There’s nothing quite like a beef and Guinness stew on a cold day! Tender chunks of beef, onions, carrots and parsnips slowly cooked in a rich, aromatic Guinness gravy.
This rich Irish beef stew is cooked on the hob (stovetop), but I’ve also given you instructions on how to make the recipe in an oven and slow cooker.
It might be the first official day of Spring, but it’s still chilly enough in Scotland for cosy comfort food. I made this rich beef Guinness stew over the weekend and it was exactly what was needed to warm us up and keep our tummies full.
The Guinness imparts a rich, deep flavour into the gravy, giving you the most delicious stew ever. Trust me, you’ll want to lick your plate clean!
I’ve added plenty of seasonal root vegetables to this beef stew to bulk it out – onions, carrots, and parsnips. You could swap the onions for a leek or add a little turnip if you like. This recipe is quite similar to my Scottish beef stew recipe – but the main difference is the addition of Guinness, of course!
What does beef and guinness stew taste like?
You might be curious to know how this stew tastes and if the Guinness flavour overwhelms the whole dish.
If you aren’t a fan of Guinness, don’t worry. I can’t drink it either, but I LOVE this stew. The Guinness flavour is not overpowering – it mellows slightly during the cooking process.
Furthermore, if you make the stew a day or two in advance, it will taste even better (see recipe notes below.)
ingredient list for Irish guinness beef stew
- Onion, peeled and finely sliced – or you could swap it for a leek if you like.
- celery, carrots and parsnips. You can leave out the parsnips if you prefer, or swap it for a little diced turnip (swede).
- mushrooms. I love them but if you don’t, feel free to omit.
- plain (all purpose) flour – to thicken the gravy.
- Guinness beer and beef stock. I use the stock pots you can buy in most supermarkets.
- Bay leaves and fresh thyme work so well in a stew, adding depth of flavour. It’s subtle, but if you left them out it wouldn’t taste quite the same.
- brown sugar. Guinness is quite bitter, and even though the bitterness does mellow a little after the stew is cooked, I add a small amount of sugar just to balance the flavours. You can use soft light or dark brown sugar.
- Worcestershire sauce – that magic ingredient that adds amazing flavour to just about everything. I can’t be without a bottle in my cupboard.
how to make beef and guinness stew
brown the beef
- Place the beef in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the flour and season with salt and pepper. Mix well until the beef is covered in the flour.
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Brown the beef in batches over a high heat. Once all of the beef is golden brown, remove from the heat and transfer to a plate.
soften the vegetables
- Turn the heat down to low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Stir in the carrots, parsnips and mushrooms. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are beginning to colour. Return the beef to the pan.Â
- Stir in the Guinness and beef stock. Add the sugar, bay leaves and fresh thyme. You can either strip the thyme leaves from the stem or add the stalks whole and remove them later.
- Turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and slowly cook for 2-2 1/2 hours or until the beef is very tender and the gravy is richly flavoured and thick. Taste to check the seasoning before serving and remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.
CAN I MAKE GUINNESS STEW IN THE OVEN?
To cook the stew in the oven, prepare up to step three, then cover the pot (oven proof, of course!) with a lid and bake for 2-2 ½ hours or until the beef is tender and the gravy is thick. To thicken the sauce, remove the lid, then continue to cook for a further 30-45 minutes.
SLOW COOKER beef and GUINNESS STEW
To make beef and Guinness stew in the slow cooker, prepare the recipe up to step three and add 150ml less beef stock. Transfer to a preheated slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
my GUINNESS STEW IS BITTER!
Guinness is stout, which of course is naturally bitter. To counteract this, I add a little brown sugar to the stew. I tested this recipe on separate occasions using maple syrup and brown sugar and found the brown sugar worked best. If the stew is still a little too bitter for your liking, you can always add a little more sugar.
It’s worth bearing in mind that stews are always best a day or two after they are made, so you might find the bitterness will mellow out slightly. This is why I always recommend making a stew in advance to allow all the flavours to develop.
RECIPE NOTES
A little plain flour is essential to thicken the gravy. Some people prefer to add the flour after browning off the vegetables. I like to toss the beef in the flour before browning, but some believe this causes the flour to burn.
I’ve personally never had an issue with this, but if you would rather add the flour after the vegetables, be sure to cook it for a minute to remove any floury taste and when you add the Guinness and beef stock, whisk well to prevent any lumps from forming.
MAKE IN ADVANCE
STORING
Store any leftover stew in a tupperware box in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, place in a saucepan and simmer on a low-medium heat until very hot.
FREEZING
Place the completely cooled stew in a freezer safe bag or storage container. Freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
SERVing suggestions
The classic pairing for Guinness stew is Colcannon which is simply buttery mashed potato with shredded cooked cabbage or kale. It’s delicious!
MORE DELICIOUS STEWS AND CASSEROLES TO TRY
- Easy sausage casserole
- Beef Bourguignon recipe
- slow cooker beef Stroganoff
- slow cooker beef and chorizo casserole
Beef and Guinness Stew
A rich, full flavoured beef and Guinness stew with tender beef, onions, carrots and parsnips in a rich Guinness gravy. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes for a waming, filling meal that your family are sure to love!
Ingredients
- two tablespoons olive oil
- 500g (1 lb 2oz) diced beef (casserole or stewing steak, beef shin or beef chuck)
- 2 tablespoons plain (all purpose) flour
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One large onion, finely sliced
- 1 small stick celery, finely diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 100g mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 440ml can Guinness
- 350ml beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon soft light brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Place the beef in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the flour and season with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in batches over a high heat. Once all of the beef has browned nicely, remove from the heat and transfer to a plate.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add the carrots, parsnips and mushrooms. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are beginning to colour. Return the beef to the pan.
- Stir in the Guinness and beef stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce, sugar, bay leaves and fresh thyme. You can either strip the thyme leaves from the stem or add the stalks whole and remove them later.
- Turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and slowly cook for 2-2 1/2 hours or until the beef is very tender and the gravy is richly flavoured and thick. Taste to check the seasoning before serving and remove the bay leaves and thyme, if you added the stems. Serve the stew with creamy mash - or Colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage.)
Notes
MAKE IT IN THE OVEN
To cook the Guinness stew in the oven, prepare up to step three, then cover the pot (oven proof, of course!) with a lid and bake for 2-2 ½ hours or until the beef is tender and the gravy is thick. To thicken the sauce, remove the lid, then continue to cook for a further 30-45 minutes.Â
SLOW COOKER GUINNESS STEW
To make in the slow cooker, prepare the recipe up to step three and add 150ml less beef stock. Transfer to a preheated slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 374mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 9g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
Got this in the oven now. Smells delicious.
Hope you enjoyed it Sue 😊
How much beef in the Guiness beef stew recipie and how much treacle/ molasses in the treacle scones recipie please.
Hi Colin, you’ll find all the information you need at the bottom of each post in the recipe card 🙂
Doesn’t mention returning the need to the pan.
Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve amended the recipe 🙂