Irish Beef Stew
With melt-in-your-mouth flavors, this Irish Beef Stew is hearty, comforting, and perfect for Sunday night dinners. Tender pieces of beef soaked in a savory, Guinness-based broth paired with pantry vegetables, it's a stew recipe that warms you up from the inside out.
📌 Irish Beef Stew Summary
- 🥩 Flavor Profile: Rich, savory, and deeply comforting thanks to Guinness stout, bacon, and slow-simmered beef.
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Simmered uncovered to naturally thicken the broth and create that classic hearty consistency.
- 🎉 Perfect For: Sunday dinners, St. Patrick's Day, potlucks, or any chilly night that calls for comfort food.
- 🧊 Make Ahead Friendly: Stores beautifully and tastes even better the next day.
Summarize & Save This Content On
Summarize & Save This Content On
This beef and Guinness stew may not come together in under 30 minutes, but the hours of simmering result in the best-tasting stew you'll try this year. With traditional ingredients, like my homemade beef and barley soup, and a deep, rich flavor, this stew recipe is a classic.
Perfect for potluck gatherings or to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, this Irish Guinness stew is the recipe I whip up when I want to impress my guests. Though this chicken pot pie soup is a close second.
Why This Recipe Works
- Stage Cooking: The carrots are cooked in two layers to give the Guinness beef stew the best possible flavor and texture. The first batch helps to sweeten the base, and the second maintains the texture of the stew.
- Simmered Uncovered: The stew boils down at a simmer uncovered to help release the steam and allow the mixture to come to the perfect, thickened texture that feels like comfort.
- Classic Flavor: Irish stew wouldn't be Irish if it weren't cooked with Guinness beer. Not only does this bring a traditional taste to the recipe, but it also creates ultra-tender bites of meat.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chuck roast: Chuck roast is ideal for Irish beef stew because its marbling and connective tissue break down during slow cooking, creating tender beef and a naturally rich, thickened broth. For a more affordable option, use bottom round or top round, and be sure to simmer gently and long enough to tenderize the meat but keep it from overcooking.
- Beer: A stout beer adds roasted depth and slight bitterness that balances the richness of the stew. Guinness is a classic choice for its smooth, malty flavor, but any mild stout works.
- Bacon: One of the secret ingredients in the recipe, cooking the bacon in the pot before the stew creates a comforting base.
- Broth: Beef broth is going to work better than chicken broth for this recipe. Ideally, use a low-sodium one so that you can adjust the taste level yourself. This is what I do for my Philly cheesesteak soup, too.
- Golden potatoes: These potatoes are perfect for stew because they become tender easily enough while still holding most of their shape.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Recipe Variations
- More Traditional: Skip the bacon, add parsnips or turnips, and keep the seasoning simple with thyme and bay for a more classic Irish-style stew.
- Extra Rich & Deep: Add an extra splash of stout and finish with a small amount of butter and fresh parsley for added richness and depth.
- No Beer Version: Replace the stout with additional beef broth and add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar to maintain savory complexity.
- More Vegetables: Increase the carrots and potatoes and add parsnips or mushrooms for a heartier, more vegetable-forward stew while keeping the broth balanced.
How to Make Irish Beef Stew
Though the final version takes a while to get to the table, this Irish beef stew recipe is prepped in just 20 minutes of hands-on time and makes your house smell amazing while it cooks. It's a meal that everyone looks forward to because of the anticipation.
Step 1: Season the Beef. Add the cubed beef to a large b owl and sprinkle it with salt and pepper until everything is seasoned evenly.
Step 2: Create the Base. Cook the bacon and onion in a large pot over medium heat until the onions are soft. Remove the onions and cooked bacon and set them aside. Leave the drippings in the pot.
Step 3: Brown the Beef. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the olive oil to the bacon grease. Add the beef, stirring to brown it evenly on all sides.
Step 4: Combine the Onions. Once the beef is browned, sprinkle it with flour, then add the onions and bacon back to the pot and cook until they're almost golden.
Step 5: Coat the Beef. Add the tomato paste to the beef and stir to coat the beef.
Step 6: Add the Beer. Pour in the Guinness beer and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
Step 7: Add the spices. Add the bay leaves, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and half the carrots to the pot.
Step 8: Add the broth and cook down. Pour in the broth and cook uncovered on medium to low heat for 90 minutes, making sure to give it a stir when you can.
Step 9: Add the Potatoes. Add the potatoes, celery, and remaining carrots to the pot and cook the stew uncovered for another half an hour or until the potatoes are tender.
Step 10: Taste test. Remove the bay leaves and give the stew a taste test before seasoning it with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite side! I love it with some Irish soda bread for St. Patrick's Day and these cheddar biscuits for an evening meal.
Lyn's Top Tips
- Browning the Beef: Sear the floured beef until deeply golden on the outside. That caramelized crust builds the stew's rich flavor, and the flour helps naturally thicken the broth as it simmers.
- Cooking pot: Ideally, you want a heavy-bottom cooking pot like a Dutch oven to make the beef and Guinness stew.
- Scrape the bottom: Scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon while cooking ensures that the stew doesn't burn, but that you also get the best-tasting bits into the mixture.
- Simmering: You want the beef stew to cook on a very low simmer. This may be different for each stovetop. Adjust the heat as needed so that it thickens properly.
- Storing: Once cooled, store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-45 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before you need it.
- Reheating: Place the stew in a pot on the stove with a splash of broth and reheat it over low to medium heat until warmed through.
Soup-er Toppings & Serving Suggestions
- Serve the Irish stew over mashed potatoes, colcannon, or with your favorite crusty dinner roll.
- It's also delicious with these pumpkin cornbread muffins or Caesar salad on the side.
- Start off your meal with these crispy goat cheese balls or ricotta toast for an easy first course or appetizer.
Irish Beef Stew Recipe FAQs
Both chuck roast and stewing beef can work when making Irish stew. Chuck roast, cut into cubes, tends to result in more tender pieces that take on the savory flavor of the recipe.
Yes, you can! To adapt this Irish beef stew for the slow cooker, keep all the browning steps on the stovetop for the best flavor. Cook the bacon and onion, then brown the seasoned beef as directed to develop that deep, savory base. Stir in the flour and cook briefly, add the tomato paste, then deglaze with the Guinness, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer everything to the slow cooker and add the beef broth (reduce it by about ½ cup since the liquid won't evaporate), bay leaves, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and half of the carrots. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, until the beef is fork-tender. About 90 minutes before serving, stir in the remaining carrots, celery, and potatoes so they stay tender but not mushy. If the stew needs thickening at the end, remove the lid and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or stir in a small cornstarch slurry. Remove the bay leaves, adjust the seasoning, and serve as usual.
Yes! You can make Irish stew without alcohol, but it will lose its classic flavor. To do this, choose a non-alcoholic beer or replace the Guinness with extra broth and balsamic vinegar.
To thicken beef stew, continue to let the stew simmer longer to allow for more evaporation, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pot and give it a stir frequently.
Irish Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef chuck roast cut into 1 ½-ich pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 3 pieces bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 14.9- oz can of Guinness beer or other stout beer
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 large carrots cut into 1-inch pieces, divided
- 2 stalks celery cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 ½ cups golden potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Place the cubed chuck in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and toss until evenly seasoned. Set aside.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions are softened.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions and bacon pieces to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the olive oil to the bacon grease in the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the beef to the pot and brown all sides (this takes me about 4-6 minutes, but can differ depending on the size of the beef, heat of the stovetop, etc.). If needed, cook the beef in batches to prevent crowding.
- If browning in batches, return all the beef to the pot and sprinkle with the flour. Add the onion and bacon to the pot, stir well, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring well to coat the beef.
- Stir in the Guinness and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the beef broth, bay leaves, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and half the carrots, and stir until well combined. Cook uncovered on medium-low for 1 ½ hours, stirring it occasionally.
- Stir in the remaining carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for another hour, until the carrots and potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaves and season the stew to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy hot over Colcannon or creamy mashed potatoes or with Irish soda bread.
Recipe Tips
- Simmering: You want the beef stew to cook on a very low simmer. This may be different for each stovetop. Adjust the heat as needed so that it thickens properly.
- Bacon grease: When you remove the onions and cooked bacon from the pot, leave the grease! This helps to create a savory taste in the base.
- Batch browning: Depending on how big your pot is, you may need to brown the beef in batches to make it easier and prevent crowding. It takes roughly 4-6 minutes to brown it.
