Instant Pot Vegetable Stew with Mushrooms, Potatoes and Carrots

Name: Instant Pot Vegetable Stew with Mushrooms, Potatoes and Carrots
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil or butter; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch); 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 cups vegetable broth; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 pound golden potatoes, cut into bite-sized ½-inch or 3/4-inch chunks; 4 carrots (about 2 cups chopped), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds or half moons; ½ to 1 cup frozen peas (depending on how much you like peas); Chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish

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This Instant Pot vegetable stew is just as flavorful and hearty as beef stew! Made with mushrooms, potatoes and carrots. This stew is a really satisfying vegetarian (or vegan) meal.

a bowl of vegetable stew made with potatoes, carrots and mushrooms garnished with dill

This vegetable stew has a rich, thick broth and satisfying combination of veggies that are quickly cooked to perfection in your Instant Pot.

A quick slurry of flour and water thickens the broth, giving it a silky texture similar to gravy.

I'm not sure which I like more, this veggie stew or my Instant Pot mushroom barley soup. Both are richly flavorful vegetarian dinners.

Looking for a lighter vegetarian stew? Try slow cooker vegetarian stew made with bell peppers, zucchini, chickpeas and fire roasted tomatoes.

Ingredients

Mushrooms: I use button/cremini mushrooms, but you can use any variety. Just make sure to slice the mushrooms thinly, so they cook fully (about ¼-inch thick).

Potatoes: I like the creamy texture of golden potatoes, but red potatoes can be used as well. They can be peeled or unpeeled. Make sure the potato chunks aren't too big, or the potatoes won't get soft enough. Aim for chunks that are ½-to ¾ inch, basically a smallish bite-sized piece.

Carrots: For this recipe, I like to cut the carrots in half lengthwise, then cut ½-inch wide half moons.

Peas: Frozen peas defrost quickly in the hot stew after the stew has cooked and add bright color and flavor.

Onion & garlic: Can't make stew without this duo!

Thyme and dill: Add thyme before the stew cooks, or add a bay leaf instead. Fresh dill is a flavorful garnish before serving, or use parsley instead.

Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the stew broth, making it richer and less watery.

Tomato paste: Helps add flavor and also gives the stew color. I like the convenience of tomato paste in a tube. A tube makes it easy to add small amounts of tomato paste to a recipe without wasting any.

Broth: For a vegetarian stew, use veggie broth. But if you're not vegetarian, it's fine to use beef or even chicken broth instead.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Saute onion until soft

2. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme and salt. Add a drizzle of broth to keep the mushrooms from sticking. Saute until mushrooms are soft. Add the remaining broth.

sliced mushrooms and broth in a pressure cooker pot

Tip: If you have time, saute the mushrooms in two batches instead of adding all of the mushrooms at once. Add half of the mushrooms, then add the rest after 5 minutes or so. This makes it easier to fully cook the mushrooms and improves the texture.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and ½ cup water. Whisk in tomato paste. Pour the flour slurry into the simmering broth.

flour, water and tomato paste being whisked together in a bowl

4. Add potatoes and carrots. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Quick release.

sliced potatoes, carrots and mushrooms with broth in a pressure cooker pot

Last step: Stir in the peas and garnish the stew with fresh dill or parsley before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This is a one-pot vegetable stew that doesn't necessarily need anything served on the side. However, I often serve bread and butter to round out the meal.

This stew keeps well for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Simply reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.

You can also freeze leftover stew in a Ziploc bag or glass jar. To defrost, leave frozen stew in the refrigerator overnight then gently reheat in a pot on the stove.

How do you not overcook vegetables in the Instant Pot?

Vegetables cook very quickly in a pressure cooker. In most cases, you'll want to use a quick release after cooking vegetables or they will continue to cook and become overly soft.

It can be challenging to cook different types of vegetables together in an Instant Pot. Make sure that the vegetables you're cooking all need about the same cooking time. For example, don't try to cook potatoes and broccoli together.

Also, it's important to cut the vegetables the right size. If you cut them bigger or smaller than the recipe specifies, they won't cook perfectly.

For perfectly cooked Instant Pot vegetables, use my detailed Instant Pot recipes as a guide.

FAQ About Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stew

What is the Instant Pot stew setting for?

The Instant Pot Meat/Stew setting automatically cooks for 35 minutes at high pressure. This setting can work well for beef stew, but it's too long for vegetarian stew.

Is this stew vegan?

Yes! This vegetarian stew is also vegan.

What are good vegetables to put in stew?

This stew recipe uses the traditional trio of potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. You can add slightly more or less of the three veggies, depending on which ones you like the most.

Other vegetables that are good in stew are chopped tomatoes, rutabaga, turnip, zucchini and green beans.

For this recipe, keep in mind that zucchini and green beans cook very quickly in a pressure cooker and will turn out very soft if cooked for 10 minutes.

What can be used instead of mushrooms?

Mushrooms give the stew a meaty flavor and texture. But if you're not a fan, they can be left out. However, only adding carrots and potatoes can make the stew a little bland, so be sure to add another type of vegetable in place of the mushrooms.

Or, instead of mushrooms, add plant based sausage or plant based ground meat (saute after adding the onion). You could also crumble seitan or tempeh into the stew.

What is the difference between stew and soup?

The main difference is that stew has less liquid than soup. Soup has more broth.

What is a slurry?

A slurry is a starchy liquid mixture that thickens stew, gravy and sauces. A slurry is most often made by whisking all-purpose flour, cornstarch or arrowroot with cold water.

Adding a flour slurry to a hot pot of stew insures that the flour won't clump and become lumpy when it's added to the stew. Instead, it will evenly thicken the broth.

This article in Taste of Home explains the difference between using cornstarch vs flour vs arrowroot for a slurry.

Instant Pot Soup Recipes

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