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    Home » Recipes » Low Carb Soups and Stews

    Published: Sep 6, 2019 · Modified: Oct 15, 2023 by Jennifer Banz· 11 Comments

    Keto Beef Stew with Bacon (Instant Pot, Stove Top, or Crockpot)

    Servings: 6
    |
    Cals: 310
    |
    Fat: 12
    |
    Carbs: 5
    |
    Fiber: 1
    |
    Protein: 46
    |
    Time: 45 minutes mins
    Jump to Recipe Pin for Later

    This easy Keto Beef Stew with Bacon and Mushrooms is so full of flavor and so tender! When you use your Instant Pot, stove top, or Crockpot, you can have tender and delicious beef stew anytime.

    instant pot beef stew in red bowls

    I am always in the mood for comfort food, even in Summer, so this Keto Beef Stew was a nice, hearty meal that really warmed me up inside.

    HOW TO MAKE KETO BEEF STEW

    Using an Instant Pot, dutch oven, or crockpot to cook this beef stew will result in tender and delicious meat.

    These photos show how I made this in the Instant pot, but I will provide instructions for stove top and crock pot below.

    bacon cooking in an instant pot

    The first thing I did was dice my bacon and set my Instant Pot to high saute.  When the display read “hot” I added the bacon.  I let it render all of the fat and get nice and crispy.  This bacon will give the Instant Pot beef stew so much flavor!

    chopped mushrooms, carrots, and onions on a wood cutting board

    While the bacon was cooking, I got all of my vegetables chopped.  I quartered mushrooms and diced carrots and onions.  I also added my stew beef to a large bowl and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

    When the bacon was crispy, I removed it from the pot with a slotted spoon (reserving the bacon fat in the pot) and let it drain on paper towels.  I then added half of the beef to the pot to let it get brown.  When the beef was nice and brown, I removed it and worked on the second batch.

    mushrooms and beef in an instant pot

    Now it’s time to add everything to the Instant pot (except the bacon, thats reserved for later)!  I added the onions, mushrooms, carrots, beef stew meat, seasoning, and the beef broth.  You can use chicken broth if you like but the beef broth will give this Instant Pot Beef Stew an amazing beefy flavor.

    I then locked the lid, set the valve to sealing, and set the timer for 35 minutes.  When it was finished cooking, I let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then I released the rest of the pressure by quick release.  I removed the lid and gave the pot a big stir.

    This keto Beef Stew will melt in your mouth.

    instant pot beef stew on a spoon

    HOW TO THICKEN LOW CARB BEEF STEW 

    After the stew is finished cooking, whisk in a teaspoon of Xanthan gum and set the pot to sauté.  The xanthan gum will thicken the stew as it simmers.

    Into keto soup and stew recipes?  Check out my recipe for Italian Vegetable Stew, Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup, and Keto Garlic Bread.

    instant pot beef stew in a red bowl

    Keto Beef Stew with Bacon (Instant Pot, Stove Top, or Crockpot)

    This easy Keto Beef Stew with Bacon and Mushrooms is so full of flavor and so tender! When you use your Instant Pot, stove top, or Crockpot, you can have tender and delicious beef stew anytime.
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Course: dinner, stew
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 310
    Author: Jennifer Banz

    This post may contain affiliate links

    Ingredients

    • 4 Slices Thick Cut Bacon, Sliced
    • 2-3 Pounds Beef Stew Meat
    • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
    • ½ Large Onion, Diced
    • 3 Carrots, Peeled and Diced (see notes for using radishes)
    • 8 Ounces Baby Bell Mushrooms, Quartered
    • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
    • 2 Cups Beef Broth
    • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

    Equipment

    • Crockpot (Click here for the one I love)

    Instructions

    • In the electric pressure cooker, press the sauté button and adjust until "more" is highlighted. When the display reads hot, add the diced bacon. Cook the bacon until it is crisp, remove it to drain on paper towels, reserving the bacon grease in the pot.
    • In a large bowl, add the beef stew meat and salt. Add half of the beef to the Instant Pot and let it sauté until brown. Remove to a plate and add the rest of the beef to sauté until brown.
    • Hit the cancel button, then add all of the beef to the pot, the onion, carrots, mushrooms, thyme, and beef broth.  Be sure to scrape any stuck on burned bits from the bottom of the pot.
    • Place the lid on the pot, set the valve to sealing, and set to high pressure cook for 35 minutes. When the pot is finished cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure manually by turning the valve.  
    • Remove the lid, whisk in the Xanthan gum to thicken, and serve in bowls with the reserved cooked bacon on top of each bowl.  

    Notes

    • Stove top instructions: Sauce the bacon over medium heat in a heavy bottom pot until crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, reserving the bacon fat in the pot.  Add the seasoned beef, onions, mushrooms, and carrots to the pot and season with salt and pepper.  Brown beef on all sides and let onions soften.  Add in the beef broth, dried thyme, and xanthan gum.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Cover and let cook for 1 hour or until the beef is fork tender. 
    • Crockpot Instructions:  Add everything to the crockpot except the vegetables.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  With 1 hour remaining in the cook time, mix in the vegetables. 
    • Radishes instead of Carrots: Radishes are a great alternative to carrots as they have almost zero carbs.  You can add them into this recipe just as you would the carrots.
    Servings: 6

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 310 | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g

    Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.

    Keyword :Beef stew in instant pot, gluten free, low carb stew, recipe for beef stew

    More Low Carb Soups and Stews

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      Keto Chili Recipe with Double Meat - Thick and Hearty
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      31 Low Carb Soup Recipes and Tips to Make Any Soup Keto!
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Reviews




    1. Robin says

      December 18, 2023 at 11:37 am

      5 stars
      Looks delicious! Have you ever used Celery Root as a potato substitue? It fooled my very picky boyfriend. And I never told him it wasn't potato in the stew I made! LOL

      Reply
      • Jennifer Banz says

        December 20, 2023 at 9:38 am

        Yes! I've used it to make grits. It's really good!

        Reply
      • Karen says

        January 29, 2024 at 5:12 pm

        Got an pot for Christmas and followed your instructions and was so easy to doo. Thank you. Smells amazing and waiting to open to try

        Reply
    2. Stephanie says

      December 07, 2021 at 7:32 pm

      This was a great recipe! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Lex says

      August 19, 2021 at 7:36 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome recipe and so easy! Can't wait to try your other keto soup recipes.

      Reply
    4. Jenn says

      December 16, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      Really good! I did my instapot for 30 mins and it was perfect. Thanks for the delicious recipe!!

      Reply
    5. Kimm says

      June 14, 2020 at 5:44 pm

      4 stars
      This is good but there is something missing from the flavor and I can’t think of what it is.
      The veggies need more than an hour to fully cook if you are using a crock pot
      Otherwise it was good

      Reply
    6. Dori Mozek says

      April 29, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      I made this today and I feel 35 minutes was way too long. I used radishes instead of carrots. Yhe taste was amazing! Instead of just thyme I used Herb de Provence and a small squirt of tomato paste. Next time I will use diced tomatoes and cut the time down to 25 min.

      Reply
    7. Gail says

      January 09, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      This was delicious!! The only thing I did differently was added riced cauliflower, a tablespoon of tomato paste and about a tablespoon of sour cream on top.

      Reply
    8. Darth Keto says

      December 11, 2018 at 4:59 am

      What are the macros for this stew? Maybe I'm just not seeing them.

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        December 12, 2018 at 8:42 am

        I added that info to the post

        Reply

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    Hey there, I'm Jennifer Banz! I’m the creator behind Low Carb with Jennifer and author of the cookbook Live Life Keto.  

    I've been cooking and developing low carb and keto recipes for the past 13 years and it is my goal to bring you the best quality recipes and cooking tutorials possible.

    My recipes reflect my philosophy on cooking...everything needs to be easy, fast, exceptionally delicious, and use common ingredients.

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