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.
Meg says
I made this recipe a couple weeks ago, and I, too, wish I had read some of the comments first and maybe left out the beer. Even after extra cooking time, the stew still had a bitter taste, so much so, that I couldn't eat it. I hate to waste food, but I had to throw it out because it just didn't taste right.
Ro says
What a hearty and delicious recipe! It's a perfect deep-winter meal. I did find that the cooking time was off; it was shockingly bitter at the 20 minute mark but more time on the burner tamed the flavour. I ended up boiling on high heat for 15 minutes and simmering on medium for another 45. I stirred often to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom, which might have also helped to evaporate more of the alcohol. When it was all said and done, the stew had a bitter aftertaste—but deliciously so! Lovely texture as well. I can definitely see myself making this again, maybe with peas next time. Good bread for dunking is a must.
Melanie says
I loved this stew! The beer I used was Modelo Negra (1 bottle) and I used half the thyme and half the brown sugar that the recipe called for. I also used a mix of mushroom broth and President's choice beefless broth (Canadian brand). My non-vegan husband loved it too and even suggested adding plantain in place of the parsnip for the next round. I will definitely make this again perhaps with plantain.
Thank you Sam!
Jenna says
This was completely inedible! I, like many others, had a major issue with the bitterness. I could not figure out what was causing it but I suspect either the beer or the tomato paste. Super disappointed... wish I would have read the reviews prior, would have skipped it.
PEACHARiNA says
I just made this tonight and thought it was too bitter also; the vegetable broth I used was pretty bland however, and the bitterness was an easy fix (add sweet/fats to offset bitter). I added “I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan” *butter* and maple syrup.
Cait says
Thank you for this comment!! You just saved our lunch. Added some Earth Balance and maple syrup and it really cut the bitterness.
Molly says
I've made this about four times now and we love it. I don't understand the people complaining about bitterness from the beer. Why did you make a recipe with a whole can of stout beer in it if you don't like it? It's like making a lemon meringue pie and complaining that it tastes like lemons. Anyway, like I said we've had it several times. The first time was supposed to be a one time deal for St. Patrick's Day this year but we liked it so much I've added it to our regular rotation of recipes! I love a few dashes of vegan Worcestershire sauce in it, too.
Jeannie says
OMG yum!! I love this stew! This is so good I wouldn't change a thing. What a great dinner for a cold rainy April night. Thank you for sharing!
izzi says
Well, I have to agree with a few others that I wasn't a big fan of the bitter aftertaste, which I attribute to the stout. I was a little nervous anyway about adding the stout, as I find dark beers too darn bitter for my liking. But I know it's a tradition and wanted to give it a try. Otherwise, I can tell that the stew itself is definitely delicious otherwise, so I'll give it another go and either replace the stout with added broth, or use a paler ale or lighter beer.
Dave says
I think the bitterness was from the thyme and not the stout, my 2nd batch l used regular beer (Sorry Guinness) and no Thyme..delicious!
Coco says
I made this last night in the instant pot. It was soooooo good! No bitterness! I put all ingredients in the instant pot. Used about 1/3 cup tomato paste, about 3/4 bottle of Guinness and over 5 cups of vegetable broth. I added 1/2 cup uncooked lentils. I didn't add any flour or oil. I cooked it for 25 min and did a slow release.
Kerry says
I made this tonight and it was very bitter. It looked amazing and the vegetables were cooked perfectly but the taste was too bitter to even eat. I used “double concentrate” tomato paste from a tube. Do you think this was the problem? Should I have used a different tomato paste that is not “double concentrate”? Thanks!
Kristina says
I followed the recipe except that I used Butter instead of oil, and just added a splash of Trader Joe's Umami Seasoning. I definitely needed to use 4 cups of vegetable broth. I think this is a winner. I happen to LOVE Guinness, so had no problems with bitterness as others have stated.
Ashley says
I agree with others who said this is bitter. I roasted the parsnips beforehand, and used slightly less than recommended amount of beer. There's no way 10-15 mins enough time to cook celery, potatoes, and carrots through. It's also not enough time to cook off the beer. I simmered for a lot longer and a lot of the bitterness decreased, but there is still kind of an unpleasant after-taste. I generally like beer and so I don't think it's a matter of simply not liking how beer tastes. Bummed because most of the recipes on this page are awesome, and this one looks so appetizing!
Gina Tracy says
My meat eating family loved this! I'm Vegan, and I am so happy to find another meal that we can all eat together! I will definitely cook this again.
Amy says
Loved this stew! Huge hit with family! Was perfect. Didn't have parsnips so used extra potatoes and carrots. Also added brown lentils and frozen peas. Ended up simmering about 2 hours and used almost 4 cups of vegetable stock. Nothing mushy. Used a can of Guiness Stout. No bitterness at all maybe because of the long simmer. Broth deliciously rich and similar to beef stew. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Sarah says
I love this recipe but I have made changes. I am not a fan of parsnips unless they are roasted (it completely changes the flavour and takes out the bitterness). So I make the stew as per the recipe except I roast the carrots and parsnips before adding them into the stew. I also add a can of lentils too.
Jan says
This recipe is so yummy ... and I'm not a fan of stews... but this is an exception! Even my husband - who likes to eat meat - truly enjoyed eating this Irish stew! Thank you Sam!
Victoria says
This is one of my favorite recipes! I've made it a few times and the stew's gravy has always been super tasty (but I really like Guinness). We never have any leftovers when I make this because we eat it all straight away. I couldn't find Guinness at the store last time so I made it with a different dark beer and it was still good but wasn't the same. I have a secret stash of Guinness now so I'm ready for the next time I want to make this 😉
Charlotte says
I didn’t read the comments before starting and used the beer. I really didn’t like this recipe - the stew had a very bitter taste. After I was done cooking, i didn’t want to eat the it but also didn’t want to waste it, so I ended up straining out the liquid so that just the vegetables remained, then added vegetable broth to make a soup instead.
Hilde Broeckx says
I used Belgian beer and we absolutely loved the stew.
My husband asked to definitely save this recipe 🙂
Charlie says
My wife and I (I'm the chef and she is my sous chef), made this yesterday.
From past experience I've learned to read the comments first.
Although we usually don't alter the recipes......
We made a few changes to this one: we left out the beer, used 1.5lbs of baby yellow potatoes, 5 carrots, 7 cups of veg broth and steamed the carrots and parsnips for 4 minutes prior; everything else was by the recipe.
This way everything was cooked in 25 minutes.
And is was absolutely delicious !
We have gotten so many awesome and delicious recipes from Sam 🙂
We are logging into Amazon now to buy your cookbook and support you 🙂
Michele Rose says
Many of your recipes use oil or vegan butter. What can I substitute to make your recipes with no added fat?
Thanks
Jorie says
Michele,
I use vegetable broth in most cases instead of oil or butter.
Stephanie says
This was really good! Lovely warming stew for a winter's day.
I'm not a big fan of Guinness but didn't have any issue with excess bitterness, like people are reporting. There was a bit of a Guinness-y undercurrent so maybe if you absolutely hate beer you should sub that out.
I cooked it for a bit longer (really just until the potatoes and carrots were done) and added more water during cooking to keep the sauce the right thickness. Other modifications: I used more carrot instead of parsnip as I had none, onion granules instead of onion because I don't like the texture of onion, and I halved all the quantities.
Andrew mart says
Thought I'd try this recipe. Had high expectations but wish I'd read some of the comments before I started. I used a can of Guiness which gave the stew a horrible bitterness. The veg was al dente and I made dumplings to temper the bitterness. Would try this again without the Guiness!