Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

8 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew with creamy Yukon potatoes, bacon, carrots and a rich tomato beef gravy, this is the perfect winter stew!

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew with creamy Yukon potatoes, bacon, carrots and a rich tomato beef gravy, this is the perfect winter stew! Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Guinness Beef Stew  made in your slow cooker is probably the most comforting and richest beef stew you’re ever going to make. The addition of the beef base, the rich, dark, Guinness beer… This is a stew for a day of curling up on the couch under a blanket.

I don’t usually cook with beer, but in the slow cooker I am a huge fan of it like with my  Ultimate Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches and more notably one of my favorite recipes, the Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I find it is a quick and easy way to add a great depth of flavor and a very unique savory flavor.

Can you make this dish without the Guinness? Yes, but I’d prefer to direct you to last week’s Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew because I feel like you’ve got the directions and the balance in flavors already.

Rich, hearty and delicious Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew.

Why use Guinness in the Beef Stew?

You certainly don’t have to use Guinness, even with the glamour pour shot below this post is not sponsored by them. I just find they are the easiest stout beer to find in markets and convenience stores. Another good stout beer I love is a company from my hometown called Strand Brewing Company.

Quick and easy slow cooker Guinness Beef Stew.

Tips for making this Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew:

  • Just like with the Ultimate Beef Stew, brown your beef! I used a chuck roast, seared it well on both sides, then trimmed and cut it into 2-3 inch chunks.
  • Use Yukon Potatoes! They’re buttery and rich and won’t fall apart after a long day of cooking.
  • I browned the beef in my cast iron skillet and got a GOOD crust on both sides with plenty of kosher salt and black pepper. If you have a slow cooker with an aluminum insert I highly suggest browning it in the insert and saving all the browned flavor that stays in the pan for your stew.
  • If not using a base use beef stock instead of broth and its even more important to get a good sear on the meat, then deglaze the pan with the stock to make sure all the beef flavor comes with it.
  • Instead of crushed or diced tomatoes I use tomato paste. This will minimize liquids and add a bold flavor.
  • In a stew you aren’t looking for the consistency to be that of a soup, so minimizing added liquids is helpful. If using canned tomatoes instead of paste drain the can.

The best Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew Ingredients.

Looking for more Slow Cooker Recipes?

Want to make this Guinness Beef Stew in the oven?

Brown the beef in a large dutch oven before cubing (you can also cube before browning if you prefer. Then add in the ingredients, mix well and cook in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours.

The best and easiest Guinness Beef Stew with buttery Yukon Potatoes and tender carrots.

Tools Used in making this Slow Guinness Beef Stew:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. I brown the meat in the insert without losing a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Cast Iron Skillet: If you don’t have a slow cooker with a stovetop friendly insert, this is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the chuck roast easily. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping, it is amazing.
Beef Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.

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Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew with creamy Yukon potatoes, bacon, carrots and a rich tomato beef gravy, this is the perfect winter stew!
Yield 8 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 8 ounces bacon cut into small pieces
  • 3 pounds chuck roast
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 12 ounces pearl onions peeled
  • 5 medium Yukon potatoes cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 5 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 2 stalks celery minced
  • 4 cups beef broth *
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 12 ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • 2 tablespoons flour

Instructions

  • Preheat  an aluminum slow cooker insert or cast iron skillet on high heat.
  • Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove.
  • Season the beef with half the salt and the pepper.
  • Add to the skillet and brown on each side for 4-6 minutes or until deeply browned on each side.
  • Into the slow cooker add the pearl onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, half the bacon, broth*, garlic, beer, second half of the salt, tomato paste, thyme, and sugar.
  • Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks and add it to the slow cooker.
  • Stir all the ingredients until well mixed and cook on low for 7 hours.
  • In a small bowl mix the butter and flour and add it to the slow cooker and stir.
  • Cook an additional hour or until thickened.
  • Just before serving add in the remaining bacon and stir.

Notes

  • *Alternately use a big scoop of Beef Better than Bouillon like I did in addition to water/stock. The extra beef flavor is fantastic.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1188mg | Potassium: 984mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6660IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4.4mg
Keyword: Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
Rich, hearty and delicious Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew.
Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew with creamy Yukon potatoes, bacon, carrots and a rich tomato beef gravy, this is the perfect winter stew!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. very good add cornstarch instead of four double the amount bay leaves 2 and double the sugar and parsley. Very yummy

    1. Yes you can. I recommend you plan on following the recipe’s cooking time as is but as a precaution, set a time 15 – 20 minutes early to check on the inner temp of the meat chunks. If you’re consistently at 165 degrees you’re ready to serve!

  2. Best beef stew ever. Skipped the celery as I didn’t have it. Went with stew beef rather than a chuck roast as a timesaver. Did use Better Than Bouillon. Good for St. Patrick’s Day for those who don’t care for corned beef and cabbage.
    Makes a lot. Will halve next time.

  3. Confused on the better than bouillon. I use that but I would assume I use 4 teaspoons of that with 4 cups of water instead of using broth, but it almost sounds like you used it along with broth?

  4. This recipe turned out pretty well but I would/did change a few things. I wish I had cut everything about half as big as it says. The combination of the thin liquid (as listed) and giant pieces made it feel more like a roast and less like stew. I used at least 4-5x the amount of flour listed to get even a remote stew consistency, but on the whole, the flavor was very good. I wish I had spent more time trimming fat off the meat, but that might have just been the piece I got.

  5. How thick should this stew get? I love the taste but I prefer a thick stew and mine didn’t thicken! I did just read comments though and realize I shouldn’t have melted my butter. Is it worth trying again or is this just not a really thick stew? Flavour was delicious!

  6. I’m a paid professional Firefighter and I work in a house with 7 guys. I decided to go with this recipe and I followed it exactly, except for the bacon at the end. Made it in two slower cookers and served it with egg noodles. Came out awesome, every single guy had seconds. Only thing I would say is after the 8 hours, take the top off and turn off the heat and let it sit for 20 mins or so. We just went straight after it and it was lava hot! Great recipe, thank you!

    1. I would suggest getting a slow cooker that automatically adjusts to a “warm” setting once the cook time is complete.

  7. This was amazing! I omitted the bacon because I forgot to buy it. But we didn’t miss it, it was that good. I used my Dutch oven because I didn’t feel like pulling out my slow cooker, and it was great. Will definitely be making this again. Might add quartered mushrooms next time!

      1. I’m so glad your family enjoyed the Guinness Beef Stew. Slow Cooker meals are super yummy and so convenient, right?!! Thanks Christina for the 5 star rating. Super appreciated.

  8. This was fantastic! I made this in my dutch oven, and I thought it was amazing! The only changes I made were that I cut up the meat before browning it, and I added 2 bay leaves. My husband made some delicious soda bread to go with it.

  9. Made this for the first time today exactly as outlined in your recipe (including the Beef Better than Bouillon recommendation). My wife and I both really enjoyed it. This will definitely become part of the rotation of recipes we use. Thanks very much!

  10. Can’t wait to try your recipe for St Patrick’s Day to go along with corned beef and cabbage. Would it be ok to use Guinness draft beer instead of the extra stout? And I’ve used frozen pearled onions in other recipes but do they have to be peeled?

        1. I don’t recommend browning the meat and then refrigerating it to use the next day. I could introduce bacteria into the roast with partial cooking and time in between. If you’re going to skip that step, I guess you could and just add the liquid in the morning before starting the slow cooker. Searing the meat adds such a richness though that I think that step is totally worth it. Good luck!

  11. I am making this on a snow day, and can not wait to eat dinner! I drained the bacon grease before I cooked the beef. I couldn’t find where it said to keep is or take it out.
    Please advise.

      1. Love the stew! I got back from Ireland a few weeks ago and just had to make this. I didn’t add the bacon just added a few table spoons of bacon fat and it was Perfect!

  12. One tip I would offer is not to use Guinness Original XX Porter (If it is available in your region). It is far too characteristic (strong?) and spoils the dish. Personally I tend to use Mackeson Milk Stout as it is a little bit milder and does not swamp the other flavours.

  13. Did you receive my message…that this was the worst stew I have ever made. Followed the instructions,except I added green beans in the last hour. None of the Vega led were cooked and the stock would not thicken. Can I save it?

    1. I didn’t get any messages about your stew my apologies. I’m not sure what you mean about the Vega led? Do you mean vegetables? If so it may mean your slow cooker may not be cooking at the right temperature or maybe it was overloaded so it wasn’t cooking through enough. If you added the butter/flour mixture and cooked for an additional hour it seems like that should have definitely thickened your stew, if it did not this also makes me think somehow your temperature is too low. Either way my immediate reaction would be to move your stew to a dutch oven/large pot and place it in a 300 degree oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and the vegetables are cooked through. Since you’ve already added your roux (flour/butter) this may cause the liquids to thicken too much so I would check it periodically to make sure you don’t have to add additional liquids. I would not throw out your food. If the vegetables aren’t cooked then the meat isn’t tender either which tells me additional cooking can benefit the ingredients and you can still have a tender delicious meal. I hope it turns out for you.

  14. Wow! What a fine stew this makes. I used the pearl onions the first time. After that just a medium yellow onion rough cut and it is just as good. I have also made with more veggies and less beef. That works great as well.

  15. OMG! This is the best beef stew I ever had! My husband and daughter loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.