How to Fix Salty Stew

How to fix salty stew

If your stew is too salty, you’ve come to the right place.

With 5 quick & easy tricks, you can reduce the sodium levels in your stew.

What do I do if my stew is too salty?

How to Fix Salty Stew

If your stew is too salty you can save it by adding common ingredients that you have on hand.

Related: Chili Too Salty? and Pea and Ham Soup Too Salty? 5 Quick & Easy Fixes

1. Add Bulk

Add half the amount of stew you used (without adding salt).

If the stew is very salty, double the original amount.

If you don’t have more stew ingredients you can also try:

  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Potato flakes

Stir until well mixed.

Related: Salty Beans? 5 Ways to Fix Overly Salted Beans

2. Dilute

The addition of more liquid will dilute the saltiness in your dish. Water down your recipe to a palatable level with:

  • Water
  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • Vegetable
  • Tomato Juice
  1. Add about 1/4 cup of beef/chicken broth or tomato juice for each 1 cup of stew. A little at a time.
  2. Stir the stew to evenly distribute the new liquid.
  3. Cover the pot with a lid to avoid evaporation.
  4. Re-season if desired.
  5. Keep adding liquid a quarter cup at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

If your stew thins too much, add a thickener like flour.

Mix a tablespoon (5 grams) of flour into 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water.

Stir them together to make a paste, then add the paste to the stew.

Stir the until the paste is fully mixed.

Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat to allow the flour to mix into the stew.

If the beef stew is very salty, add more paste.

Important! Do not add dry flour directly to the pot as this will cause clumping.

3. Add Some Veggies

How to fix salty beef stew - add vegetables

Veggies will neutralize the saltiness.

This is also a great hack for adding more nutritious vegetables to your meals.

In a large, oiled skillet, combine greens like raw broccoli, cauliflower, celery, onion, or leeks, mushrooms, corn, and tomato paste.

Saute until cooked. Add some fresh, aromatic herbs like basic or rosemary.

Then mix back into the stew pot and mix thoroughly.

Tip: Adding an acidic ingredient — like tomato paste — will absorb quite a bit of the salty flavor.

Related: How to Fix Salty Rice: 7 Easy Hacks That Actually Work

4. Serve With Unsalted Starches

  • Unsalted Crackers. Crumble a crackers and stir them into your individual serving of stew.
  • Unsalted Croutons or Bread. Add a unsalted croutons to your bowl before ladling the stew in. Stir to combine.

Some other serving fixes that mitigate salty flavor include:

  • Serving small portions stew with baked potato or rice, and topping with low-sodium cheeses like shredded mozzarella, Swiss, or goat cheese.
  • Adding a side salad in a creamy yogurt dressing will do the trick too.
  • Serve with thirst quenching lemon water or lemonade.
  • Finish the meal off with fruity sorbet for dessert.

5. Add Balsamic Vinegar or Wine

Experiment using small increments of balsamic vinegar or wine, tasting as you go until the salty flavor is reduced.

A mild wine or vinegar will help mask some of the aggressive salt with a new flavor and bring out the best of your stew.

If using the vinegar method, measure out 1 tsp. each of sugar and vinegar.

Allow the stew to simmer for five minutes and then taste the stew.

Add 1 teaspoon increments until the salt flavor has been reduced.

Keep in mind that adding vinegar and sugar will change the flavor of your soup.

Did you know?

Stews have been made since ancient times. The world’s oldest evidence of stew was found in Japan.

Stew Q&A

What is the best pasta to use for stew?

  • Elbow macaroni
  • Small shells
  • Curly spirals (fusilli and rotini)
  • Penne
  • Ziti

How is stew served?

Stew is most commonly served hot in a bowl, or on a plate in the United States.

How do you fix salty stew gluten free?

Just Add:

  1. Cooking collagen powder
  2. Arrow root powder or kuzu root starch (Japanese arrow root)
  3. Any corn based thickener like cornstarch, masa harina, tortilla chips, polenta…
  4. Finely chopped raw broccoli or raw mushrooms
  5. Gluten-free dry noodles while yourvstew is cooking
  6. Precooked onion, corn, okra, drained tomatoes
  7. Low-sodium cheese like mozzarella or goat cheese
  8. Tomato paste

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Written by Gina Elizabeth

Hey there! I'm Gina. Here you'll find lots of recipe & lifestyle ideas! Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet--I’m glad you're here :)