Enjoy this incredibly delicious Vegan Irish Stew that's easy to make and full of flavor! Made extra hearty with peas, potatoes, and mushrooms—the ultimate comfort food! All you need is one pot and 45 minutes!
There's nothing like a wonderful, rich and savory vegan stew or cozy soup on a cold day. The chunky vegetables simmered in a warm broth is a classic combination that's perfect when the days become shorter and nights become chilly.
Vegan Irish Stew is the best stew for this reason! It has all the best stew vegetables in a thick, tomato-based broth that completely satisfies!
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Why this recipe works
Traditional Irish stew is often made with lamb or beef, simmered for hours in a stew full of root vegetables. Although the exact combination of meat and vegetables varies, the basic ingredients for Irish Stew are lamb, potatoes, onions and parsley.
To make Irish stew vegan, I included mushrooms for their meaty texture along with peas for their protein and heartiness. Both of these together make a great replacement for the meat in this stew!
You may notice that many Irish Stew recipes use a stout beer like Guinness in the broth. The alcohol cooks off, leaving an extra depth of flavor. This appears to be more of an Americanized addition rather than a traditional ingredient so if you'd like to try it, feel free! I am keeping this recipe more simple by excluding it but I promise it is still just as flavorful!
You're going to love this Vegan Irish Stew! It's:
- Extra hearty
- Cozy and comforting
- Freezes well
- Perfect for meal prep
- Family friendly
- Great for potlucks, St. Patrick's Day, or just when you need a hearty vegetable stew to warm up with on a cold day!
Ingredient Notes
This Irish vegetable stew is made with easy to find ingredients you probably already have on hand! Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements.
Onion—yellow sweet onions pair perfectly with this stew but any onion will work.
Mushrooms—make the meat of the dish! You can use white button mushrooms, cremini, baby portobello or even canned mushrooms to save time.
Tomato paste—gives this vegan Irish stew a deep of flavor and helps to thicken the sauce.
Cornstarch—can also use arrowroot powder or double the amount of flour to help thicken the stew.
How to make Vegan Irish Stew
This step-by-step walkthrough shows the process of making this vegan Irish stew recipe. Exact times and temperatures can be found in the recipe card below.
1. Start by washing and chopping all of the vegetables. You may want to use a food processor to speed up the process.
2. In a large stockpot or saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Sauté until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
The onions and mushrooms will sweat out excess liquid so no oil or water is necessary in the pan. If it gets too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth.
3. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat, then add the potatoes and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the vegetable broth and spices, stir well. At this point, add the stout beer if desired, otherwise leave out for a more traditional Irish stew. If adding beer, you may need to reduce the amount of broth used.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft.
6. Add the frozen peas and cabbage and stir well. Continue cooking until heated through, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, make a slurry by adding 1:1 ratio of cold water to cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to combine. Stir the slurry into the pot. Allow to simmer until the stew begins to thicken.
Divide into bowls and garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Enjoy this delicious vegetarian Irish stew served with a thick crusty bread like Irish Soda Bread.
Want to make this in a slow cooker?
Prepare all of the vegetables, then add everything to a large slow cooker and stir to combine.
Set the slow cooker to high, cover, and allow to cook for 6-8 hours until the potatoes are fork tender.
More vegan Irish recipes
Vegan Irish Soda Bread (goes great with this stew!)
Healthy Vegan Gravy (Oil Free)
For more plant-based eats check out the Health My Lifestyle Meal Planner. It makes plant-based eating effortless with easy recipes and simple customizable meal plans designed for busy people! Try for free!
📖 Recipe
The Best Vegan Irish Stew
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 3-4 medium yukon potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon salt, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups frozen peas, or canned
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, or flour
- 2-3 cups chopped cabbage
- fresh parsley, optional, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Sauté until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. The onions and mushrooms should sweat out excess liquid so no oil or water is necessary in the pan. If it gets too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth.1 medium yellow onion, 5 cloves garlic, 2 large carrots, 2 stalks celery, 8 oz mushrooms
- Add the tomato paste and stir to coat, then add the potatoes and cook for another minute or two. Add the vegetable broth and spices, stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft.5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, 6 oz tomato paste, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 3-4 medium yukon potatoes
- Add the frozen peas and cabbage and stir well. Continue cooking until heated through.2 cups frozen peas, 2-3 cups chopped cabbage
- Meanwhile, make a slurry by adding 1:1 ratio of cold water to cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to combine. Stir the slurry into the pot. Allow to simmer until the stew begins to thicken.2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Divide into bowls and garnished with fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy!fresh parsley
Ieva
What a beautiful winter warmer! And budget-friendly! We used kale instead of cabbage as that's what we had on hand, and it was super delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Heather Johnson
so yum and so healthy - i love a great veggie soup - and this was a great unique take on one - i loved it!
Rachel
Thanks so much Heather! 🙂
Casey
My daughter is vegan and she loved this recipe! We made it in the crockpot and it was super easy!!!
Rachel
Thanks, Casey! That makes me so happy to hear!
Amanda
This stew is some serious comfort food! They vegetables made it perfectly hearty, and the broth was full of flavor.
Kris
This came out so hearty and comforting! Can't wait to make again! 🙂
Rachel
Yay, I'm so glad!!
Joshua
Does this recipe really have 14 g of protein per serving? One cup of peas only provides about 4 g, and mushrooms only a bit more than half that amount.
Rachel
It does! One cup of peas has about 8 grams of protein and this recipe calls for 2 cups. You're right the mushrooms are about half that, 3-4 grams per cup. All the vegetables provide protein, even the potatoes. It all adds up to about 14 grams but it will vary depending your specific ingredients like how big your potatoes, onion, carrots, etc. are but this is a good estimate. Hope it helps!