• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chisel & Fork logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    You Are Here: Home → Main Course → Soups

    Guinness Beef Stew

    March 21, 2019 | Updated September 21, 2020 by Ryan 7 Comments

    7837 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    This Guinness beef stew is loaded with beef chuck, vegetables and you guess it, Guinness beer, which gives it a great depth of flavor and makes it perfect for a cold night.

    angled shot of Guinness beef stew in two white bowls

    St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Man this year is really flying by. One of the things I wanted to do with the blog is actually have recipes posted ahead of time for different holidays so you can make it on the actual holiday.

    So when trying to think of what to have for this Irish holiday, I figured why don't we combine one of their most popular dishes with by far their most popular beer - beef and Guinness stew

    If you've followed this blog, you might remember a certain creamy garlic mashed cauliflower recipe. Well it was made specifically for this Guinness stew. And I must say the stew is the real star here.

    Guinness is a beer that is well-known in the baking world for marking chocolate even richer, but it also gives great flavor to savory dishes as well. This stew has such deep flavor and would be great on a cold night.

    Even if you aren't a huge fan of beef stew (Lauren isn't), you'll enjoy this! It really is the perfect comfort food in March. Hope you give this Irish beef stew with Guinness a try this year and enjoy.

    Jump to:
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • What is the Difference Between Guinness Draught and Extra Stout?
    • Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Options
    • How to Thicken
    • Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
    • Other Soup Recipes
    • Guinness Beef Stew
    close-up of Guinness beef stew in white bowl with mashed cauliflower

    Recipe Ingredients

    • Olive oil - helps cook the beef.
    • Beef chuck - perfect for a slow cooked stew.
    • Onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme - where most of the flavor comes from.
    • Bacon - adds flavor to the Guinness stew.
    • All-purpose flour - helps thicken the stew.
    • Guinness beer - the star of the show.
    • Chicken and beef stock - the combination gives a good mouth feel.
    • Tomato paste - adds some richness.
    • Bay leaves - adds aroma and flavor.
    • Cornstarch - if you want to thicken the stew even more, this is perfect.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    1. Heat olive oil in large pot over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and add in batches, until browned on each side. Should be 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside onto plate and repeat with remaining beef.
    2. Lower pot to medium heat and add the bacon and cook until bacon fat is starting to brown and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir flour into mixture.
    3. Add Guinness beer slowly until flour is dissolved, scraping bottom to get the brown bits. Add chicken stock, beef stock, tomato paste, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Return the beef to the pot as well as any juice from them. (I use both chicken stock and beef stock so Guinness beer is more pronounced but you can use beef stock only)
    4. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove lid and simmer for another 30-45 minutes or until beef is starting to fall apart. Remove the bay leaves and thyme.
    5. At this point I wanted it slightly thicker so I mixed some cornstarch with more beef stock and then added to stew and let cook for another 10 minutes. (You can skip this step if it's thick enough for you) Adjust for seasoning.
    6. Serve over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.
    overhead shot of stew in two white bowls

    What is the Difference Between Guinness Draught and Extra Stout?

    Draught and Extra Stout are pretty similar but Draught has a little more coffee notes and creamy where as the Extra Stout has a slightly drier finish. You can use either in this recipe.

    Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Options

    With the slow cooker, you cook everything as instructed below in a pot. After you add the Guinness into the pot, bring to simmer and ensure you scrape the bottom of the pot well to get all of the brown bits and flavor. Then transfer to slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

    For an Instant Pot, follow slow cooker instructions, but cook on HIGH for 40 minutes then do natural release.

    How to Thicken

    The easiest way to thicken any type of soup/stew is by using cornstarch. You whisk 2 tablespoon cornstarch in ¼ cup stock or water and then add to the stew as it is cooking. It is super important to whisk the cornstarch with the stock in a separate bowl beforehand to make a slurry. If you just add the cornstarch to the stew, it will be clumpy and take quite a while to cook out.

    Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

    • Add cold oil to a cold pot or skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the beef. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
    • Do not skip searing the beef chuck as it helps create flavor and seal in the juice.
    • Use a combination of chicken and beef stock which allows you to highlight the Guinness flavor.
    • If you like a thicker stew, mix 2 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup beef stock before adding to the Guinness beef stew as it is simmering.
    • Do not overcook the stew. It shouldn't cook longer than 3 hours, otherwise you'll have dry beef.
    angled shot of Guinness beef stew in white bowl with beer can in background

    Other Soup Recipes

    • Chili
    • Chicken Barley Soup
    • Roasted Cauliflower Soup
    • Beer Cheese Soup
    • Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

    If you’ve tried these Guinness beef stew or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

    angled shot of Guinness beef stew in two white bowls
    Print Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    Guinness Beef Stew

    With beef chuck, vegetables and you guessed it, Guinness beer, this delicious Irish Guinness stew is comfort food 101.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time3 hrs
    Total Time3 hrs 10 mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Irish
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 569kcal
    Author: Ryan Beck

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1" chunks
    • 2 medium white or yellow onion, diced
    • 8 oz bacon, diced
    • 5 garlic cloves, minced
    • 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 1 (14.9 oz) can Guinness beer
    • 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
    • 1 cup low-sodium beef stock
    • 4 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
    • 2 large celery stalks, cut into ½ inch pieces
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 sprigs thyme
    • 2 tablespoon cornstarch plus ¼ cup beef stock
    • salt and black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in large pot over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and add in batches, until browned on each side. Should be 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside onto plate and repeat with remaining beef.
    • Lower pot to medium heat and add the bacon and cook until bacon fat is starting to brown and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir flour into mixture.
    • Add Guinness beer slowly until flour is dissolved, scraping bottom to get the brown bits. Add chicken stock, beef stock, tomato paste, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Return the beef to the pot as well as any juice from them. (I use both chicken stock and beef stock so Guinness beer is more pronounced but you can use beef stock only)
    • Bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove lid and simmer for another 30-45 minutes or until beef is starting to fall apart. Remove the bay leaves and thyme. 
    • At this point I wanted it slightly thicker so I mixed some cornstarch with more beef stock and then added to stew and let cook for another 10 minutes. (You can skip this step if it's thick enough for you) Adjust for seasoning.
    • Serve over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.

    Notes

    • Add cold oil to a cold pot or skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the beef. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
    • Do not skip searing the beef chuck as it helps create flavor and seal in the juice.
    • Use a combination of chicken and beef stock which allows you to highlight the Guinness flavor.
    • If you like a thicker stew, mix 2 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup beef stock before adding to the Guinness stew as it is simmering.
    • Do not overcook the stew. It shouldn't cook longer than 3 hours, otherwise you'll have dry beef.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 695mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4050IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 4.1mg
    Did You Try This Recipe?I love seeing what you make so mention @ChiselandFork or tag #chiselandfork on Instagram and please give a star rating below!
    « Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
    Homemade Cauliflower Pizza Crust »
    7837 shares

    Receive Top 25 Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris says

      March 21, 2019 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      Big fan of beef stew!

      Reply
    2. Karly says

      March 22, 2019 at 11:49 am

      Looks delicious! Pinning!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        March 22, 2019 at 2:30 pm

        Thanks! It's one of my favorites this time of year.

        Reply
    3. Denise says

      February 14, 2021 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      This was very good. The Irish type Beef Burgundy. It was a great meal for a cold winter night.

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        February 14, 2021 at 9:07 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Julie Asbeck says

      February 19, 2021 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      My family loves beef stew and this has to be the absolute best we have ever made! I added some peas and pearl onions for color. You have yourself one heck of a recipe! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        February 19, 2021 at 4:46 pm

        Definitely a favorite this time of year!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About Chisel & Fork

    ryan standing in kitchen

    Hey there! Welcome to Chisel & Fork, a blog with tasty recipes and DIY projects. I'm Ryan and here you'll find hundreds of recipes ranging from true comfort food to vegan. Oh and if you like woodworking, you might just find your next inspiration. Read More About Chisel & Fork…

    Get Your Free Copy of My Top 25 Most Popular Recipes

    title page of ecookbook

    Healthy Recipes

    • Cinnamon Overnight Oats
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
      Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
    • Peanut Butter Energy Balls
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
      Cook Time1 Hours

    Popular Recipes

    • Baked Cheddar Mac and Cheese
      Cook Time40 Minutes
    • Cranberry Mimosa
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
      Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes
    • Chocolate Chip Scones
      Cook Time35 Minutes

    Featured In

    logos of places where Chisel & Fork has been featured

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    Information

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Recipes
    • DIY

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Chisel & Fork

    7837 shares