Whole30 Beef Stew

It’s officially soup season and this Whole30 Beef Stew is going to be on rotation in our house. It’s comforting, filled with tender chunks of beef, root veggies and the most incredible broth – the secret is a mix of balsamic and homemade worcestershire. Plus it truly couldn’t be easier to make!

Why You’ll Love it

• This whole30 beef stew is the ultimate comfort food.
• It truly couldn’t be easier to make.
• It is gluten free, dairy free, and whole30 approved.
• It can be made in the instant pot, slow cooker, or on the stove top.
• The whole family will love it.
• It’s perfect when cooking for a crowd.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Beef stew meat. 2-2.5 lbs of beef stew meat. If you can’t find beef stew meat at the store you can ask them to cut up beef chuck roast. Sub with lamb stew meat.
• Olive oil. Olive oil is used to saute the garlic, onion, and meat.
• Garlic. 2 tbsp of garlic, minced. About 3 cloves.
• Yellow onion. 1 onion, diced. You can use a white or yellow onion.
• Celery. 1.5 cups of celery, diced.
• Balsamic Vinegar. 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. This adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the broth. If you don’t want to use worcestershire you can sub all balsamic vinegar.
• Whole30 approved Worcestershire. You will need 3 tbsp of whole30 approved worcestershire sauce. Simply combine below ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. Turn to simmer for a few minutes. Allow to cool and then use in recipe.
  • ½ cups Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 tbsp, Water, 2 tbsp Coconut Aminos, ¼ tsp Mustard Seed, Ground, ¼ tsp Onion Powder, ¼ tsp Garlic Powder, ? tsp Cinnamon, ? tesp Black Pepper.
• Beef broth. 3 cups of beef broth are used for the stew. You can sub with veggie broth.
• Tomato paste. This adds a slight tomato flavor and tang to the stew.
• Baby potatoes. 1.5 lb baby potatoes, halved. You can use red potatoes, yellow potatoes, or russet potatoes.
• Carrots. 1.5 cups carrots, peeled and cut into circles.
• Frozen peas. 3/4 cup frozen peas. You can omit if you don’t like peas.
• Spices. Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and oregano are all used to season the whole30 beef stew.

How to Make

Step 1

Cook the beef stew. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When it’s hot, add your olive oil and then your stew meat. Saute your beef until you get some nice browning, stirring constantly.

Step 2

Saute aromatics. Add onion, celery, and minced garlic to the Instant Pot. Stir and let the onion get a bit translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Once done press the cancel button to stop sauteing.

Step 3

Add vinegar. Pour the balsamic vinegar in the Instant Pot first to deglaze the bottom. Use a spatula and scrape up any of those amazing bits that caramelized and may be stuck after sauteing.

Step 4

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the peas. Now add the rest of the ingredients, except for the peas. Seal the Instant Pot. Set it to Pressure Cook (or Manual, depending on the model Instant Pot you have) on high pressure for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Allow to natural release. Once cooking is complete, natural release pressure for at least 10 minutes. (That means don’t release the steam. Just let it do it’s thing on it’s own.) This will result in more tender meat and it’s totally worth it! Add in frozen peas and stir. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Step 6

Serve and enjoy! After you allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, ladle the whole30 beef stew into bowls and top with fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Alternative Cooking Methods

If you don’t have an instant pot, don’t worry! You can make this in the slow cooker or on the stove top as well.

Stove Top Beef Stew

• Sprinkle cubed beef chunk generously with salt and black pepper.
• Heat dutch oven with olive oil on the stovetop. Once oil is heated, bring beef to dutch oven to sear. Turn beef to make sure all sides are seared well. Do this in batches if you have a small Dutch oven so that beef do not overlap each other when searing.
• Bring all seared beef back to the Dutch oven and add a bit more oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery then cook a few minutes until veggies are tender.
• Pour the balsamic vinegar in the Instant Pot first to deglaze the bottom. Use a spatula and scrape up any of those amazing bits that caramelized and may be stuck after sauteing.
• Now add the rest of the ingredients, except for the peas. Bring to a boil. Cover, and then take it to medium low heat and simmer for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until beef is tender (easily break apart with a fork). 
• Taste, add more salt to open up the flavors if needed.
• Serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• Follow instructions 1-2, but using a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. And once the beef is browned, you can transfer directly into the slow cooker.
• Add in all remaining ingredients, stir together, put the cover on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Expert Tips

• For the best beef stew, allow to natural release for as long as possible. This will make the beef incredibly tender and allow the flavors to meld.
• Taste at the end and add salt if needed! Salt helps open up flavors, not just to add saltiness to the dish.
• Pro tip: serve this with warm, fresh, crusty bread, and take this to the next level.