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A quick and easy vegan mushroom stew that's hearty, and of course, delicious! This vegan stew will surely become a new favourite AND it can be made in your Instant Pot or on the stove top!
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I've got a vegan winter stew (or any time stew!) dinner idea for you that comes together very quickly and will have you scraping your bowl wondering if there are any leftovers for lunch the next day...like I do each time I make it!
This mushroom stew is one that I've adapted from a beef stew recipe I came across in an issue of Canadian Living magazine. I get the majority of my inspiration from non-vegan magazine recipes and the Food Network. Any time I see a recipe that looks interesting, my first thought is: How can I veganize this? And then I get to work!
My recipes are proof that you can make a vegan and/or gluten-free version of almost anything. You just have to figure out the best ingredient swaps and then start testing. If things don't work out, test again until you've nailed it. This is a little glimpse into my food blogging life 🙂
For this beefless stew recipe, the major change I made was switching out the beef for mushrooms. I then made a few other smaller changes. This vegan stew recipe only requires a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen:
In addition to the ingredients above, you'll also need a few spices and herbs.
As mentioned, I've tested this recipe both in my Instant Pot and on my stove top, because I realize that not everyone has a pressure cooker. If you're on the fence about getting one, though...
Let's Talk About the Instant Pot
Before we get into the steps you'll need to follow to make your mushroom stew, let's discuss the amazing Instant Pot (<- Amazon link).
This magical pressure cooking machine can do so many things, including cooking all of the best stews, soups, side dishes, rice, and even desserts in record time.
If you do buy this for someone, you may also want to get them a cookbook specifically written for cooking in the Instant Pot since there is a tiny learning curve to working with this machine. Find a list of the best ones here.
Earlier this year, I had to go without it for about a month and it was then that I realized how much I used it and how much it has become an essential part of my kitchen.
There are many things you can make in it, such as vegan Instant Pot stew recipes (like this one!), and:
- Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Chili Mac
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Curried Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Banana Steel Cut Oats
- Pumpkin Steel Cuts Oats
- Apple Spice Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- One-Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
And you can find even more vegan pressure cooker recipes here --> Instant Pot Vegan Recipes and if you're looking for some good vegan Instant Pot recipe books, check out this list of books you need to add to your collection.
I'm SO happy with my Instant Pot and if you get one, I'm sure you will be, too!
So now, let's discuss this stew recipe!
How Do You Make Mushroom Stew?
I've outlined the steps below but look for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions at the end of this post. Note that in my photos, I am making the stew in my Instant Pot and not on the stovetop.
First, you'll add the onions to the pot and sauté for a bit. Then the mushrooms go in, followed by the spices and tomato paste.
Next, everything else goes in except the peas and you set your Instant Pot to pressure cook or if cooking on the stovetop, you'll bring to a boil and then simmer.
While your vegan stew is cooking, you'll prepare the slurry that will act as a thickener.
How to Make a Slurry for Stew
The general rule for making a slurry is one tablespoon of water + one tablespoon of arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) per cup of liquid. This recipe calls for 2 ¼ cups of broth, so I did two tablespoons of arrowroot starch + two tablespoons of water.
To make the slurry, you simply whisk the two ingredients together until they are fully combined. As the mixture sits, it will settle a little, so before adding to the stew, give it another quick whisk to combine everything, once again.
After the stew has finished cooking, you'll remove the bay leaf, stir in the slurry and add the peas and dried parsley. Give it all a final stir and your vegan mushroom stew is ready for serving!
What to Serve with Mushroom Stew
This stew stands perfectly fine on its own, it is a full meal by itself, but if you want to have a little something on the side, my vegan spelt rolls pair well. Some other ideas:
- a salad
- roasted or grilled vegetables
- cornbread
- fresh bread
- crackers
- garlic bread
Can I Refrigerate or Freeze Leftover Mushroom Stew?
Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated when ready and they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days.
As for freezing, this stew is best served fresh or within a couple of days. If you do need to freeze, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Because the stew is thickened with arrowroot starch or cornstarch, the stew may separate after it has thawed and reheated. Once defrosted and reheated, the veggies will also be a little softer than they originally were, and will break apart more easily.
If you plan on making this recipe to freeze, I recommend NOT adding the slurry after it has cooked. Do all of the other steps except adding the slurry, cool and freeze. Then, once you have thawed (thaw in the refrigerator) and reheated, add the slurry to thicken it and enjoy.
If you make this stew, tell me! Share a pic with me on Instagram or comment below.
You can also pin this recipe to Pinterest so others can find my easy-to-make vegan recipes (thank you!).
And before you head down to the recipe, here are some other vegan dinner ideas you may also like!
- Lentil Sweet Potato Chili
- Curried Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
- Taco Rice Bowls
- Vegan Garlic Pasta
- 15-Minute Vegan Peanut Noodles
- Vegan Quinoa Chili
Hearty Vegan Mushroom Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, see note below)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 454 grams cremini mushrooms, halved and quartered (approximately 6 cups, see mushroom note below)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
- 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 yellow potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (see note below for brand suggestions)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
Slurry
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
Instructions:
Instant Pot Method:
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add oil OR water to pot. Once heated, add the onions and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add salt, thyme and black pepper and stir to coat the mushrooms and onions.
- Add tomato paste and stir again. Add broth and stir to combine everything, be sure scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add carrots, potatoes, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and stir once again. Cancel saute function.
- Add bay leaf, place and lock lid onto the pot and close the pressure release valve. Set to pressure cook for 12 minutes. Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
- While the stew is pressure cooking, make the slurry by whisking the arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- When the pressure cooking time has ended, press cancel and open the pressure release valve to manually release the pressure.
- Once pressure has been released and the float valve pin has dropped, slowly unlock and remove the lid. Remove the bay leaf and stir the mixture so everything recombines.
- Give slurry a quick whisk to recombine and stir it into the stew.
- Stir in frozen peas and dried parsley.
Stove Top Method:
- Over medium high heat and add oil OR water to a large pot. Once heated, add the onions and saute until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add salt, thyme and black pepper and stir to coat the mushrooms and onions.
- Add tomato paste and stir again. Add broth and stir to combine everything, be sure scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add carrots, potatoes, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and stir once again. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low, cover pot, and simmer until carrots and potatoes are fork tender. This will roughly take 20-minutes.
- While the stew is simmering, make the slurry by whisking the arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once the stew is cooked, remove bay leaf. Give slurry a quick whisk to recombine and stir it into the stew.
- Stir in frozen peas and dried parsley. Remove pot from heat. Serve.
Recipe Notes:
- If you are oil-free, the onions and mushrooms can also be sautéed in water instead of the oil.
- When preparing the mushrooms, I cut smaller mushrooms in half, and larger mushrooms into quarters and sometimes sixths or even eighths. The important thing is that the pieces are bite-size. Have a look at the image above with all the ingredients to get an idea of how the pieces are cut.
- Be sure that the Worcestershire sauce you're using is vegan and, if needed, gluten-free (regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegan or vegetarian and not all brands are gluten-free). This brand is both vegan and gluten free (Amazon link). Another suggestion is 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods' brand) (this one is vegan but NOT gluten-free). The brand I use that is both vegan AND gluten-free is The Wizard's.
- See above for info on storing leftovers and freezing.
- Nutrition info is for 1 serving (of 4) prepared as the recipe is written (using water to saute and arrowroot starch for the slurry). Data below is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is determined on this website.
Courtney R says
Hubby was hungry so I decided a stew would hit the spot. I had a small window to make dinner and this really came together fast. (I did the instant pot method) It is absolutely delicious!! Hubby is happy and can't wait to bring some for lunch at work tomorrow. This will be a regular in my house. Oh and even my daughter who doesn't like mushrooms enjoyed this.
Gwen Leron says
I'm very happy to know the mushroom stew was loved by all, Courtney! I hope the leftovers are enjoyed. Tanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, I appreciate it very much!
Julie says
My husband and I live for this stew -- it is soooooooo good, and delightfully easy! Thanks for posting the recipe.
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Julie! I'm very happy to know the two of you enjoy it so much 🙂
Rob says
Does the tomato paste not cause a BURN error in the instant pot? Thanks
Gwen Leron says
Hi Rob, in the countless times I have made this recipe, I have never received the burn error. I also have not had any of my readers who have made the recipe report a burn error either. Hope this helps!
Wini says
I had a ton of mushrooms given to me. I made some pickled mushroom with some and couldn't think of what else to make. So I googled mushroom stew and found this! What a great stew! Because I didn't have everything and I am not vegan/vegetarian I used beef broth, and added more onions and more garlic than necessary! I wanted to make it in my IP but for some reason could not find the seal insert part... But found it 1/2 through cooking this on the stove top.... Going to eat my 4th bowl now!
Gwen Leron says
I'm glad you found the recipe and decided to give it a try, Wini! And especially that you like it so much 🙂 Enjoy the rest and thanks for taking the time to circle back and leave a rating and comment, I appreciate it!
Stephanie says
I made this recipe earlier this week. It totally hit the spot! Super fast and efficient and overall delicious! Thank you for the recipe. Who knew stew could be made so quickly and without much supervision. I plan on repeating this today or tomorrow, to have food for nest week. Thank you again!
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Stephanie! I'm so glad to know that you like it. It's one of my go-to recipes when I want to make something quick, too 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your note and rating, I appreciate it!
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome, Stephanie! I'm so glad to know that you like it. It's one of my go-to recipes when I want to make something quick, too 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your note and rating, I appreciate it!
Timothy says
Please clarify:
In step one of stove top method, you say add broth OR water....
then in step four, you say add broth.
There is only 2 1/4 cups of broth in the recipe: did I divide it and add half in step one and half in step four? or am I not understanding this recipe?
Many thanks for your kind resonse!
Gwen Leron says
Hi Timothy, apologies for the confusion. That was a typo in step 1. I've corrected it to remove the extra word that was in there (broth). Thank you very much for pointing it out! And note that the water is to only be used (instead of the oil) to sauté the onion if you need the recipe to be oil-free. If you make the stew, I hope you enjoy it!
Kathryn Gannon says
Wont the peas be raw just adding them at the end?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Kathryn, the recipe calls for frozen peas which are not raw. Frozen peas are steamed before they are frozen so that takes away the need to cook them . Once you add them to the stew, they defrost and are perfect when it's time to serve. If you want to use raw fresh peas, you will need to add them at the beginning with all the other vegetables, OR cook them separately and then add them at the end the same way the frozen peas are added. I hope this helps!
Kris says
Love this stew! I added celery & in the slurry, I added a Tbs of Miso for more umami. My carnivore husband LOVED IT! This will be on my rotation from now on.
Gwen Leron says
Hi Kris! So happy to hear you like the recipe! And I LOVE the idea of adding a little miso, I'm going to try that next time I make it. Thanks so much for your note 🙂
Suee33 says
Delicious Recipe - could not find another recipe for a mushroom stew - that was great and my husband made for us after
I had surgery. So, we made this one and it is a winner!!
Thanks will keep this one!!!
Gwen Leron says
Thank you so much! I'm glad you found it, decided to give it a try, and that you like it so much! I hope you have a speedy recovery from your surgery. Take care 🙂
Maureen Ruski says
This was so flavorful and delicious; I cannot stop thinking about it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Gwen Leron says
That's the sign of a great meal, when you can't stop thinking about it 🙂 I am so happy to hear you like it so much, Maureen! Thank you for the lovely review.
Yvonne says
I made this last night in my Instant Pot. It was so incredibly good. I sent a picture to my friend and she swore it was beef stew. My son who is not always happy with my new vegan meal choices liked it too. What a simple, tasty, hearty meal. Thank you Gwen!!! I cant' wait to try more recipes. I think tonight we're going to try your Easy Vegan Chili Mac.
Gwen Leron says
You're welcome! I'm glad to hear you liked it, Yvonne! And especially that your son liked it, too. I hope you love the chili mac as well, it's also a favourite over here 🙂
Kelsey G says
Simple and very tasty! We used Baby Bella mushrooms.
Gwen Leron says
So glad you liked it, Kelsey! Thanks for taking the time to leave your note 🙂
Angela says
Love this!! I make mine with sweet potatoes and add lentils and peas. It’s so delish!!!
Gwen Leron says
Thank you, Angela! Your version does sound delicious! 🙂
Ruth says
This was easy and absolutely delicious!! Definitely making it again!
Gwen Leron says
Happy that you made it and liked it, Ruth! Thanks for your note! 🙂
Julie says
This is delicious! I made it last night to have lunches for work the rest of the week. I have a mini lux instant pot, but the whole recipe fit, although it was right up to the maximum fill line. For that reason, i cooked the stew for 2 min longer. I didn’t have cremini mushroom on hand, so used button. And I added black pepper. Thank you for a wonderful recipe I’ll make again and again!
Gwen Leron says
I'm so happy you love it, Julie! I make it often and even though the warmer weather is here, I'm still making it (we love it here, too) Thanks for taking the time to leave your note, I appreciate it very much 🙂
Diane Penney says
Can this be done in a slow cooker?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Dianne, I do think it would work well in a slow cooker, however, I have not tested cooking it that way, so I don't have any timing to share with you. If you do try, please report back and let me know how it went!
Nicole says
Very tasty. Love that it is so easy to make in the IP. I’m thinking that I might add bulgur next time. I’m a soup lover, but my husband isn’t, but since I’m the one which cooks I get away with making what I like. Thanks for sharing!!
Gwen says
My pleasure! I'm so glad you like the recipe, Nicole, and that you still decided to make it even though your husband doesn't like stew! Thanks for your note 🙂