Slow cooker vegan sweet and smoky campfire stew is the perfect midweek family meal. It is quick and simple to prepare as the ingredients just need chucking in the slow cooker where it will happily bubble away concocting sweet and smoky flavour sensations.
My family love this fun stew especially the little pieces of tasty jackfruit that add a BBQ pulled pork texture.
Pulled Jackfruit Is An Amazing Vegan Cooking Ingredient.
My vegan campfire stew recipe uses jackfruit instead of the traditional pork. A jackfruit is a huge bulbous fruit from the Jack tree and is a common fresh ingredient popular in Asian markets. But is widely available as a canned product in western supermarkets or wholefood stores.
Jackfruit is an amazing versatile ingredient for vegan cooking. Once cooked in a sauce the fibrous pieces of jackfruit can be pulled apart similar to pulled pork or chicken.
On its own jackfruit does not have lots of taste but combined with a delicious thick smoky and sweet sauce it is delicious. So I do not advice tasting a piece of jackfruit straight from the tin as it will likely be unpleasant.
Jackfruit is so worth adding to your diet as it is full of nutritional benefits including being high in protein, antioxidants and minerals.
Where does Campfire Stew originate?
I tried to discover the origins of campfire stew but couldn’t find any information other than that it is a Slimming World classic. Nonetheless it is such a popular dish and the vegan version takes the meals flavour and creativity to new levels.
Coincidently my recipe is ideal for those looking to reduce calories as are most of my other plant-based recipes on this blog. A portion of vegan campfire stew is just 320 calories. Which is why I usually serve a baked potato or portion of pasta as an accompaniment. And for my kids a slice or two of garlic bread is always welcomed.
How To Easily Prepare Vegan Slow Cooker Camp Fire Stew:
Add the veggies to the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, baked beans and flavourings. 
Cook on high for 4 hours 15 minutes. Stir add liquid smoke and nutritional yeast. Serve.
Recipe FAQs And Tips:
How do I store leftover stew?
Leftover campfire stew will keep fresh in a food container placed in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or cool and place in a freezer-proof tub and freeze for up to 4-6 months. Defrost at room temperature before reheating.
Reheat leftovers in a skillet/deep frying pan until piping hot. A little bit of water may be required to loosen up the sauce and cook the stew more effectively, as the sauce will likely be very thick.
Leftovers can be frozen for up to 4-6 months within a freezer-proof container. Defrost before reheating.
What can I serve with campfire stew?
- Serve carrot hot dogs topped with campfire stew. So good!
- Pasta, spaghetti or noodles.
- Rice.
- Three ingredient flat bread. This recipe is super easy and tasty.
- A wedge of homemade Irish soda bread.
- Garlic bread.
- Serve with tortilla wraps and use the stew as a filling along with crispy lettuce, etc.
- Oven roasted large tomatoes were also delicious served with the campfire stew as they provided a juicy burst of flavour! Our tomatoes were just plain-roasted in the oven with no additions for about 15-20 minutes at 180 Fan/200 Celsius/ 392 Fahrenheit /Gas 6. Roasting tomatoes are a great way to use up fresh tomatoes that have gone a bit soft or wrinkly but still perfectly fresh and fine!
- I sometimes serve my family’s campfire stew with mashed potatoes and steamed cabbage. My kids love it when I mix nutritional yeast through the cabbage after cooking. Even our 2 dogs love cabbage with nutritional yeast!
- Mashed potatoes, mashed turnip, mashed celeriac or mashed cauliflower. Or a mix.
- Baked potato or baked sweet potato.
- Potato/sweet potato wedges/chips/fries.
- Peas and sweetcorn.
- Steamed vegetables.
- Corn-on-the-cob.
- Fresh mixed salad.
- Pickles, gherkins.
- Grated vegan cheese.
- Fresh herbs scattered over the top. Such as parsley or chives.
Can I make campfire stew gluten-free?
Yes campfire stew is easy to make gluten-free. Simply ensure all ingredients are gluten-free especially any flavourings added including the soya sauce and vegan Worcester sauce.
I don’t have a slow cooker can I just cook this stew on the stove-top?
Yes. I have a recipe for stove-top campfire stew.
Slow Cooker Smoky and Sweet Vegan Campfire Stew
Equipment
- Slow cooker/crockpot, I used a 3.5 litre
Ingredients
- 1 can chopped tomatoes 400 grams/ or a 14 can.
- 1 can baked beans 400 grams/ 14oz can. Or use mixed beans in tomato sauce.
- 1 can Jackfruit 400 g/ 14oz can, drained.
- 1 medium onion Diced.
- 2 medium carrots sliced thin or diced small.
- 3 sticks celery sliced.
- 175 g bell pepper Sliced. If possible use a red pepper alternatively use a yellow or orange pepper. A green pepper is fine if that's all you have to hand.
- 4 cloves garlic Diced or minced.
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp vegan Worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce I used Tamari soya sauce as its lower in sodium and has a mellower taste. Its also gluten-free.
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika or ordinary paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tsp maple syrup or sugar
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast optional.
- 2 tsp liquid smoke optional, add more if liked.
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper, if liked.Mix well.
- Turn to high.Cook for 4 hours.
- Open the lid and mix.Remove the big pieces of jackfruit that have not broken down during cooking.
- Place onto a chopping board and using 2 forks pull the strands apart or press with one fork and smoosh the pieces apart.Place the pulled jackfruit back in the slow cooker and mix.
Notes
- Nutritional data is provided for guidance only and is not an exact calculation as ingredients vary. Data is analysed through computerized nutrition apps.
- For an even longer slow cooker time cook the vegan campfire stew on low for 7-8 hours or medium for 5-6 hours.Ā
- Leftovers will keep fresh for 3 days, covered, in the fridge. Campfire stew will taste even better the next day.
- If you have a small amount of leftovers, enjoy it on toast for lunch the next day.
- Or use the stew to top a carrot hot-dog.
- Campfire stew can be frozen for up to 4-6 months. Place in a freezer-proof container and defrost before reheating.
- Reheat leftovers in a saucepan, with a little veggie stock or water if stew too thick, until piping hot throughout.
Excellent vegetarian option for camping to still get that cozy campfire meal!
Oh a cozy campfire meal sounds divine. We are hoping to go camping in the next few months and would love to try this recipe outdoors. If I manage I will pop a comment up about how it went! Would love to hear from anyone who prepares this recipe while camping š
This was absolutely delicious – I love the cumin and maple syrup combination!!!
Thanks! I love that combo too š
This is such a tasty and very flavorful stew! My hubby and I absolutely loved this, so delicious and very yummy! I’m so excited to make this stew again! Such a great recipe! Thanks!
Your very welcome! So glad your family enjoyed the campfire stew š
This stew sounds incredible – so full of flavour and delicious. I love pulled jackfruit.
Pulled jackfruit is an amazing ingredient š
Now this is an awesome camping recipe! I def can’t wait to try it for our next trip š
Oh would be so interested to hear about your experiences with cooking this campfire stew outside. I think it would be amazing. Just add all the ingredients to a food bag or container, keep chilled, and then just dump it all in your cooking pot with a few cups of veggie stock. And stew until cooked and delicious aromas are all around! Sounds so good! Especially with some baked potatoes š