Love a good, hearty stew but don't want to slog over a hot stove? Then this Instant Pot vegan beef stew is for you! It's got all the yum and coziness of my vegan beef stew but it comes together so quickly in the Instant Pot.
I frequently develop an insane hankering for my vegan beef stew recipe. It's so hearty and cozy with chunks of potatoes, carrots and aromatic herbs. But when I don't want to work in a hot kitchen to make it, I go to this, my Instant Pot Vegan "Beef" Stew recipe. It's just as delicious, needs very little hands-on time, and it's loaded with healthy protein from soy curls.
Table of Contents
A satisfying, delicious stew for dinner
- Cozy and filling. This vegan beef stew, with lots of protein and veggies, checks every box for a memorable dinner. It's nutritious, it's immensely satiating, and it will win rave reviews each time.
- Aromatic. One of my favorite things about this Instant Pot stew -- what keeps me coming back to it time and again -- is that delicious aroma from the medley of herbs in it. And from the garlic.
- Healthy, loaded with fiber and protein. There are 290 calories, 17 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber in a serving. Ladle the stew over quinoa or brown rice to bump up the protein even more.
- The Instant Pot makes it so SIMPLE. An Instant Pot recipe has got to be easy, and this recipe couldn't get any easier. You need to saute the soy curls to begin the recipe, which takes no more than 5 minutes. After that just add everything to the Instant Pot liner and let the stew cook away! Waiting for the stew to finish cooking may, in fact, be the hardest part. 😉 Following directions and measurements will yield a creamy stew with the perfect thickness and texture.
- Nut-free and vegan recipe, can be soy-free and gluten-free. A few simple tweaks can make this recipe suitable to nearly any diet. You can even make it friendly for a low-carb diet using my tips below.
Best vegan beef substitute for stew
I use soy curls in this recipe because they work so well as a meat substitute here, with just the right chew and texture. They are what I used when I first shared this recipe with you many years ago. But there are even more options out there for meat substitutes now and you can go with your favorite--plant protein chunks, plant-based steak tips and seitan are all great. You don't have to change the recipe in any way--just proceed with your chosen meat substitute as you would with the soy curls!
To make the stew without a meat substitute use portobello mushroom chunks.
Building flavor
- Roast the soy curls or meat substitute. This may seem like one more step, but roasting the meat substitute, just as you would roast beef if you were making a beef stew, improves the texture of the meat substitute and also builds lots of flavor.
- Add lots of chunky vegetables and herbs.This gives this vegan Instant Pot beef stew great texture, and adding lots of garlic and an assortment of herbs gives it great flavor. Flavor is everything here, so you don't want to skimp! If you have an armload of fresh garden herbs that you don't know what to do with, this is the recipe that will take that problem off your hands. But you can also just use dried herbs--in fact they are preferred for the first stage of the recipe where you roast the soy curls.
- Add umami ingredients like soy sauce, tomato paste and red wine to add more depth and layers.
This is the third time I have made this recipe. It is so delicious! I am actually making it tonight because my three year old grandson loves it so much! -Jill
Ingredients
The beauty of this stew is it can be made entirely with pantry ingredients, which makes it a great all-year meal. Here's what you will need:
- Meat substitute: Soy curls, vegan steak tips, vegan protein chunks, seitan and TVP are all good choices.
- Herbs: garlic, dried rosemary, dried sage, dried oregano and fresh parsley (for stirring in at the end of cooking). You can switch out the herbs to those you have on hand and the only caveat is to use herbs that are savory, not sweet. In other words, sage, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary are all good. Stay away from basil and mint. If you have fresh herbs, use 1 ½ teaspoon of dried herbs to coat the meat substitute in step 1, then add 1-2 tablespoons of chopped, fresh herbs to the stew later. The more herbs you add, the more aromatic and delicious the stew will be.
- Flour. Flour acts as the thickener for the stew, and it also helps the meat substitute brown, developing flavor. You can use all-purpose flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour or rice flour.
- Vegetables: onions or leeks, carrots, potatoes, celery or green bell peppers and frozen green peas.
- Red wine (optional). This adds great flavor but you can leave it out.
- Soy sauce or liquid aminos (optional). I like adding this for umami but if you are keeping the recipe soy-free you can skip it or use a soy-free soy sauce instead.
- Tomato paste. This is another ingredient that adds umami and it also adds a rich color to the stew.
- Vegan butter. Vegan butter, added to the stew at the very end, adds a smooth, creamy flavor and also helps further thicken the stew.
- Vegetable stock or mushroom broth. You can use water instead, but stock or broth will add more flavor to the stew.
How to make vegan Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Place soy curls in a glass bowl with ½ teaspoon salt. Pour enough hot water to cover the soy curls completely. Let stand 30 minutes, then strain out all the water and squeeze the soy curls to get as much of the liquid out as possible.
- To the bowl, add the ground black pepper and salt to taste, half the dried herbs and flour.
- Mix to coat the soy curls evenly with the flour and herbs.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot liner and set the IP to the saute function. Add the soy curls and cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes, until they start to brown a little. If the soy curls start to stick to the bottom of the liner, add some vegetable stock.
- Stir in the garlic.
- Add the carrots, potatoes and celery or bell peppers.
- Add onions or leeks.
- Add tomato paste, soy sauce, red wine, if using, remaining herbs and vegetable stock. Mix well and then click the lid of the Instant Pot in Place. Set to cook at manual pressure for 15 minutes. Once the steam has released, open the lid and stir in the green peas and vegan butter followed by the parsley. Add salt and ground black pepper as needed. Serve hot.
Would you like to save this recipe?
Enter your email and I'll send this recipe to your inbox!
Serving suggestions
A cozy stew in a bowl with a chunk of crusty bread is my comfort meal. You can serve a nice, crusty sourdough bread or French bread with this stew.
For an even more nourishing meal serve the vegan Instant Pot beef stew over brown rice or quinoa.
For dessert, you can't go wrong with this delicious vegan rhubarb pie!
Storage
- Refrigerate: Store in the fridge for up to five days in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to four months in a freezer-safe container.
Tweak it for special diets
- Soy-free: Use a vegan meat substitute or protein chunks that are soy-free. Or use portobello mushrooms cut in chunks.
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free all purpose flour or rice four. Make sure the meat substitute you use is gluten-free. Use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Low-carb: Skip the potatoes and carrots and use lower-carb veggies like green beans, eggplant and zucchini. You can skip the green peas or cut them in half.
More hearty vegan stews
Instant Pot Vegan "Beef" Stew
Love a good, hearty stew but don't want to stand over a hot stove? Then this Instant Pot vegan beef stew is for you! It's got all the yum and coziness of a vegan beef stew but it comes together so quickly in the Instant Pot.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups soy curls (see ingredients list above for other meat substitutes)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage (divided)
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (divided)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (divided)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (divided)
- ¼ cup flour (use all-purpose flour or gluten-free all purpose flour)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 carrots (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 1 large green bell pepper (or 2 sticks celery, cut into chunks)
- 4 potatoes (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 1 leek (or large onion, chopped)
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup red wine (optional)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or liquid aminos, optional)
- 3 cups vegetable stock (or mushroom stock)
- 2 cups frozen green peas
- 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
Instructions
- Reconstitute the soy curls by soaking them in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze to remove excess moisture, then toss them in a bowl with half the herbs, salt, ground black pepper and flour.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot, press the saute button, and set it to low. Add the soy curls and cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes, until they start to brown a little. I find the Instant Pot saute function at normal tends to heat up too fast, so setting it to low is preferable to give the soy curls some time to brown. If they start to stick, add some vegetable stock.
- Add the garlic followed by celery or bell peppers, carrots and potatoes and stir to mix. Add leeks, followed by wine, if using, tomato paste, soy sauce and remaining herbs. Mix well.
- Add three cups of vegetable stock. Click the lid of the Instant Pot into place. Press the manual button and set to 15 minutes to pressure cook.
- Once the steam has released, open the Instant Pot and add the frozen peas and vegan butter. Mix well, check if more salt and black pepper are needed, and stir in parsley.
Nutrition
Calories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 17gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gPotassium: 696mgFiber: 10gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3375IUVitamin C: 56mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know in the comments below!
Liz
This looks fantastic! I don't have an Instant Pot. Would you kindly give directions for stove top cooking? Thank you!
Vaishali
Hi Liz, I have a stovetop vegan beef stew recipe which is very similar--there is a link in the first paragraph. Let me know if you try!
Rebecca T
This is so excellent and flavourful! Very versatile, too: I have made it with whatever veg I have on hand at the time. For example, tonight I had no celery, but a big courgette that needed to be used up somehow. This stew also freezes well, so if you can make the full recipe or 2x, please do yourself a favour and freeze half of it for mid-week leftovers. Thank you!
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Rebecca!