By Becky Hardin
Published Mar 1, 2016
Guinness beef stew is a hearty, cozy, and easy recipe to make in the Crock pot. This slow cooker Irish Stew is filled with beef, Guinness stout beer, potatoes, veggies, beef broth, and more. It’s a simple dinner to make for St. Patrick’s Day or any winter night that calls for a comforting meal!
What’s in Guinness Stew
This hearty beef stew is made with Guinness, potatoes, onion soup mix, and some other simple ingredients. It all comes together so easily in a Crock pot for a comforting and cozy meal.
- Beef Stew Meat: The best stew meat is lean beef , with a lot of connective tissues. So chuck meat (from the shoulder) is your best option. Since it will be simmering for a long time, it will break down nicely and become tender.
- Guinness: A bottle of Guinness adds a rich flavor to this Irish beef stew. You can use another dry stout beer.
- Potatoes: Use small red potatoes, cut into quarters.
- Beef Broth: This really deepens the beefy flavor!
- Vegetables: Add sliced carrots, celery, and diced onion.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour while browning the meat.
- Onion Soup Mix: This is a mix of things like onion, paprika, and other seasonings. It’s a quick way to get that perfect flavor.
- Tomato Sauce: This fills out the stew, adds flavor, and adds more thickness to the texture.
- Seasoning: We add some garlic powder, dried basil, and of course salt and pepper to help season our stew.
Can I make Irish stew with lamb instead of beef?
I love this Guinness stew with beef, but you can absolutely use lamb instead. Traditional Irish stew is often made with lamb or mutton anyways, so it’s a great option. Just follow the same process to brown the meat and then cook everything in the slow cooker.
Flour actually helps to brown the meat better, and it creates a better texture.
Flour is generally used to thicken soups and stews. I recommend making a slurry first, which means mixing flour with water (or some of the broth), and then adding it into the stew.
Irish Stew is essentially any stew made with a mixture of meat and root vegetables, a popular dish in Ireland. Traditional Irish Stew is made with mutton, but it’s often made with other types of meat. So this slow cooker beef stew is just another version since it’s made with beef, carrots, and potatoes (also known as Irish Beef Stew).
For this Guinness Beef Stew recipe, you should brown the meat before adding it into the slow cooker. You will season the beef, coat it with flour, and then cook it in a skillet along with the onions. This is a good way to prepare it for slow cooking to hold flavor, plus the flour will help make a thicker stew.
Guinness is a dry stout beer, which is quite dark and bitter. It tastes great in this stew, but if it’s too intense for your liking, try mixing in a small amount of brown sugar while it simmers in the slow cooker.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Guinness stew in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. It keeps well, and that time in the fridge actually enhances the flavor. So feel free to make this cozy stew ahead of time if needed.
To reheat, you can gently warm it on the stove until fully heated through.
How to Freeze Slow Cooker Irish Stew
Let it cool to room temperature, then pour Irish beef stew into freezer-safe containers. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat to serve.
What to Serve with Guinness Beef Stew
This flavorful Crock pot Guinness stew is certainly a full meal on its own, but I never serve it without some hearty bread. It goes well with this beer bread or beer bread muffins , and tastes great with cornbread too. And of course, grab another Guinness to sip on while you eat!
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe .
Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 10 small red potatoes quartered
- ▢ 1 14.5 ounce can sliced carrots
- ▢ 2 full stalks celery chopped
- ▢ 3 lbs stew meat cubed
- ▢ 1/2 cup flour
- ▢ salt and pepper to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ▢ 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- ▢ 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- ▢ 10 ounces beef broth about 1/3 of a large box
- ▢ 2 ounces envelope Onion Soup Mix
- ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ 12 ounces 1 bottle Guinness Stout
Video
Instructions
- Put potato, carrot, and celery chunks in the bottom of crock pot on low heat. Pour in beer, beef broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper, soup mix, and basil. Stir to combine. 10 small red potatoes, 1 14.5 ounce can sliced carrots, 2 full stalks celery, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 10 ounces beef broth, 2 ounces envelope Onion Soup Mix, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 12 ounces 1 bottle Guinness Stout, salt and pepper to taste
- Season beef lightly with salt and pepper and then coat in the flour. 3 lbs stew meat, 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to taste
- Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Cook the beef until almost browned, and then add in the onion. Continue turning and browning until the meat is fully browned and the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 1 1/2 cups diced onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add meat and onions to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and cover, heating on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Low is best, but if you don’t have the time, high will work! 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- Serve with lots of bread and more Guinness! Enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More HeartyStew RecipesWe Love
- Classic Beef Stew
- Dutch Oven Beef Stew
- Crockpot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- White Wine Chicken Stew
Guinness Beef Stew (Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew)
Ingredients
- 10 small red potatoes quartered
- 1 14.5 ounce can sliced carrots
- 2 full stalks celery chopped
- 3 lbs stew meat cubed
- 1/2 cup flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 10 ounces beef broth about 1/3 of a large box
- 2 ounces envelope Onion Soup Mix
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 12 ounces 1 bottle Guinness Stout
Instructions
- Put potato, carrot, and celery chunks in the bottom of crock pot on low heat. Pour in beer, beef broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper, soup mix, and basil. Stir to combine. 10 small red potatoes, 1 14.5 ounce can sliced carrots, 2 full stalks celery, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 10 ounces beef broth, 2 ounces envelope Onion Soup Mix, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 12 ounces 1 bottle Guinness Stout, salt and pepper to taste
- Season beef lightly with salt and pepper and then coat in the flour. 3 lbs stew meat, 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to taste
- Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Cook the beef until almost browned, and then add in the onion. Continue turning and browning until the meat is fully browned and the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 1 1/2 cups diced onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add meat and onions to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and cover, heating on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Low is best, but if you don’t have the time, high will work! 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- Serve with lots of bread and more Guinness! Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
By Becky Hardin
Published Jul 12, 2017
This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.
Essential Grocery List
It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!
It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.
However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.
In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.
I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.
When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.
So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Fresh Produce
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Lemons/Limes
- Onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
GRAINS
- Breadcrumbs
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sandwich Bread
- Tortillas
MEAT/PROTEIN
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground Beef
- Sliced Turkey
- Lunch Meat
DAIRY
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Greek Yogurt
BAKING GOODS
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
- Dry Yeast
- Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
FREEZER
- Fruit and Berries
- Frozen Veggies (Corn, Peas, Broccoli, etc)
- Juice Concentrate
- Pizza or Other Convenience Meals
- Pie Crust
- Cookie Dough
CANNED/DRIED GOODS
- Chicken stock/broth
- Salsa
- Diced Tomatoes
- Jam/Jelly
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta Sauce
- Beans (Black Beans, Chickpeas, Baked Beans, etc)
- Soups
- Tuna
- Green Chiles
- Canned Veggies
- Coffee or Tea
Get more details on the best non-perishable and pantry foods
CONDIMENTS/SPICES
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Salt (Course Sea Salt and Kosher Salt)
- Soy Sauce
- Steak Sauce
- Hot Sauce/ Buffalo Sauce
- Salad Dressings
OILS/VINEGARS
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Cooking Wine
- White Wine Vinegar
SNACKS
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Quick Oats
- Popcorn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cereal
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Click ☝🏻 for my FREE Grocery List Printable!
I hope this essential grocery list can help you buy what you need and make your home cooking so much easier!
Stock Your Kitchen
Find more ideas for your grocery list, stock up your kitchen, and print more cooking guides and charts to keep handy!
Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On
Frozen Vegetables to Stock Up On (and Recipes to Make)
Ultimate List of Cooking Herbs for Your Kitchen
Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Kitchen
Cooking Oil 101: Types of Cooking Oils to Use
26 Types of Pasta and When to Use Them
What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
Meat Temperature Chart (Free Printable)
How to Meal Prep (Guide for Beginners)
Basic Cooking Measurements & Kitchen Conversion Chart
