Warm, filling, and loaded with tender, flavorful vegetables, this Instant Pot Vegetarian Bourguignon is a must-try twist on the French classic. Thanks to mushrooms and a few special ingredients, it tastes like you’ve been slowly braising beef all day. In reality, it’s completely vegan and ready in a single hour!
Whether you’re vegetarian or just want to eat more vegetables, this Instant Pot Vegetarian Bourguignon is the perfect recipe! It’s filling and hearty with a rich, savory flavor you usually can only get with meat. It’s a wonderful meal during the cold days of fall and winter, yet it’s fast enough even for those busy weeknights. Serve it with Crunchy Sweet Spinach Salad or some gluten free bread for a complete meal.
Why you’ll love this Instant Pot Vegetarian Bourguignon
- So simple to make - Traditional bourguignon recipes take hours to braise slowly. Thanks to the Instant Pot, you’ll have this luxurious dinner ready in just an hour! The hardest part is chopping all the veggies. Seriously!
- Vegan & gluten-free - This vegetarian bourguignon recipe is specially formulated to be completely gluten-free and vegetarian, but it’s really vegan!
- So filling - Loaded with fresh vegetables like mushrooms, onions, potatoes, turnips, and more, this vegan bourguignon recipe hits just right. It’s the perfect way to warm up when the temperature drops!
Ingredients
- Olive oil - using your pressure cooker's sautee function, use just a little oil to sautee the vegetables.
- Fresh vegetables - prep and dice yellow onions, turnips, carrots, celery, portobello mushrooms, and small red potatoes. These will be sauteed and then pressure-cooked to make them tender.
- Brandy or cognac adds a sophisticated flavor that takes your broth to the next level. Don’t worry; the alcohol will cook off, so this recipe is safe for kids.
- Minced garlic - in addition to the vegetables, you’ll want to incorporate aromatic ingredients that build flavor, like minced garlic.
- Bouquet garni - this bundle of fresh herbs adds so many layers of flavor. You can often find these at your local grocery store, or you can bundle together fresh thyme with parsley and bay leaf using cooking twine. Be sure to remove it after pressure cooking.
- Vegetable broth - Choose either homemade or store-bought vegetable broth. Feel free to use low sodium to reduce the salt content.
- Tomato paste - has tons of concentrated flavor, so it immediately gives your vegetarian bourguignon a rich, savory flavor.
- Soy sauce - the umami flavor in soy sauce mimics the flavor of meat, especially when cooked down. I prefer Tamari gluten-free soy sauce.
- Gluten-free flour - to thicken the sauce, you need to create a slurry with soy sauce, broth, and your favorite gluten-free flour, then stir it in after the vegetables pressure cook.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce - like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce adds a savory, umami flavor that really tastes meaty! It should be a staple for all vegan cooks.
- Pearl onions & baby peas - these are added just before you start pressure cooking. They aren’t strong enough to withstand sauteeing first.
- Kitchen Bouquet - this liquid seasoning mix tastes like browned vegetables and meat, so it’s the perfect way to get that cooked-all-day flavor with less effort.
Variations
- Make it on the stovetop - Got a little more time? Let the flavors meld together gradually by preparing this recipe on the stovetop. Follow the instructions above, but use a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Instead of pressure cooking, drop the heat to medium-low and use a lid to lock in moisture. Allow the mixture to cook slowly for an hour until the vegetables are fork-tender. Then, move on to the remaining steps!
- Change up the vegetables - This recipe is the perfect way to use those root vegetables. Instead of regular potatoes or turnips, you can try fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, celery root, rutabaga, or your other favorite roots.
- Use different types of mushrooms - Although Portobello mushrooms have a great flavor and classic shape, you could try so many other types of mushrooms! Consider using chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, shiitake, white buttons, cremini, and more.
- Deglaze with red wine - The brandy or cognac adds so much flavor when you deglaze the pan, but you could choose a dry red wine instead for a classic French flavor.
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetarian Bourguignon
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot. When the sensor reads “Hot,” add the oil and wait a minute before adding the veggies.
- Add the onion, turnips, and carrots, and sauté until the veggies start to brown.
- Deglaze the pot with the brandy. This means pouring the brandy in and scraping using a wooden spoon to loosen all the little brown pieces in the bottom of the pan.
- Add the celery, potatoes, mushrooms, and garlic to the pot.
- Press “cancel” to stop the sauté function.
- In a bowl, whisk together the red wine, veggie broth (reserve ¼ cup), salt, pepper, tomato paste, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this mixture into the pot and give the pot a little stir.
- Add the bouquet garni.
- Set the pot to “sauté” and add the pearl onions, peas, and the slurry sauce. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens (about 5 minutes). Serve immediately in soup bowls.
- Close and lock the lid, setting the vent to seal. Press “pressure cook,” setting the pressure to “high” and the time to “30.”
- While the meal is cooking, whisk together the remaining vegetable broth with 4 tablespoons of gluten free flour and the Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce, which makes what is called a slurry sauce.
Rest
- When the machine beeps, press cancel and let it rest for 15 minutes before releasing the pressure valve.
- Open the lid and remove the thyme bundle.
This recipe makes approximately 8 servings, so it’s enough for a small family to have seconds or leftovers the next day.
Tips
- Use vegan Worcestershire sauce - Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies, so if you don't eat fish, be sure to substitute a vegan version.
- Heat the oil first - Before you add your prepared veggies, give the oil a chance to get hot. You’ll get a better flavor and sear.
- Use dried herbs - No bouquet garni? If you can’t find this bundle of fresh parsley, thyme, and bay, add up to a teaspoon of dried parsley or thyme and 1-2 bay leaves.
- Use fresh vegetables - Frozen or canned vegetables can be used, but they are already cooked and will quickly become mushy. For best results, use fresh vegetables.
- Deglaze with red wine:
- Storage - Store leftover vegan bourguignon in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. To reheat, warm it in a saucepan over the stove or microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe FAQs
After sauteeing your vegetables, deglazing the pan, and adding your liquid ingredients, you’ll want to set your pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes and let it release pressure naturally for 15 minutes before opening it.
Beef bourguignon is a traditional French dish made by slowly braising beef with red wine, vegetables, herbs, and more until the flavors meld together and each bite is tender. You'll want to rely on mushrooms to make a vegan bourguignon without the beef. When cooked down with the right seasonings and ingredients, they’ll begin to feel and taste like meat. This recipe uses a mix of soy sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, and cognac to add the savory, umami notes of beef without using a single animal product.
If you can’t make beef bourguignon, try making a vegetarian alternative using mushrooms! You can even prepare this dish in your pressure cooker to have the same rich, hearty flavor in less time (and for less money). It’s a fantastic option for a dinner party or if you don’t want to wait all day for a delicious meal.
Related Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Burgundy Bourguignon
- Mediterranean Chickpea Stew
- Moroccan Chickpea Stew
- Hello Dahl-y Lentil Dahl
- French Vegetable Stew
Instant Pot Vegetarian Bourguignon Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions peeled and diced
- 2 small turnips peeled and diced
- 8 carrots peeled and cut in 2” chunks or 1 pound baby carrots
- 4 stalks of celery diced
- 1 ½ pound small Portobello cremini mushrooms washed and quartered if larger size
- 1 ½ pounds of small red potatoes washed and quartered
- ¼ cup brandy or cognac
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 bouquet garni: a small bunch of fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf tied with kitchen string
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup red wine burgundy preferred
- 1 quart vegetable broth reserve ¼ cup for slurry at end
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Tamari gluten free Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons gluten free/vegan Worcestershire sauce
Slurry: Remember to add the reserved ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
- 4 tablespoons gluten free flour
Last Minute Adds: Add At the End
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions
- 1 cup frozen baby peas
Instructions
Sauté
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot. When the sensor reads “Hot,” add the oil and wait a minute before adding the veggies.
- Add the onion, turnips and carrots and sauté until the veggies are starting to brown.
- Deglaze the pot with the brandy. This means pour the brandy in and using a wooden spoon, scrape and loosen all the little brown pieces that are in the bottom of the pan.
- Add the celery, potatoes, mushrooms, and garlic to the pot.
- Press “cancel” to stop the sauté function.
- In a bowl, whisk together the red wine, veggie broth (reserve ¼ cup), salt, pepper, tomato paste, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Pour this mixture into the pot and give the pot a little stir.
- Add the bouquet garni.
- Set the pot to “sauté” and add the pearl onions, peas and the slurry sauce. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens (about 5 minutes). Serve immediately in soup bowls.
Pressure Cook
- Close and lock the lid, setting the vent to seal. Press “pressure cook,” setting the pressure to “high” and the time to “30.”
- While the meal is cooking, whisk together the remaining vegetable broth with 4 tablespoons of gluten free flour and the Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce, which makes what is called a slurry sauce.
Rest
- When the machine beeps, press cancel and let it rest for 15 minutes before releasing the pressure valve.
- Open the lid and remove the thyme bundle.
Notes
Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.
