This hearty Guinness Beef Stew has a deliciously rich and complex broth. Serve this Irish Stew with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping.
If you feel like doing something besides corned beef for St Patrick’s Day this year, have I got something for you! No need to go to a local pub to celebrate. Cook up your own pub grub at home with this incredible Guinness Beef Stew.
I came across this Cooking Light recipe and thought I’d give it a whirl to satisfy a hankering I had for stew. A stew hankering. Do you ever get one of those? Whenever it drops below 70 degrees outside (hey, I’m from California), I pull out the heavy coats from the back of the closet, throw on my Uggs, and get a pot of stew going on the stove.
It ends up that this isn’t just a St. Patrick’s Day recipe. It is, in fact, some of the best beef stew we’ve ever eaten. And, stew is a big thing here in this house. Check out my Classic Stovetop Beef Stew and Instant Pot Beef Stew – both of these are on regular rotation on my dinner menu.
The combination of flavors from the Guinness, caraway seed, and raisins come together perfectly to create a rich, complex base. I know what you’re thinking – raisins? Yes, raisins! They melt into the stew in the most pleasing way. No one would ever suspect they were there but they do something really special. Make sure to use fresh, soft, recently purchased raisins.
Building Flavor
A note before we start cooking. It’s important to follow the cooking process as set out in the recipe. Don’t try to rush it. The mixture will be brought to a boil several times and then simmered. This is important to the final outcome and flavor of the delectable sauce that will be created as the stew cooks down.
After the long cooking time, the booziness of the Guinness is long gone but its essence is left behind, adding a depth of flavor you won’t get with beef broth alone.
Ingredient List
- vegetable oil
- all-purpose flour
- cubed beef stew meat
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- a couple of onions, a few carrots, a parnsip, baby Yukon gold potatoes
- tomato paste
- low-sodium beef broth
- a bottle Guinness Stout
- raisins
- caraway seeds
- fresh parsley
While traditional Irish Stew is typically made with lamb, beef is more readily available and widely used here in the states. I purchase beef chuck that has been cut down and labeled as “beef for stew”. A huge time saver.
How to Make Guinness Beef Stew
I always start any beef stew recipe by cutting down the cubes of beef a little if needed. They should be 1-inch to 1-1/2-inch, bite-size pieces.
Season the beef with salt and then toss them in flour. We’re going to sear the beef in batches so start with an amount that will comfortably fit in your skillet without overcrowding the beef.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add the flour-coated beef and cook until nicely browned.
Transfer the browned beef to a dish while you repeat the process with the remaining beef and flour.
Add a little more oil to the pan and add the chopped onion. Cook and stir for a few minutes and then add the tomato paste. Cook and stir for a couple more minutes.
Have you seen the tomato paste in the tube? I have tons of recipes that call for just a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Somebody was thinking!
Return the meat to the pan.
Add the beef broth. Cook and stir, scraping up the the yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Now the good stuff. Pour in the Guinness. This recipe calls for Guinness Stout which comes in a 12 ounce bottle 6-pack which leaves you 5 to serve along with the stew.
Add the salt, pepper, caraway seeds, and raisins. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for an hour.
After the long simmer, remove the cover and turn up the heat to bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally for another 30 minutes at a low boil. Add the veggies then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let it go for 30 minutes. It should be at a nice simmer.
Uncover, bring to a boil one more time, cook about 10 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Sprinkle with parsley and remove from heat.
Thick, rich, and SO flavorful.
Now go grab a couple of those extra bottles of Guinness, a loaf of crusty bread and enjoy!
This post was originally published on March 12, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.
Guinness Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil,, divided
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, (boneless chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1- to 1-1/2 inch cubes)
- 1 teaspoon salt,, divided
- 3 cups chopped onion, (about 2 small onions)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups lower-sodium beef broth
- 12 ounces Guinness Stout
- 2 tablespoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 carrots 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices carrot
- 2 cups baby Yukon gold potatoes,, halved (about 12 ounces)
- 1 cup parsnip, peeled , 1/2-inch thick diagonal slices (about 8 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the flour in a pie plate or other shallow dish. Sprinkle the beef cubes with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Coat the bottom of a large Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and place over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Dredge half of the beef (or as much as will fit comfortably in your pan) in flour and add it to the pan. Cook and stir for a few minutes until nicely browned. Remove the beef to a plate with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining beef. Transfer last batch of browned beef to the plate and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring for a minute or two. Return the browned beef to the pan with the onions.
- Stir in the beef broth and beer. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, raisins, caraway seeds, and pepper. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot, parsnip, and potatoes. Cover, reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW, and simmer 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty French bread and beer!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Adapted from Cooking Light
I have made this recipes so many times. Sometimes I add turnips. Sometimes I add mushrooms and pearl onions. Sometimes I make it into pot pie. It’s just so good!! Thank you!
You’re welcome. Glad to hear you are enjoying the recipe. 🙂
I made this recipe exactly and it was so watery, not thick at all. Wondering what went wrong!
I’m sorry you had this issue, Rosie. Take a look back through the recipe and check to be sure you left the cover off for the 30 minute simmer as directed. It should reduce a bit when left uncovered. Typically, the flour used to coat the beef should be enough to thicken the stew but if this ever happens again, it is easy to resolve by adding a cornstarch slurry at the end of the cook time. Just mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of water and stir it into the stew. Let it simmer for several minutes and it should thicken up. You can add additional cornstarch and water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
Does the pot have to be a Dutch oven? I don’t have one.
Any large pot with a lid should work just fine.
I made this exact recipe, but subbed lamb shanks for the beef stew meat. OMG, it was fabulous!
Looks delicious, just one thing – the directions along with the pictures and the actually recipe have 2 different cooking times. In the recipe you cook it for 2.5 hours and in the photos you cook for only 1hour 40minutes. I’m going to venture to say that 1hr40 is probably the right time for this, but wanted to clarify. Thanks!
Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy, Cassandra! I’ve made the correction. The total cooking time should be about 2 hours 10 minutes but this can vary depending on the size you cut your veggies.
valerie, i made your stew sat, to have for sunday on st. pattys day. turned out pefect. will definately make this again. thanks for sharing the recipe! pam
Excellent! We love that stew. Thanks for letting me know Pam 🙂
I use Guinness in just about everything and I’ve never used it in stew!! What a great recipe!!
this looks absolutely divine + what a perfect recipe for st. patrick’s day!
Great St. Patty’s Day recipe. I do plan on making corned beef on Friday but I might just make this too! I’m loving all the flavors in here, and the added Guinness is just heavenly!
I always do a corned beef as well. This is a great alternative and now I’ll probably be doing both every year!
the stew looks fabulous Val! 🙂