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
Below 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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📖 Recipe
Vegan Irish Stew with Savory Herb Dumplings
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.
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My wife and I made this tonight and it is fantastic. I cooked the mushrooms in a separate pot while we started the other veggie mix and I added a bit too much salt but I should have stuck to the recipe otherwise. It is hearty and hits all the spots.
When do you add the potato?
Step 4. :)
Never mind. I looked over the recipe 5-6x and just now found it.
Looks delicious 🙂 I’ll include it in my round-up post on my blog. Thanks, Kris
Looks divine! Going to share your recipe on my blog :) Thanks, Kris
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I used a whole carton of mushroom broth and no beer. Yummy! Looking forward to leftovers today. Thank you!
Just made this and it super delicious! Got some leftovers so hope it keeps well until tomorrow. Will definitely be making this again during winter.
Part way through making this and it’s so bitter! Think it’s the after taste of the cabbage? Any ideas? Keep cooking?
Hey Rosie, I'm not Alissa, I just saw your message and can perfectly relate to your question. My tip is to keep cooking it, but I guess you did that anyway 🙂 I find that cooking with either wine, particularly red wine, and beer needs proper simmering. How did it turn out in the end? I added more liquid mixed with flower, because I wanted way more sauce.
Hey Alissa, I couldn't quite figure out the dumplings, mine were, well, funny. But I'll try again. Thd dish was very good, I liked it a lot. It's still lightly simmering, waiting for my kids to leave the bathtub. I hope they'll share my rating, I would add it to my winter regulars.
Best,
Kiki
Wow! I made this stew last night for dinner and it was soooo good. I had a little bit of leftovers today and it was even better. I will most definitely be making this again. I didn’t have the beer that you suggested but I had one bottle of Negra Modelo, so I used that. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Amazing!! Super easy, hearty and tasty. Thanks :)
Hi Alissa!! So I am a terrible vegan and cannot stand mushrooms! Is there another vegetable you would recommend substituting for them? Thank you!!
I think eggplant would be delicious!
Is it okay to substitute rice cooking wine for beer?
I wouldn't recommend it. Rice cooking wine has a totally different flavor and I think it has added salt, so the broth would turn out totally different.
So I haven’t made this yet but was wondering before I tried, will this keep in the fridge? Or does something weird happen to the dumplings?
It will keep in the fridge, but the dumplings might get a little soggy.
This has to be one of the recipes I recommend the most to people, the dumplngs are a go to for all time. Stand out recipe! Thanks:)
Great Recipe, tried it for my Loved Ones last night and they Loved it.
Thank you XX
This is vegan Irish heaven and Alissa, you are an angel for posting this! So incredible!! IAfter some research, I adapted it for the Instant Pot. Used Kilt-Lifter Amber Ale and oh, so fragrant along with fresh thyme. Opted to omit nutritional yeast for more of a classic herb dumpling and doubled the mushrooms — delightful! Non-vegan husband flipped for this. FYI, after adding potatoes & cabbage and topping with dumplings — seal and cook 3 minutes with a 15 minute natural release. Dumplings are not as fluffy but infused with rich flavor. That’s a good thing! Can’t wait to have it again.
Thanks for the recipe. My husband and I are new to the vegan diet. I have few recipes that are keepers. I’m so glad to add this to the list! I omitted the oil and it’s still a very tasty dish! Thank you!
I’m definitely going to try this. Some friends bought over a 8 pack of Guinness and I was wondering what to do with it all! I was thinking of adding some lentils for extra heartiness and protein. That would be ok wouldn’t it?
I think that would be delicious! I'd recommend cooking them separate from the stew and then adding them at the end, otherwise the acidity from the beer might prevent them from cooking all the way.
This is simmering away and already tastes amazing, but the dumplings are still doughy, is there a fix, like putting them in the oven?
Is it possible that your baking powder is old? That could be the issue. You can test it by sprinkling some in a glass of water - if it's still good it should fizz. If that's the problem I don't think baking them would help. Otherwise I'm not sure what could be going on.
I think I messed up a little. I used purple cabbage which made everything purple. The biscuit/dumpling dough I made too runny, but they still worked out ok-ish enough. The flavour though was AMAZING. I can fix my errors for the next of many times I will make this again. Thanks for posting this Alissa.
Oh wow - I haven't tried this with purple cabbage, so thanks for the head's up! I'm so glad you enjoyed it thought. Thanks Phil!
Could Guinness be used as the beer?
Sorry! I see your comment now about Guinness above the recipe now. It will probably work as long as I can find a vegan one. Can't wait to try this!
Oh, actually Guinness recently went totally vegan! https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/its-official-all-guinness-now-suitable-vegans-draft-bottle-can-form/ I just updated the post to indicate that. It should work great in the stew. :)
Hi Alissa, I made this last night for the family and it was a massive hit. Even my exceptionally picky daughter loved it (though she did leave the carrots). I used a local Derbyshire stout (we're in the Peak District in the UK) and it was absolutely delicious. I did however make my dumplings using veg suet, as I had it in and they were less faff, and they were amazing. We had a teeny bit left (I made loads) so I mixed this with some gnocchi for my daughter's packed lunch today (lucky her!).
I'm so glad it was a hit! I bet it was wonderful with gnocchi mixed it - great idea! Thanks Helen!
How many servings? It looks wonderful!
4 servings. Enjoy!
How many does this serve?
Four. :)
Hi
This recipe looks amazing.. Just needed to ask ..Does Stout taste the same as beer? I don’t like the taste of beer ..Can you taste it in the stew? Also can I use a lite beer..
And will I get the same robust flavour mentioned if I don’t use stout?
Hi Gayle! Stout is beer, and it's a pretty strong one, so it might not be for you. You could use light beer if you prefer - the flavor won't be as intense, but that might actually be a good thing if you're not a fan of the taste of beer.
Made the dumplings tonight & added to my own 3 legume veg stew. The dumplings were FANTASTIC! Worked a treat, Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! That sounds like a delicious meal. Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow!!! So delicious!! My family and I truly loved it! THank you!!
I'm so glad it was a hit! Thanks Lily!!
Happy St. Patrick's Day! This was perfect for our dinner tonight. I didn't have beer so I just added water in its place. I also stirred in Kale at the end. I will definitely make this again!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Can i add the dumplings to stew ahead of when i am taking stew to a party? Just wondering if they will travel well?
I think they'd be fine! They'll suck up some extra broth, but I don't think they'll be saturated all the way through.
I’ve been wanting to make a delicious stew like this for a long time... the only thing is I can’t eat nutritional yeast.. will the recipe work if I just omit it, or is there another substitute that could work? (Also GF). Thanks!
You should be okay to leave it out if it doesn't work with your diet. Enjoy!!
I make beef stew for my husband and as I do not eat beef, I have been looking for a vege stew. This looks delicious and I excited to get all ingredients to make this. I am going to try it with the red wine instead of the stout as I usually have red wine in the house. .
It should work well with red wine - I actually have a very similar recipe that does use red wine: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/portobello-vegan-beef-stew/
Enjoy!!
Alissa, I made the first recipe... vegan Irish stew with the red wine. It was so delicious. I will have to try it with the stout beer next time. This stew seemed to be better each time that I warmed it. There was quite a bit of left overs since it is just the 2 of us. My husband LOVED it. I did not make the dumplings as I could not find the yeast flakes, but I did make buttermilk biscuits which were good with the stew. Thanks for the Great recipe.
Yay!! That sounds like a delicious meal! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks so much Karen!!
Looks so delicious!! Can you substitute something else instead of the beer??
Thanks!
LG
You can try subbing extra vegetable broth, and maybe a bit of extra tomato paste if it seems like it needs it. Enjoy!!
I made this tonight and used bob's red mill 1-1 gluten free flour and a gluten free stout beer (glutenberg brand) and it turned out fantastic.
Yay! I'm glad it worked out!
This is the best stew ever! Love it so much! My husband is not vegan and he absolutely loves! It’s so rich and hearty! I have done it so many times now! Thank you! It’s amazing
I'm so glad you like it! Thanks so much!
This is absolutely divine! The dumplings are great and the stout gives such a rich taste to the sauce! I made half for the two of us but we enjoyed it so much I wish I’d made the full lot so we could have it again tomorrow!
That's awesome!! Thanks so much and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I think the vegetable Broth from Trader Joe’s makes the stew too bitter...What broth do you recommend? Would a stock work better?
Thanks!
I've never tried Trader Joe's broth, so I'm not sure if that was the culprit. I like Better Than Bullion, and that might be a good fit in this case because you can make it as strong or as weak as you like.
I really do like Trader Joe's in general - but really HATE the veggie broth - It has ruined recipes - I use cubes.
Made this stew again for the second time...this time for company. All turned out great...
One comment though....I thought it needed more liquid so I increased broth to 4 cups....
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Can’t wait to make this tomorrow! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks Kimi! Enjoy!
Delicious, richly flavoured stew. Used a full bodied dark beer in place of the Sierra Nevada stout. Not sure if Guinness would cut it :-) . Worked an absolute treat!
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi
Just wondering for the dumplings are you aiming for sticky bread tough texture rather than a thick bake batter? When put all liquid in it’s ended up more like cake batter so have added bit more flour? :s
But love the stew thanks!
Thanks!
It's actually somewhere in between bread dough and cake batter...maybe close to a thick muffin batter. There's a photo above of the dough in the stew, so scroll up and check that out if you haven't already! :)
I made this tonight and it was a big hit. We will be making it again!
Yay!! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! I was just wondering if this recipe could be made with red wine instead of stout? Looks so yummy and super keen to make it!
Yup! I'd probably use a bit less though - I'm thinking 1 cup and an extra half cup of broth if needed. :)
I was thinking of cooking this for the family.
Wondering if it would be ok for my 10 month granddaughter? I am concerned about the alcohol content.
Thank you.
I'm honestly not sure if all of the alcohol cooks off. You could try a non-alcoholic beer if you can find one, or just substitute extra broth and perhaps an extra tablespoon or so of tomato paste.
i hope it’s okay to add a link to another site (?!), but according to thespruceeats.com, “a bottle of Guinness in a long-simmered stew is not going to leave a significantly measurable alcohol residue, but will add a rich, robust flavor.”
for this amazingly delicious stew, i did end up cooking it far longer than recommended as i like it thick and the vegetables super-soft (i grew up eating english sunday dinners, lol), but i really think you needn’t worry, especially as stout tends to have a relatively low alcohol content! :)
https://www.thespruceeats.com/alcohol-substitutions-and-cooking-tips-1805671
I made this for St Paddy's Day and loved it! The stout made it a little bitter but the dumplings leveled that flavor out. Definitely a keeper! Your recipe called for the veggies to be diced, but in the photo it looks like they are more sliced and larger. I prefer to have them a bit larger than a dice. I used gluten free flour and the biscuits still came out nice and fluffy. Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Mary!
Really good. I love the hearty flavor of this. I didn't have the right kind of mushrooms (or beer, only had a Dos Equis amber...) but it still tasted great. Both my wife and I really liked the flavor of the dumplings too. I'll make it again, for sure.
Improvisation win! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for the comment!
Hi Alissa, I made the recipe and the stew is delicious. However the dumplings, though tasty, were anything but fluffy. More like weights. Any thoughts as to why. Thnx. Tamar
Make sure you are not overmixing the dough. Also check your baking powder - sprinkle a little in a glass of water and make sure it fizzes.
Entire family loved this...even my meat eating son. I did a some red wine, which helped the flavor too.
I'm so glad to hear that! THanks Erike!!
Guinness is now Vegan friendly across draft, bottles and cans http://www.veganfoodandliving.com/its-official-all-guinness-now-suitable-vegans-draft-bottle-can-form/
That's awesome!! Thanks for letting me know!
Just to let everyone know, as of this year Guinness is vegan. It longer filters through fish bladder.
Yay!! Thanks for the heads up!
Omg, I LOVE fluffy dumplings in stew, and one of my coworkers already texted me to ask if I'd seen today's recipe on your site, haha! I suspect this will become one of my chilly weather dishes that I create variations of and regularly include in the repertoire. Thanks for the inspiration :)
Yes!! This is perfect for chilly days and you definitely switch up the ingredients and flavors to your liking!
can it be made in a crock pot?
I think so, but I'm not sure how long you'd need to cook it for. Maybe 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 on low - but that's totally a guess! If your crockpot gets pretty hot on the high setting (mine does), then the dumplings might still cook up in the last 15 minutes or just a bit more. Definitely give yourself some flexibility as far as time goes if you try it. :)
Do not have fresh thyme. Substitute dried?
That will work! Just use about 1/3 the amount that the recipe calls for.
Hi Alissa, I appreciate all your recipes so much. Thank you. I will make this on Saturday as our St. Patty's Day meal.
Thanks Lillian!! I hope you enjoy it!
Paddy’s ;)
Hi! I feel confused about what to do with the mushrooms. Are they a garnish? Thank you for another great recipe!
Sorry about that and thanks for catching it! They go back in - I've updated the recipe. :)