This hearty Vegan Dumpling Stew is packed with veggies, cannellini beans, and homemade dumplings for the perfect cozy dinner. If you're looking for a warming & filling plant-based meal, then you have to try this vegan stew.
One of my favorite parts of Fall is soup season, and you better believe that includes stew!
If you loved my Vegan Lentil Stew or Tuscan White Bean Kale Soup, then this dumpling stew is for you. It has the creaminess of a stew with all the delicious flavor of vegetable soup!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Cannelini beans: Can be substituted 1:1 for any other white bean or even black beans if you prefer them. Butter beans would be another great option in this vegan stew!
- Fresh thyme: Can be substituted for ½ the amount of dried thyme (about ½-1 teaspoon total).
- Vegan Worcestershire: Most brands aren't vegan as they contain anchovies or fish sauce, so I recommend using Amy's Worcestershire sauce. If you can't find any, soy sauce or tamari both work as a good substitute.
How to make vegan dumpling soup
Make the vegan soup dumplings
The first step to making this soup is to make the dumpling batter. This recipe is based on my vegan biscuit recipe and follows the same general process.
First, whisk together the dry ingredients including the all-purpose flour, baking powder, dried parsley, salt, & pepper.
Then, cut the cold butter into the bowl of dry ingredients. This helps to make the dumplings so tender and flaky!
Finish it off by adding the soy milk and mixing it into a shaggy dough. Then, cover and store the dough in the fridge until you are ready to use them in the dumpling stew.
Make the vegetable bean soup
First, chop the veggies including the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic.
Add the onion & garlic to a pot with olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, add in the remaining veggies and cook another 8-10 minutes.
At this point, you can add in the tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and spices and cook them with the veggies for another 1-2 minutes.
Then, add in the vegetable broth and cannellini beans and bring the soup to a simmer
Cook the dumplings
Once the soup is simmering, take the bowl of dough from the fridge and form it into 9-10 small balls. Add them to the soup, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove the lid, add in the fresh thyme, and cook everything for an additional 3-5 minutes until the dumplings have cooked through.
P.S- Make sure not to overcook the dumplings or they can become a little dense. Also, I like to ladle a little broth over the top of the dumplings at this point so they cook evenly.
Once the dumplings are cooked, serve this vegan dumpling stew hot and enjoy!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make dumpling stew gluten-free?
I believe so! The only ingredient you'll need to swap out is the all-purpose flour. I haven't tried it myself, but using a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix like this one from Bob's Red Mill should work!
How do I store leftover dumpling stew?
Leftovers can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days and are best enjoyed reheated until warmed throughout.
While you can freeze the soup portion of the stew in a closed container for up to 1 month, I don't recommend freezing the dumplings as they can get too dense and are hard to defrost.
I can't wait for you to try this hearty & delicious Vegan Dumpling Stew! It's the perfect cozy plant-based dinner as the days get colder. Enjoy!
-TSG
More plant-based soups & stews you will love:
If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star review on the recipe card. I always appreciate your feedback and support! You can also follow along on my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest, or sign up for our newsletter!
Vegan Dumpling Stew
Ingredients
Vegan Dumplings:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cold vegan butter cubed
- ⅓ cup soy milk or any other plant-based milk
Vegetable Stew:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large onion finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots peeled & diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 4 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt & pepper to taste
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans strained & rinsed (about 1.5 cups cooked beans)
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves only
Instructions
Make the dumpling dough
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, dried parsley, salt, & pepper to a bowl and whisk together.
- Then, add the cubed vegan butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter or fork to 'cut" the butter into the dough until you have a crumbly dough.
- Next, add the soy milk to the bowl. Gently mix everything together until you have a shaggy dough. Remember, you do not want a smooth dough- the dough should be lumpy but not have any dry spots of flour.
- Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you are ready to cook the dumplings.
Make the vegetable stew
- Once the dumpling dough is in the fridge, finely dice the carrots and celery, thinly slice the mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Set aside.
- Add the olive oil to a large pot and turn on the heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot. Stir and sauté together for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the remaining vegetables including the diced carrots, diced celery, and sliced mushroom. Stir and cook with the onions and garlic for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables have cooked down and are beginning to brown.
- Next, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and dried parsley to the pot of vegetables. Stir and saute everything together for an additional 1-2 minutes. You can also add salt & pepper to season to your liking at this time.
- Once the vegetables are cooked down, add the vegetable broth and cooked cannellini beans to the pot. Then, stir together and bring the stew to a simmer.
Cook the dumplings
- Once the stew is simmering, remove the bowl of dumpling dough from the fridge and form it into 9-10 evenly sized round balls.
- Carefully place the dumpling balls into the stew, making sure to keep them spaced apart at least 2 inches since they will expand in the pot. Then, add the lid to the pot and cook the dumplings covered for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and carefully spoon some of the stew liquid over the top of each dumpling. Then, add in the fresh thyme.
- Continue cooking the dumplings uncovered for another 5 minutes or until fluffy and cooked through. Then, remove the pot from the stove and serve while warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover stew can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days and are best enjoyed reheated until warmed throughout.
- While you can freeze the soup portion of the stew in a closed container for up to 1 month, I don't recommend freezing the dumplings as they can get too dense and are hard to defrost.
- Make sure not to overcook the dumplings or they can become a little dense.
- If you want even fluffier dumplings you can increase the baking powder to 1.5 teaspoons. I prefer them a little fluffy on the inside and slightly thicker on the outside so that's what you can expect using 1 teaspoon of baking powder
Sheana Ward says
Such a good recipe. It was really easy to make and very flavorful. I feel like it was missing something to beef up the stew a bit, like maybe some potatoes. I also had to add in more broth because the dumplings soaked up a lot of it. I love the seasoning and the Worcestershire really added a lot to it. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jen R says
Great recipe! I will say if you're doubling up, maybe like ... Instead of 2x the dough, do maybe like 1.5x the dough. I really struggled with too much dough per soup in the end lol but great soup will make again
Andrea says
This is a terrific, hearty stew. I improvised by caramelizing the onions with balsamic vinegar, and added potatoes and turnip instead of beans. I increased the broth to 4 cups. The mushrooms added a really great texture. It was absolutely delicious! It cooked down to a nice thick consistency and the dumplings were like icing on the cake. Fabulous recipe! During winter it is a super comfort food! Thanks for the inspiration!
Laurie says
Unfortunately, it didn't turn out all that great, although the taste was decent it feels like there's something missing in the textures/flavors.
Jordyn Connelly says
This is such an amazing recipe! I was drawn to it because the bread dumplings reminded me of the Austrian knödles that my Oma made for my family growing up!
The first time I made the recipe I didn’t have celery on hand but I did have some cabbage that needed to be used so I used it in the place of celery and the soup came out beautifully! The flavours are so fresh yet comforting and I looked forward to having the leftovers a few nights in a row! I would highly recommend!
Megan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sherri says
I used 1/3 cup plant based cream for dumplings. Also used the 1.5 tsp. baking powder and a can of Bushes large butterbens. Gluten free cup for cup flour. I was surprised how tender they were. Delicious!
Megan says
So glad you enjoyed!
Kristin says
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be adding this to our meal rotation. I used dark soy sauce instead of the worchestershire sauce and it turned out so good.
Megan says
So glad you liked it!
Melissa says
Fabulous recipe. I made it exactly as written and the flavors popped! Will add this to my list of favorites! Thank you!
Clare says
I've made this several times now and I use Doves gluten free self raising flour for the dumplings , they turn out perfectly every time! I have intolerances to various vegetables and I substitute aubergine for mushrooms. I also add cooked chestnuts...very tasty! Thank you for sharing on Pinterest!
Megan says
Love those additions sounds delicious and glad you love the recipe!
Krista says
Curious if you could suggest a sub for the mushrooms for an allergy
Megan says
There really isn't a good substitute for mushrooms, but you can just omit them and try the stew without them!
Emily says
Just in time for the rain. This recipe was perfect for the rainy weekend. Warm, flavorful, and packed full of good veggies. Will be making this again! I made with Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Flour! If using the gluten free flour, I would make the dumplings a little bit smaller because they can be dense. LOVED! THANK YOU!
Megan says
So happy it worked with gluten-free flour too! You can also increase the baking powder a bit by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons and see if that works better with the gluten-free flour. It should make them slightly fluffier to account for the difference in flour. Let me know if that helps next time!
Lexi says
Super tasty! I used garbanzo beans because it was all I had on hand and it turned out delicious! Will definitely make again.
Megan says
So happy you loved it, thanks for making it so quickly made my day!! 🙂