Luau Stew (Stovetop and Instant Pot)
Luau stew is the one pot Hawaiian classic built from the same taro leaves as laulau. Simmered low and slow on the stovetop, or done fast in the Instant Pot, with pork, beef, or both.
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If you’ve ever been to a potluck or a backyard luau, you know laulau gets all the attention. It’s the one everybody’s watching come out of the imu or the steamer. Luau stew is the quiet one sitting next to it, and I’ve come to realize most of the time it started as laulau’s leftovers: the same taro leaves, the same pork, simmered down into something even simpler.
That’s exactly what I love about it. Laulau takes real effort, wrapping ti leaves, tying bundles, steaming for hours. Luau stew is one pot. Meat, onion, ginger, garlic, taro leaves, broth. Let it go low and slow, or let your Instant Pot do the work, and you’ve got dinner.
I make mine with pork, beef, or both, the same way I’d make laulau with whatever protein I have on hand.
Where Luau Stew Comes From
Luau stew is a traditional Hawaiian dish, not a local Hawaii plate lunch invention. The word luau in the name refers to the young taro leaf itself, not the party. Taro, or kalo, is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the islands and central to Native Hawaiian culture and diet, and the leaves at the top of the plant are the luau leaf this stew is named for. The word only came to mean feast later, borrowed from the dish that was almost always on the table.
That’s the same taro leaf laulau is wrapped in. Whole mature leaves wrap around pork, beef, or chicken and steam together for hours. Luau stew takes the same leaves, chopped instead of wrapped, and cooks them down with the same proteins into something closer to a braise. At a family luau, you’ll often see both on the table, laulau as the centerpiece, luau stew as the practical, no fuss dish made from whatever leaves and meat didn’t make it into the bundles.
Did you know…
Taro leaves are raw toxic. They carry microscopic calcium oxalate crystals that irritate skin and throat until they’re broken down by long, thorough cooking. That’s not a modern food safety footnote, it’s exactly why this dish has always been cooked low and slow.
Why You’ll Love This Luau Stew
- One pot on the stove, or one Instant Pot insert, either way there’s barely anything to clean up after.
- Works with pork shoulder, beef chuck, or a mix of both, no need to pick a side.
- The Instant Pot version turns a 2 to 3 hour simmer into well under an hour.
- Reheats and freezes well, which makes it one of the better make ahead dinners in my rotation.
- Built from the same taro leaves that wrap laulau, so it tastes like the whole spread, not just what’s left of it.
- Feeds a crowd easily since it scales up just by adding more meat and leaves to the same pot.
Ingredients for Luau Stew
A few notes on ingredients before you start:
- Luau leaves. Fresh taro leaves, sold at Hawaii markets and some Asian grocery stores, often labeled luau leaf or taro leaf.
- Protein. Pork shoulder, beef chuck, or half and half, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes either way.
- Garlic and ginger. Crushed garlic and a smashed knob of ginger go in first so the oils release fully into the fat before the onions and meat follow.
- Shoyu. In Hawaii kitchens it’s shoyu, and a local brand like Aloha Shoyu brings a rounder, slightly lighter flavor than most mainland soy sauces.
- Chicken broth. Swapped in for plain water for a deeper base. It’s the same 2 cups either way, just more flavor.
- A heavy bottomed pot. A Dutch oven holds heat evenly through that long simmer without scorching the bottom.
How to Make Instant Pot Luau Stew
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1
Build the base
Set the Instant Pot to Saute and drizzle in a little oil. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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2
Brown the meat
Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the onion and saute until softened, a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients: luau leaves, chicken broth, and salt.
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3
Pressure cook
Secure the lid and cook on Manual, High Pressure, for 25 minutes if using beef or 40 minutes if using pork (use 40 minutes if cooking both proteins together).
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4
Release and finish
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 to 20 minutes. Open the lid, stir, and season to taste with shoyu and additional salt. Serve hot over rice.
Pro tip!
If your stew tastes flat after seasoning, add the shoyu a little at a time and taste as you go. Or season with salt to your taste. It’s easy to oversalt once the broth has reduced.
Similar Recipes to Luau Stew
Serve luau stew hot over rice, or poi if you have it. If you’re setting up a full spread, pair it with:
FAQs for Luau Stew
They’re the leaves of the taro plant, sold fresh at Hawaii markets and some Asian grocery stores. Look for deep green, firm leaves without wilting or yellow spots.
Yes. Thaw and drain them first. Since this is a long-cooked stew, the softer texture from freezing isn’t noticeable.
No. Raw and undercooked leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals that cause an itchy throat and mouth. Cook them the full 2 to 3 hours on the stovetop, or a full pressure cycle in the Instant Pot, before eating.
Spinach or collard greens will work in a pinch, but the flavor and texture won’t be the same. Luau leaves have a richer, slightly earthy taste that greens don’t fully replicate.
Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days, or freeze for a few months. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of broth to loosen it back up.
A Note from Tani
Luau stew is what I make when I want that laulau flavor without setting aside a whole afternoon for it. Whether you go stovetop or Instant Pot, don’t skip the long cook time on those leaves, that’s the one step that isn’t optional.
With aloha, Tani
Luau Stew
Video
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker (optional)
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 1 lbs luau (taro) leaves stems removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 lbs pork shoulder, beef chuck, or a mix of both cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes
- 1 yellow onion sliced thin with the grain
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 knob fresh ginger finger-size, smashed
- 1 tsp Hawaiian salt
- 2 cups chicken broth
- oil, for browning
- salt to taste
- shoyu to taste
Instructions
Stovetop:
- Set a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until hot. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom.
- Brown the protein in small batches so it sears instead of steams. Remove each batch as it browns.
- Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions turn sweet and translucent.
- Layer the luau leaves on top of the onions. Set the browned meat on top of the leaves to weigh them down.
- Pour in the chicken broth and cover. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low, then very low. Simmer 2 to 3 hours, until the leaves are fully tender and the meat is fork-tender.
- Season to taste with salt and shoyu. Add more broth or water for a thinner stew.
- Serve hot over rice.
Instant Pot:
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and drizzle in a little oil.
- Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the onion and sauté until softened, a few minutes.
- Add the protein and brown on all sides.
- Add the remaining ingredients: luau leaves, chicken broth, and salt.
- Secure the lid and cook on Manual, High Pressure 40 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Open the lid, stir, and season to taste with shoyu and additional salt.
- Serve hot over rice.
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to a few months.
