Soup and stews are one of my personal favorite foods. Matt is not a huge fan of them, but whenever I make one and he tries it, he gives it a thumbs up. He was particularly a huge fan of this low carb beef stew. The big chunks of short rib and radishes to replace the starchy potato turn this into a keto stew paradise. Our Low Carb Beef Stew is great for any night of the week and will surely be loved by even the pickiest of eaters!
The Low Carb Beef Stew Recipe
If I had to rate a food or recipe using only one factor on why it’s the best, I would definitely go by nutritional value over taste. Maybe that’s just me, but what makes this beef stew the best is the nutrition. It’s low-carb, but doesn’t feel so low-carb or in any way unsatisfying!
When I hear the word stew, I automatically think of hearty (and cold winter nights, but that is besides the point) so when making this stew, I really had to get in the mindset of what would make this, not only the best nutritionally, but the best on the flavor level.
I had to come up with the perfect recipe that compiled the best nutrition, best flavor and wasn’t over the top with ridiculous ingredients. I succeeded and I’ll explain why below.
How to Thicken Beef Stew?
I should fill you in on the fact that Matthew and I are firm believers on “if it fits your macros” so while some of you may say carrots aren’t keto, we beg to differ. For this Low-Carb Beef stew, we used carrots and radishes, (yes radishes) as the vegetables. If you haven’t cooked with radishes, you need to start now! They provided the perfect starchy to meaty to stewy ratio in this beef stew recipe. And for the “roux” component, we used our favorite go-to, xanthan gum!
Low Carb Beef Stew
While some recipes are easier than others to make keto versions of, we take most pride in the ones that seem impossible at first, such as most of our desserts!
For this beef stew recipe, we do have two major tips that we’ve kind of glossed over, but will help you greatly down the road. Invest in xanthan gum. You really only need a little, but it is by far our favorite thickening agent for all sorts of recipes, such as in our Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup.
Another tip is to start using radishes in your everyday cooking. They are low in carbs and a great replacement for potatoes, such as in our Low Carb Breakfast Skillet. But, before you make those recipes, you need to put our tips to use in making this Low-Carb Beef Stew!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Low Carb Beef Stew”
Low Carb Beef Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Beef Short Rib
- 2 cups beef broth
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 100 gram Onion
- 100 gram carrot
- 100 gram radishes
- 1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp xanthan Gum
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions:
- Chop the short rib into bite sized chunks, salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan to medium-high heat and coconut oil. Add short rib and brown on all side.Remove from saucepan and set aside.
- Chop onions, carrots and radishes into bite sized pieces and mince garlic.
- Add onions, garlic and butter and cook down for a couple minutes, scraping the bottom with the spatula/spoon.
- Once onions are tender add the broth and combine. Add the xanthan gum and combine.
- Allow broth mixture to come to boil and then add the meat back in and cook for thirty minutes with a lid on. Stir frequently scrapping the as you stir,
- After thirty minutes add the carrots and radishes and cook for an additional thirty minutes, stirring frequently. Broth should have thickened a lot at this point. If you feel the need you can add more broth or some water.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
Hi what is best to use for the beef broth? I’m new to Keto and don’t want to use the wrong thing
We like this beef broth.
is there a substitute for the xantham gum, or do we have to use it?
You could probably try psyllium fiber, chia seeds, glucomannan, ground flax seeds, gelatin, and agar agar. These products can give a similar thickening effect.
I’m doing a bunch of freezer crockpot meals (baby prep). In my circumstance, should I brown the meat now and then freeze everything together?
Yes, I would brown the meat ahead of time.
Just made this! So so yummy. Perfect hearty comfort food. I just added some thyme and rosemary to taste. Loved it!
This is delicious. It was such a good idea.
I made it in a crockpot instead of on the stove. I just cut everything up and thew it in together. 4 hours, on high. Except the Xantham gum. I waited until the last 30 minutes to add that.
I also added some red bell pepper, and green beans to the mix as, well as some green olives (a must for any beef stew).
Thank you for introducing me to radishes so, so much. So amazing how they have that amazing potato texture in this dish! Mind blowing.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, you should be able to freeze it up to 1 month!
This was delicious! I was having a hard time to curb my potato craving and I loved the radish in this, I think they will be my go to, going forward?, thanks so much.
Thank you for the delicious recipe (loved it), but also thank you for the radish revelation! I threw some in a roast with carrots and left out the potatoes I normally add. What an awesome discovery!!
How much is a serving?
1/4th of the recipe
Another home run! I doubled the recipe, and my family of 6 ate every last drop. It hit the spot on a cold, winter night. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is great news! So glad to hear you all loved it!
Hello! I have never used short rib before and did not know I needed to account for a bone in the cut. (duh.) I am assuming the recipe calls for meat cut off the bone, not the weight they will give at the butcher’s counter? Shoot.
Do the radishes still taste like radishes? I’m not a fan of them raw but have never cooked with them. Do they take on the flavor of the stew? Just wondering wouldn’t want to add them in there only to still not like the taste of them.
They take on the flavor and texture of a roasted potato! No radish flavor at all!
I will be making this today. Cant wait to see how it taste.
what do you call a serving size -a CUP- 1/2 Cup ?
The serving size will simply be 1/4th of the entire recipe. It will vary based on how much you reduce it but the nutrition will be the same. It should be closer to 1c, but it will vary for everyone.
Daikon radish works well too!
Wow, great tip – thank you!!
I’ve used Daikon for years. Sliced thin and pan fried it tastes just like fried potatoes and onions.
I’m so excited to have something to use instead of potatoes. Potatoes are my favorite food and by far, the hardest for me to give up. I can’t wait to try this with radishes!
You will be blown away by the Keto potatoes, aka: RADISHES! They taste great, zero carbs, and your guests will actually eat them thinking they are eating baby red skinned potatoes! I like to wait until I hear all the positive compliments before I do the big, radish reveal! Lol
So good, give them a try!
Thank you Megah and Matt for walking this path along side me.
God bless. This is changing my entire life.
De Ann
Just wanted to let you know that radishes are not zero carbs. There are about 2 g carbs per 1/2 c sliced.
Hate to be that guy but was wondering if this is possible in a crock pot ?
We don’t see why not. It might even make the meat more tender. If you want the veggies to have more of a bite you can add them even closer to the end of the cook time.
If making it in a crockpot, just throw it all in and cook?
Hi 😉 I do make mine in s crockpot. I double the recipe because I feed it to my whole family. It turns out well if you Brown the beef first, then add all ingredients to the crockpot. It takes at least 4 hours on high to cook through and get tender enough. I like it better at 5 hours. You would have to test your own crockpot to get it just right. I haven’t done it on low yet but will update when I do. It’s just delicious!! Those radishes absorb the beef broth and taste just like potatoes. I serve this with the Ketoconnect mug bread. Yum!!
I don’t pre-brown my stew beef and will be making this in an Instant Pot tonight.
Hi Matt & Megha,
Just curious as to why carrots? So many argue against them because of sugar content. Any insight is appreciated!!
Your Keto fan,
Kyle
We find that if it fits your macros, you can eat it. When it comes to veggies we aren’t sticklers and we don’t think carrots are “non-keto” foods.
Will try. Never had red radish in stew before.
You will like it we are sure! Let us know what you think.
Try that but with or without radish don’t make any different. I think using one small potatoes as thickening agent won’t hurt you.
I’ve used radishes in keto soup and stew and while they don’t taste like potatoes they also don’t taste like radishes. They take on the flavors in the soup/stew but have a texture that is similar to potatoes. I was really surprised.