Keto Beef Stew

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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.

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:

1. Chop. Start by chopping off the top and bottom.
2. 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.
3. Slice. Cut the peeled celery root into discs.
4. Stack. Line the discs up in a stack and cut them into thin strips.
5. Cube. Place the strips next to each other and cut crosswise into small cubes perfect for beef stew.

Cook Low Carb Stew:

1. Season the beef. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
2. 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.

3. Saute the veggies. Heat more oil in the same dutch oven. Add onions and carrots. Saute until soft and lightly browned.
4. Add flavor. Add garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute until fragrant.
5. 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.

6. 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.
7. Cook celery root. Add celery root. Increase heat to bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer until tender.
8. 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:

1. In a medium bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon gelatin over 1/3 cup water and let sit to bloom for 2-3 minutes.
2. Ladle 1 cup hot liquid from the soup and whisk into the gelatin mixture until dissolved.
3. 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:

Keto White Chicken Chili

Keto Ramen

Keto Zuppa Toscana

Low Carb Taco Soup

4.99 from 54 votes

Keto Beef Stew (Secret Ingredient Like Potato!)

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!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 6 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 2 lb Beef chuck stew meat (cut into 1-inch pieces) ▢
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢
• 2 tbsp Olive oil (divided) ▢
• 1 medium Onion (diced) ▢
• 2 medium Carrots (peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick-circles) ▢
• 2 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning ▢
• 1 lb Celery root (weight peeled & cubed; from ~1.5 lb with peel and stems) ▢
• 6 cups Beef bone broth ▢
• 1 14.5-oz can Diced tomatoes ▢
• 2 medium Bay leaves ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. (It will be a light amount because the broth will be salty.)

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Saute for about a minute, until fragrant.

5. 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.

6. Bring the beef stew to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until beef is tender.

7. Add the celery root. Increase heat to bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until tender.

8. Remove the bay leaves. Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 410

Fat 22g

Protein 36g

Total Carbs 14g

Net Carbs 11g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 4g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keywords: keto beef stew, keto stew, low carb beef stew

Calories: 410 kcal

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