30-Minute Vegan Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a good substitute for beef in beef stew? ›

I've tried this recipe with Beyond Steak, Gardein Be'f Tips, and soy curls, and all of them work just fine. The Beyond and Gardein both have flavors of their own that mesh well, whereas the soy curls are totally plain but soak up all of the flavors from the stew.

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

Stew, pot roast, short ribs, etc. will get tough if they are cooked on high heat. Now, if you want to cook a slow-cooked food fast, get an Instant Pot. You can pressure cook the meat to make it tender within an hour, then add your vegetables and simmer until done.

Like beef broth, chicken broth is a kitchen staple and makes a good substitute if you are all out of the meaty broth. This savory, salty liquid has a milder flavor than beef broth but is a good one-to-one replacement. Chicken broth also has a similar nutrition profile to beef broth, low in calories and high in sodium.

Mix one teaspoon cornflour with a tablespoon of room temperature water and add to your stew. Then bring to the boil and cook until desired thickness is reached. Cornflour is a great gluten-free thickener. It has a slightly more gelatinous texture, so only add a teaspoon at time or your sauce may become a bit goopy.

A bit of tomato paste amps up the flavor of beef stew, giving it a richness and a punch of umami that makes the stew truly memorable.

Soy sauce. Surprisingly, soy sauce is a good replacement for beef broth. Similar to liquid aminos, soy sauce needs to be diluted before adding it to your recipe. Mix about a tablespoon of soy sauce into a cup of water to replace one cup of beef broth.

If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

How to make beef stew meat tender quickly? ›

Add some oil to the pot and sear the meat until it is well browned. Add 1.5 cups of beef broth and 1 LBS of stew meat into an InstantPot and pressure cook for 20 minutes (with quick release). Meat will be superbly tender, juicy, and delicious.

Paprika. Use regular or hot paprika if you want a little warmth and Smoked Paprika if you're after more of a barbeque style smoky flavour. Chilli and paprika work well with tomato based dishes where as herbs work best with gravy based stews.

Browning adds flavour and it makes for a better looking final dish. Preheat the pan so it's ripping hot, then cook the beef in batches. An overcrowded pan can lead to boiling instead of browning. Let the meat sit untouched for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then a minute or so on the others.

After collagen breakdown, if you keep cooking, your meat won't be any more tender. Instead, the muscle fibers simply stop holding in any moisture and you can cook it for another week but it will simply be dry and tasteless. How do I make my meat soft? I want to make a beef stew.

Stew meat is made from cuts of beef with lots of tough connective tissue, namely chuck and/or round. When you simmer it in a liquid, the connective tissue breaks down and becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. That's why it's traditionally braised in stock and turned into beef stew.

Try ground beef. Or pork, or chicken. Any meat cut into small chunks can work.

What is the Best Meat for Beef Stew? I use stew meat cut from a chuck (shoulder) roast for this beef stew. That said, you can also use a top or bottom round roast, or beef tips for beef stew. Typically the stew meat will come in 2-3″ sized hunks, which I cut down into 1/2 – 1″, bite-sized pieces.

For example, chuck is a lean and tender cut of beef that works well in stew. However, if you would prefer a thicker and more flavorful stew, short ribs or oxtail may be better choices for you. To make a delicious stew, choose good-quality ingredients.