This easy recipe makes a hearty mushroom stew with a mix of fresh mushrooms, leeks and savory herbs. All you need is one pot and under 30 minutes!
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A satisfying, cozy mushroom stew
The cooling weather sets off a voracious craving for vegan stews, like a nourishing vegetable stew, a hearty vegan beef stew or a deeply satisfying chickpea stew. But when I am in a rush and wanting to eat something that's satiating and comforting, this easy vegan mushroom stew recipe is my go-to.
The mushroom stew delivers more flavor than you thought possible in less than 30 minutes and with a handful of ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. The tomato paste and soy sauce add tons of umami and the savory herbs, including sage and rosemary, create an explosion of flavor. In warmer weather, when fresh herbs are readily available, you can use those instead.
This is a versatile recipe. Use whatever mushrooms you have on hand: a mix of mushrooms works, as does just one kind of mushroom. I love mixing wild mushrooms like shiitake and maitake with cremini or white button mushrooms. Just go with what is easily available to you or what you already have in your fridge.
The stew is gluten-free and nut-free and you can use soy-free seasoning sauce or coconut aminos if you are soy-free. Mushrooms are low in carbs so this stew is also well-suited to anyone on a low-carb diet.
We call it the "divine" sauce in our house. It is sooo delicious and we make it almost every week. Highly recommend it!
Recipe card
Mushroom Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek (white and green parts finely diced, You can use a finely diced onion instead.)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 medium tomato (finely diced)
- ¼ cup white wine (optional)
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs (I used a mix of rosemary, thyme and marjoram. For substitution ideas see the ingredients list above. If using fresh herbs, use two tablespoons of fresh herbs).
- 16 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (Sliced. I used a mix of cremini mushrooms, maitake mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. See ingredients list above for substitution ideas).
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos)
- 1½ cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock or, if using dried mushrooms, the stock from rehydrating the dried mushrooms).
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- Place olive oil, leeks and garlic in a saute pan or skillet. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Saute until the leeks are soft, about five minutes, over medium heat.
- Stir in the diced tomato, tomato paste and wine, if using, and mix well.
- When all visible liquid in the pan has evaporated, add the rice flour to the pan and mix it in. The vegetables should quickly absorb all the flour.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and mix well. Let the mushrooms cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the dried herbs, soy sauce and mushroom stock or vegetable stock or water. Mix well, cover, and let the stew cook for 5 minutes to thicken and for the flavors to meld. Check for salt and peppers and add more if needed.
- Stir in the parsley and mix it in. Serve the mushroom stew hot or warm.
Notes
- You can substitute the leeks with onions or shallots.
- If you are using wild mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms and chanterelles will all work very well in this recipe. You can also use dried mushrooms. See FAQs above for more on this.
Nutrition Information
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Recipe FAQs
Yes. Dried mushrooms add wonderful, chewy texture to the mushroom stew. Reconstitute the dried mushrooms in a cup of hot, boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain them but reserve the stock for use in the stew.
Fresh herbs are wonderful in this mushroom stew. Replace a teaspoon of dried herbs with a tablespoon of fresh herbs.
You can add celery, carrots and bell peppers to this stew. Sauté them with the leeks.
You can add a can of white beans to the recipe or cubed tofu to bump up the protein in this recipe.
Serve with crusty French bread, Italian bread or no-knead sourdough bread, or over a ribbony pasta, like fettuccine or pappardelle. This mushroom stew is also delicious on a bed of quinoa or basmati rice or with a leafy side salad, like a vegan Caesar salad.
Store the stew in the fridge for up to four days in an air-tight container or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Thaw and reheat the stew on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Veena says
Excellent recipe! This has been in my rotation since I found it. Comes together so easily and has such a comple, hearty flavor!
LInda Duddy says
This is delicious. All the flavors marry well. I did use corn starch which worked well. I plan to serve it with potato lakes!
Sherri says
This was amazing. Beyond delicious. Thank you!
Susan says
Really delicious, easy, and forgiving! I used water to saute and used a bit extra vegetable stock instead of the wine! I discovered my fresh mushrooms had spoiled, but I had 16 ounces of canned mushrooms and used those and the threw in baby spinach at the end. I used 1 and a half teaspoons dried basil and a half teaspoon crushed rosemary. Served it with medium pasta shells and it was a big hit!
Anne says
I had a flush of wine caps from my garden... used them for this recipe with great success. Thanks
Vaishali says
So happy you loved it, Anne! ❤️
Alisha says
Delicious! I added a touch of turbinado sugar for sweetness and a splash of red wine vinegar for acidity.
Vaishali says
Sounds delicious! So happy you made it.
Debbie says
Just tried this..super delicious.
I used oyster and porcini mushrooms and it was sooo good! I did find 2 teaspoons of herbs a little too much so I’ll probably reduce to 1.5 next time. Otherwise wonderful! Thanks!
scottt says
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times and just now realized that I didn’t put in the tamari/aminos. And it was still amazing. But I can’t find it in the instructions. Did I miss something? When do you add it.
Vaishali says
In step 4! I've clarified now. Happy you enjoyed the stew. 🙂
Lara says
Hello,
What can I use instead of rice flour?
Thanks!
Lara
Vaishali says
All purpose flour, regular or gf!
Sue Hearn says
Looks delicious. Will this recipe freeze OK?
Vaishali says
Hi Sue, it should be fine to freeze. Thaw thoroughly and reheat before serving.
Anrea says
so easy and delicious. now a regular in our house. Thanks for this great recipe!
Corinne says
Not made the recipe yet, but can I say this is a brilliant website! The way you can choose the number of servings and a choice between cups or metric is genius! Saves me time looking up conversions. Thank you!