This vegetarian Irish stew is the perfect fall meal. With its filling root veggies and rich, savory broth, it has a hearty, meaty flavor without a single animal product! Even better, it comes together in your crockpot for a super simple, mostly hands-off meal you’ll want again and again.
Although traditional Irish stew is made with lamb or mutton, you can get the same satisfying, savory flavor with white wine and soy sauce. The whole dish comes together so easily and tastes amazing with these crunchy French rolls, or serve it over a bed of baked rice to make it even more filling!
Why You’ll Love This Crock Pot Vegetarian Irish Stew
- So simple to make - After sauteing a few veggies to build flavor, the rest of the ingredients are added to your slow cooker and left to simmer for 6 hours. Add the spinach, let it cook for a bit, then serve!
- Hearty & satisfying - Thanks to the root veggies, beans, and savory broth, this stew will hit the spot and fill you up! It’s incredibly satisfying and filling.
- Perfectly plant-based - Made without animal products, this soup is naturally vegan and includes black beans for extra protein.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil - Use this to sautee the vegetables to draw out their flavors.
- Onion - Yellow onions add a little sweetness and a delicious aroma.
- Baby carrots - help you skip the peeling process to start cooking faster!
- Small potatoes - Choose either white or red potatoes. Cut them into halves.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic will have the most potent flavor.
- Black beans - Drain and rinse your beans to avoid adding a purple tint to the stew.
- Vegetable stock - You can use premade, homemade, or dilute concentrated stock.
- Dry white wine - will add a mild sweetness and a little acidity to counteract the rich flavors in the broth.
- Soy sauce - Although this isn’t a traditional ingredient in Irish stew, it adds a salty, savory, umami bunch that replicates that flavor from meat.
- Spinach - Choose any dark leafy greens to add in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Variations
- Vegan Irish stew - If you use vegan Worcestershire sauce, this recipe is completely vegan!
- Use beer - Many Irish stew recipes use beer to add flavor and richness to the broth. Replace the dry white wine with beer or up to 1 cup of the stock.
- Add mushrooms - For an even heartier stew, saute mushrooms in a hot, dry skillet and then add them to the slow cooker to soak up in the savory broth all day.
How to Make Vegetarian Irish Stew in a Slow Cooker
I adapted this recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the onions to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Sauté the carrots and garlic in the skillet (about 5 minutes) and transfer them to the crockpot.
- Add all the other ingredients except the spinach to the crockpot.
- Stir.
- Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.
- About 15 minutes before serving, add the spinach to the crockpot.
Expert Tips
- Prep your veggies evenly - Cut your vegetables into similar-sized pieces for more consistent cooking.
- Speed up the process - If you’re running tight on time, use store-bought baby carrots, cut some small potatoes in half, use jarred minced garlic, and substitute frozen onion and spinach.
- Slow cook in the Instant Pot - Instead of sauteing the veggies in a separate pan, use the saute function of your Instant Pot. After sauteing, add your broth ingredients and slowly cook the mixture for 6 hours.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, This is an excellent, low-prep way to make a filling meal with little effort. You will need to sautee the vegetables to draw out their flavors first, but then let the sauteed veggies and broth ingredients simmer all day for a perfectly hearty, satisfying meal.
Stews are traditionally thick and full of vegetables and other ingredients. Irish stew is usually made by cooking down meat, including animal bones, which naturally thickens the broth. In this vegetarian Irish stew, the extra vegetables absorb the liquid, and the potatoes thicken the broth for a classic stew texture.
Yes, you can overcook Irish stew. Although stews take quite a bit to soften and break down, it’s also possible to overcook them. In that situation, the vegetables begin to fall apart. Instead of biting into slightly firm potatoes or carrots, you’ll see broken pieces of dissolving vegetables. The broth can also take on a bitter, overly salty flavor that is unpleasant. For this vegan Irish stew recipe, it’s best to slow cook on high for 6 hours or until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.
More Plant Based Stew Recipes
- Vegetable Dill Stew
- African Vegetable Stew
- Chickpea and Lentil Soup
- Vegan Brunswick Stew
- Mediterranean Chickpea Stew
- Slow Cooker Spicy Vegetarian Stew
Crockpot Vegetarian Irish Stew Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1½ cups baby carrots halved lengthwise
- 6-8 small potatoes white or red, halved and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15- ounce can black beans drained in a colander and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste use sea salt for corn free
- 1 cup spinach or other dark leafy greens chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the onions to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Sauté the carrots, and garlic in the skillet (about 5 minutes) and transfer them to the crockpot.
- Add all the other ingredients except the spinach to the crockpot.
- Stir.
- Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.
- About 15 minutes before serving, add the spinach to the crockpot.
Nutrition (may vary depending on ingredients and amounts used)
