Slow Cooker Beef and Guinness Stew
on Feb 09, 2022, Updated Feb 09, 2024
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Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew is a hearty, belly-warming dish made with tender melt-in-your-mouth chunks of beef, sweet carrots, creamy potatoes, and of course, rich Guinness stout.
This stew is cooked low and slow for 8 hours and is the perfect comfort food recipe from snow days to St. Patrick’s Day.
Finish it off with some Irish cream frosted brownies for dessert and you have one tasty St. Patrick’s Day meal.
Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
Beef Stew is the ultimate comfort dish. And this Guinness Beef Stew is going to be one of the richest stews in your menu plan.
Tender chunks of beef are slow-cooked all day with sweet veggies in a flavorful beef broth and Guinness gravy.
To add extra flavor (and not that this dish needs it!) You’ll want to sear the meat and sauté the veggies before adding them to the slow cooker.
It’s best to do this in batches to ensure that the pan does not get overcrowded.
Browning the meat gives it a nice caramelization and helps to keep the juices inside.
Set all the ingredients in the slow cooker before you go to work and come home to the delicious smells of this stew wafting through the door.
Serve this hearty dish with a piece of Irish soda bread and a fun St. Patty’s Day cocktail and really feel the luck o’ the Irish!
Guinness Beef Stew Ingredients
This classic Irish stew is incredibly flavorful yet uses mostly pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
- Beef chuck
- Celery
- Onion
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Beef stock
- Guinness beer (stout or draught)
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic
- Bay leaves
- Olive oil
- Fresh thyme
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to Make This Irish Stew
From snow days to St. Patrick’s Day, there is nothing quite as satisfying as this warm and comforting Irish stew.
To get started, prep the veggies and set aside.
In a small bowl, place the chunks of beef and lightly salt to season. Sprinkle in flour and mix until each piece of beef is coated.
In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
In batches, sear flour-covered beef chunks until golden brown on all sides. Set aside.
To pan, add in garlic and chopped onions and cook until onions are golden brown, and garlic is fragrant.
Add in carrots and celery and cook until tender.
To slow cooker, add cooked veggie mix and beef. Pour in Guinness.
Add in low-sodium beef broth and fresh thyme and bay leaves.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The stew is ready when the beef falls apart and potatoes are fork tender.
How To Store Leftovers
Leftover stew can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
When ready to enjoy again, reheat over medium heat until warmed through.
Can I Freeze Slow Cooker Guinness Stew?
This stew is a perfect freezer-friendly dish! Place any extras in the freezer, in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
How Can I Thicken The Stew?
If you’d prefer a thicker stew, there are a few ways to thicken. The flour on the meat will help thicken the broth but, if you’d prefer something more substantial, feel free to add a slurry made with ¼ cup flour ½ cold water, dissolve well and add to the slow cooker.
Another way to thicken is by smashing a few of the cubed potatoes. Smashing the potatoes will also add another element of creaminess to this already decadent dish.
Tips and Tricks
- Use your favorite low-sodium beef broth. If you are unable to locate low sodium, feel free to omit the extra salt as regular broth will have enough salt for the stew
- Sweet onions are used in this recipe as their flavor profile helps cut the richness of this dish but feel free to use white if you prefer!
- While any waxy potato will work beautifully in this dish, I recommend using Yukon Golds for their rich, buttery flavor and won’t fall apart after a long day of cooking.
- Be sure to trim and cut your beef in 2-3″ chunks
- If possible, sear your meat in a cast iron skillet to get a really good crust on all sides as this crust is what helps add to the deep rich flavor
- If you aren’t a fan of Guinness, feel free to use your favorite stout
Print the Recipe
Next time you need an a classic, stick to your ribs, belly warming meal, whip up this stew and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Beef and Guinness Stew
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds beef chuck
- 3 celery sticks
- 1 big sweet onion or regular one or 2 medium-sized onions.
- 3-4 medium-sized potatoes
- 3 big carrots
- 33 fl oz low sodium beef stock
- 12 ounce bottle Guinness beer, stout or draught
- ½ cup white flour
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and prep the veggies – dice celery and onions, mince garlic cloves, and peel potatoes before cutting into medium-sized cubes.
- Set veggies aside,
- In a bowl add the beef chuck pieces and salt them lightly.
- Sprinkle in the white flour and mix well until each piece is covered in flour.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat, add the flour-covered beef, and cook until golden brown. For this make sure the beef pieces don’t have excess flour. Do not overcrowd the pan otherwise the beef will not cook evenly. Work in batches if needed.
- When beef is done, remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add two more spoons of olive oil in the same pan and fry the onion and garlic on medium heat. You can add a bit of salt to help the onion release its juices.
- Once the onion and garlic are golden and fragrant, add the carrot and celery and cook for 10 minutes until they soften.
- Set the slow cooker on low heat, add the browned meat, the cooked veggies, and the cubed potatoes and mix well.
- Add the Guinness beer and the beef stock.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until your potatoes are soft and the broth has thickened a bit.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
