Among Ireland’s most iconic pub foods, this rich and robust Irish Beef Guinness Stew recipe will make your taste buds sing and have you coming back for seconds! Succulent beef and tender veggies in a deliciously rich gravy made with Guinness!
What is Guinness Stew?
Nothing speaks comfort like a good beef stew.  Variations of beef stew are found around the world and a few famous examples include France’s Boeuf Bourguignon, Hungarian Goulash, Germany’s Pichelsteiner, and Belgium’s Carbonnade à la Flamande (recipe coming).  The first one is simmered in wine, the second generously seasoned with paprika, and the third simmered in beer.
Today we meet Ireland’s iconic version:  Beef Guinness Stew. Or Guinness Beef Stew. Whichever way you prefer to say it, it’s delicious just the same!
As its name suggests, what sets Ireland’s beef stew apart from others is its inclusion of Guinness stout. Â The alcohol is evaporated as the simmers low and slow and you’re left with a deep and robust flavor with fork-tender beef, waxy potatoes and the sweetness of parsnips and carrots.
Guinness Beef Stew is traditional Irish pub fare.  You’d probably be hard-pressed to visit a pub in Dublin and not find it on the menu.  When it comes to dining out in Ireland, Pub food is among the best for homestyle meals with bold flavors and good prices.  Dublin has many to choose from  – everything from The Brazen Head (Dublin’s oldest pub) to Mulligan’s (where celebrities like John F. Kennedy and Doris Day dined), Arthur’s Pub, Sheehan’s, Temple Bar Pub, and The Quay’s Bar.
Several of these are located in the heart of Dublin’s cultural quarter quarter, the Temple Bar district, and are especially renowned for their Guinness beef stew, a favorite among tourists and locals alike.
Tips for Making the BEST Guinness Stew
Beef and Guinness Stew is easy but there are a couple of steps that are absolutely imperative for the flavor. Â First and foremost: Â Brown the beef! Â Don’t be impatient and skip this step. Â It’s crucial. Â So take the time to brown the beef in batches, every last piece. Â Once you’ve done the browning followed by briefly sauteing the vegetables, you can transfer everything to a slow cooker if you prefer.
The other thing is this: Â Don’t throw out the browned beef bits in the bottom of the pan! Â That’s where a ton of the flavor is, caked onto the bottom of the pan. Â Leave it and deglaze (scrap off the browned bits) when you add the Guinness. Â If you follow those two steps and the rest of the recipe as follows, you’re going to have one amazing Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!
What to Serve with Guinness Beef Stew?
Guinness beef stew is a hearty and flavorful dish, so you’ll want some sides that complement it without being too heavy or competing for flavor. However, if you want to reduce the serving size of the stew and bulk it up with a hearty side you can do that as well. Here are a few options:
- Irish Soda Bread or any good crusty bread – perfect for mopping up every last drop of stew!
- Mashed Potatoes
- Buttered Noodles
- Leafy Green Salad or Kale Salad
- Fruit Salad – try our Waldorf Salad for a nice sweet-savory balance.
- Roasted Vegetables
Beef and Guinness Stew Recipe
Let’s get started!
There’s no need to buy an expensive cut of beef for a beef stew that’s going to simmer for a long time. Â Get an inexpensive, well-marbled cut. Â You can ever go wrong with a chuck roast (what I’m using here).
Cut the beef across the grain into into 1-inch pieces. Â Sprinkle with some salt, pepper and the flour and toss to coat the pieces. Â Set aside.
Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven or heavy pot until done then remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon drippings in the pan. (I’m using this Le Creuset Dutch oven but nearly as often use my Lodge Dutch oven which is a fraction of the cost.)
Working in batches and being careful not to overcrowd the pieces, generously brown the beef on all sides.
Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat until all the beef is browned. Â Don’t wash out the pot when you’re done, leave the blackened bits on the bottom of the pot (that’s where a ton of flavor be!).
Add the onions and fry them, adding more oil if necessary, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes.
**At this point you can transfer everything to a slow cooker if you prefer. Â Follow the remaining steps and then cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours**
Add the Guinness and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pot (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom). Â Boil for 2 minutes.
Return the beef and bacon to the pot along with the remaining ingredients. Â Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Â Add salt and pepper to taste.
Dish up the stew and enjoy it hot with some crusty country bread or Irish soda bread.
This stew tastes even better the next day.
Enjoy!
For more traditional recipes enjoyed throughout Ireland be sure to try our:
Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bacon , diced
- 2 pounds beef chuck
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 medium-large yellow onions , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 medium-sized firm yellow potatoes , (e.g., Yukon Gold), cut in 1-inch pieces
- 2 large carrots , chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 ribs celery , chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 large parsnip , chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 16 ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout
- 1 cup strong beef broth (e.g., Better Than Bouillon, add an extra teaspoon or two)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoons dried and ground porcini mushrooms (optional and not remotely traditional, but oh so amazing)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the beef across the grain into into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle with some salt, pepper and the flour and toss to coat the pieces. Set aside.
- Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven or heavy pot until done then remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon drippings in the pan.
- Working in batches and being careful not to overcrowd the pieces, generously brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat until all the beef is browned.
- Add the onions and fry them, adding more oil if necessary, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the Guinness and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pot (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom). Boil for 2 minutes.  Return the beef and bacon to the pot along with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. (**At this point you can transfer everything to a slow cooker if you prefer. Follow the remaining steps and then cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.)Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with some crusty country bread or Irish soda bread. This soup is even better the next day.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 9, 1017
Jason says
Just got back from a trip to Ireland and loved the Guinness stew we had there. Wanted to share the experience with our kids and found this recipe. It was just as good as some of the stew we had in pubs around Ireland! Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it, Jason, thank you!
Anonymous says
Excellent
Rebecca Rehberger says
Another winner! I skipped the mushrooms and parsnips, but kept everything else. The result is an easy bit of comfort food.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Rebecca, thanks so much!
Charlie Green says
Why does it say 20 minutes for prep when it takes 15 minutes and to cook the onions and other veggies alone? More like an hour.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Prep isn’t cooking, Charlie, prep refers to prepping the ingredients to get them ready to cook.
Jennifer says
The listed cooking time is wrong. It takes longer than 30 minutes to brown the bacon, all of the beef, the onions, vegetables, etc. It’s a great recipe, the time is just not what is listed.
Guy says
Really did enjoy this but I did vary slightly. I added a quarter of a cup of diced pitted dates to add some sweetness, halved the onion and added a leek as a substitute. No Guinness on hand so whatever beer I had on hand which wasn’t a stout. Little less than a pint but substituted with more stock. Placed in slow cooker for 6 hours an the whole family loved. Left overs will be placed in vacuum sealed bags and frozen. Yum. Will definitely make again.
John Anderson Pittman says
I made this last year, it was a knock out of the dining room, blowing every taste bud by the wayside from my guest’s usual expectation of what had been bland renditions of Irish stew. The mushrooms were untraditional but ended up a certain wow factor in taste. I let the stew simmer on the stove top for about 5 hours, the longer, the better intensifying the flavor as well making the meat more tender. Will be making it on the 14th!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, John, thanks so much!
Anamarija says
Dear Kimberly,
I stumbled upon your page while looking for crumpets recipes, but then ended up cooking this fantastic stew last night. My daughter and I absolutely loved it. So now I think I’m going to slowly work my way through all your recipes :-)
Love from Croatia,
Anamarija
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Anamarija, I’m thrilled you and your daughter enjoyed it. I’m so glad you found my site and hope you enjoy any other recipes you try – happy cooking! :) Kind regards, Kimberly
Dee Dee says
I made this today! It was absolutely delicious! My mouth is still watering! I did not use rosemary, I added an extra parsnip and 2 extra carrots and I used 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. Other than that I followed the recipe to a T. I never in my life had anything that tasted like this. My husband went nuts for this stew.This recipe is worth the time and effort. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled you both enjoyed this, Dee Dee, thank you so much!
M Spraitzar says
Five stars!
Mary S says
This was every bit as good as promised and then some! I didn’t change anything except adding additional cup of beef broth. Didn’t have rosemary. (My Guiness bottle of Stout was just short of 12 oz) I left out mushrooms. Definitely a winner and not too complicated. I used another bottle of Guiness to make beer bread to go with it. A real feast!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Mary, I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you!
Elizabeth Haushalter says
I just made this tonight and I’m very impressed! I followed it to a T and I’m so glad I did! It’s perfection.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Elizabeth, thanks so much!
KT says
Although this recipe is quite delicious it is quite fatty.
Deborah Mickow says
Lamb is FATTY KT!!!!!
Deborah Mickow says
Traditionally, you’re supposed to make with lamb.
Nancy says
This is so delicious!! I followed the directions with a few exceptions. I also left out the potatoes because I wanted to serve over spaetzle YUM and possibly leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving. I found dried mushrooms and just ground them in my bullet. I also used my instant pot and used the sauté option to cook meat and then veggies. I pressure cooked it for 35 min. I just pressed (stew) I did a quick release and switched to sauté again to thicken ( cream, sour cream and arrowroot mixed together) next time I will add more meat and veggies. My husband loved it too! Win-win!! I look forward to trying more of your recipies PS I was a bit lazy tonight so I bought the spaetzle in the noodle section at the store. Not bad for a quickie.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Nancy! And thanks so much for the info on making it in the Instant Pot, I’m sure many of our readers will find that helpful!
Maz says
Thank you. I’ve never had much success with beef stew, but this is a keeper. I followed to the t, except for nasty celery :) No mushrooms this time but may do next time. I added 2 beef oxo cubes instead of the broth. Since my husband said he wanted vegetables, I caramelised some onions, threw in some cabbage and a small amount of left over green bean casserole. Most delightful
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Maz, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, thank you!
Lisa MommaK says
2 of our sons are coming over for dinner with the girlfriends & this mom wanted something special. The perfect storm was my friend & his wife just toured Ireland & he consumed mass quantities of Guinness.
Before coating the Chuck with flour, I sprinkled on some Montreal Steak Seasoning. I reserved my bacon grease & about 6 slices of bacon from yesterday’s breakfast to cook it in.
HINT: When I cook bacon, I cook ,1.5# at a time & store the bacon for upcoming recipes. I also pour the cooled bacon grease/meat bits in a styrofoam egg container, then freeze them solid & store in a Ziploc. Makes it handy for times like this when I needed extra.
Could not find a parsnip or the particular mushroom anywhere so I just eliminated them all together.
This still turned out FAB!
I’m having to take white-out to my personal recipe book for adjustments to match your recipe. Glad I found this!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Lisa, I’m so glad it was a hit, thanks so much for the feedback!
Penny says
I don’t know what I did wrong but it’s got a bit of a bitter after taste. (Too much Guinness?) I kept out the potatoes to top with the garlic mashed. What can I do or add? More beef broth ?
Iris says
Just making this now for the Ireland v UK rugby match tomorrow, it is tasting a bit bitter, maybe overindulgenced on the Guinness, how do I rectify this?
Selene says
Not enough stars for this one!!! I made this again today and it is FANTASTIC!!!! I made a few adjustments due to availability of ingredients – used a pkt of mushroom gravy mix for the powdered mushrooms and used a whole can (the small one) of tomato paste (don’t like to waste). To achieve the “strong beef broth” I added 2 bouillon cubes to pkg beef broth to up the flavor. Just saw Penny’s comment above and I will be trying the garlic mashed potatoes on top next time!!! Maybe a little shredded cheese on top too!Selene
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Selene, thank you!