This keto beef stew is made in the classic style, with hearty chunks of beef and vegetables in a rich and savory broth. It’s the kind of comfort food that keeps you warm all winter long.
On the search for a truly delicious and comforting keto meal? Look no further than this keto beef stew recipe. It’s the real deal and tastes almost too good to be low carb and grain-free.
Serve it on its own or serve overtop creamy mashed cauliflower for a hearty and healthy keto family dinner.
What you’ll love about this stew
- Meltingly tender chunks of slow cooked beef
- Hearty vegetables that add flavor and texture
- A rich and thick broth with no grains or flour
- Deep flavor that gets even better as it sits
- A easy keto freezer meal
Inspiration for keto beef stew
I’ve got so many wonderful and popular beefy recipes, such as keto stuffed peppers and mexican cauliflower rice. But I recently realized I was lacking a proper beef stew.
Okay, so that’s not strictly true, as I have a few delicious stew recipes in my cookbooks – Easy Keto Dinners and Keto Soups and Stews.
And I have a delicious low carb Hungarian goulash, which is definitely stew adjacent. But I was simply craving a stew with classic techniques and flavors. And when that craving for comfort food strikes, you’ve got to give in to it!
Ingredients
- Beef stew meat – I like to keep the chunks 1 inch for more even cooking.
- Oil – to brown the stew meat.
- Onion
- Celery
- Fresh herbs – rosemary or thyme
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
- Red wine – you can sub more broth
- Beef broth
- Low carb veggies – I favor turnip and zucchini
- Glucomannan – to thicken the broth
How to make keto beef stew
Everything I learned about making beef stew, I learned from my friends at America’s Test Kitchen. Theirs isn’t keto friendly, of course, but I employed the same basic methods with some major changes.
- Use a Dutch oven. Stew meat needs to cook low and slow to tenderize. A large heavy-duty pot with a tight fitting lid is the best way to ensure proper braising.
- Brown the beef in batches. Unless you have a really large Dutch oven, you won’t be able to fit all the beef at once. To brown properly, the each piece of stew meat should be touching the bottom of the pan. Make sure to brown them all on each side for the best flavor.
- Sauté the onion and celery. Remove the beef to a bowl and add the onion and celery, stirring until tender.
- Whisk in the herbs and tomato paste. I favor fresh rosemary in keto beef stew but thyme is delicious as well.
- Add the wine. A little dry red wine really deepens the flavor of stew like this, and most of it cooks off. But you can sub in another ½ cup beef broth if you prefer.
- Keep the broth to a minimum. Many keto stews suffer from being too soupy. Add only enough broth to allow the meat to cook slowly. 1 to 1 ½ cups is usually enough.
- Transfer to the oven. I like the stovetop-to-oven method as it allows you to keep the heat at a constant low temperature.
- Add the veggies toward the end. Low carb vegetables like zucchini and turnip tend to soften much faster than potatoes, so add them only in the last 30 to 45 minutes.
- Thicken the broth. I like to use glucomannan to thicken the stew, as I find it has a better texture than xanthan gum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try using another ½ cup of beef broth, but take the time to reduce it as you would with the wine. It will help deepen the flavor overall.
Carrots are certainly not the lowest carb of veggies but they do add nice colour to a soup or stew. I only used about ¼ cup of sliced carrot, which adds less than 0.5g per serving. Feel free to sub in some red pepper for colour instead.
You can, but you may find yourself turning the element up and down frequently to achieve a constant low simmer. The oven at 300F is better for maintaining a constant temperature.
Yes, but I highly recommend browning the beef properly first, which rather defeats the purpose of a slow cooker. It will need 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
You can definitely make this in an instant pot, but I recommend cutting back the liquid even more. Pressure cookers force so much liquid out of meats and veggies, it will end up soupy if you add more than ½ cup of broth.
Cook it for 20 minutes on the stew function, then add the veggies and cook another 15 minutes or so.
Storage Information
Store your keto beef stew in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I swear it gets even better as it sits!
You can also freeze the stew for up to two months in an airtight container.
Classic Keto Beef Stew Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 lb beef stew meat cut into 1 inch chunks
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoon avocado or olive oil divided
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary or thyme
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 medium zucchini chopped
- 1 small turnip cubed
- ½ small carrot chopped (optional)
- ½ teaspoon glucomannan
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the the beef and cook, stirring a few times, until nicely browned on all sides. Remove to a bowl and repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining beef.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion and celery until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, tomato paste, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.
- Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 more minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer, then add the beef and any accumulated juices back into the pan.
- Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid, transfer to the oven and let cook for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, add the zucchini, turnip, and carrots, and stir to combine. Return to the oven and cook another 30 to 45 minutes, until tender.
- To thicken the broth, push the meat and vegetables to the side and whisk the glucommanan into the liquid. It will continue to thicken as it sits.
Jessi says
This was soooooo good! I made it in the instant pot and instead of adding the veggies at the end I added everything together and I added the full amount of liquid. I cooked it for 45 mins on the stew setting (my IP isn’t the best). By the time it was done the meat was so tender and the veggies were cooked down so they made the stew thick! I did add 1/2 tsp of xantham gum but didn’t really need it. My kids approved and had seconds. It was so satisfying. Thank you so much!
Fran says
I am making this stew for supper right now smells amazing I make something of yours almost every day all your recipes are so good so easy love all your recipes ❤️😁😁
Jane says
The BEST stew I have ever made ~ thank youCarolyn for another amazing recipe!
Carolyn says
Wow, I am so happy to hear that!
Joyce says
It was what’s for dinner tonight. Beef…. melted in our mouth. Broth…. savory and delicious. Next time I will cut veggies larger but they were still good. Had some mushrooms that needed to be used so added those. Have leftovers to freeze for another day. Love that. Topped it off with the lemon pudding cake. The meal was perfect for a chilly winter evening. Thank you.
Nedra Newton says
Made today. Delicious. Rich and savory. Very satisfying. I’ve never like turnips growing up but, the combo of all these flavors made them delicious. I followed directions to a T Exceptions: Added mushrooms (because I love them) Used Xanthum gum because I had it on hand.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
wildwildrose says
I made this with what I had on hand on this very bitter winter day. I used hamburger, a bag of frozen zoodles and a small bag of baby carrots and pretty much followed the rest of the recipe except I used about 3 cups beef broth and let it bake covered in the oven for 3 1/2 hours. The house smells amazing! I used 1 teaspoon of glucomannan to thicken. The zoodles broke down and helped thicken the stew. Thank you for sharing this recipe that warmed the tummy!
Carolyn says
Not quite the same recipe but a great way to use up what you have on hand! 🙂 So glad it worked well!
Elaine says
Can I use xanthum gum as a thickener if I don’t have the other?
Carolyn says
Yes… but the best thing to do is to remove some of the broth, whisk it quickly into that, and then stir it back into the stew.
Zoe says
Is xanthan gum a workable thickener here? I have copious amounts of that. Haven’t located glucommanan close by yet.
Carolyn says
Yes… but the best thing to do is to remove some of the broth, whisk it quickly into that, and then stir it back into the stew.
Dale says
What cut of beef do you use for this stew? Thanks!!!
Carolyn says
Chuck steak is usually what’s used for stew meat, if you aren’t purchasing it cut up already.
Alice says
Can I use cornstarch instead of the glucomann?
Carolyn says
You have to use cornstarch very differently and mix it with a liquid before adding it. Feel free to experiment but it will add carbs.
Christina says
Can I use Arrowroot instead of Glucomann?
Carolyn says
You need to dissolve arrowroot in water first, like cornstarch. It will also add some carbs.
fran says
Hi I want to make this but can we really have turnip
Carolyn says
I am not sure what you’re asking. Do you mean are turnips high carb? No, very much not, they are quite low in carbs.
Sherry says
I love beef stew. I also add chopped daikon. Very similar to potatoes but need to add to the stewnear the start as needs to cook longer to soften.
Sara says
Sounds delicious! Has anyone tried this in a crockpot or pressure cooker?
Carolyn says
Did you read the FAQ?
Sharon says
Thank you for not being a Keto Clone. I have seen so many new Keto sites and advice it’s ridiculous. So again thank you doing what I need most keeping it simply delicious.
Carolyn says
Well thanks!