Hearty Mushroom Stew
This hearty, vegan mushroom stew recipe is easy to make and sure to please! Packed with root vegetables, earthy herbs, and meaty mushrooms swimming in a thick, velvety broth, this may quickly become your new favorite vegetarian winter dinner!
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Nothing quite says winter to me like a big bowl of thick, hearty stew with a hefty slice of crusty bread for dipping in that rich, velvety broth.
We have a lot of wonderful vegetarian stews and savory pies on our site (like our Vegan Chicken Stew + Veggie Pot Pie!) and finally taking its rightful place alongside them is this wonderfully earthy and hearty (which I JUST realized are anagrams!) mushroom stew.
Packed with vegetables, herbs, and a beefy-style broth, this easy vegan mushroom stew recipe is sure to please your palate and soothe your soul on the harshest of autumn or winter nights.
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Why We Love This Mushroom Stew
- It’s a healthy vegetarian and dairy-free dinner that’s absolutely packed with vegetables making it as nutritious as it is delicious.
- This recipe is one of the coziest comfort meals for the colder months (start a fire, pop a bottle of red, cuddle up with a bowl of vegan mushroom stew!)
- It’s easy to make and a wonderful couples’ meal to put together, even if one chops and cooks as the other drinks a glass of wine.
Vegetarian Stew Ingredients
- Veggies: potatoes, carrots, yellow onions, frozen peas, diced tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms
- Olive oil
- Herbs + Spices: fresh thyme, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, salt
- Nutritional yeast
- All-purpose flour
- Browning sauce – like Gravy Master or Marmite
Substitution Options for This Vegan Mushroom Stew
For the potatoes: I like to use russet potatoes because a) they’re usually what we have around, and b) they actually absorb liquid and help create a creamy broth (which is why they are the best for potato soups). Waxy thin-skinned potatoes like red or new potatoes are also great for stews and don’t require peeling. Yukon gold potatoes give a combination of the thinner-skinned potatoes with russet-like density. If you’re avoiding potatoes all together, cauliflower is a nice substitute.
For the onions: I recommend using yellow onions for this dish: red and white onions would carry too strong a flavor, and sweet onions would just really degrade the flavor of the stew. If you don’t like onions at all, celery is a good go-to substitute.
For the olive oil: We don’t avoid oil, but if you do, a good non-stick pan heated very well will give the mushrooms a good sear and crisp.
For the thyme: I really like the way the fresh thyme interacts with the mushrooms and potatoes and enhances the broth, but rosemary would taste really good in this as well! I would recommend reducing the amount by half because rosemary is a far more pungent herb.
For the nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast is an ingredient used for flavor in this stew; it is not the same as the yeast you use to make bread. If you don’t have it, you can leave it out and maybe add 2 tsp ground mustard.
For the flour: I haven’t tried it, but I believe cornstarch, arrowroot powder, potato flour/starch, etc would all work. Amounts would need to be adjusted. Your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour should also work, but some of them have a tendency to get gummy.
For the Gravy Master / browning sauce: There’s a wide variety of browning sauces like Gravy Master on the market. You could even use marmite or a vegan brown gravy mix in a pinch.
Notes on mushrooms:
For the mushrooms: We use baby bellas (the cute retail name for cremini mushrooms) in our recipe, but diced portobello would also work great! You could also use regular, white field mushrooms. If you’re an experienced (or even budding) mycologist/forager, chicken of the woods, maitake, or oyster mushrooms would all work well in this when in season, just don’t pick what you don’t know. Have fun, guys! (Get it? Fungi?!?!) These are a couple great articles from Food Republic and epicurious magazines about various mushrooms/fungi (cultivated and wild) and their best uses. I highly recommend reading them.
How to Make Mushroom Stew
Prep Tip: Chop all your vegetables in advance so you’re not running around frantically in your kitchen while your potatoes overcook and turn to mush. If that seems oddly specific, it’s because I speak from experience.
Step 1: Saute the mushrooms.
In a large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil on med-high heat. When hot, add the chopped mushrooms. After 5 minutes, drizzle the remaining oil on the mushrooms as they crisp for about 7-10 minutes.
Step 2: Boil the vegetables.
While the mushrooms cook, bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. When it comes to a boil, add the potatoes, carrots, and onions and continue to boil for ten minutes.
Step 3: Whisk the thickener.
While you’re waiting, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, gravy master, and 2 cups of water.
Step 4: Bring it all together.
After ten minutes, add the peas, tomatoes, and spices and continue to boil another five minutes before adding the flour/water/gravy master mix and the mushrooms. Bring heat to medium and simmer uncovered for another 10-15 minutes while the stew thickens and until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
How to Serve Easy Vegan Stew
- In a big bowl alongside fresh bread and vegan butter
- Over vegan mashed potatoes
- In a bread bowl
- With vegan “egg” noodles (sometimes we see them called “Macaroni Dumplings”)
Mushroom Stew + Wine Pairing
Our favorite vegan-friendly wine to drink with this vegan mushroom stew recipe is Louis Jadot Pinot Noir! It’s smooth and easy to drink with notes of raspberries and cherries but also has this earthy quality that lends itself so well to hearty dishes like this thyme-infused mushroom stew. Truly a compelling pairing!
How to Store Leftover Plant-Based Stew
This vegan mushroom stew recipe makes enough for a crowd or just lots of great leftovers!
In The Fridge: Cool completely and store in an air-tight container for up to five days.
How to Freeze Leftover Stew: Cool completely and store in a freezer-safe, air-tight container or bag for up to six months. Make sure you leave at least an inch or two of extra space at the top of your container to allow for expansion.
How to Reheat Leftover Vegan Mushroom Stew
In The Microwave: Reheat at medium/medium high heat (50-75%) until warm. Don’t just put it on high or the potatoes may overcook before the sauce has a chance to thin appropriately.
On The Stovetop: In a pot, start on medium/medium high heat until the sauce thins. You can then turn up the heat a bit until warmed through. (If you have vacuum-sealed your leftovers, you can just drop the bag in boiling water until it’s warmed through.)
More Healthy Vegan Comfort Food:
- Creamy Vegan Chicken Stew
- Vegan Pot Pie Casserole
- Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
- Healthy Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
PS – If you’re looking for more of a creamy mushroom soup, check out our Vegan Condensed Cream of Mushroom recipe!
If you make this hearty vegan mushroom stew recipe, we’d love to hear about it! (And see it!) Rate the recipe and leave a comment below, so more people can find this recipe. And tag us in your photos on Instagram. We’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the.” Looking forward to seeing those stews!
Hearty Vegan Mushroom Stew
This hearty, vegan mushroom stew recipe is easy to make and sure to please! Packed with root vegetables, earthy herbs, and meaty mushrooms swimming in a thick, velvety broth, this may quickly become your new favorite vegetarian winter dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Baby Bella Mushrooms – large chopped
- 4 cups 660 g peeled and diced potatoes
- 1.5 cups 230 g diced carrots
- 1 cup 142 g diced onions
- 1 scant cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp Gravy Master or Marmite
- 1.5 cups 225 g frozen peas
- 1/2 cup 225 g diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1.5 Tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp minced thyme
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- SAUTE THE MUSHROOMS: In a large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil on med-high heat. When hot, add the chopped mushrooms. After 5 minutes, drizzle the remaining oil on the mushrooms as they crisp for about 10-15 minutes.
- BOIL THE VEGGIES: While the mushrooms cook, bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. When it comes to a boil, add the potatoes, carrots, and onions and continue to boil for ten minutes.
- WHISK THE THICKENER: While you’re waiting, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, gravy master, and 2 cups of water.
- BRING IT ALL TOGETHER: After ten minutes, add the peas, tomatoes, and spices and continue to boil another five minutes before adding the flour/water/gravy master mix and the mushrooms. Bring heat to medium and simmer uncovered for another ten-fifteen minutes while the stew thickens and until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
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