Keto Beef Stew
Published November 7, 2022 • Updated March 11, 2026
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I've been making this keto beef stew every winter since 2018. Tender chunks of beef with daikon radish instead of potatoes, simmered in a savory broth on the stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
I’ve been making this stew since 2018, and it’s the one I come back to every time the temperature drops. If you love a warming bowl like my beef and tomato soup or keto beef pho, this one deserves a spot in your rotation.
This keto beef stew is made without potatoes, which makes it perfect for a low carb diet. In their place, I use daikon radish, and it’s the closest thing to a potato I’ve found. I tested daikon against cauliflower head to head, and cauliflower basically dissolves by the first hour. Daikon takes the whole braise and stays in actual chunks. It softens, soaks up the broth, and looks white like a potato in the bowl. One of my readers made this for her son, and he was convinced there were potatoes in it. Kept digging for more.
Get the best stew meat or chuck roast you can find. This is a tougher cut that needs time to break down, but once it does, the chunks practically fall apart. I sear mine in batches with butter, then deglaze with red wine and let the whole thing simmer for about an hour before the vegetables go in. That first hour is what builds the depth of flavor in the broth. If you don’t cook with wine, skip it or swap in extra broth. I’ve made it both ways and the broth is still rich without it.
I add green beans, mushrooms, carrot, onion, and garlic along with the daikon. Any low carb vegetable works here. If you want something more Italian, try my Italian beef stew for a tomato-forward version.
The finished stew comes in at about 5 net carbs per serving, compared to the 20g you’d get from a traditional version loaded with potatoes. I make a double batch almost every time and freeze half for later. If you’re looking for more comfort food that works in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, my chicken and dumplings is another one my family asks for.
Key ingredients and variations
- Beef – I use stew meat or cut up chunks from a chuck roast. Any tough cut works because the long simmer breaks it down.
- Broth – Beef or chicken broth both work. I usually go beef for a darker, richer base.
- Red wine – Adds depth and the acid helps tenderize the meat. Leave it out or use extra broth if you prefer.
- Vegetables – Green beans, mushrooms, daikon, carrot, onion, and garlic. Swap in whatever you have on hand.
- Tomato paste – A tablespoon adds an umami layer to the broth without adding much in carbs.
- Thickener – I use arrowroot powder. Optional, but it gives the broth more body.
How to make this stew
The key to this stew is patience. Sear the beef in batches so each piece gets a proper crust instead of steaming. Once all the beef is back in the pot, deglaze with wine and broth to pick up those brown bits from the bottom. That’s where most of the flavor lives. Let it simmer low for an hour before the vegetables go in, then another 30-40 minutes until everything is tender. Don’t add salt until the end, because the broth concentrates as it cooks.
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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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½ (14oz) can diced tomatoes with juices
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1 ½ 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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½ medium carrot, sliced
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½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
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½ 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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½ teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoon arrowroot powder, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Season beef (all cooking methods)
Season stew meat on all sides with salt and pepper.
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 + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How many net carbs are in this stew?
I calculated about 5 net carbs per serving with the arrowroot thickener included. Without the thickener, it's closer to 4. Traditional versions with potatoes run about 20g per cup, so this is a significant difference for staying on track.
Can I make this without red wine?
I've made it both ways. Without the wine, the broth is a little less complex but still good. I add an extra splash of beef broth to replace the liquid and sometimes stir in a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce at the end for depth. The acid from the wine does help tenderize the meat, but an hour of simmering does most of that work on its own.
What can I use instead of daikon radish?
I've tested turnip and it works well. It's a bit denser than daikon but after 6 hours in the slow cooker, the texture is nearly the same. It adds a slight sweetness that pairs nicely with the beef. Celery root is another option I like for its mild, slightly nutty flavor. Jicama, rutabaga, and parsnips all hold up in a long braise too.
Can I make this Whole30 or dairy-free?
I swap the butter for ghee (Whole30-friendly) or avocado oil when I'm doing a round. Everything else in the recipe is already compliant if you skip the arrowroot and use a Whole30-approved broth. I've made the keto and Whole30 version a few times and the sear on the beef is just as good with ghee.
Why does my slow cooker stew turn out watery?
I ran into this too until I figured out why. Slow cookers trap moisture, so the liquid level actually rises during cooking instead of reducing. I start with about a cup less broth than the stovetop version and let the vegetables release their own liquid. If it's still too thin at the end, I stir in a teaspoon of arrowroot mixed with cold water right before serving.
Can I use elk or venison instead of beef?
My reader Donnie made this with elk and it turned out great. Wild game is leaner than beef chuck, so I'd add an extra tablespoon of butter or fat when searing to compensate. One thing Donnie mentioned: the broth came out a bit spicy for the kids. If you're cooking for little ones, I'd cut the black pepper in half.
Can I cook this from frozen in the Instant Pot or slow cooker?
I do this all the time with my freezer batches. In the Instant Pot, I saute for 5 minutes, flip the frozen block, then pressure cook on high for 30 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. For the slow cooker, I thaw overnight in the fridge first, then cook as normal in the morning. Trying to cook a frozen block in the slow cooker doesn't work well because it sits in the danger zone too long.
Okay so I spent way too long tracking down daikon radish for this (finally found it at an Asian grocery, not the regular store) and now I'm realizing I don't even own a Dutch oven. I have one big stainless steel pasta pot and that's it. The recipe mentions Dutch oven or large stock pot so I'm hoping the pasta pot counts, but here's my actual worry: I don't know if the searing step works the same in stainless. Cast iron holds heat so differently, and that's kind of the whole thing with searing. If I just throw the butter and stew meat into stainless over medium-high, is it going to steam instead of sear? I really want this to come out right.
Stainless sears fine. I preheat on medium-high for a full 2 minutes, then add the butter and wait for the foam to settle before the meat goes in, that's the key. A pasta pot is a stock pot.
Wasn't sure daikon would hold up like potatoes in something this heavy, but it does. The red wine broth carries everything. Ten months of keto and I got beef stew back.
Daikon surprised me the first time I tested it in this. I fully expected it to go mushy after a 6-hour slow cooker run but it held this almost potato-like bite I wasn't expecting. What half a cup of wine does to that broth is out of proportion to how little goes in, the depth is real. Ten months, Yuki. That's not a small thing. Glad beef stew is back on the table.
Red wine in a stew felt like I was cooking above my skill level, and I nearly didn't try it, but the broth thing that happens from the tomatoes and wine together is genuinely worth it (not subtle at all, it's actually the whole point). Four stars is sincere from someone who was mid-daikon-prep thinking this was going to be a disaster. One note: I'd add the green beans in the last half hour because mine turned to mush on the stovetop, and they're a nice texture if you don't.
The tomato-wine broth is the reason I've been making this one since 2018. Green beans do better going in the last 20 minutes, closer to 30 if you want them with a little bite. Glad you pushed through the daikon skepticism, Paul.
Green beans in a beef stew felt like the wrong call until I tasted them. They hold up better than I expected and pick up the broth without going soft (went stovetop, first time making this). The daikon was the thing I was most nervous about but honestly after an hour of simmering I stopped thinking about it. What surprised me more were the portabella mushrooms. I almost subbed creminis because I had them, but I kept the original, and they add this depth to the broth I can't explain. 4.7g net carbs and I didn't feel like I was eating a substitute. Next batch I'm trying the Instant Pot version.
Portabellas do something creminis just don't in a broth this long. I've made the swap both ways and you lose that depth every time, Christina. The Instant Pot concentrates it even faster.
My mom made beef stew every Sunday, and the smell of it searing in butter was how you knew what day it was. I hadn't let myself miss it much since going keto, but this brought it back. The portabellas weren't in hers, but the broth landed in the right place.
The butter sear is non-negotiable. I tested it with avocado oil once and it never hit the same. Portabellas weren't in my first version either, they came in around batch three when something kept feeling flat.
Honestly wasn't sure the arrowroot powder would do much. I've made keto soups where the thickener just kind of floats in the broth and does nothing. Made the stovetop version and held off adding it until the last ten minutes like the recipe says, and the broth actually got that slightly silky thickness I was looking for. Still not as thick as regular stew, so four stars, but way better than I expected.
Arrowroot maxes out at silky. Flour-stew thick needs flour. That's just the trade.
I've made probably four or five different keto stew recipes over the winter and they all kind of fell flat, either watery or just weirdly bland. This one I kept coming back to mentally because of how the broth actually tastes like something. The daikon radish I was skeptical about but it absorbs the flavor in a way potatoes don't even when you use the real thing (I grew up on potato stew so I know what I'm comparing to). Giving it four stars because I accidentally skipped the red wine and I think that's why mine wasn't as deep as it could be, making it again this week with everything in it.
The potato stew comparison from someone who actually grew up on it is the best thing I've heard about the daikon. And the wine makes the broth taste like it's been cooking longer than it has. You'll taste it when you make it again.
Four or five times making this now. I started pulling the daikon out an hour before the meat is done in the slow cooker because it was getting too soft by hour six. Texture is much better that way, though I still think the stovetop version gives you more control overall.
Six hours is too long for it, yeah. Stovetop you can just poke it and pull.
I couldn't find daikon at my regular grocery store so I made a special trip to an Asian market, and it was worth it. Cut mine a little bigger than the recipe says because I was nervous about it turning to mush in the slow cooker, and it held up really well, almost like a potato chunk in the broth. The one thing I'd add for anyone making this: pat the beef completely dry before you sear it, or it just steams and you miss that crust entirely.
Cutting bigger was smart. Six hours at low heat, smaller pieces would've gone mushy. And yes to the pat dry. Wet beef just steams, you never get the crust.
Doubled this on Sunday and portioned it out for the week, and by Wednesday it had turned into something I wasn't expecting. The daikon on day three soaks up the broth differently than fresh out of the pot (softer, more potato-like). The one thing I'd dial back for batch cooking is the red wine. It intensifies as it sits and turns sharp by end of week. Still a Sunday staple.
The wine sharpens fast in batch cooking. I cut it to 1/4 cup and add a teaspoon of Worcestershire. Broth stays good through Friday.
I've made a lot of beef stews since going keto and this one is genuinely the best, but fair warning: the daikon needs more time than you'd expect to get really tender. I did the stovetop version in my Dutch oven and mine was still a little firm at the suggested time, so I gave it another 15 minutes and it was perfect. The red wine and mushroom combination in the broth is SO good I kept sneaking spoonfuls before serving. Already planning a double batch.
The 'checking the seasoning' excuse gets me every time with this one. And with daikon, I just poke it now. The timer means nothing.
My husband never asks about leftovers but specifically put a sticky note on this one, and I think it's because the broth gets so much deeper on day two.
The sticky note made me laugh. That broth pulls everything together overnight, the red wine especially. Day one is good but day two is the real version.
The daikon needs to go in bigger chunks than you'd think. I was cutting mine almost potato-sized and they were dissolving by the last hour of the simmer. Went bigger on the next batch and they actually held up, real texture in the bowl instead of mush.
Exactly right. They shrink more than potatoes do and then just fall apart. I go at least 1.5 inches now, sometimes bigger.
If you're doing the stovetop version, brown the meat in batches. Not all at once. First time I crowded the pot it steamed instead of seared, and you could taste it in the broth. Three smaller rounds at medium-high with butter, and the fond before the wine and broth was worth the extra time. The daikon also surprised me, stays firm through the whole simmer and soaks up the flavors so well I stopped missing potatoes. Four stars for now while I dial in the arrowroot, but the technique is solid.
That fond step makes the broth. For arrowroot - cold water slurry first, then stir in off the heat. Clumping is usually from adding it dry into hot liquid.
Made a big pot of this Sunday, doubled it because I figured we'd want leftovers. My 12-year-old has been quietly skeptical of every swap I've tried this year, but he went back for a second bowl without saying a word, which is basically a standing ovation from him. He asked what the 'white potato things' were, and when I told him daikon he just shrugged and kept eating. That shrug is the whole review.
Second bowl from a skeptical kid who forgot he was skeptical. That's daikon. Never correct him.