Irish beef stew is a hearty, comfort food at its finest. Tender beef simmers with root vegetables in a rich Guinness beer sauce. This cozy stew recipe is the perfect way to warm up any chilly day or celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with.

Beef stew is one of those meals growing up that my mom had in her regular rotation. It appeared without fail on our dinner table at least once or twice a month during the cooler weather.

This Irish beef stew takes all the flavors of the classic comfort food from childhood and puts a grown up spin on them with a savory stout broth.

Trust me when I say you’ll definitely want to serve this with a good loaf of crusty bread so you can soak up every last drop of the stew!

Braising: The Secret to the Ultimate Beef Stew

Part of the delicious flavor in this beef stew recipe comes from braising it in the oven after you sear the beef and saute the veggies. Braising might sound fancy but it’s really not.

It just means to sear meat or vegetables before de-glazing the pan with liquid, in this case beer, and then cooking the meat and veggies the rest of the way in the liquid in the oven.

This cooking method results in tender, fall apart beef with a really developed depth of flavor.

How to Make Irish Beef Stew

To make this beef stew, start by heating two tablespoons of canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.

When the oil is hot, add half the beef to the pot and brown it on all sides. Use a slotted spoon and remove the browned beef before you repeat with the remainder of the beef.

Then add another tablespoon of oil to the pot. Once that is hot, add the onions and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring as needed.

Add the flour, garlic, tomato paste and seasoning to the pot and give it a good stir to combine.

Let the mixture cook for about a minute and then pour the beer into the pot. After you pour the beer in, use a sturdy wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

These browned bits have all the delicious flavor from the beef and veggies- you won’t want to miss any of these flavor nuggets or leave any of them stuck to the bottom where they could tragically burn.

After you’ve deglazed the pot, add the beef and beef broth into the pot and stir everything so it is well combined. Put the lid on the pot and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour.

After an hour, take the pot out of the oven and stir in the carrots, turnips and potatoes. Cover the dish again and continue baking for an hour and 20 minutes or until the beef and veggies are tender.

Now stir in the parsley and serve with a big hunk of crusty bread.

Tips and Tricks

These suggestions will help you make the best beef stew you’ve ever had each time you make it:

Make sure to get the brown bits up. Using a sturdy wood spoon will help you scrape all the brown parts up without damaging the pot.
Feel free to switch up the vegetables a bit. Not a fan of turnips? Leave them out. Love mushrooms? Add those instead. The possibilities are endless, and this stew recipe is very forgiving.
You don’t have to use Guinness stout. Any beer will work in this recipe but fuller bodied lagers are particularly nice for building a really rich broth.

Looking for other comforting stews? Try these:

This Irish beef stew is the coziest way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Make it any day of the year for a touch of Ireland at home.

Looking for other delicious cozy stews? These are some of my favorites

If you’ve tried this IRISH BEEF STEW, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Irish Beef Stew

Traditional Irish stew, this dish features tender beef and root vegetables slow simmered in a rich brown gravy-like broth. Paired with crusty bread, it's a cozy dinner that warms you up from the inside out.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Irish

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2 15

Total Time: 2 30

Servings:

Calories: 579kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Ingredients

3 tbsp canola oil divided
3 lb boneless beef chuck roast chopped into 1" chunks
2 medium white onions chopped
2-3 stalks celery chopped
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
salt & black pepper to taste
1 12 oz bottle Guinness beer
1 cup beef broth
2 cups baby carrots
4 small turnips peeled & cut into 1" pieces
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled & cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy bottomed (oven safe) soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat.
Once the oil's hot, add in half of the beef. Cook the beef, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef to a waiting plate. Set aside. Repeat for the remainder of the beef.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot, and heat over medium high heat. Add the onions & celery to the pot, and cook stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent.
To the pot add the flour, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, salt & pepper. Stir everything together to combine and let the mixture cook for about a minute.
Pour the beer in, and use a sturdy wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pots to de-glaze it.
Add the beef back into the pot, along with the broth, and stir everything together until evenly combined.
Add the lid to the pot, and bake the stew in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees.
Remove the pot, and stir in the carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Cover the dish, return it to the oven, and bake for another hour and 20 minutes, or until both the beef and veggies are tender.
Carefully remove the stew from the oven, and stir in the parsley. Let the stew rest for 5 minutes.
Ladle into soup bowls and serve with crusty bread.