Keto Beef Stew
Published November 7, 2022 β’ Updated February 20, 2026
Hearty keto soup to warm your belly
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This beef stew is a delicious meal perfect for a cold winter day. It's filled with tender stew meat, has a ton of flavor, and plenty of vegetables. This comforting dish can be made in a Dutch oven, the slow cooker, or the instant pot. It's a dish your whole family will love.
If you love a warm soup, like my chicken noodle soup on a chilly day, you’ll want to make this beef stew with a side of rolls or cornbread.
This beef stew is made without potatoes which makes it perfect for a low carb diet. In their place, I use daikon radish, which is similar to a potato (appearance, texture and flavor) and very filling.
Get the best stew meat or chuck roast you can find since it’s the best part of this dish. Keep in mind that this tougher meat needs to cook longer to get it tender. Once it’s softened, these chunks of beef will fall apart in your mouth.
How to make keto beef stew
Here are the brief instructions to make this stew. For the full description, see the recipe card below.
- Add butter to a large stock pot and melt over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the stew meat in a single layer and cook on all sides until seared. Remove and sear the next batch.
- Return all meat to the pot and stir to get up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in arrowroot powder to thicken the stew if you decide to use it.
Serve and enjoy.
Key ingredients & variations
These simple ingredients combine to make a delicious stew.
- Beef – I use beef stew meat or cut up chunks from chuck roast or other roast.
- Broth or stock – Use chicken or beef broth. Water works if you have neither.
- Red wine – Adds depth of flavor to the stew, and acid from the wine tenderizes the beef.
- Vegetables – I use green beans, mushrooms, daikon radish, carrot, onion and garlic, but any low-carb vegetable works.
- Tomato paste – Adds umami flavor to the stew.
- Thickener – Thickens up the soup so it’s not so liquidy, but this is an optional ingredient.
Explore 681+ keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter -
2 lbs stew meat or beef chuck or roast, cubed
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4 cups beef or chicken broth
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Β½ (14oz) can diced tomatoes with juices
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1 Β½ cups green beans chopped into 1 inch pieces
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6 oz portabella mushrooms, chopped
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8 oz daikon radish, cubed
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Β½ medium carrot, sliced
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Β½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
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Β½ cup red wine
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1 tablespoon minced garlic
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1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
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2 bay leaves
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1 tablespoon tomato paste
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1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
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1 teaspoon onion powder
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1 teaspoon black pepper
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Β½ teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoon arrowroot powder, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Stove top instructions: sear and tenderize beef
Add butter to a large stock pot or Dutch oven and melt over medium high heat. Working in batches, add stew meat and cook on all sides until seared. Remove and sear the next batch. Return all stew meat to the pot. Add beef broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to simmer for 60 minutes.
- Butter
- Stew meat
- Beef broth or chicken broth
- Diced tomatoes
Stove top instructions: add vegetables
Add remaining ingredients (except arrowroot powder or thickener) and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add additional seasoning if needed. Add arrowroot powder as a thickener if desired.
Slow cooker instructions
Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Instant pot instructions
Add butter and stew meat to the liner of the instant pot. Use SAUTE mode to sear the outside of the beef on all sides (working in batches to prevent steaming). Return all beef to the pressure cooker and add remaining ingredients except the thickener if using. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. Let pressure release natural for 10 minutes before releasing remaining pressure. Stir in thickener if using.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros (Free) →Frequently Asked Questions
How many carbs are in beef stew?
There are about 20 grams of carbs in one cup of traditional beef stew.
Can you have potatoes on keto?
Potatoes are not part of a keto diet. At 37g, that's too many carbs to be keto-friendly.
Why does the stew have to cook for so long?
Stew meat needs at least an hour to get tender and to infuse flavor into the broth. Add additional broth or water if it cooks down too low. Don't add salt until the end so it doesn't concentrate and make the stew too salty.
Used the instant pot and swapped turnips for the daikon. 25 minutes and it was falling apart tender. This is going in the rotation.
I love the turnip swap idea. I've done that a few times when I can't find daikon and it adds a little sweetness that works really well with the beef.
Good stew. I'd bump the garlic to 2 tablespoons next time and maybe add a little more salt. The red wine in the broth was a nice touch though.
Troy more garlic is never a bad idea. And the red wine really does make the broth richer. Good call on the salt too, I tend to season light and let people adjust at the table.
We loved this recipe! Made it with elk meat in our crockpot. The broth turned out kinda spicy (i like but my kids dont haha) do you know why?
That's interesting...maybe too much pepper for them? You could try using 1/2 teaspoon next time. Glad you liked it!
Made this in the Dutch oven on a snow day. My husband went back for thirds and my daughter who hates mushrooms picked them out but still ate everything else. The daikon really does work like potatoes in this.
Vanessa thirds is a serious compliment. And yeah the daikon surprised me too when I first tried it in stew. It holds up so well. Your daughter might come around on the mushrooms eventually.
Chicken broth, not beef broth?
If itβs not a typo, why?
You can use either in this recipe.