Low Carb Beef Stew in a Dutch Oven

A fork-tender low carb beef stew braised in a dutch oven, full of hearty vegetables and enveloped in a rich, deeply flavoured sauce that's completely gluten free and starch free.

Low Carb Beef Stew

Boeuf Bourguignon is a French classic that consists of beef stew braised in red wine and usually flavoured with carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic, a bouquet garni and sometimes potatoes and peas.

Most classic versions of the beef stew will use either flour or corn starch to thicken the stew, although some versions tend stick to the starch from the potatoes and do not add anything else.

This old fashioned beef stew recipe uses a dutch oven and is cooked in the oven for about 3 hours. You can also use a slow cooker to make it as I leave the instructions further below.

To make a low carb beef stew, you’ll need to use a low carb thickening agent and low carb vegetables.

You can actually use any type of meat that you want for this recipe.  It doesn't have to be beef if you can't have any.  I've made "beef" stew with mutton, goat and pork roast before and all turned out delicious.  If you've never cooked with goat before, I recommend trying this peppered goat meat recipe first! It's also made in the oven like a beef stew.

Which Low Carb Vegetables can you add to your Beef Stew?

I find the best low carb substitutes for potatoes are usually turnips, radishes, rutabaga, jicama or celeriac.  I chose to use turnips in this low carb beef stew recipe as they’re one of my favourite low carb substitutes for potatoes.  I also used them in my low carb zuppa Toscana recipe instead of potatoes.

Instead of peas, I used some sliced green beans which added beautiful colours to my dutch oven beef stew.

Hard vegetables vs soft vegetables

If you prefer soft vegetables, add them to the dutch oven along with the meat for 3 hours.  If you prefer vegetables on the harder side, add them to the dutch oven after 1.5 hours has passed.

How to make a keto beef stew?

Since this is a low carb beef stew, the carbs are slightly high.  I personally eat around 40-50g of net carbs per day so this low carb beef stew recipe is perfect for me.  If you want to make a keto beef stew, you can either omit the onions, carrots and turnips or cut back on some of the amounts. Either way, you'll cut back on a lot of the carbs.

How to Thicken Stew Without Flour

My favourite method to thicken keto stews, sauces or soups has always been by using xanthan gum or guar gum.  You don’t need a lot, about a teaspoon or less, and your stew is perfectly thickened up. I always use the one from NOW as I've never had any problems with it.

Xanthan gum is so versatile as you can use it in a variety of dishes to help thicken them up.  For example, adding it to my low carb cheese fondue or to my low carb cauliflower cheese helped the cheese sauce bind and thicken.

If you follow a paleo diet or don’t mind a few extra carbs, then a tablespoon or two of arrowroot flour or tapioca starch mixed with some water will do the trick to thicken this paleo beef stew recipe.

How to Make Stew Meat Tender

The one thing you do not want to have is a dry and tough beef stew.  To ensure that you have the best fork tender and robust, beefy flavor, please follow the following tips.

Choosing the right cut of meat for stews

The ideal cut of meat for a stew would have streaks of fat, called marbling, which tunes throughout the meat and would come from either the front shoulder or rear end.  You want to have large cuts of meat as smaller ones tend to break apart too easily once cooked. I once cut my chuck into 2cm/0.8" bite size pieces and ended up with shredded beef soup instead of a chunky beef stew!

These are the cuts of meat you should look for:

• Chuck
• Chuck shoulder
• Chuck roast
• Chuck eye roast
• Short rib
• Bottom sirloin flap
• Fatty brisket

I strongly suggest to not get a precut package of stew meat at the grocery store because the butchers tend to add the odds and ends of different cuts.  This can be bad for stews because not all cuts of meat require the same cooking time, and your stew will have a mix of tender juicy pieces and dried out pieces.

If you can get your hands on some Wagyu beef, or Kobe beef, you’ll have the best stew you’ve ever eaten as Japanese beef is famous for their beautiful marbled fat. I’m lucky enough to live in Japan and have access to some of that delicious wagyu, which is why I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on some!

Let the meat sit at room temperature

It’s extremely important that you let your meat sit on the counter at room temperature for a good 30 minutes to 1 hour before browning it.  When you put cold meat to a hot pan, you shock the muscles and this makes the meat toughen and dry.

Brown your meat

The secret to the perfect beef stew comes from a good sear.  Browning your meat before adding in the rest of the ingredients ensures that your pot will have some caramelized brown bits at the bottom, which is where all of those intense flavours will come from.

Simply stir frying the meat and crowding the pot won’t cut it.  You need to make sure to cook your beef chunks in batches so that all pieces can get nicely browned.

If you crowd your pot, you’ll end up steaming your beef chunks, which will just make them tougher and will not leave any brown bits to scrape off.

Add acid to your pot

Adding some type of acid, either balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce or tomato paste, will help get the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.

Taste wise, I personally prefer to use a combination of Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste in my keto beef stew, as I’m not a huge fan of beef stews made with balsamic vinegar.

Don’t let your stew cook too long

While it is true that meat gets tender the longer it cooks, if it cooks too long, the meat can have the opposite effect and actually become dry and tough.

Cooking your stew for 2-3 hours in the oven or 3-4 hours in a slow cooker is just enough.  Any more than that and your stew meat will get dry.

The Best Low Carb Red Wines for Stews

Boeuf Bourguignon is traditionally made with a dry red wine.  Red Burgundy, Chianti, Pinot Noir or Gamay are the traditional choices for an old fashioned beef stew, but really, any dry red wine will work.

Some low carb options for red wines include Pinot Noir at 3.4g net carbs, Merlot at 3.7g net carbs, Cabernet Sauvignon at 3.8g net carbs and Syrah at 3.8g net carbs, all according to a 5 oz (147ml) servings.

For this keto beef stew recipe, I chose to use Cabernet Sauvignon as that’s what I had on hand.

How to make this Gluten Free Beef Stew

First things first, in order to make this dutch oven beef stew, you'll need a dutch oven or an oven-proof dish or pot that's big enough.  I used a 7.25 Quarts/6.7L/28cm dutch oven from Le Creuset, but any dutch oven from any company will work.

You'll first want to cut your chuck roast into large pieces, sprinkle the salt and pepper all over it and let it sit at room temperature for a good 30-60 minutes.

Once the meat has been sitting for a little while, you'll add it to the dutch oven with a bit of olive oil and sear the pieces on all sides. This is important because the caramelized brown bits that are left will be the base of our stew.  Sear them in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pot.  Overcrowding the pot will result in steamed beef and no browned bits.

Once you've seared all of your meat, you'll add the onions and garlic and cook for a 2-3 minutes in the leftover oil.

You'll then add the Worcestershire sauce and cook for another minute while scraping the bottom of the pot.  Add the tomato paste and scrape the bottom of the pot again for a minute.

Add the previously seared beef pieces back to the pot and mix all of the flavours together.

The next step will be to add the wine, beef broth, spices to the pot.  Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour at 180C/350F.

Once your beef stew has been cooking for 1 hour, you'll then add the xanthan gum, a little at a time and mix in well.  Finally, you'll add all of the vegetables into the pot and cook for another 1.5 hour, until the beef is fork tender and the vegetables are soft.

How to Make a Slow Cooker Beef Stew

The method for making a slow cooker beef stew are pretty similar to one made in a dutch oven and baked in an oven.  Actually, the first half of the recipe is exactly the same.

You’ll start by cutting your chuck roast into big pieces and searing them on all sides in a pot.  Don’t forget to sear your beef pieces in batches so that you don’t steam your meat by accident.

Once the meat has seared, you’ll add the onions and garlic cloves and cook them in the leftover oil in the same pot.  You’ll then add the rest of the vegetables, along with the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.  These acidic ingredients will help you scrape off the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.

Once the vegetables have cooked for a couple of minutes, you’ll add the wine and beef stock just to get the last bits of brown bits off the pot bottom and walls.  You’ll then transfer and pour the entire pot, carefully, into your slow cooker.

Finally, you’ll add the rest of the ingredients including the spices and xanthan gum.  Stir everything, cover and let cook for 4 hours on high heat or 8 on low heat.

Quick Tips to make this Keto Beef Stew

Here is a quick recap of all the tips you need to follow to ensure you have the perfect low carb, tender and juicy dutch oven beef stew.

• Do not use lean meat.  Get some fatty pieces of meat with lots of marbling!
• Use either a chuck, chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck eye roast, fatty brisket, short ribs or bottom sirloin flap to get fork-tender, juicy bites.
• Let the chuck sit at room temperature before browning.
• Brown your meat in batches to ensure an even sear and to get those delicious caramelized brown bits on the bottom of your pot.
• Add an acid like balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce or tomato paste to help scrape off those brown bits off the pot.
• Use either turnips, radishes, celeriac, jicama or rutabaga instead of potatoes.
• Use green beans or broccoli instead of green peas.
• Use a teaspoon of xanthan gum or guar gum to thicken your stew.
• Use a low carb dry red wine like the Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Syrah.