Irish Guinness Beef Stew (Crockpot Recipe)

Crockpot Irish Guinness Beef Stew – A classic Irish beef stew with a Guinness base, packed with potatoes, carrots, and tender slow-cooked beef. Full of fresh herbs, this stew evokes a feeling of true comfort on cold winter nights.

Slow Cooker Irish Stew

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I already have a classic slow cooker beef stew but this hearty Irish Guinness beef stew is a little bit different.

The rich and flavorful broth is packed with potatoes, carrots, and beef and cooked in Guinness beer and beef stock. The stew is seasoned with fresh thyme and garlic, making it taste absolutely delicious.

It’s so easy to make and it’ll warm your soul. Served with a loaf of Irish soda bread, it makes a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day meal or weeknight dinner during the fall and winter months.

If you haven’t tried cooking with Guinness beer before, now is the time! It gives the stew a wonderfully earthy flavor that pairs perfectly with beef.

Helpful Tools

• Slow Cooker – This 6 quart Hamilton Beach is my slow cooker of choice.
• Kitchen Knife – Having a high quality knife makes working in the kitchen even more enjoyable.
• Veggie Chopper – I swear by this little guy. It’s perfect for chopping uniform carrots, celery, and onions really quickly.

Irish Stew Ingredients

• Beef – In most beef dishes, like my lasagna, I recommend sirloin which is lean and more expensive. Stew is the opposite. Stew is the perfect time to skip the more expensive cuts of meat and go for the cheaper, tougher cuts like chuck. Chuck is perfect for slow cooking because it breaks down and becomes nice and tender.
• Veggies – You’ll need three stalks of celery, one large sweet onion (or two medium), a few medium potatoes, and 3 large carrots. I used yukon gold potatoes here but russets or red skins can also be used.
• Stock – I prefer low sodium beef stock but you can use regular.
• Guinness Beer – Guinness Extra Stout is the best choice for slow cooking because of the deep flavor.
• Flour – You will coat the beef with a light coating of flour before searing. The starch in the flour will quickly caramelize and give a deeper color and flavor. It will also help to thicken the stew.
• Garlic – Three cloves of garlic. Using garlic packed in oil will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
• Bay Leaves – With dried bay leaves, you’ll smell a somewhat floral scent that is similar to oregano and thyme.
• Fresh Thyme – Thyme is earthy, minty, and slightly lemony. If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use dried, but use less as dried herbs are stronger.
• Olive Oil – To saute the beef and veggies.
• Salt & Pepper – To taste.

How to make Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew

This stew is very simple to make but it does require some prep before it goes into the slow cooker.

1. STEP ONE: First, prepare all the veggies by washing, peeling, and dicing the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Keep them similar in size so they will cook evenly. Set aside while you prepare the beef.

2. STEP TWO: Next, prepare the beef by cutting it into bite sized pieces, seasoning with salt and pepper, and then coating it lightly with flour. You can either dredge the pieces in a bowl, or add the flour to a zip top bag and shaking the beef to coat. Either way, make sure you shake off any excess flour, it should be a light coating
   
   Add oil to the pan and sear the beef. Don’t just brown it, you want a nice crust on each side for the best flavor. Once seared, remove and set aside.

3. STEP THREE: Then, to the same large skillet, add half the oil, the diced onion and minced garlic. Saute until fragrant then add the carrots and celery and cook until softened.

4. STEP FOUR: Finally, to the basin of the slow cooker, add the seared beef, sauteed veggies, beef stock, and Guinness beer. Add in the cubed potatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir, season to taste and then cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours.

What To Serve With Your Irish Stew

This stew is filling enough to eat on its own, but you could also serve it with some crusty sourdough bread, onion dill bread, or Irish soda bread.

It has potatoes in it, but colcannon inspired twice baked potatoes would also be delish.

For dessert, a Irish potato candy (not actually potatoes…or Irish), pistachio cake or 7-Up pound cake would be the perfect ending to this meal.

How to store and reheat leftovers

You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days in the fridge or two months in the freezer.

When reheating, you can heat it up in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven. If you’d like, you can even reheat it in the slow cooker!

Can I freeze the Irish stew?

Yes! This Guinness beef stew recipe freezes wonderfully. Just make sure to cool it down completely before freezing. You can store it in an airtight container for up to two months.

Need more slow cooker beef recipes? Try these:

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Chili Recipe
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

Click here for my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.

4.78 from 36 votes

Irish Guinness Beef Stew (Crockpot Recipe)

Created by Melissa Williams

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time: 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

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Crockpot Irish Guinness Beef Stew – A classic Irish beef stew with a Guinness base, packed with potatoes, carrots, and tender slow-cooked beef. Full of fresh herbs, this stew evokes a feeling of true comfort on cold winter nights.

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 large celery stalks diced
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion diced
• ▢ 3-4 medium yellow potatoes cubed
• ▢ 3 large carrots diced
• ▢ 2.5 pounds beef chuck cut into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ ½ cup white flour
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ 12 ounce Guinness beer stout or draught
• ▢ 32 ounces low sodium beef stock
• ▢ 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried
• ▢ 2 medium bay leaves
• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Prepare the celery, onion, and potatoes by washing and dicing them. Keep them somewhat similar in size so they’ll cook evenly. Set aside.
  3 large celery stalks, 1 large yellow onion, 3-4 medium yellow potatoes, 3 large carrots
• In a large bowl, add the beef pieces and lightly salt. Add in the flour and stir to coat.
  2.5 pounds beef chuck, ½ cup white flour, Salt to taste
• To a large frying pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour-coated beef and cook until golden brown. Work in batches if needed, to avoid overcrowding the pan. When done, remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
  4 tablespoons olive oil
• To the same pan, over medium heat, add two more tablespoons of olive oil and the diced onion and minced garlic. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and saute until fragrant.
  3 cloves garlic
• Add the diced carrot and celery and cook until soft, approximately 10 minutes.
• To the bowl of the slow cooker, add the browned meat, the cooked veggies, and the cubed potatoes and mix well.
• Pour in the Guinness beer and beef stock. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.
  32 ounces low sodium beef stock, 12 ounce Guinness beer, 2 medium bay leaves, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 4-5 hours, or until your potatoes are soft and the broth has thickened.

Notes

• Use chuck in your stew. The tougher cut breaks down beautifully in the slow cooker.
• Sear the meat. I usually like “dump & go” slow cooker recipes but this one requires some prep. Searing the beef is essential in beef stew if you want a deep, rich flavor (which you do!). Don’t just brown the beef, let it sit in the hot pan and form a crust before you flip to the next side.
• Give it time. Low and slow is the way to go with stew. I recommend cooking it on LOW for the best results.
• Serve with a piece of crusty bread of noodles to sop up the gravy.
• Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.

⭐️ Final Step! Please let me know how you liked this recipe by leaving a review and rating below. Your feedback supports my small business and allows me to continue providing free, high quality recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 1443mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6084IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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