Vegan Tempeh Stew (Bourguignon Style)

This extra flavorful vegan tempeh stew features tender vegetables and hearty cubes of tempeh slowly cooked in a savory gravy brown sauce. It makes for an amazing vegan comfort food dish that's perfect as a crowd-pleaser or to serve as a Christmas or Thanksgiving main dish.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• Amazing plant-based comfort food recipe.
• Healthy and nourishing.
• High-in-protein vegan meal.
• Very versatile and makes for amazing leftovers.
• Great crowd-pleasing meal.

🗒 Ingredient notes (+substitutions)

• Vegetables: Onions, carrots, garlic and mushrooms. You can include other veggies, such as cauliflower, sweet potatoes, zucchini, eggplant and Yukon potatoes. If the veggies are tender, such as zucchini, then add them towards the end.
• Protein source: I used the tempeh from Lightlife, but any kind will work well. You can use 100% soy tempeh or use soy + whole grain tempeh if you prefer.
• Gravy: You will need some coconut oil, all-purpose flour and vegetable broth to make the thick gravy. Use refined coconut oil to avoid a coconutty flavor and feel free to use whole wheat flour or GF flour.
• Flavoring: Dried thyme, bay leaves, soy sauce, vegan Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and red wine are all key ingredient to make the gravy so flavorful.

As a side note, most Worcestershire sauce aren't vegan. I like using the vegan ones from the brand 365 from Whole Foods! If you cannot find a vegan one, then simply omit it.

⭐️ Full list of ingredients with quantities down below in the recipe card!

🍽 How to make a vegan tempeh stew

Step 1: Chop the veggies and cube the tempeh in large bite-size.

Step 2: Combine the coconut oil with the flour and use the back of a spoon to press on the coconut oil clumps. This will help incorporate the flour within the fat. You are looking to create a smooth and uniform paste. This is called "beurre manié".

Step 3: Warm up a large oven-safe pot and add a little coconut oil if desired. Then, add the onions, carrots, and tempeh. Let them cook for about 5-7 minutes while stirring often or until slightly browned (you don't want to cook them all the way through).

Step 4: Then, add the garlic and stir for 30-60 seconds before adding the red wine. Stir and let the alcohol cook off for a few minutes.

Step 5: Add the kneaded butter (beurre manié) and stir to combine.

Step 6: Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the mushrooms.

Step 7: Cover the pot and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Step 8: Then, take out of the oven, add the mushrooms, stir and bake for another 30 minutes (uncovered this time). Once done, taste and adjust the flavoring/thickness of the gravy (see tips below) and serve.

⭐️ Detailed recipe (+video) down below in the recipe card!

✅ How to make the tempeh stew gravy thicker?

This vegan stew is meant to be a fairly thin gravy-like meal. If you are looking for a saucy dish that's thicker, something closer to a classic vegan gravy, then I recommend adding some cornstarch to thicken the broth. Here is how to do it:

• Once done baking for an hour in the oven, transfer the pot back on the stove and bring to a simmer. You can leave the broth cooking for a few extra minutes to let some extra water evaporate.
• Then, in a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch + 2 tablespoons of cold water (cornstarch slurry) and whisk well to break all the clumps. Arrowroot powder would work well too.
• Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry over the actively simmering stew while stirring constantly. The stew should thicken very quickly. You can start with half the amount of the slurry and add more as needed. You could make it quite thick depending on how you want to serve it by repeating the slurry again. Once it is thickened to your liking, remove from the heat and serve!

Important note: definitively DO NOT sprinkle the powdered cornstarch straight over the warm stew as it will clump!

💡 Cooking tips

• I love my Dutch oven pot to make this recipe, but if you don't have one, then simply make sure to use a pot that also goes in the oven.
• Use a broth that already has lots of flavor as it is a main ingredient. You can make your own if you have the extra time (Minimalist Baker's homemade vegetable broth would work great for this recipe). I'll sometimes also add 1-2 tablespoons extra of concentrated vegetable broth from Better than Bouillon for added flavor.
• Try to keep the pieces of onions large and don't try to separate the layers too much as they will cook for a while.
• It is better to add the mushrooms halfway through cooking to prevent them from overcooking and turning too soft.
• This recipe is very versatile! Swap the dried herbs for fresh herbs and use some rosemary, Italian mix or even parsley if you love these flavors. Feel free to also swap the carrots for other root vegetables (turnip, parsnip) or try adding some large chunks of celery, leeks or some frozen green peas too for a pop in color (add halfway through cooking).

🍴 Serving suggestions

This vegan tempeh stew makes for a very saucy dish, so look for something to catch all the flavorful gravy.

I love to serve this no-beef stew with a side of bread. Vegan dinner rolls work great to dip in the gravy, but use any kind of crusty bread.

Can also be served over mashed potatoes, white bean mash, purple mashed potatoes or cooked short noodles such as bow tie or rotini pasta. Even brown rice would work amazingly or scoop the stew over a steamy baked potato.

Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of fresh parsley for color.

❗️ Storage tips

This recipe makes for great leftovers! Let it cool first, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. The gravy will thicken during storage, but should loosen up after heated up.

To reheat, use the stove or the microwave and add a splash of water as needed for desired consistency.

Can also be frozen for up to 3 months!

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