Name: Slow Cooker Seitan Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 480 min
Ingredients: 1 pound seitan (cut into bite sized pieces); 1 small red onion (diced); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 3 carrots (sliced); 1 large sweet potato (diced (about 2 cups)); 2 medium red skinned potatoes (diced (about 2 cups)); 2 cups water; 1 beefless bullion cube (I used Not Beef by Edward and Sons); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Seitan Stew is a great dinner option for busy work days. Just throw the ingredients in your slow cooker before you leave for work in the morning, and dinner will be waiting for you when you get home! Made with seitan, potatoes, sweet potato, and carrots, think of this vegan recipe as a meatless Irish stew.

Seitan Stew

I love slow cooking meals. There’s really nothing better than throwing a bunch of ingredients into your crock pot in the morning, and having a hot dinner waiting for you after work. Curries and stews are my go-tos, but you can make all sorts of yummy dishes in a slow cooker.

I’m just going to admit that I donated my slow cooker a few years ago after I received an Instant Pot. My kitchen overfloweth with gadgets, and I just didn’t have the room for it. I loved my slow cooker, but the Instant Pot has a slow cooker function, and I’ve never had any problems with it.

Along with a loaf of crusty bread and a side salad, this hearty Seitan Stew is perfect for a cold winter’s evening. Made with meaty seitan, it’s reminiscent Irish Stew. It would be a perfect meal for St. Patrick’s Day dinner.

How to Make Seitan Stew

This recipe couldn’t be any easier!

You just throw all of the ingredients (minus the cornstarch) into your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
About half an hour before you’re going to serve your stew, you add the cornstarch mixed with a little water to the crock. Continue cooking for the remaining 30 minutes.

I use cornstarch to thicken the stew slightly. If I was cooking a stew like this on the stovetop, I’d add flour towards the beginning of the recipe.

Stove Top Instructions

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make this stew on the stove top. You’ll need about a tablespoon of neutral-flavored oil, and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour will be used instead of cornstarch.

First you heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Then you add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until it softens.
Next you add the seitan and cook for about 5 more minutes, until it begins to brown.
Then you add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Now you sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir until it coats the onion, seitan, and garlic.
You add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Next you reduce the heat to medium and allow the stew to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

What is Seitan?

Seitan is also known as wheat meat! It’s made with wheat gluten, and it has a hearty, chewy texture. It actually looks quite a bit like meat, and it can be used in recipes that might traditionally be made with beef or pork. It’s a good main dish option for those who might suffer from soy sensitivities, and it’s very high in protein, with 24 grams of it in just 4 ounces.

Seitan can be found in the same area of the grocery store as the tofu. My favorite store-bought brand is Upton’s Naturals. You can make your own, if you’re up to the challenge.

How to Customize Your Seitan Stew

You can easily make this recipe your own!

If you’d like to make your stew gluten-free, you can use sliced portobello mushrooms or baked tofu in the place of seitan. (Uncooked tofu will fall apart in your slow cooker.)
You can add other veggies to your stew if you like. Try sliced celery, green peas, diced parsnips, and chopped crimini mushrooms.
If you’d like to add some greens to your stew, stir in chopped kale or spinach when you add the cornstarch.
You can sautéed the onion and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker, to remove a little of their pungent bite.