Rich stout beer is the key to creating an intensely flavorful, and totally delicious batch of vegan Irish stew! Top it all off with some fluffy herbed dumplings and you’re in vegan comfort food heaven.
Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and I don’t know about you, but I always enjoy using the holiday as an excuse to cook up some Irish-inspired vegan comfort food. Irish stew is one popular non-vegan comfort food that seems to be a favorite for many folks, so I decided a vegan version was in order.
What makes this stew Irish, you ask? Well, first off, it’s totally not authentic. It’s a bit like my vegan beef stew, and if you enjoyed that I think you’ll dig this too. But it’s the addition of some Irish stout, cabbage, and savory dumplings that make this stew totally inauthentically Irish. And totally delicious.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive oil. Feel free to substitute vegetable oil, corn oil, canola oil, or any high-heat oil that you normally like to cook with.
- Cremini mushrooms. Just about any variety of fresh mushrooms can be substituted if you’d like. White button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms (even though they’re totally not Irish), or even oyster mushrooms will all work. Not a fan of mushrooms? Try swapping them out with eggplant or seitan.
- Celery.
- Carrots.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- All-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour should work fine if that’s what you prefer to use.
- Vegetable broth.
- Cabbage. I used green cabbage, but red cabbage will work just fine as well, even if it gives your stew a different look.
- Potato. The recipe calls for a russet potato, but a couple of red or gold potatoes will work just fine.
- Fresh herbs. You’ll need fresh thyme and chives.
- Stout beer. Stout is a dark, intensely flavorful beer brew. Make sure the stout you use is vegan by running the brand through Barnivore. Guinness and Sierra Nevada stout are both vegan. Porter is a good alternative to stout if it’s not available.
- Tomato paste.
- Salt & black pepper.
- Nutritional yeast flakes. Not to be confused with baker’s yeast! Nutritional yeast is a product that you can buy in the natural foods section of most supermarkets. It will give the dumplings a cheesy flavor.
- Baking powder.
- Fresh chives.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that’s unsweetened and unflavored. The recipe suggests soy or almond, but if you need an alternative, check out my guide to dairy-free milks.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Heat some oil in a large skillet or pot, then add your sliced mushrooms. Cook them for a few minutes on each side, until they’re lightly browned. Transfer them to a plate when they’re done.
Heat some more oil in the pot, then add sliced carrot, celery, and diced onion. Sweat the vegetables for a few minutes, until they start to soften. Add minced garlic and flour, stir everything up and cook the mixture for a minute more.
Return the mushrooms to the pot, and add the cabbage, potato, and thyme. Stir it up, bring the broth to a simmer, and let it cook for a bit.
After about ten minutes, stir in the beer and tomato paste. Let the stew continue to simmer for a few minutes longer.
Tip: Acidic ingredients like beer and tomato paste can prevent the potato from cooking if added too early. This is why it’s important to let the stew simmer for about ten minutes before adding them.
Make the dumpling dough while the stew simmers. Stir the flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, salt, thyme and chives together, then add non-dairy milk and oil. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Time to add the dumplings! But first, season the stew with salt and pepper to taste. Then drop dollops of dough into the stew.
Cover the pot and let the stew simmer for about fifteen minutes.
The stew is done simmering when the dumplings have expanded and become puffy.
Your vegan Irish stew is ready to enjoy!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan Irish stew will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. The dumplings will get a bit soggy as it sits, but it will still taste delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is! Guinness removed animal products from their stout in 2018, and it’s now totally vegan.
You can! You can simply leave it out, or try an ingredient or two to replace the savory flavor that stout supplies. A few options that have worked for myself and readers are non-alcoholic beer, marmite, miso paste, soy sauce or liquid aminos, and balsamic vinegar.
Probably. I haven’t tested a gluten-free version, but I believe an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend should work to thicken the stew and make the dumplings. You’ll also need to use a gluten-free beer. Try one of the gluten-free stouts on this list, making sure to check with Barnivore that the brand you choose is also vegan.
More Vegan Stew Recipes
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Vegan Irish Stew with Savory Herb Dumplings
Rich stout beer is the key to creating an intensely flavorful, and totally delicious batch of vegan Irish stew! Top it all off with some fluffy herbed dumplings and you’re in vegan comfort food heaven.
Ingredients
For the Stew
-
3
tablespoons
olive oil,
divided -
1
pound
cremini mushrooms,
cleaned and sliced -
2
medium celery stalks,
diced -
2
medium carrots,
diced -
1
large onion,
diced -
3
garlic cloves,
minced -
3
tablespoons
all-purpose flour -
3
cups
vegetable broth -
3
cups
chopped green cabbage -
1
small russet potato,
scrubbed and diced -
1
tablespoon
fresh thyme -
1
(12 ounce) bottle
vegan stout beer
(such as Guinness or Sierra Nevada Stout) -
2
tablespoons
tomato paste -
Salt and black pepper,
to taste
For the Dumplings
-
1 ½
cups
all-purpose flour -
3
tablespoons
nutritional yeast flakes -
2
teaspoons
baking powder -
¾
teaspoon
salt -
2
tablespoons
finely chopped chives -
2
tablespoons
fresh thyme leaves -
1 cup
unflavored soy or almond milk -
3
tablespoons
olive oil
Instructions
-
Begin by making the stew. Coat the bottom of a large pot with 2 tablespoons of oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms in an even layer. Avoid crowding the pan and cook them in batches if needed. Allow the mushrooms to cook for about 5 minutes, flip, and cook 5 minutes more, until lightly browned on both sides. Remove them from the pot and transfer to a plate.
-
Add the remaining oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add the celery, carrot, and onion. Sweat the vegetables for about 10 minutes, until they begin to soften.
-
Stir in the garlic and flour. Cook the mixture about 2 minutes more, until the garlic is very fragrant and the flour evenly coats the veggies.
-
Stir in the broth, cabbage, potato and thyme. Return the mushrooms to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. The veggies should be a bit firm at this point.
-
After 10 minutes, stir in the stout and tomato paste. Continue simmering the stew for another 5 minutes. In the meantime, you can skip to the next step of preparing the dumpling dough.
-
While the stew simmers, make the dough by stirring the flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, salt, thyme and chives together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the milk and oil to form a soft and sticky dough. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
-
Taste test the stew and season it with salt and pepper to taste, being careful, as it will be hot. Then drop 2-3 tablespoon dollops of the dough into the stew. Make sure to leave some space between them, as the dumplings will expand as they cook.
-
Cover the pot and lower the heat. Allow the stew to simmer for about 15 minutes more, until the veggies are tender and the dumplings are fluffy.
-
Remove the pot from heat. Ladle the stew into bowls and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Irish Stew with Savory Herb Dumplings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 591
Calories from Fat 212
% Daily Value*
Fat 23.6g36%
Saturated Fat 1.9g10%
Sodium 938mg39%
Potassium 1659mg47%
Carbohydrates 73.9g25%
Fiber 8.5g34%
Sugar 10.7g12%
Protein 17.6g35%
Calcium 250mg25%
Iron 6.1mg34%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.