You won't miss the meat in this hearty, delicious and meatless vegan Irish "lamb" stew. It has chunky carrots and potatoes, tender wild mushrooms, and meaty, flavorful TVP chunks in a creamy, herb-scented gravy that evokes nostalgia and comfort.
I add in a glug of Guinness for more Irish flavor. Serve this divine stew with colcannon or a hunk of classic vegan Irish soda bread.
Classic vegan Irish lamb stew
This vegan Irish lamb stew has everything going for it: it's delicious, hearty and nourishing with tons of vegetables and protein. I've based the recipe on the Irish lamb stews I watched Desi eat when we traveled through Ireland, but I've added to it a few more ingredients to ensure that it is as flavorful as the original, minus the meat.
One of the primary modifications I made is subbing out the lamb for TVP chunks. The reason I do this is because you want some protein in this stew, and some texture. The vegetables, especially the chewy mushrooms and the chunky-cut carrots and potatoes, have great mouth feel, but if you are looking to replace a lamb stew with a vegan recipe you will find that the TVP dials up that satisfaction factor. I have used TVP chunks instead of meat in other stew recipes like my vegan beef stew, and it always works beautifully.
The Irish brown the lamb before adding it to the stew and I do the same with the TVP chunks, except I also season them first with herbs, salt and black pepper. What this does is it adds lots of flavor to the TVP chunks so they aren't bland when you chew on them. Browning the TVP also improves its texture. Other ingredients I add for umami are a bit of vegan Worcestershire sauce and mushroom stock.
The bitterness of the Guinness adds depth to the stew. When I first posted this recipe in 2015 Guinness was not vegan, because the process of making this delicious brew involved filtering it through isinglass, or fish bladders. Fortunately, in 2017 Guinness began taking steps to change this and beginning 2018 all Guinness now on the market is divinely vegan. If you can't lay your hands on Guinness just use any dark stout.
This is a remarkably easy stew to make. After browning the TVP you just add the remaining ingredients to the pot one by one. Give the stew a good half hour to simmer after you've put it together - this builds up the flavors and improves the texture of the stew. In fact, you can make the stew a day earlier because it tastes even better the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to meld together.
Recipe card
Vegan Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients
For "lamb" soy chunks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups TVP chunks (also called soy chunks. Soy curls work too or use seitan chunks)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (You can use whole wheat or, to make this gluten-free, use a gf all purpose flour)
Other ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 4 medium carrots (or two large carrots, cut in one-inch rounds)
- 3 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 oz Guinness draught stout
- 2 cups mushroom stock
- 4 medium potatoes (cut in one-inch chunks)
- 10 oz frozen wild mushrooms (or 10 oz of fresh mushrooms, including cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Chop fresh mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos. This is optional but it adds another dimension of flavor)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (optional, but very, very nice)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons parsley (minced)
Instructions
Soak and season TVP chunks
- Season three cups of hot water with salt and ground black pepper. Add the TVP chunks and soak them in the water for 15-20 minutes until they drink in a good deal of the water and are puffy.
- Strain out any remaining water and add the herbs and flour to the TVP chunks. Toss to mix.
Roast TVP chunks
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the TVP chunks in a single layer.
- Roast the TVP chunks until golden-brown, about five minutes. Turn them around at intervals to make sure they brown on all sides. Remove the TVP chunks to a plate or bowl and set aside.
Make the stew
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the Dutch oven. Leave any browned bits from the soy chunks in - they will add great flavor. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and dried herbs. Sauté the vegetables until the onions are translucent.
- Add the Guinness to the pot and bring to a boil. Let the veggies simmer in the Guinness for five minutes. Add two cups mushroom stock or water, then add the potatoes and mushrooms.
- Add the bay leaf to the pot. Bring the stew to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and let the stew simmer 20-30 minutes. This gives the vegetables time to cook until they're very tender and it develops all the flavors in the stew. If the stew looks thin, mash a few potatoes with a ladle to thicken it.
- Add the vegan Worcestershire sauce and vegan butter to the pot. Check seasoning and add salt and ground black pepper as needed.
- Turn off heat and garnish the stew with parsley.
Nutrition Information
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How to make vegan Irish 'lamb' stew
Soak, season and roast TVP chunks
- Season three cups of hot water with salt and ground black pepper. Add the TVP chunks and soak them in the water for 15-20 minutes until they drink in a good deal of the water and are puffy.
- Strain out any remaining water and add the herbs and flour to the TVP chunks. Toss to mix. The flour helps the herbs adhere to the soy chunks and creates a nice crust. It also helps thicken the stew.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the TVP chunks in a single layer. Don't overcrowd the chunks. If you are using a smaller pot, do this in batches.
- Roast the TVP chunks until golden-brown, about five minutes. Turn them around at intervals to make sure they brown on all sides.
- Remove the TVP chunks to a plate or bowl and set aside.
Make the stew
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the Dutch oven. Leave any browned bits from the soy chunks in - they will add great flavor.
- Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and dried herbs. Sauté the vegetables until the onions are translucent.
- Add the Guinness to the pot and bring to a boil. Let the veggies simmer in the Guinness for five minutes. Add two cups mushroom stock or water.
- Add the mushrooms and potatoes to the pot.
- Add the bay leaf to the pot. Bring the stew to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and let the stew simmer 20-30 minutes. This gives the vegetables time to cook until they're very tender and it develops all the flavors in the stew.
- Add the vegan Worcestershire sauce and vegan butter to the pot. Check seasoning and add salt and ground black pepper as needed.
- Turn off heat and garnish the stew with parsley.
Recipe FAQs
It would taste great, although you'd miss out on most of the protein.
Yes to both. Many traditional Irish stew recipes do not include Guinness but I like to add it to this vegan version because it builds more flavor with a very light, bitter undernote.
If you want to use more Guinness, try the recipe first with the suggested amount and increase the next time you make the stew if you want to.
Use any stout, including other Irish stouts like Murphy's and Beamish. You can also swap out the stout for ¼th cup Irish whiskey.
The alcohol cooks out and only leaves the complexity of the stout behind, adding tremendous flavor. So eat away without any worries.
You can use soy curls or tempeh. Season and brown them just as you would the TVP.
Serve the stew with vegan Irish soda bread or vegan sourdough Irish soda bread. If you're gluten-free I have a great gluten-free soda bread recipe too. You can also serve the Irish stew with creamy mashed potatoes, or vegan colcannon.
Store in the fridge for up to four days and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Reheat on the stove until warmed through before serving.
First published March 15, 2014. Updated and re-published on March 15, 2026.
Helen says
I made an Irish stew once but found the beer made it too bitter for me. Is this stew bitter with the beer? I'm debating whether to leave it out or use less. I used to love store bought canned beef and Irish stew when I was a kid (we aren't Irish so that is what I've tried :))
Vaishali says
Hi Helen, the beer adds a very slight undertone. You can leave it out or use a dry red wine instead.