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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
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Hi. Thanks for the recipe. Where do u get seitan cubes?
Hi Sab, you are welcome! I used the Upton’s Natural Seitan Cubes I linked them in the “what is vegan beef” section 🙂
Just made this with tofu! Added some cumin and chili powder for our taste but it was good and easy and something we’ll be making again. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Alex, thank you so much for trying the recipe! so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to leave a commment/review!!
Hi there! Do you have nutrition facts for this recipe? It looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it.
Hi, I do but please keep in mind if you don’t make everything exactly as I did the nutrition info will be different. For the whole recipe 1290 calories, 102.7GP, 223.2 Carbs, 3.8g fat. Enjoy!
If I substitute mushrooms for the seitan, how would you adjust the time?
hi Lisa, no need to adjust any cooking time. you can follow the recipe as is
If I use the vegetable broth instead of better than bouillon do I eliminate the 2 cups of water?
yes correct! no water needed then
How can I store this? How long would it last in the fridge and in the freezer?
hi I cover that in the FAQ section right above the recipe 🙂 up to 3 days in the fridge in a container. freeze for as long as you like
Hi! So excited to have found your blog. I can’t wait to try this recipe. My husband has celiac disease so I will need to use tofu. I’m also new to plant based cooking. Would you press the tofu? Which firmness would you suggest?
Thank you so much!!!
Barb
Hi Barb, so excited for you to try this out! Sure, I would use super firm tofu if you can find that. Otherwise, if you use an extra firm tofu I would press it! Let me know how it turns out!!
definitely trying this recipe this weekend! what happens if you cook on low for longer?
Yay hope you enjoy! nothing will just take longer!
Hi – how do I adjust the recipe for substituting seitan with dried lentils? How much dried lentils, how much additional liquid (if any) and what kind of liquid (water/ broth)?
Hi Jane, sure so I would substitute the same amount 8 ounces (227g) of lentils for the seitan. In the recipe I am using Better than Bouillon and combining that with water to make veggie broth. I don’t think you should need any extra liquid however, you can always watch it an add in any additional liquid if you feel you need it. You can also check out this lentil stew recipe as well https://plantifullybasedblog.com/2020/10/17/slow-cooker-lentil-stew/ enjoy!
I give this recipe 5 stars! So flavorful. My kids gobbled it up. Only 5-6 servings. I’m going to double it next time!
Hi! yay I am so so happy everyone enjoyed it. Thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a comment/review!
This was really good but the balsamic vinegar was over powering. I’ll cut back on the amount next time.
I made this tonight for my dinners in the coming week and the flavor is so good! I used tempeh instead of seitan, because that is what I had on hand. So very delicious! I have already recommended it and emailed the recipe link to others!
Hi Anne, so happy you enjoyed it for dinner!! Thank you for trying it and leaving a comment!