This beef stew is made with stout Guinness that adds a deep flavor to the gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner!
Jump to RecipeWhen I was in Ireland over 10 years ago, Guinness was available everywhere. It’s brewed in Dublin, so we had to go to a pub and get some while we were there. None of my family really drinks alcohol much, but when in Ireland…. And when we aren’t in Ireland, we make Guinness Beef Stew.
My mom won a trip with her business to Dublin for a few days, so she brought my dad as her guest, and paid for flights for my aunt to go with my sister and me. We went to London and Paris as well, but all fell in love with Dublin. The people were so friendly, the city seemed very clean, and we had a wonderful time.
While I am not a huge fan of beer in general, it does add a lot of flavor to meat and is great in recipes. With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, we decided we needed to make something using the iconic Irish beer. And what’s more Irish than a meal of meat and mashed potatoes with a Guinness gravy?
Even though I don’t drink, Justin does like Guinness. When I said I needed some for the recipe, he made the sacrifice of finishing the others in the pack so they wouldn’t go to waste. I kept reminding him, though, that he couldn’t drink it all because I needed some for the recipe.
Step by Step
In a large stockpot, over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the beef chunks, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Brown the meat for 5-8 minutes (the meat will not be cooked through) then remove from the pot.
Place the onions in the stockpot with the fat from the meat and saute for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and Guinness to the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the meat back to the stockpot. Slice the carrots and celery and add to the stew.
Cover everything with beef broth and season with sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil then set the heat to medium-low and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot. After two hours, raise the heat to medium-high. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together and pour it into the stew.
Cook the stew for about 10-15 minutes so it thickens, stirring often. Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potatoes according to the directions. Serve the stew over a bed of warm mashed potatoes.
Leftovers
When storing leftover Guinness Beef Stew, keep the stew separate from the mashed potatoes. If you store them together, the liquid will break down the potatoes and it’ll become mush. Yes, I know from experience. Reheat the stew and potatoes separately, then put them together again to serve.
Recipe
Originally Published On: March 7, 2019
Last Updated On: February 7, 2021
Guinness Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs beef stew chunks
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 12 pz Guinness beer
- 3 carrots
- 5 stalks celery
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 cups mashed potatoes
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil
- Add the beef chunks, seasoning generously with salt and pepper
- Brown the meat for 5-8 minutes (the meat will not be cooked through) then remove from the pot
- Meanwhile, coarsely chop the onions
- Place the onions in the stockpot with the fat from the meat and saute for about 5 minutes
- Add the garlic and Guinness to the onions and cook for 5 minutes
- Add the meat back to the stockpot
- Slice the carrots and celery and add to the stew
- Cover everything with beef broth and season with sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper
- Bring to a boil then set the heat to medium-low and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot
- After two hours, raise the heat to medium-high
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together and pour it into the stew
- Cook the stew for about 10-15 minutes so it thickens, stirring often
- Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potatoes according to the directions
- Serve the stew over a bed of warm mashed potatoes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I’ve never even thought to make beef stew this way. My husband would love this. Beef stew has to be his favorite meal. I just love all your recipes, I’ve saved a lot of them.
I’m not always the biggest fan of beef stew, ever since I was pregnant and the smell just made me nauseous. But, my husband also loves it and I was able to enjoy it again with this recipe.
I looooooooove beef stew but have never thought to make it with Guinness. Totally need to try this recipe out, it sounds delish!
The Guinness definitely added a lot of flavor to the meal!
Dublin is such a fun place to visit isn’t it – I’d love to go back… And beef stew with Guinness sounds tasty – my hubby is a big Guinness fan!
We had so much fun in Dublin! I wish we had more time and would love to go back one day. Those flights across the ocean are just so expensive, though!
This looks like such a comforting and yummy meal! I love anything with mashed potatoes
Girl, me too! The mashed potatoes made this meal so much better, at least in my opinion. My husband ate it without the mashed potatoes and still said it was really yummy.
Wow! This look so good! Love how you provided pictures to go with all of the steps. Will definitely be trying this next cold and rainy day.
Beef stew is such a perfect recipe for a dreary day. Hopefully, the step by step photos help make the instructions clear and easy to follow!
That looks so delicious! Normally we have beef stew with potato in it, but I love this idea of doing mashed instead. It’s like the ultimate comfort food!
I’ve never liked how soft the potatoes get when they are cooked with a stew. This was the perfect way to still have the potato flavor without the odd texture of cooked potatoes.
I love beef stew! And I’m not a fan of beer either, but I hear they are amazing for recipes. Thank you for sharing. This looks so good!
You don’t taste the actual beer in recipes like this, otherwise I wouldn’t eat them. The beer just adds a richness to the stew that would be missing without it. The alcohol cooks out of it and leaves you with the stout flavor.
This looks yummy! Can you use any beer because I think Gunness is only sold in the pubs here in Japan.
I haven’t tried it with other beers, but you would want one that’s considered a dark, stout beer. A light beer wouldn’t work to give it the rich flavor like a dark one would.
It’s been ages since I made a beef stew! This really sounds delicious so I’m definitely saving the recipe!
This was the first time for me in years. I made it once when I was pregnant and just the smell turned my stomach. I hadn’t made one since until I tried this, and my oldest son is 5 years old!
This looks so good, perfect for St. Patty’s Day! Especially since it’s still so cold here in the DMV.
Our weather has been up and down lately. Supposedly St. Patrick’s Day is the last chance of freeze for us in Houston (it’s when we plant our garden) but it’s still going to be cold this year for the holiday.
Ooo what a warm and hearty meal. this looks like it is all about comfort food. Ideal for the upcoming St Patricks day celebrations xx
Totally comfort food at it’s finest here!
I love Guinness but have never cooked with it! This looks like such a flavorful and yummy dish. Anything with mashed potatoes is worth trying. I’m 😀
This was the first time I cooked with Guinness. It’s one of my husband’s favorite beers. I’ve used other beers in recipes before, and it always adds such a rich flavor to the meal.
Yum, beef stew is my favorite. And adding beer, great idea and I’m sure it tenderizes the meat nicely.
Yes, the meat stayed very tender, but not too much. I don’t like when it falls apart into almost nothing with the slightest touch, and this recipe kept it at a nice consistency.
This looks delicious! I have never cooked with beer before, my husband usually drinks all of it. But it’s totally something I would try. That’s awesome that your Mom won a trip and brought you all along!
I have cooked with beer a few times before, but this was the first time I remember using Guinness. My husband tends to drink it, too. I had to keep reminding him that I needed one bottle for the recipe! He wanted some empty bottles for the photos, so helped me out with that part!