Use this Irish Beef Stew recipe to make the most delicious and tender stove top Guinness stew. Like a traditional beef stew this one contains hearty pieces of beef and chunks of potatoes and carrots. The flavor of the broth is enhanced and deepened by the addition of a Guinness stout.
I like to serve this with a simple side salad tossed in this green dream dressing. You could also serve it alongside some overnight bread or no knead focaccia which would be delicious to dip in the stew.
comforting
Hearty
Quick Look: Irish beef Stew
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 3 hours
- 🕖 Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- 🥣 Servings: 6 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 488 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Simmer on stovetop
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: stew meat, potatoes, carrots, beef broth and Guinness beer
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy! Most of the work is at the beginning and after that the stew simmers on the stovetop.
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Megan left this 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Loved this! It’s not St. Patrick’s day but it works just as well for a cozy football Sunday 🤩”
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- St Paddy’s Day favorite – Most people love their corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty’s Day, but I prefer something a little more comforting like this Irish beef stew. After you’ve had your green beer its important to fill up on something nutritious and delicious.
- Cozy comfort food – Stew is one of my favorite things to make throughout the cold months. It warms you up and tastes so satisfying.
- Great leftovers – Irish beef stew makes the best leftovers. I love making this on a Sunday and enjoying the leftovers all week long.
ingredients You’ll Need
- Stew beef – beef chuck roast is my go to for beef stew meat. I try to cut it into evenly sized chunks. You can use lamb stew meat in place of the beef if you would prefer it. Lamb is actually a more traditional Irish stew meat.
- Butter and olive oil – you can use unsalted or salted and adjust your final salt amount to taste as needed. The butter and oil together make a perfect blend of fats for sauteeing the onions and layering the flavors of the soup.
- Guinness or other stout beer – the dark stout beer creates an amazing depth of flavor to the stew. It mixes with the beef stock to create a truly rich broth. If you want to use a different kind of beer, opt for something darker in flavor like a porter or brown ale. The alcohol cooks off while the stew is simmering, but if you like to avoid alcohol all together, you can purchase a non alcoholic Guinness or a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- Tomato paste – the tomato paste adds acidity and flavor to your stew while also thickening it.
- Salt, pepper, smoked paprika – this simple spice blend adds a touch of smokiness to the stew
- Potatoes – you can use any potatoes you would like for this stew. I like to use a baby red potato with the skin on.
- Olive oil – I used extra virgin olive oil, but you can use any neutral oil
- Onions – the onion is the base of your stew that bring out so much amazing flavor. You can add some onion and celery to bring out even more flavor in the stew.
- Carrots – I love the sweetness and brightness of the carrots in this stew. You can add more root vegetables to the stew by adding some cubed rutabaga or turnips.
- Beef broth – the broth brings everything together in this recipe. For some extra flavor, add in a bit of Worcestershire sauce.
You can play around with different herbs in your stew as well. Thyme would be delicious, or let it simmer with a couple of bay leaves in it.
How to make a Rich Irish Beef Stew
Step 1: Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Sear Beef stew meat in the warm oil. You may want to start searing the beef in batches to get a nice browning on each piece.
Step 2: Remove the beef from the pot and replace it with butter. Once the butter was melted, pour the diced onions into the pot. Seasoning with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Step 3: Pour the beef, beef broth, beer, and tomato paste into the pot. Stir to combine and simmer 2 hours – stirring occassionally.
Step 4: Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew and continue simmering until they are soft and tender. Serve in a bowl with fresh herbs.
Slow Cooker instructions
You can make this hearty beef stew in your slow cooker or crockpot instead of on the stove top. Brown the beef on the stove top until you have a good sear on it.
Then, add all ingredients except potatoes and carrots into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots into the cooker and cook on high for a total time of 1-2 hours or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Guinness Stew 🥣
- Sear beef in batches to brown evenly – browning the stew meat really adds depth of flavor to the final bowl of stew. I like to place the cubes stew meat in the dutch oven in batches to ensure even browning.
- Scrape browned bits off the bottom while sauteeing onions – While you saute diced onions in butter, be sure to use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. This will add lots of flavor to the final soup.
- Add vinegar or worcestershire sauce at the end to enhance flavor – When the soup is finished simmering and the vegetables are tender, add a tablespoon or two of either apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar or worcestershire sauce to the stew to deepen the flavor.
For another Irish inspired dish, make this Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie.
Storage and reheating
Once prepared allow the Irish beef stew to cool completely. Then, transfer the stew to airtight containers.
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove top adding more water or broth if necessary.
You can also freeze this stew. Thaw in the fridge for a day before you want to enjoy, then heat on the stovetop.
Check out These other Hearty Soup Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Irish Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2.5 lb stew beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 12 oz Guinness beer or other stout
- 4 large carrots
- 2 lb red potatoes
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Fresh parsley
- Optional: 2 cups water
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottom pot like a dutch oven. Add the stew beef to the pot along with the salt. Cook beef, stirring occasionally until seared on all sides. You may want to sear the beef in smaller batches.
- Remove meat from the pot and add butter to the pot. Once the butter is melted add the diced onion. Season onion with smoked paprika and black pepper. Sauté until the onions are soft and fragrant, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the beef back into the pot along with the beef broth, 12oz beer, and tomato tomato paste. Stir to mix. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
- While the stew simmers, peel and slice carrots into rounds and quarter potatoes. When the stew has simmered for 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes into the pot. If your stew seems too thick you can add in 1-2 cups of water – depending on your preferences.
- Simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Take the pot off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Serve the stew with fresh chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes
- Sear beef in batches to brown evenly – browning the stew meat really adds depth of flavor to the final bowl of stew. I like to place the cubes stew meat in the dutch oven in batches to ensure even browning.
- Scrape browned bits off the bottom while sauteeing onions – While you saute diced onions in butter, be sure to use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. This will add lots of flavor to the final soup.
- Add vinegar or worcestershire sauce at the end to enhance flavor – When the soup is finished simmering and the vegetables are tender, add a tablespoon or two of either apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar or worcestershire sauce to the stew to deepen the flavor.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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