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    Home » Dinner » Beef Recipes

    Guinness Beef Stew

    Published: Mar 7, 2020 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    Jump to Recipe
    close up of guinness beef stew in a white bowl

    This Irish Beef Stew is full of flavor and perfect served alongside mashed potatoes or in a bread bowl. Cooked with Guinness and tomato paste the rich flavor is absolutely delicious.

    close up of guinness beef stew in a white bowl

    Something about stew on top of mashed potatoes that is just pure comfort food. I used to work at a Britsh Pub and we served Irish Stew every March in honor of St. Patrick's Day or St. Paddy's! I miss all the food and the people but not the job!

    So this year I decided to make my own. This stew recipe is easy to make, hardly any actual work, just takes a couple of hours for the stew to cook.

    I prefer my stew atop a bed of mashed potatoes but you could surely have it on its own or in a bread bowl. That's how I used to serve it at the pub.

    close up of dutch oven of guinness beef stew

    Luckily I always have Guinness beer on hand at home. Baking with Guinness is one of my favorite things. Make sure to check out my Guinness Chocolate Cookies or Guinness Cheesecake.

    overhead shot of irish stew in a white bowl next to a bottle of guinness

    What ingredients do you need?

    To make this Irish stew you'll need:

    • Oil. You can use your favorite oil, I tend to use Olive or Avocado oil to cook everything.
    • Onion. I love Onion so I use a full medium-large brown onion diced but feel free to reduce if you're not such an onion lover.
    • Stew meat. I prefer to just got to the butcher and buy their "stew meat" which is scraps of all kinds of meat. You could also use beef chuck, chuck roast, or boneless short rib.
    • Salt & Pepper. Don't forget these two babies, they make all the difference!
    • Garlic. I just used pre-minced garlic or use garlic cloves finely chopped.
    • Beef Stock or Broth. I use low-sodium but use regular if you want!
    • Guinness Stout. This wouldn't be an Irish stew without the Guinness. I use one standard bottle. The cans have more liquid in but you could just enjoy a few sips before you use it! 🙂
    • Bay Leaves. I love using bay leaves in stews. Make sure to remove them at the end!
    • Tomato Paste. The tomato paste and Guinness mixture combines a delicious flavor that you will adore.
    • Worcestershire Sauce. Just a bit adds so much flavor to the sauce.
    • Carrots and Celery. Throwing in some veggies when you barely notice them is a win-win for me!.
    • Slurry. A slurry is made of cornstarch + cold water. This helps thicken the stew. You may need a little more, so just adjust if needed. Make sure to never add just cornstarch or it will clump up!!

    I use a Le Creuset Oval Dutch Oven but this Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven is a great deal.

    How do you make Guinness Stew?

    First things first stary by chopping your veggies. I like my onions diced. They aren't perfect but I don't mind a thicker piece of onion. If you do make sure to dice them evenly.

    onion diced on a wood cutting board with a knife

    Peel your carrots and then chop the celery and carrots. I chopped the celery into ¼"-⅓" pieces and the carrots into ½" pieces.

    celery and carrots cut up on a wood curring board on a grey surface

    Let your beef sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before cooking. At this point season beef with salt and pepper.

    raw stew meat on white paper on a wood board

    In a large pot, I use my dutch oven, warmed over medium heat add the olive oil and add the onions. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes to soften and brown them. Add the garlic, mix to combine, then push onions to one side of the pot and add the beef with salt and pepper.

    onions and beef browning in a dutch oven

    Brown the beef on all sides, this will take a few minutes. (If your pot is smaller then brown the meat in batches)

    Once the beef is browned add the beef stock, Guinness, bay leaves, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, and celery.

    guinness poured into a dutch oven of beef stew ingredients

    Mix to combine, make sure to scratch the bottom of the pot for all those flavors. Then reduce heat and simmer over low-medium heat for about 2 hours (Don't let it boil or cook for more than 3 hours to prevent drying out the meat). Stirring occasionally. The cook time is variable which is nice, while you're busy doing other things.

    irish stew in a dutch oven before cooking

    In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.

    small glass bowl with cornstarch slurry

    Add slurry to the stew and mix to combine, continue cooking over low heat until the stew has thickened and cornstarch has cooked out, this will take a few minutes.

    I would recommend adding less slurry then adding more if you want it thicker. It is always easier to add more than add too much. If you add a lot the texture can become almost jelly-like.

    irish stew with cornstarch slurry added

    Take off of the heat and serve with mashed potatoes, in a bread bowl, or just on its own! 

    dutch oven full of irish stew

    If that doesn't look like heaven on a plate I don't know what is! You might want to keep with the Irish theme and serve some Irish Soda Bread.

    fork taking a bite of guinness stew and mashed potatoes in a white bowl

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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    close up of guinness beef stew in a white bowl

    Guinness Irish Stew Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    Print Recipe
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    This Irish Beef Stew is full of flavor and perfect served alongside mashed potatoes or in a bread bowl. Cooked with Guinness and tomato paste the rich flavor is absolutely delicious. 

    • Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
    • Yield: 4 Servings 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
    • 1 Medium Brown Onion, diced
    • 1.5lbs Stew meat
    • ½ Teaspoon Each of Salt & Pepper
    • 1 ½ Teaspoons Garlic, minced or finely chopped
    • 32oz Beef Stock or Broth
    • 12.8oz Guinness Stout
    • 2 Bay Leaves
    • 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
    • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 2 Large Carrots, peeled and chopped into ½" pieces
    • 3 Celery Stalks, chopped into ⅓" pieces
    • 2 -3 Tablespoons Cornstarch + cold water to make a slurry

    Instructions

    1. In large pot over medium heat add the olive oil and onions. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes to soften and brown them. Add the garlic, mix to combine, then push onions to one side of the pot and add the beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef on all sides, this will take a few minutes. (If your pot is smaller then brown the meat in batches)
    2. Once beef is browned add the beef stock, Guinness, bay leaves, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, and celery. Mix to combine then simmer over low-medium heat for about 2 hours (Don't let it boil or cook for more than 3 hours to prevent drying out the meat).
    3. In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Add slurry to the stew and mix to combine, continue cooking over low heat until the stew has thickened and cornstarch has cooked out, this will take a few minutes. Take off heat and serve with mashed poatatoes, in a bread bowl, or just on it's own! 

    Equipment

    Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven, 7-Quart,

    Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven

    Buy Now →
    Le Creuset Oval Dutch Oven

    Le Creuset Oval Dutch Oven

    Buy Now →

    Notes

    • Leftovers last for 5 days 
    • When adding the cornstarch slurry add a small amount, mix for a minute or two and add more. You can always add more but adding too much can make the stew texture gelatinous. 

     

    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 15
    • Cook Time: 2 Hours
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Cook
    • Cuisine: Irish

    Keywords: Guinness beef stew, irish stew recipe, guinness irish stew

    Did you make this recipe?

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    1. diana says

      July 13, 2022 at 9:59 pm

      We all love it cooked it once very 2 weeks ,
      thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe .

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        July 19, 2022 at 10:53 pm

        Thank you so much, Diana, so pleased you enjoy the recipe on rotation. Take care XX Liz

        Reply
    2. Chris says

      March 07, 2023 at 7:30 am

      I've made this stew several times. It has a very distinctive flavor, not at all overpowering, but very tasty. I also add about a 1/2 pound of new potatoes, (that's how my mom made stew). Next time I'll try serving it over mashed potatoes. The stew freezes very well.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        March 07, 2023 at 7:49 am

        Hi Chris, thank you so much for the lovely review so pleased you have been enjoying it. I just made some on Sunday night and plan to freeze some too!! Take care! XX Liz

        Reply

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    Waterson, Elizabeth Cropped Size Photo CAke copy 2

    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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