Nothing warms a cold winter day like a rich, savoury beef stew. While it requires time and patience, few meals reward you more than a stew that has been gently simmering all afternoon.
If you’re ready to cook and discover you don’t have—or prefer not to use—wine, this old-fashioned beef stew without wine delivers deep, satisfying flavour. Simply replacing wine with extra stock often leaves a stew tasting flat; this version builds umami with several careful additions so the final dish remains bold and complex.
The finished stew is hearty, deeply flavoured and perfect for the chilliest days. The method has a few detailed steps, but the effort pays off with excellent results. Read the full recipe through before you start to ensure a smooth process.
How to Make Beef Stew Without Using Wine
The technique is straightforward but involves several stages. Allow enough time to complete each step and prepare your ingredients in advance.
Start by browning the beef. For a better sear, brown the roast before cutting it into pieces. You may need to break the chuck roast into two or three pieces to fit your Dutch oven, but leaving the meat in larger pieces helps achieve a deep brown crust instead of steaming.
Over high heat in a large Dutch oven, heat about a tablespoon of neutral oil until it’s nearly smoking. Season the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper, then add it to the pot. Sear on one side until deeply browned, then flip and brown the other side—about five to eight minutes per side. Remove the meat and set aside on a plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add quartered crimini mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook until the mushrooms reduce and begin to brown, about five to eight minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pot as they release moisture.
Add two anchovy fillets and a finely diced onion, then cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about four to five minutes. The anchovies will dissolve and deepen the savoury base without leaving a fishy taste.
Stir in two tablespoons of tomato paste and cook until it darkens and becomes slightly sticky on the bottom of the pot, about two minutes—this develops a deeper tomato flavour and removes any tinny notes. Add minced garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds to one minute.
Sprinkle over about 1½ tablespoons of flour and cook for another minute or two to remove the raw flour taste. Deglaze the pot with three tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and two tablespoons of fish sauce—these, together with the anchovies, multiply the stew’s umami and add a mild acidity that would normally come from wine.
Don’t worry about a fishy flavour—the anchovies and fish sauce simply boost savouriness and make the dish taste more “beefy.”
Add two carrots halved and three ribs of celery cut into thirds. Cut the seared roast into large cubes, keeping in mind the beef will shrink while cooking. Return the beef and any juices to the pot.
Pour in 1 litre (4 cups) of low-sodium chicken stock. Homemade chicken stock is preferred, but a low-sodium store-bought stock will work. Chicken stock often contains fewer flavour additives than commercial beef stock and makes a cleaner base for the stew.
Tie several sprigs of rosemary and thyme together with butcher’s twine and add to the pot. Bring the stew to a simmer, then cover the pot partially and transfer it to a 150°C/300°F oven. Cook for about 90 minutes.
Remove the pot and discard the halved carrots and celery—you’ve extracted their flavour. Add peeled, sliced carrots and quartered new potatoes so they don’t overcook. Return the pot to the oven, partially covered, and cook another 45–60 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender and the beef is tender but still holds its shape.
To finish, bloom 30 g (about 1 oz) of gelatine in roughly 60 ml (¼ cup) cold water—do not stir, just let it hydrate for a few minutes. If your stock is very gelatine-rich (it will jiggle when cold), you can skip this step. Remove the herb bundle from the stew, bring the pot to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then stir in the bloomed gelatine and simmer for five minutes to slightly reduce and thicken the sauce. Add 150 g (5 oz) frozen peas at this point if you like.
Serve the stew hot, on its own or with a simple salad or crusty bread. The combination of mushrooms, anchovies, fish sauce and Worcestershire creates depth and richness that makes this wine-free stew satisfyingly complex.
Old Fashioned Beef Stew Without Wine
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) beef chuck roast cut into 2-3 large pieces
- 200 g (7 oz) crimini mushrooms quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 carrots 2 halved and 2 peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 ribs celery cut into thirds
- 1 litre (4 cups) low-sodium chicken stock
- 5-6 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 250 g (½ lb) new potatoes quartered
- 30 g (1 oz) gelatine
- 150 g (5 oz) frozen peas (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Heat about 1 tbsp neutral oil in a large oven-safe pot until just smoking. Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides until well browned, then remove and set aside.
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Reduce heat to medium and add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook until they reduce and begin to brown, scraping up browned bits.
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Add the diced onion and anchovy fillets and cook until the onion softens and the anchovies dissolve.
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Stir in tomato paste and cook until it darkens and becomes sticky, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
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Sprinkle flour and cook briefly, then pour in Worcestershire and fish sauce to deglaze. Add two halved carrots and the celery pieces.
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Cut the browned beef into large cubes, return to the pot with any juices and pour in the chicken stock. Add tied sprigs of thyme and rosemary.
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Bring to a simmer, cover partially and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hours, until the beef begins to become tender.
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Remove the pot, discard the halved carrots and celery. Add sliced carrots and quartered new potatoes, return to the oven and cook another 45–60 minutes until everything is fork tender.
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Bloom the gelatine in cold water until hydrated. Remove the herb bundle, bring the stew to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, stir in the gelatine and simmer about 5 minutes. Add peas if desired and adjust seasoning.
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Divide into bowls and serve hot.
Nutrition
This old-fashioned beef stew takes some time, but its deep flavour and comforting character make it well worth the effort.
Have questions about making beef stew without red wine or want to share your results? Leave a comment below.
