…darn…good. Can’t believe it!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Joe! So happy you enjoyed it! Love the mushroom boost and soy sauce addition 😊
Donna says
This was so easy, chopping aside, and rich in flavor! I followed the directions exactly and had dinner in the table in less than one hour. Delicious!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Donna! So glad you found it easy and flavorful 😊
Kellie says
I followed this recipe exactly and rating the recipe as written. It was unbearably bitter. I was in a rush and did not read the comments as I normally do. I might suggest renaming it Bitter Vegan Irish Stew.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Kellie, I’m so sorry to hear that. Bitter taste can vary a lot depending on personal taste sensitivity. I do have a note in step one about this and how to adjust the recipe as needed if you are sensitive to bitter flavors. I hope that helps!
Me says
It's St. Patricks Day and i just prepped this meal for my familyto celebrate this day. From the smell of it i can tell this will be a feast Irish style. Thanks for making my day, or should Isay: Fiddly dee potatoes!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Haha I love that 😄 Hope it was a delicious St. Patrick’s Day feast!
Whitney says
Doesn't seem like enough time to cook the potatoes?? Do they get pre-cooked beforehand or something? I've never been able to cook potatoes in 15 minutes. Am I missing something?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Whitney! The potatoes should cook through as written, but it does depend on how small they’re cut. If your pieces are larger, they’ll need more time. No need to pre-cook them first, just make sure they’re cut fairly small and simmer until fork tender.
Sue Hennessy says
I just made this for a fundraising dinner at our church for St. Patrick's Day. I made 120 servings. I followed the directions and advice from the comments about bitterness and lowered the beer and tomato paste levels a bit. I used Better Than Bullion vegetable for the broth base. It was a hit!! We served most of it and sold off the remaining leftovers and I shared the recipe to those who asked. We will be repeating the dinner next year
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Sue, wow — 120 servings!! That is amazing. I’m so happy it was a hit and that you’ll be repeating it next year ☘️
Merrilee says
Love this! For the first time in my life I have stew with a rich gravy and so easy to make!! Will make it again with less tomatoe paste but still all 19 oz of Stout beer cause I love Stout beer and can offset it with brown sugar.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Merrilee! So glad you loved it, and I’m with you, stout beer in this stew is so good 😊
Alex C. says
This recipe is outstanding, and I think I know why some people find it too bitter. Among the four basic tastes, bitter stands out as the most variable by a wide margin. Sweet, sour, and salty all show meaningful individual differences, but nothing close to the dramatic range seen with bitter perception. This conclusion is well-supported by a substantial body of scientific research. Given that the recipe includes two ingredients with a bitter component (stout and tomato paste), it's not at all surprising that some people will find the bitterness intolerable. Other people, however, will hardly detect it. I fall somewhere in the middle. Yes, I taste some bitterness, but I think it adds to the overall taste sensation, rather than detracts from it.
This phenomenon is similar to how people react to cilantro (coriander). Some people think it tastes awful, like soap. Others love it. The difference in perceptions is rooted in genetics.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Alex! This is such an interesting point, and I really appreciate you sharing it.
Carolynne says
I’ve made this stew several times over the past few years - love the bitter, herby interplay of parsnips & stout - I typically use a bit more brown sugar than recipe calls for & occasionally will add fried tofu chunks and/or corn. Glad I can still have a beer stew, even though I no longer eat meat. Perfect for a cold, snowy evening.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Carolynne! I love hearing how people make the recipe their own. Fried tofu sounds like a delicious addition 😊
Betsy says
Can this stew be made and then put in the over with a pie crust topping?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Betsy! Yes, that would work nicely. You could transfer the stew to an oven-safe dish, top it with pie crust, and bake until the crust is golden 😊