This Slow Cooker Irish Guinness Beef Stew is the perfect meal to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s just as delightful any day of the year! Juicy beef, Guinness stout, and hearty root vegetables come together in a fabulous set-it-and-forget-it stew that’s great on its own, but even better served with Irish soda bread.
Great news!!! You can be eating the best Irish Guinness beef stew by tonight!
I know, I know – this is what you’ve been waiting to hear since Monday. Doesn’t it feel like this week has just draaaaaaaaaaagged by? I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for the weekend.
I’m even more ready to eat and drink all of the traditional Irish things! So happy to be Irish for the day!
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. There is also a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page if you’d rather not exercise your scrolling finger!
The slow cooker was practically made for this beef stew.
Honestly, any kind of stew will come out perfect in a slow cooker, but there’s something extra special about this Irish-inspired version!
First of all, it’s comfort food city. We’ve had some chilly weather lately, even all the way down here in Florida, and a big bowl of Irish beef stew is such a lovely way to warm up!
Let’s not forget that Guinness is a gift from the beer gods, and makes everything it touches taste even better. Slightly carbonated, coffee & chocolate-flavored stout lends itself to so many tasty recipes. Even if you’re not a fan of drinking it, you really can’t go wrong with using Guinness is your cooking and baking.
I’m planning on whipping up a batch of this beef stew today, just in time for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities tomorrow! And of course, a loaf of my new favorite Irish soda bread will be in my oven tomorrow morning. It pairs so well with this Guinness stew and is hearty enough to soak up the thick liquid left behind in your bowl.
And for dessert? Another Guinness, of course – and maybe one or two seasonally appropriate St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes.
Ingredients
- Beef shoulder roast
- Baby potatoes
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
- Herbs for a “bouquet garni” – bay leaf, fresh thyme, fresh parsley
- High heat cooking oil – only for searing the beef
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Aall-purpose flour
- Guinness stout beer
- Beef stock
- Tomato paste
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
For exact ingredient measurements and recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
What is a “bouquet garni”?
A bouquet garni is, essentially, a bunch of aromatic herbs tied together with kitchen twine, or wrapped in a small piece of cheesecloth. A fundamental component of classic French cooking, it is used in soups, stocks, braises, casseroles, and stews to provide concentrated flavor – without the risk of getting herb leaves stuck in your teeth.
The “bouquet” of herbs is cooked with the other ingredients and removed before eating.
How to make Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
If you’re a habitual slow cooker user, you know how simple they are to use. Set-it-and-forget-it is so handy when you’ve got a million other things to do!
- Place the veggies in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Top with a bouquet garni.*
- Season the beef chunks with salt and pepper, then sear them on all sides over medium-low heat (to keep them tender.) Set aside on a cutting board.
- Increase to medium-high heat, then saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with some flour and stir to combine, then pour in half of the beer and deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
- Add the remaining Guinness, beef stock, tomato paste, soy sauce, and Worcestershire to the slow cooker; stir everything together well. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Transfer the onion/garlic mixture to the slow cooker and stir, then top with the seared beef. Cook for 8 hours on low heat, or 6 hours on high heat.
- When the stew is done, remove the herbs. Break the chunks of fork tender beef up into smaller bites before serving in shallow bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with thick slices of Irish soda bread.
Even if you don’t have a slow cooker, this Irish beef stew recipe is for you – and can be made even faster in a Dutch oven or in your Instant Pot!
How to make this Irish beef stew on the stovetop
Place the vegetables in a large Dutch oven.
Follow the recipe as written, simply putting the ingredients in the Dutch oven. Simmer covered for 2 hours, then uncover the pot and continue to simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Have this Guinness stew ready in less than an hour in your Instant Pot!
Follow the recipe as written, placing all of the ingredients in a 6-8 quart Instant Pot.
Cook on high for 50 minutes, allowing a natural release at the end of the cook time.
The slow cooker made my beef stew so thin! How do I thicken it up?
First, don’t freak out. This also happened to me, and fixing it is super simple! In the last 30 minutes of the cook time, just mix 1/4 cup of flour (or 2 tablespoons of cornstarch) together with 1/4 cup of cold water, then mix it into the stew. Replace the cover and allow it to finish cooking. By the end, you should have a lovely thickened, gravy-like stew.
Love Guinness? Look at all you can do with the delicious beer!
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Slow Cooker Irish Guinness Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds baby potatoes skin on
- 4 carrots peeled cut into chunks
- 2 stalks celery cut into chunks
- 1 bouquet garni 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 3 sprigs fresh parsley tied together
- 3 pounds beef shoulder roast cut into 3 pieces
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil
- 2 medium onions diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 12 ounces Guinness stout beer
- 4 cups beef stock
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, carrots, and celery in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Top with the bouquet garni.
- Season the beef chunks with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks on all sides, which should take about 10 minutes total. Set aside on a cutting board.
- Increase the heat to medium and drizzle more oil into the skillet if necessary. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the flour on the onions and stir to combine, then pour in half of the beer and deglaze the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
- Add the remaining Guinness, beef stock, tomato paste, soy sauce, and Worcestershire to the slow cooker; stir everything together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the onion/garlic mixture to the slow cooker and stir, then top with the seared beef.
- Cook for 8 hours on low heat, or 6 hours on high heat. When the stew is done, mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup water. Add the mixture to the stew and stir to combine, then cover and cook for 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Break the chunks of beef up into smaller bites before serving in shallow bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with thick slices of Irish soda bread.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 16, 2018. It was republished with additional & updated information on March 13, 2025.
