Irish Stew

Warm up with this traditional beef Irish stew recipe, made with tender beef, hearty vegetables, and savory herbs and spices. Perfect for a cozy night in. It is always a huge hit, so flavorful and incredibly easy to make. 

Looking for a hearty and easy dinner idea? Try this delicious Irish stew recipe that is sure to warm you up on a chilly night. It’s packed with savory flavors and tender meat, making it a family favorite. I love to serve this tasty dish with fresh homemade biscuits, butter swim biscuits, no-knead bread, or Irish soda bread with soft creamy butter.

This time of the year is perfect for all kinds of hot, slow-cooked comfort dishes like stews and soups. This stew is one of my favorites and will quite literally have you licking your bowl. If you like this stew recipe, try instant pot stew, hamburger stew, cowboy stew, and chicken stew.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Seasonings: salt, freshly ground black pepper, crushed rosemary, bay leaves, fresh thyme, and fresh parsley. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves can be substituted for the fresh sprigs.
• Meat: Beef chuck roast is the least expensive and best cut of beef for this recipe, but you could also use petite shoulder, tenderloin, or beef stew meat. In Ireland, they generally use lamb or mutton.
• Vegetable oil: or canola oil
• Guinness Beer: Choose a good quality stout that you love the flavor of and is complementary to the dish. I typically go with an oatmeal stout, coffee stout, or Guinness.
• Beef broth: preferably low-sodium

How to make Irish Stew

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

First, pat the beef chunks dry with a paper towel. Then, dust the beef with the flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef. Plate the beef and cook the onions until they are soft and fragrant. 

Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper, cooking for about 1 minute while stirring constantly. Then, add the Guinness beer and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves.

Cover and simmer on low for about 90 minutes stirring several times to keep anything from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the carrots, potatoes, and thyme.  Cover and simmer on low for about 45 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are soft and the beef is tender. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a little more beef broth or water.

Recipe Tips

• Trim the chuck cutting against the grain (if possible) into bite-size cubes. Avoid large portions of fat and cartilage.
• Slow simmer covered on low, adding more broth when necessary and stirring frequently.
• For aesthetic purposes, peel your carrots so they are that gorgeous bright orange color.
• Do not forget to remove the bay leaves, as they have sharp edges and could pose a choking hazard.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with buttered noodles with a little chopped fresh parsley or potato pancakes. Other delicious suggestions are Brussels sprouts with bacon, braised cabbage, or shaved Brussels Sprouts salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Irish Recipes

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Irish Soda Bread

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Irish Stew

This mouthwatering good Irish Stew is made with tender chuck roast, carrots, onions, and potatoes in a flavorful beef gravy seasoned with rosemary and fresh thyme.

4.99 from 53 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal beef

Cuisine: Irish

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 693kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3 lb. beef chuck roast trimmed and cut in bite size pieces
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large sweet onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon crushed rosemary
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups Guinness beer
• ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2½ – 3 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 carrots peeled and cut in chunks
• 3 russet potatoes peeled and chunked
• 4 sprigs thyme or chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• In large zipper bag add flour, salt and black pepper.  Add the chuck roast and shake to coat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat. Working in batches brown the beef.  Add oil when needed and scrape the bottom of the pot.  Plate the beef as you go.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil and cook the onions until soft and fragrant.  Reduce heat to low. Add the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.  Add the stout beer and stir scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaves and browned beef (that you plated).  Cover and simmer on low for 80-90 minutes stirring several times to keep anything from burning or sticking to the bottom.
• Add the carrots, potatoes and thyme.  Cover and simmer on low for 40-45 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are soft and beef is tender.  If the mixture becomes too thick add a little more beef broth or water.  Remove the bay leaves prior to serving. Garnish with thyme or parsley.

Notes

• Trim the chuck cutting against the grain (if possible) into bite-size cubes. Avoid large portions of fat and cartilage.
• Slow simmer covered on low, adding more broth when necessary and stirring frequently.
• For aesthetic purposes, peel your carrots so they are that gorgeous bright orange color.
• Do not forget to remove the bay leaves, as they have sharp edges and could pose a choking hazard.

Nutrition

Calories: 693kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 866mg | Potassium: 1530mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6984IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 7mg

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