Guinness Beef Stew {Stovetop and Slow Cooker Instructions}

This hearty Guinness Beef Stew is perfect to serve at a St. Patrick’s Day get-together or when you’re craving some real comfort food for the soul. It’s made with tender beef, chunks of potatoes, onions, carrots, and spices all simmered in a rich broth flavored with Guinness beer. It’s absolutely delicious! 

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When it comes to beef stew recipes, this one takes the cake! And to be honest, I’m not a big stew person.

It’s not that I don’t like a good stew but it’s just not a meal I grew up eating. I’m more of a spaghetti and meatball girl, but I decided to put together this Guinness Beef stew for my husband in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. He grew up in an Irish household so as much as he loves my Italian cooking, I know he appreciates something from his childhood every once in a while.

My husband and I loved how this stew turned out. It was so delicious!

The beef was fall-apart tender and the carrots and potatoes soaked up all of the flavors of the rich sauce. I brought some of this stew over to my father because he’s a big stew person, and 

I knew he’d give me an honest opinion. Not that my husband doesn’t but my dad doesn’t sugar coat anything (can anyone relate?). If he hates it or it was just “okay”, he’ll tell me.

Anyway, I dropped it off, and later that night, he texted me and said “Tammy, you outdid yourself with that stew. It’s the best I’ve ever had” WOOHOO! I also brought some to my mother in law (who’s 100% Irish) and she said it was absolutely scrumptious.

So, I think it’s safe to say that this stew is a keeper. It’s everything you want in a beef stew recipe elevated with the help of Guinness!

Irish Beef Stew or Guinness Beef Stew

I went back and forth between calling this Irish Beef Stew or Guinness Beef Stew. I decided on Guinness Beef stew because this isn’t really a “traditional” Irish stew recipe.

Irish stew typically uses lamb or mutton…and to be completely honest, cooking with those meats takes me way out of my comfort zone. So, I decided to keep it easy and stick with beef hence the reason for Guinness Beef Stew. It’s basically a classic beef stew with an Irish twist. 😄

Does Guinness Beef Stew Taste Like Beer?

Let’s chat about the Guinness part of this stew recipe.

Guinness is a dark stout beer that gives this stew a deep rich color and flavor profile. Don’t worry though- your stew won’t taste like beer, but it will have a uniquely delicious flavor that you can only get with Guinness.

You might be wondering if you can use other stout beers. My answer to that is…probably. But, I’ve only used Guinness in this recipe so I can only speak to the amazing flavors developed by using this beer.

Guinness is readily available in most grocery stores. I found a 4 pack of 14.9-ounce cans and used one whole can in this recipe but I wouldn’t use more than that. I feel like that is the perfect amount.

Ingredients for Guinness Beef Stew

• Chuck roast
• Guinness beer
• Yukon gold potatoes
• Carrots
• Tomato paste
• Beef broth
• Onions
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh thyme
• Bay leaf
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Pepper

The great thing about all stew recipes, including this one, is they are relatively easy to make. Also, they are supposed to be rustic so you don’t need to worry about the vegetables or meat being cut into perfect chunks.

FAQS

I use 2 1/2 pounds of chuck roast for this beef stew. I prefer to purchase a whole chuck roast and cut it into chunks myself as opposed to purchasing already pre-cut stew meat. In my experience, this results in the beef is much more tender.

For this stew, you want the beef to be cut into big bite-sized chunks, at about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Also, I purchase organic grass-fed beef for all my recipes including this stew recipe. I feel it provides the best flavor and it creates a healthier stew.

Ingredient note: My favorite place to purchase organic beef is from Butcher Box online meat delivery. Hands down, they have the best tasting healthiest beef.

I use about 4-5 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes (also called butter potatoes). These are the best potatoes to use in any stew recipe because they result in a soft creamy potato that will still hold its shape even after cooking for hours. Other potatoes like russet or red potatoes will get grainy and fall apart.

There’s no need to skin the potatoes. Just wash, chop them up, and throw them into the beef stew!

I prefer beef broth over chicken because it helps to deepen the flavors. Not to mention it’s a beef stew and I’m looking for the beef flavor to come through.

One cooking tip I’ve learned over the years is to salt at the end, especially when you’re cooking a dish for 3-4 hours. After the stew has cooked, I stirred in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. This made all of the flavors explode!

How To Make Guinness Beef Stew

There are a few steps when it comes to putting together this stew recipe but once everything is in the pot, it’s smooth sailing.

Prep the beef and veggies

Start with getting the beef and vegetables prepped. You’ll move through this recipe a lot faster if this is done first.

Place the chuck roast into a medium bowl and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix together until the beef is coated with flour. Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 6-qt pot and add the beef in batches.

Cook the beef until it is browned on all sides and remove from heat to set aside.

In the same pot where you cooked the meat, heat another tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onions until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

After the onions have cooked down enough, add in the garlic and thyme to cook for a minute before adding in the Guinness, the star of the show.

Pour in the Guinness

You’ll want to add the Guinness so you can deglaze the pan (make sure to scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom) and cook down the alcohol. As that’s cooking down, I added a small can of tomato paste which helps with enriching the flavor and thickening up the sauce.

At this point, you can add the cooked beef back to your dutch oven pot! Now’s the time to add in the rest of the chopped veggies, spices, beef broth, and bay leaf as well.

Let the Beef Stew Simmer

Cook uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every half hour or so. Then cover and cook for one more hour. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Cooking note: The stew will thicken as it sits.

How to Cook This Beef Stew in The Crockpot

You can also make this stew in the slow cooker.

To make the stew in the crockpot first you’re going to brown the meat in a large 5 1/2 – 6 quart pot. After the beef is browned place the meat in the crockpot.

Then cook the onions and garlic in the same pot and deglaze with Guinness and add in the tomato paste. Cook the alcohol down and then add it to the crockpot with the meat and the rest of the ingredients. You’ll want to reduce the beef broth by one 1 cup when making in the slow cooker.

I know it’s annoying to take extra cooking steps prior to cooking it in the slow cooker, but for recipes like this, I think it’s 100% worth it to make the extra effort.

Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. I usually prefer a high-temperature setting which results in less time. If the stew isn’t thick enough then stir in a quick slurry (2 tablespoons flour and 1/3 cup water) and let it cook uncovered for another 1/2 hour.

What To Serve With Guinness Beef Stew

I love to serve this stew with crusty bread (or even better with Irish Soda Bread!) or a side salad as a healthy option.

Honestly, you can easily enjoy it on its own because it’s just that’s good!

Meal Prep Tips

This Guinness Beef Stew can be made ahead of time on Sunday and warmed up throughout the week on the stove or in the microwave. The stew can be stored in the refrigerator using glass containers, Ello containers are my favorite.

This stew can also be frozen ahead of time. Freeze in 1-cup portions using a silicone freeze tray like Souper Cubes or freeze in freezer bags or containers.

More One-Pot Recipes

If you loved this beef stew recipe, take a look at some of my other one-pot recipes. I think you’ll really enjoy them!

• Chicken Sausage and Mushroom Pasta
• One-Pot Greek Shrimp
• Creamy Potato Gratin Bake
• Healthy Tortellini With Chicken Sausage and Broccoli 
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Have you tried this recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!