Incredibly Easy Vegan Crockpot “Beef” Stew

as we finally wrap up the last few weeks of winter i have a few more cozy recipes headed your way. this vegan crockpot “beef” stew is so easy to make and so delicious. great to make for meal prep and pair with crusty bread, rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

It should be no surprise that I love slow cooker/crockpot recipes. Besides my air fryer it is definitely my most used kitchen appliance. I love this crockpot “beef” stew because it cooks up fairly quickly, great way to get in some plant-based protein, and it is the ultimate comfort food. Perfect for wrapping up these final weeks of winter.

What is Vegan Beef?

In this recipe I used store bought seitan. You can of course make your own seitan, I have a recipe but to make this quicker and more efficient I just get mine from the store. Seitan works very well here as a beef replacement. It is meaty, chewy, and takes on the flavor of the stew. You can also use vegan steak here if you can find it like Beyond Meat but I find seitan more readily available.

No Alcohol Here

Many beef stew recipes call for red wine. I will be honest I am not a big drinker and to open a bottle of red wine to only use third of it just for this feels unnecessary. I have found balsamic vinegar and a little soy sauce help to provide a delicious umami and replace the alcohol. As I didn’t test this recipe with red wine I would suggest NOT using it because I can’t say if the slow cooker will be able to reduce it down.

More Crockpot Recipes

Crockpot “Beef” Stew FAQ

• How long will this last? You can leave it in the fridge for up to 3 days or you can freeze it.
• Can I replace the seitan? Sure, you can use tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, mushrooms or even cauliflower.
• Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
• Is this recipe soy free? No, but you can swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos and check the seitan ingredients.
• Is this recipe gluten free? No, but you can swap the seitan for something else, instead of flour you can use corn starch, and change the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
• What should I eat this with? You can use rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, barley, crusty bread, side salad.

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Crockpot “Beef” Stew

Make this easy crockpot "beef" stew for cozy weeknight dinners! Totally vegan and only 15 mins of prep time.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 ounces (227g) seitan cubes
• 6 medium gold potatoes cut into rough hunks (about 24 ounces/700g)
• 1 small sweet onion cut into large pieces (about 7 ounces/200g)
• 6 carrots peeled and cut on a bias (about 5 ounces/145g)
• 4 cloves garlic roughly sliced
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce, low sodium preferred
• ⅓ cup (80ml) tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons (12g) vegetable better than bouillon
• 2 cups (480ml) warm water
• 3 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon (12g) organic sugar
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons (30g) all purpose flour
• ½ cup (120ml) water

Instructions

 

• Into your slow cooker add all the ingredients except the all purpose flour and ½ cup of water. Mix around with a spatula and cook on high for 2 hour and 30 minutes.
• After the time is up you will add the flour slurry. In a small box whisk the all purpose flour and water until it is a smooth mixture. Pour into the crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour.
• Once the stew is thickened remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. Taste and add any salt and pepper.
• Serve in a bowl and enjoy.

Video

Notes

• If you don’t want to use Better than Bouillon, just use 2 cups vegetable broth or stock.
• If you don’t have a crockpot or slow cooker you can make this in an instant pot on slow cooker function.
• If you want to make this on the stove sauté the carrots, onions, garlic, and seitan in 1 tablespoon of oil for 5 to 10 minutes until fragrant. Then add the remaining ingredients except the flour and ½ cup of water. Simmer over low heat for 1 to 2 hours until everything is very soft and potatoes are fork tender. Then mix the flour and ½ cup of water together and add into stew. Cook until thickened. Then remove bay leaves and thyme stems.
• My Crockpot

Keyword beef stew, crockpot beef stew, slow cooker recipes, vegan beef stew

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