It is a hearty and filling vegan stew recipe that is loaded with veggies and flavors. For good measure, we also added some jackfruit chunks to have something beefy to bite on. It is the perfect dinner recipe when you need a warm and steamy bowl of delicious vegan comfort food.
We are all about vegan gluten-free comfort food here and this recipe is no exception. When fall is here, we make our Best Damn Vegan Chili and this delicious Vegan Beef Stew alternating every other week. We slip in some cozy Vegan Cabbage Sausage Soup and some of our good old reliable, you-can-always-count-on Vegan Shepherd’s Pie. But let me tell you a bit more about my husband’s newest crowd-pleaser recipe. Not new to me, but new to you.
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Ingredients of our Vegan Stew
Who doesn’t love stew? I mean just imagine a warm bowl of perfectly cooked vegetables in a thick brown sauce that smells spicy and sweet at the same time.
Yes, this vegan stew is loaded with 8 different vegetables
- onion,
- garlic,
- carrots,
- celery stalks,
- tomatoes,
- potatoes,
- button mushrooms, and
- spinach leaves.
But the seasoning steals the show. I love how my husband makes different spices come together in a way that is so aromatic, but just enough spicy with a teensy bit of sweet at the end.
- fresh thyme sprigs,
- ground dried oregano,
- dried bay leaves,
- dark chocolate -> Oh yes, you are reading it correctly. You can definitely taste the difference even if it is only a little bit of chocolate.
- sriracha (chili paste) -> You need something little bit spicy. Depending on your taste you can spike it up with freshly cut raw chili pepper.
- smoked paprika powder -> It brings out the chili flavor a little bit more.
This vegan stew recipe is so rich and delish, not to mention unforgettable. It gets better and better as it rests, so make it today! 100% guaranteed to improve all the days that it lasts, if it lasts.
Vegan Stew or Vegan Beef Stew
It is a vegetable stew recipe, which is already perfect without any beef substitutes. To be honest, we made it several times just like that, a vegetable stew. But my husband was so eager to try young green jackfruit. And it actually turned out to be a pretty delicious addition.
What is jackfruit?
Jackfruit is very trendy now in the US. The young, unripe green jackfruit is primarily used in vegan recipes as a meatless alternative to pulled pork. While the ripe, sweet yellow jackfruit is used in desserts like cakes or pies.
In this recipe, we used canned young green jackfruit in brine. It mimics the texture of beef chunks, but without the fatty, heavy taste.
Other beef alternatives
You can use any of the below alternatives though depending on your preference, taste or diet:
- soy chunks, which are similar to TVP aka textured vegetable protein but in beef bite size. You can prepare these the same way as we prepare soy curls in our Vegan Lasagna recipe
- marinated tofu fried separately and added when the stew is ready to be served
- oyster mushroom stripes
- store-bought vegan beef chunks
Or you might also say that you don’t care about jackfruit or beefy chunks in your stew and that is absolutely fine. This recipe is perfect as a vegetable stew as well. Let us know in the comments how do you like your stew!
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How to make Vegan Stew
My husband cooked this vegan stew in our brand-new cast-iron Dutch oven. Whoopee!!! Don’t worry if you don’t have one, this recipe is absolutely perfect in a stockpot too. We made it lots of times and will show you below step-by-step how to cook the best vegan stew every time.
Prepare the ingredients
Peel and chop onion and garlic. Wash and chop potatoes, tomatoes, and celery. Wash, peel and slice carrots. Rinse and slice mushrooms. Wash the spinach leaves. We used canned jackfruit which needs to be chopped.
Let’s cook vegan stew
Heat your a stockpot or a Dutch oven to medium heat and add olive oil (photo #1). Cook the chopped onion (photo #2) for 1-2 minutes, add the chopped garlic (photo #3) and cook for a few seconds. Now, add the sliced carrots (photo #4). Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes.
Next is to add the canned jackfruit and season it with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder (photo #5) Stir well and add sriracha (chili paste), and dark chocolate (photo #6). Stir until chocolate is melted. Now, add the smoked paprika powder and stir until combined (photo #7). Then, pour the vegetable broth until all veggies are covered and add the herbs: fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaves (photo #8). Cook the stew covered with a lid for approx. 40 minutes.
Now, add the chopped celery and potatoes (photo #9-10) and pour the remaining vegetable broth into the pot. Stir well and cook the stew covered with a lid for 10 minutes. Then, add the chopped tomatoes and the sliced mushrooms (photo #11) and cook the stew covered with a lid for 5 minutes. To avoid lumps, in a separate bowl mix the corn starch with some liquid from the stew and add it back after that (photo #12). Stir and bring it to boil.
You’re almost ready. Take out the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves (photo #13) and add the fresh spinach leaves (photo #14). Stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Now, you’re ready to serve. Good appetite!
How to thicken Vegan Stew
As we eat gluten-free, we chose to thicken the stew with corn starch. However, if you don’t need the stew to be gluten-free, you can thicken it with all-purpose flour.
In both cases, to avoid lumps, you need to use a separate bowl to mix the corn starch or flour and a bit of liquid from the stew. If it is thoroughly combined, you can add the mixture back. Stir vigorously for a couple of seconds. The corn starch or the flour is only activated (starts to thicken the stew) if it is heated, so bring the stew back to boil. You will see the result almost immediately. If you are not happy with the thickness, make another round.
Stockpot vs Dutch Oven
The Dutch oven is made of thick cast iron so it distributes and keeps the heat more evenly. And due to its enamel coating, it is more unlikely that anything is sticking to the bottom or burning down. While the stockpot is usually made of stainless steel or aluminium thus it is thinner. Therefore, you need to watch the heat more carefully to prevent burning if you boil all the liquid out of the pot.
Two things to pay attention to if you are making this vegan stew in a stockpot is
- do not let the liquid evaporate and
- stir more frequently.
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Top tips to make Perfect Vegan Stew
- Chop vegetables evenly – We added carrots first as they need the most time to be cooked, then celery and potatoes, then tomatoes and mushrooms, finally spinach.
- How spicy should it be? – Depending on how hot and spicy you prefer your chili, you can go from mild chili powder to sriracha chili paste or to freshly chopped raw chili peppers.
- Chocolate alternatives – You can use coconut sugar for a similar but fully whole foods plant-based alternative.
- Thickening the stew – Start with one Tablespoon of flour or starch and repeat if needed.
FAQs and Substitutions
What to serve with vegan stew?
I would say that you have already potatoes in the stew, but it is so satisfying to dunk your bread or cornbread into this lovely stew.
How to store vegan stew?
This stew recipe is perfect for batch cooking. You can easily store it in the fridge for 3-4 days without any problem.
What other veggies can I add to this vegan stew?
I would happily add any of the following veggies: other root vegetables (parsnip, rutabaga, celeriac). Also instead of spinach, you can certainly add kale.
What else can I add to this vegan stew?
You can certainly add legumes like cannellini beans or kidney beans to make the stew loaded with extra protein.
This Vegetable Stew recipe is meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for vegan, vegetarian, nut-free and gluten-free diets. It can also be WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you cook the onion and the garlic in water or in veggie broth.
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More dinner recipes
You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dinner Recipes or our Quick Vegan Meals collection or check out
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Vegan Eggplant Meatballs Spaghetti
- Meatless Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Cabbage Lasagna
- Vegan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
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Vegan Stew with Jackfruit
Ingredients
Vegetables - in order of appearance
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
- 3 Carrots (medium) 150 g
- 2 cup Canned young green jackfruit (drained) 300 g - 1 can
- 1 Celery stalk
- 16 oz Potatoes 450 g
- ½ cup Tomatoes
- 3.5 oz Champion or White Bottom Mushrooms 100 g
- 2.5 oz Fresh spinach leaves 75 g
Seasoning - in order of appearance
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Sriracha (or any other chili paste)
- 2 cubes Dark chocolate or coconut sugar (for WFPB)
- 2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
- 3 Bay leaves
- 10 sprigs Fresh thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Other ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 20 oz Veggie broth 0.6 l
- 1 Tbsp Corn starch
Instructions
Preparing the vegetables
- Peel and chop onion and garlic. Wash and chop potatoes, tomatoes, and celery. Wash, peel and slice carrots. Rinse and slice mushrooms. Wash the spinach leaves. We used canned jackfruit which needs to be chopped.
Making Vegan Beef Stew
- Heat your a stockpot or a Dutch oven to medium heat and add olive oil. Cook the chopped onion for 1-2 minutes, add the finely chopped garlic and cook for a few seconds.
- Now, add the sliced carrots. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the chopped jackfruit and season the stew with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir well, then add sriracha sauce and dark chocolate. Mix well until chocolate is completely melted.
- Now, add the smoked paprika powder and stir until combined. Then, pour the vegetable broth until all veggies are covered and add the herbs: fresh thyme sprigs and dried bay leaves. Cook the stew on medium heat covered with a lid for approx. 40 minutes.
- Add chopped celery and chopped potatoes. Pour remaining vegetable broth into the pot. Stir well, put the lid on and cook for approx. 10 minutes.
- Add chopped tomato and sliced mushrooms. Stir well, put the lid on and cook for 5 minutes.
Thickening the stew
- To avoid lumps, you need to use a separate bowl to mix the corn starch and a bit of liquid from the stew. If it is thoroughly combined, you can add the mixture back. Stir vigorously for a couple of seconds. The corn starch is only activated (starts to thicken the stew) if it is heated, so bring the stew back to boil. You will see the result almost immediately. If you are not happy with the thickness, make another round.
Finishing the stew
- Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Add spinach leaves. Stir well and in couple minutes your Vegan Beef Stew is ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chop vegetables evenly - We added carrots first as they need the most time to be cooked, then celery and potatoes, then tomatoes and mushrooms, finally spinach.
- How spicy should it be? - Depending on how hot and spicy you prefer your chili, you can go from mild chili powder to sriracha chili paste or to freshly chopped raw chili peppers.
- Chocolate alternatives - You can use coconut sugar for a similar but fully whole foods plant-based alternative.
- Thickening the stew - Start with one Tablespoon of flour or starch and repeat if needed.
- How to store it? - This stew recipe is perfect for batch cooking. You can easily store it in the fridge for 3-4 days without any problem.
- What other veggies can I add? - I would happily add any of the following veggies: other root vegetables (parsnip, rutabaga, celeriac). Also instead of spinach, you can certainly add kale.
- What else can I add? - You can certainly add legumes like cannellini beans or kidney beans to make the stew loaded with extra protein.
Doug
Excellent use of jackfruit. My non-vegan parents loved it. They had no idea there was jackfruit in it. Thanks for sharing.
My Pure Plants
Hi Doug, thanks so much for trying our recipe. We are so happy you and your family liked the stew.
Dee
Hi! Is there any way to shorten this recipe with meal prep or something of that nature? I want to make this for a family dinner, but I don’t want to be in the kitchen for over an hour at once.
My Pure Plants
The longest ingredient to be ready is jackfruit. If you have pre-cooked jackfruit then you can significantly reduce the cooking time. Alternatively, this stew can be done in an InstantPot or in a crock-pot as well. You can always prep the veggies in advance or the night before and cook the next day. We usually use this recipe for batch cooking, where we make a large pot and freeze it in portions.
Mickey
This recipe is just incredible – it is super delicious and extremely belly warming!
I substituted the mushrooms with garden peas, I just threw them in at the end for 5 mins or so. I also used cherry tomatoes chopped in half and approximately 470g of potatoes.
I love so much I think I will just HAVE TO go out and buy more jackfruit to do it again.. I already have some parsnips so they’ll be debuting in my next batch.
Thank you very much!
My Pure Plants
We are so happy to hear you liked the recipe.
Cherry
Is the chocolate in the recipe baker’s chocolate or dark eating chocolate?
My Pure Plants
Hi Cherry, both should work just fine. We usually use regular store-bought dark chocolate (preferably with high cocoa content).
Caitlyn Erhardt
This looks so comforting and perfect for Fall! Can’t wait to make this soon!
My Pure Plants
Thanks. Let us know how you like it
Karen T
Unfortunately, I’m allergic to chocolate. Can this be made without it?
My Pure Plants
Yes, no problem. You can leave it out or can substitute it for carob powder.
Laura
Interesting choice with adding jackfruit chunks – definitely something to try. And it is a great meal for colder days that are coming up – perfect to warm up and enjoy a quiet evening at home. Great to know it can stay in the fridge for 3-4 days.
My Pure Plants
Yes indeed jackfruit is a really nice addition to this vegetable stew
Caroline
This looks so hearty and comforting. I’ve been meaning to try young jackfruit in dishes (I love the ripe fruit) and this looks like a tasty way to try it.
My Pure Plants
Yes, unripe jackfruit is such an interesting and surprising fruit.
Neha
Looks supremely tempting and yum! I feel like grabbing that spoon from your hands and having a bite like right away.
My Pure Plants
No need to grab. We would happily share it.
Tisha
I love that you used a dutch oven with this! I’m getting one and can’t wait to try this hearty stew!
My Pure Plants
This Dutch oven was love at first sight. It is the perfect pot for fall/winter meals.
Candice
Just the recipe I’ve been looking for… been wanting a vegan stew to keep me cozy this winter, and this one is perfect. That jackfruit is genius!
My Pure Plants
Thank you. Yes, jackfruit is such a delicious addition.