Keto Italian Beef Stew
Published January 11, 2021 • Updated February 24, 2026
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I started making this stew because I missed the slow-cooked Italian pot roasts my family made growing up, but I wanted something that worked on keto without missing potatoes. The base is simple: diced tomatoes, dry white wine, and chicken broth. That combination is what makes it Italian and not just another stew with different seasoning thrown in. The tomatoes bring acidity, the wine deepens everything, and the chicken broth (not beef broth, which I explain in the FAQs) keeps the background lighter so the tomato and wine actually come through.
The technique that matters most is searing the beef in batches. I know it takes an extra few minutes, but if you crowd the pot the meat steams instead of browning, and you lose all those caramelized bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Those bits are everything. When you deglaze with the wine, all that flavor lifts right off the pan and into the broth. I do two batches with fresh olive oil each time, and it makes a noticeable difference.
What surprised me when I was developing this recipe was the almond flour. I sprinkle it into the pot after sauteing the vegetables and it thickens the broth without turning it gluey. No xanthan gum, no coconut flour, no pumpkin puree. Just almond flour stirred in for 30 seconds before the wine goes in. One of my readers described the result as “rich and velvety, not gluey at all,” and that is exactly right.
The real magic happens on day two. I make a big batch on Sunday and the leftovers are honestly better than the first bowl. The broth settles into the beef overnight and the whole pot gets richer without you doing a thing. If you meal prep, this is one of the best recipes to cook ahead. It reheats for 3-4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months.
If you love Italian soups and stews, I have a few others worth trying. My keto Italian wedding soup is lighter but just as satisfying on a cold night. For something broth-forward, my keto beef pho is a completely different experience. My keto chili is always in rotation for a thicker, spicier pot. And for a faster weeknight option with similar flavors, my keto beef and tomato soup comes together in about half the time.
Explore 687+ keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat -
3 tablespoons olive oil
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1/2 onion, diced
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2 celery ribs, sliced
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2 oz sliced carrots
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6 garlic cloves, minced
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8 mushrooms, sliced in half
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3 tablespoons almond flour
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1/2 cup dry white wine
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1 1/2 cups chicken broth
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1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
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2 bay leaves
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Heat olive oil
Season stew meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Sear beef
Add half of the beef to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and remaining beef. Don’t add all the beef at once or else the beef will steam and not cook.
Add some vegetables
Remove beef from Dutch oven. Add in remaining olive oil and add onion, celery and carrots. Cook until slightly softened (about 2-3 minutes).
Add more veggies
Add in garlic and mushrooms and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Deglaze
Sprinkle in almond flour and stir for 30 seconds. Add wine and deglaze by scraping the brown bits from the pan.
Cook
Stir in chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Add in bay leaves. Cover and place pot in a 300 degree oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender.
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
What makes this stew Italian?
I get asked this a lot, and one of my readers actually brought it up in the comments. The 'Italian' comes from the cooking method, not Italian seasoning. The combination of diced tomatoes, dry white wine, and a long braise is how you make an Italian-style stew called spezzatino. I use chicken broth instead of beef broth, which is common in Italian cooking because it lets the tomato and wine flavors lead. You can add dried Italian herbs if you want, but I have made it both ways and I do not think it needs them.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour to thicken the broth?
I have tried it and I do not recommend it. Coconut flour absorbs liquid much faster than almond flour and it turned my broth thick and pasty instead of velvety. If you cannot use almond flour, a half teaspoon of xanthan gum whisked into the broth works, but go light. My almond flour method gives you a thicker body without any weird texture.
Can I freeze this stew?
I freeze this all the time. Let it cool completely, then transfer to freezer bags or rigid containers. It holds for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stove over medium-low. The broth may look a little thin when it first comes out of the freezer, but it thickens back up as it heats. I actually think the beef gets even more tender after a freeze-thaw cycle.
What can I substitute for potatoes in keto beef stew?
I do not use potatoes in this recipe at all, which is one reason it stays so low in carbs. But if you want that starchy, filling element, diced turnips or celery root are my go-to substitutes. Both hold their shape during a long braise and soak up the broth the way a potato would. I cut them into half-inch cubes and add them in with the other vegetables at the beginning.
Why does this recipe use chicken broth instead of beef broth?
I know it seems counterintuitive. Most American stew recipes call for beef broth, and I tried it that way first. But chicken broth gives the stew a lighter, cleaner background that lets the tomato and wine do the talking. This is actually how traditional Italian spezzatino is made. One of my readers said her husband told her it tasted like his mom's Sunday stew, and I think the chicken broth is a big part of why.
How do I keep the beef from getting tough?
Two things I have learned from making this over and over. First, sear the beef in batches. If you crowd the pot, the meat steams instead of browning and you lose all that fond on the bottom. I do it in two rounds with fresh oil each time. Second, keep the oven at 300 degrees and let it braise for the full hour and a half. Low and slow is what breaks down the connective tissue and makes the chunks tender enough to fall apart with a fork.
Can I use a different cut of meat?
I use stew meat because it is already cut, but chuck roast is my first choice if I am cutting my own. The marbling breaks down during the braise and you get more flavor per bite. Brisket works too. Just cut everything into 1-inch cubes so it cooks evenly. I would avoid leaner cuts like sirloin because they dry out during the long cook time.
What can I use instead of dry white wine?
I have made this without wine when I did not have any on hand. The easiest swap is extra chicken broth with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to replace the acidity the wine brings. It is not identical, but it works. What you do not want to skip is the deglazing step itself. That liquid hitting the hot pan and lifting all the browned bits is where a lot of the depth comes from.
Made this last week and it was really good, but I think I messed up the searing step. I kept lifting the beef to check it and it kind of steamed instead of getting that nice brown crust. Should I just leave it completely alone once it hits the pan, or is a Dutch oven harder to get a real sear in than a regular skillet?
Don't touch it. Once you set it down, wait until it releases on its own. If you have to pry it, it's not ready. Dutch oven works fine, just needs to be genuinely hot before the beef goes in.
Been making beef stew for years. Didn't expect this to compete, especially with almond flour as the thickener. But the broth came out richer than my usual, and the wine deglaze pulled up something I'd apparently been missing the whole time.
The wine deglaze gets me every time too. All that fond from searing in batches just lifts right off into the broth. You can't get that any other way.
Two things I figured out on batch three. First, really dry the beef cubes before seasoning. Paper towels, aggressively. The sear gets properly browned way faster and you pull way more fond when the wine goes in, which is where the flavor is. Second: I subbed half the chicken broth for beef bone broth and the whole thing got richer, more body. Simmered closer to 2.5 hours and the beef just fell apart, basically dissolved into the broth. Yes it's spring but cold evenings still happen and this is exactly what I want when they do. Already thinking about a bigger Dutch oven because doubling this seems mandatory.
The bone broth swap is interesting. I use straight chicken broth specifically so the wine and tomato don't get crowded out, but half-and-half might thread that needle. Going on my list to test.
I've made probably four different keto beef stew recipes over the last two winters, and this one quietly replaced all of them. The difference is the white wine deglaze. I'd been using straight beef broth in every other version and it works fine, but that half cup of dry white wine before the broth goes in changes the depth of the flavor in a way that's hard to explain except that it tastes more like stew and less like braised beef. The almond flour also thickens differently than arrowroot (less gluey), which I appreciated. Made this in a Dutch oven on a Sunday afternoon and by hour two the house smelled incredible. Beef was completely falling apart tender, broth had this almost silky texture. Did a double batch and the leftovers the following night were noticeably better, which made me wish I'd started earlier in the week.
Yeah, the leftovers are legitimately better. The almond flour keeps thickening overnight and the wine settles into the broth in a way it doesn't on day one. I start this on Sundays for that reason.
My grandmother used to make Italian beef stew every winter Sunday and I haven't let myself think about it in years because I just assumed it was gone for me on keto. Made this last weekend on a whim, and when the white wine hit the Dutch oven and started pulling up all those browned bits, I had to stop and just breathe for a second. The smell was exactly right. I am not a confident cook at all (the almond flour part genuinely had me nervous) but it came together so much easier than I expected, and the beef was completely falling apart tender by the time I finally caved and tasted it. I ate a bowl standing over the stove before I even plated it properly. I don't know how to thank someone for giving back something you thought was just gone, but this did it.
That white wine moment in the Dutch oven is exactly it. I've made this so many times and that smell is still the whole reason I keep coming back to it. Your grandmother knew what she was doing.
I almost didn't make this. Every keto beef stew I've tried turns out watery or gummy, and I wasn't in the mood for another disappointment. But the almond flour works. Broth came out silky, not that coat-your-mouth paste. Deglazing with white wine did something I wasn't expecting from a stew. Annie was right about day two. Different meal entirely.
Yeah, most keto stews use xanthan gum, which either does nothing or overdoes it. Almond flour stays in that silky zone.
Don't skip searing in batches. I crowded the pan the first time and got gray, steamed beef instead of that dark crust, and the broth ended up noticeably lighter and thinner. Now I'm religious about it and the difference in the finished stew is worth every extra minute.
Yep. The almond flour thickens the broth but it can't make up for what you didn't get in the pan. Two batches every time.
Swapped chicken broth for beef broth because that's what I had, and the stew came out so freaking rich I'm not sure I can go back. Four stars because I fumbled the sear on the first batch. Still fell apart perfectly tender, so either the recipe is forgiving or I got lucky.
Beef broth makes it heavier, which some people prefer. I went with chicken because it lets the tomatoes and wine come through more. But if you like that depth, stick with it.
And yeah, this one forgives a bad sear. The braise does most of the work.
I've tried probably four different keto beef stews over the past year and this one finally got the broth right. The white wine deglazing step is doing something the others weren't, there's an actual depth to it. This is the one I'm keeping.
Yeah, the fond from the sear. The wine pulls all of it into the broth and that's where the depth comes from.
Used bone broth instead of chicken broth and threw a parmesan rind in while it simmered. The depth it added was unreal. Pulled the rind out at the end and the whole thing had this savory, almost silky quality. Going in the heavy rotation.
I've done the parmesan rind thing in marinara but never thought to try it in this stew. The bone broth swap makes sense too - more collagen, richer base. Making a batch this week to test it.
I made a big batch of this on Sunday thinking I'd have lunches sorted for the week, and honestly I underestimated how fast it would disappear. The almond flour trick to thicken the broth was new to me and I wasn't sure how it would go, but it came out rich and velvety, not gluey at all. Reheated it three days in a row and it just kept getting better, the beef was falling apart tender by day two. I'm still pretty new to cooking in general so I was nervous about deglazing with the wine, but I just followed the steps and it worked out. Definitely making a double batch next time so I actually get a full week out of it.
Day two is honestly the best bowl. The broth has time to settle into the beef and it gets so much richer. Double batch is the right call.
Husband said it tasted like his mom's Sunday stew. Pretty sure that's the mushrooms and wine doing the work.
The wine and mushrooms together do something. That little bit of acid from the wine makes the beef taste richer than it actually is.
Hi, Annie.
Do you think a 4.5 qt, round crock pot would be big enough to hold all these ingredients in?
It is just me, myself and I at home so I recently bought just a 4.5 qt and am barely learning how much will fit in it.
Thanks,
I want to make your beef stew recipe.
It should be big enough to hold all of the ingredients. This recipe doesn't use that much chicken broth.
I would like to make it in my instant pot. Any special instructions? How long to cook?
Saute beef in the instant pot with some oil to sear all edges. Then add remaining ingredients and pressure cook high for 25 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing remaining pressure by pressing or turning the valve.
Love, Love this. So much flavor! Im going to make this again.
The white wine is the thing in this stew. Makes the broth taste richer than it has any right to.