Guinness Chili

Hearty and chunky, this Guinness Chili is loaded with ground beef, beans, mushrooms, and bell peppers. The rich, deep flavor from the stout adds a unique bold complexity to this chili.

Chili fans will also love my Ground Beef Chili and Halftime Chili.

Guinness and a bold blend of spices bring rich, deep flavor to the ground beef in this Guinness Chili recipe. Just like my Guinness Beef Stew and Guinness Corned Beef, beer adds a complexity and savory depth that you won’t get from broth or water.

This unique chili recipe comes courtesy of my friend, the very talented and incredibly sweet Amy of The Blond Cook. Her recipes, including this one, are easy to make and dependably good. I was lucky enough to have her share this one with me. Thanks, friend!

Chili made with Guinness beer a fun alternative to corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day, a perfect game day crowd-pleaser, or just the ultimate comfort food for a chilly winter night!

Ingredient Notes

• Ground beef: A couple of pounds of lean ground beef. I usually 90%.
• Beans: A can of both dark red kidney beans and black beans, rinsed and drained well.
• Produce: chopped yellow onion, chopped green bell pepper, chopped mushrooms, and minced fresh garlic.
• Seasoning: Here comes the flavor! Chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. You can control the spiciness by reducing the amount of red pepper flakes and cayenne.
• Canned tomatoes: A large can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce.
• Beer: A bottle of Guinness Draught Stout Beer.
• Brown sugar: A touch of brown sugar helps balance the acidity of the canned tomatoes and richens the flavors even more.
• Optional toppings: This chili is delicious topped with shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and a little fresh chopped cilantro. Use your favorite chili toppings – anything goes!

How to Make Guinness Chili

This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the onions, green peppers, mushrooms and minced garlic in olive oil until tender. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, crumbling with your spoon or spatula as it cooks. Drain the beef mixture in a colander and return it to the pot.
2. Add all of the seasonings and stir well to combine.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, beer and brown sugar.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until it has thickened slightly.

Storage and Reheating Tips

Having leftovers is one of the very best things about making a pot of chili! As it rests, the flavors continue to develop, making leftovers even better the next day!

• Refrigerate: Transfer the cooled chili to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Guinness Chili freezes well! Store it in a freezer-safe container or zippered plastic freezer bags for up to 3 months. I always use bags so that I can lay them flat for easier storage.
• Reheating: Warm on the stove over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of broth or water if it thickens too much. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, until hot.
• Reheating from Frozen: Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, or reheat directly from frozen over low heat on the stovetop.

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This recipe was originally published on October 3, 2014. It has been updated with new text and images.

Inspired by Tablespoon.com