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When the temperature drops, this easy keto beef stew recipe will warm you right up! My low carb beef stew takes just 10 minutes to prep, and some hands-off time on the stove. When it’s done cooking? You’ll be left with rich and hearty beef recipe that makes a delicious and filling winter meal — just as comforting as keto chili and with as much tenderness as Instant Pot beef short ribs.
Why You’ll Love This Keto Beef Stew Recipe
- Savory, comforting flavor
- Tender beef and keto vegetables
- Tastes so much like a traditional beef stew recipe
- Quick 10-minute prep
- Basic grocery store ingredients
- Naturally gluten-free
- Easy to make ahead, meal prep, or freeze

Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for keto friendly beef stew, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Beef Chuck Stew Meat – If you can’t find pre-cut beef stew meat, you could use beef chuck roast and cut it into 1 inch cubes.
- Olive Oil – Other heat-safe oils, such as avocado oil, also work.
- Onion – Use white or yellow onions. Sweet onion will also work, but carbs are a bit higher.
- Carrots – Peel and cut carrots into thick circles. Carrots are not very keto friendly on their own, but the small amount in this recipe works for me. If you don’t want to use them, replace with bell peppers instead.
- Garlic – I used fresh garlic, but you could use 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic for convenience if you prefer.
- Celery Root – The secret ingredient in this keto beef stew recipe? Celery root! Low in carbs, this root veggie has the texture of potatoes once it’s soft and tender. (You can also make celery root soup with it, which is a dupe of loaded potato soup). For the stew, you’ll get about 1 pound peeled, cubed celery root from 1.5 pounds celery root with stems and peel — the perfect amount for this dish. If you can’t find celery root, rutabaga would make a suitable substitute.
- Beef Bone Broth – You can use store-bought or homemade bone both in this healthy beef stew recipe. It adds a rich flavor and can also help you avoid keto flu! But if needed, regular beef broth also works.
- Diced Tomatoes – I used a can of diced tomatoes in place of higher-sugar tomato paste. It also helps balance out the richer flavor of bone broth.
- Bay Leaves – Used for flavor. Be sure to remove the bay leaves from the stew before serving.
- Seasonings – Sea salt, black pepper, and my homemade Italian seasoning season this delicious keto stew simply.

How To Make Keto Stew
This section shows how to make low carb beef stew, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Peel And Cut Celery Root:
- Chop. Start by chopping off the top and bottom.
- Peel. Place a flat side onto the counter and use a peeler away from you, toward the counter, to peel the skin on the sides. Flip and repeat with any parts you didn’t get.
- Slice. Cut the peeled celery root into discs.
- Stack. Line the discs up in a stack and cut them into thin strips.
- Cube. Place the strips next to each other and cut crosswise into small cubes perfect for beef stew.

Cook Low Carb Stew:
- Season the beef. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
- Sear the beef. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the beef in a single layer. Sear, turning once but not constantly, until well-browned.


- Saute the veggies. Heat more oil in the same dutch oven. Add onions and carrots. Saute until soft and lightly browned.
- Add flavor. Add garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute until fragrant.
- Deglaze. Place the beef back into the dutch oven. Add broth, diced tomatoes, and whole bay leaves. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.


- Simmer. Bring the keto stew to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer until the beef is tender.
- Cook celery root. Add celery root. Increase heat to bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer until tender.
- Finish. Remove bay leaves. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.



Tips For The Best Keto Beef Stew
It’s the perfect comfort food, and there are so many ways to customize it to your taste preferences. Here are some tips for making the best keto beef stew ever!
- Brown each piece of meat. It’s important to brown the beef over high heat, in a single layer, and without moving it around too much. This ensures a nice sear. Do it in batches if necessary so that each piece touches the pan.
- Add red wine. If you like, you can add 1/2 cup red wine at the same step as the broth – some people consider red wine (or red wine vinegar) a must for beef stew. This will increase carb count though, and isn’t absolutely necessary. I skipped it for my stew to make it more kid friendly, too.
- Let beef stew simmer. Not to worry – you don’t have to stand by the stove, so this is a good time to meal prep other dishes or do something else around the house.
- Don’t add celery root too soon. We add the celery root at a later step so that it doesn’t get too mushy. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get soft, similar to boiling potatoes.
Variation: Make It Thicker
This beef stew keto recipe doesn’t need any thickeners! It thickened up really nicely all on its own. But, if you want it more of the consistency of gravy, you can add some gelatin, similar to thickening keto gravy. (If you need an alternative thickener to a traditional one like cornstarch, check this list of cornstarch substitutes.)
Here is how thicken keto stews with gelatin after cooking:
- In a medium bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon gelatin over 1/3 cup water and let sit to bloom for 2-3 minutes.
- Ladle 1 cup hot liquid from the soup and whisk into the gelatin mixture until dissolved.
- Stir the gelatin mixture back into the pot of soup.

Storage Instructions
- Store: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Meal prep: Most soups and stews taste even better the day after they have been made and this one is no exception! Make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freezer for a quick and easy dinner.
- Reheat: Microwave or heat leftover keto beef stew on the stove top until hot.
- Freeze: Let the stew cool completely, then then place in the freezer in a freezer bag or airtight container. Let it thaw out overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

TIP: If you freeze low carb stew in a bag, lay it flat in the freezer.
Once it’s solid, you can store it vertically for easier access.
What To Serve With Keto Beef Stew
This beef stew keto recipe is a meal-in-a-bowl, but if you’d like a veggie or bread side to go along with it, I’ve got you covered! Here are a few keto side dishes to try:
- Bread – The easiest way to ensure you don’t leave a single drop of low carb beef stew in the bowl is to pair it with a side of keto bread, keto garlic bread, keto biscuits, or keto breadsticks from my Easy Keto Cookbook!
- Vegetables – Veggie sides like oven roasted brussels sprouts or artichoke salad pair nicely with this keto beef stew.
- Mash – If you miss beef stew over mashed potatoes, try this mashed cauliflower recipe for a low carb (but just as tasty) alternative. Cauliflower rice would be good, too.
More Keto Stews And Soups
When weather gets chilly, it’s the perfect chance to make hearty keto soups and stews. Here are a few reader favorites:
Recommended Tools
- Vegetable Peeler – A veggie peeler makes the vegetable prep for this low carb beef stew recipe easy!
- Dutch Oven – A sturdy dutch oven is helpful for keto stew meat recipes, this one is my favorite. Functional and gorgeous from stovetop to table!
Easy Low Carb Keto Beef Stew Recipe
Keto Beef Stew
This easy keto beef stew recipe has a secret ingredient that tastes like potatoes. Low carb beef stew is rich and hearty – without the carbs!
Recipe Video
Tap on the image below to watch the video.Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Season the beef with salt and pepper. (It will be a light amount because the broth will be salty.)
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Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the beef in a single layer. (Work in batches if you can't get the beef in a single layer on the bottom of the pan.) Sear for about 8-10 minutes total per batch, moving only every few minutes after each side has well browned. Remove the beef and set aside on a plate.
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Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same dutch oven. Add the onions and carrots. Saute for about 10 minutes, until soft and lightly browned.
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Add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute for about a minute, until fragrant.
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Place the beef back into the dutch oven. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, and whole bay leaves. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
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Bring the beef stew to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until beef is tender.
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Add the celery root. Increase heat to bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until tender.
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Remove the bay leaves. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our free low carb support group, too – I’d love to see it!
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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107 Comments
SHANNA
0This great comfort food turned out fantastic! There was no celery root at the store so I had to substitute it with rutabaga. I made some keto dinner rolls to go with and it was perfect!
Kim
0My end product was more like soup than stew. However, delicious! I tried thickening with almond flour. But celery root was a great addition. Will make again and try the gelatin as a thickener.
Carlee
0The beef stew recipe was great! Even my husband liked it. The celery root in place of potatoes was genius. I will be trying that in other recipes as well.
Gina
0Celery root is a great potato alternative! So great for stew, this totally hit the spot for dinner, thanks!
Shruthi
0Loved how simple this recipe was – we made a large batch and my husband had it through the week.
Heidi
0I really enjoyed this stew! I had no idea that celery root could replace potatoes and it was so yummy. This was definitely a hearty meal.
Addison
0This beef stew was so hearty and savory! The perfect comfort food meal for my family.
Traci
0Beautiful stew this turned out wonderful! We all loved it!!
Margo
0This was delicious! Used rutabaga [for the first time] because couldn’t find celery root. Added some portobello mushroom stems [left over from keto stuffed mushrooms]. Full of flavor.
ikoz
0In the UK we call celery root, celeriac. What you do with a potato you can do with celeriac.
Teri
0Repeatedly, video cuts out halfway or more before it ends — am I the only one experiencing this?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Teri, When watching the video it will ask if you want to stay, if you don’t click to stay on the video it will go onto the next.
Jill Bernstein
0I’ve made this a few times and plan to make it again soon. I use regular celery instead of celery root for flavor, but otherwise follow the recipe precisely. We love it!
Debi L Welliver
0My Mother, being a good Irish lady, often used to substitute turnips for potatoes. Are turnips Keto & would that work in this recipe? I love all the recipes I have ever made of yours. I would like to try this one too, but maybe sub turnips in place of the celery root. Thoughts?
Thanks, Debi
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Debi, Yes, turnips would work in this recipe.
Russ Pastuch
0We made this because the kids are on a keto diet.
We’ll make it again because it is quite yummy.
David Allard
0This stew was amazing. I cooked it in the crockpot and I added 2 tsp of xantham gum to thicken the broth. Very good.
Grady Scott
0This sounds good but begs the question, “Where in the world does one get celery root?”
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Grady, I usually find celery root or celeriac at organic grocery stores. I also suggest your local farmers market.
AMP Texas
0Found it at Albertsons. Nothing super special. Also I feel like you could sub a fennel root & get similar results.
Maggie
0Potatoes are my favorite food. I couldn’t have imagined beef stew without it. But I have been making this recipe for 2 years now and love it – I haven’t made a beef stew with potatoes since! My whole family feels energized and good after this meal. There is also something about using the beef bone broth that makes it so much savory than regular beef broth. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Brenda
0The recipe called for celery root, where do I find it? I have never seen it at the supermarket. I really want to make this recipe but if it doesn’t have something to replace the potatoes I’m sure my husband won’t like it, ( even if I taste good) he’ll still complain, what no potatoes:-( he’s a potato freak! Lol! So you see I really need to find the celery root. Please help if you can!♥️I love your recipe’s!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Brenda, I usually find celery root at organic grocery stores.
Patricia O'Brien
0I’ve found that some vegetable outlets, like the farmers’ market type stores will order it for you. I pay 3.00 per celeriac/celery root, and usually buy at least six and cut them into wheels, and blanche and freeze them, and then I can use them for anything once they’re thawed.
John Z
0Harris Teeter carry’s celery root
Jowpie
0This came out very good but I did change the recipe a bit. instead of celery root, I added jicama. also I added additional chopped celery. Added 5 oz white mushrooms, chopped very small. In addition to these changes, at the end I added 2 tsp xanthan gum AND 2 scoops unflavored gelatin flavor. To do this, I added it 15 mins before it was done cooking. I used a mixing bowl, ladeled in some of the liquidy broth, and sprinkled in one scoop or teaspoon at a time and used a hand mixer to combine until smooth. added the rest to the batch and it was thick as if I used gluten flour! Without the carbs!
Cassie Lard
0If I would like to use a crock pot instead, what do you suggest for cooking time?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Cassie, I have never made this in the Crock Pot but most recipes cook for 4-6 hours.