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This traditional Irish beef stew recipe is made with Guinness stout and cooked in the instant pot. It’s an easy recipe for a simple, but delicious week night dinner. It is also a must have for St. Patrick’s day.
After visiting Ireland this summer, I’ve been hooked on Irish beef stew with Guinness. It’s rich, comforting and so delicious! It takes me right back to our family trip to the Emerald Isle.
It’s also so easy to make in the instant pot and requires no sides. Even my picky toddler enjoyed it. But what’s not to like? Tender beef chunks cooked with potatoes and veggies and immersed in a rich and savory sauce! As far as meat recipes go, a good beef stew is king.
How To Cook This Irish Beef Stew With Guinness
The Irish Beef Stew is different than other stews because it’s less acidic than traditional stews that have a lot of tomatoes or tomato paste as a base. It’s also different because of the taste and the depth that the bacon and Guinness give this dish.
The Guinness stout gives this stew a savory taste that can’t be achieved with other beers. I’ve tried cooking it with other stouts, but the flavor that the Guinness beer imparts on this beef stew is the best.
Just to clarify, I am not a beer snob – I hardly drink these days – but I could taste the difference. So if you want to make this recipe, I’d recommend you stick with Guinness.
If you are worried about the alcohol, it evaporates while cooking.
If you just don’t want the alcohol in the food, you can make this stew, but it just won’t be an Irish beef stew.
Similarly, if you want to remove the bacon, it will loose some of the savoriness. You will also need to add olive oil or another fat to brown the meat and more salt.
Since this recipe for Irish beef stew is cooked in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot), it is best to cut the vegetables in bigger chunks so they hold their shape.
In full disclaimer, this is not a fully traditional Irish Stew. The Guinness beef stews I had in Ireland were a little bland and made with lamb and not beef. So this recipe kicks it up a notch!
What to Serve With Irish Beef Stew
I serve this Irish beef stew plain or with a side of rice since there are potatoes already in the stew, but if you want to serve it with mashed potatoes, then try adding different vegetables to the stew and leaving the potatoes out. Some options for additional vegetables would be mushrooms, turnips, whole Visalia onions, bell peppers or butternut squash.
So if you are craving comfort food this winter or just want a wholesome weeknight meals that is easy to make in the instant pot and tastes delicious, this recipe is for you!
Irish Beef Stew with Guinness Stout
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs stew meat
- 5 thick bacon slices
- 3 large potatoes
- 3 large carrots
- 1 large yellow onion
- 8 celery stalks
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 cubes of chicken bouillon
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 3 tbsps tomato paste
- 1 can Guinness
- 3 tsps all purpose flour
Instructions
- Turn the saute function on the pressure cooker. Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes to render the fat.
- Add the beef stew meat and sear it.
- Add the vegetables, bouillon, tomato paste and spices
- Add the Guinness beer and cook for 5 minutes to let some of the alcohol evaporate.
- Close the pressure cooker lid and turn on the stew meat function. Cook for 45 minutes.
- Allow it to vent naturally then open the lid. Remove bay leaves and the thyme sprigs. Turn the saute function back on, collect 2-3 tbsps of liquid into a ramekin and mix it with flour, forming a paste. Add the paste to the stew and mix it well.
- Cook it for another 5-10 mins until the stew thickens out. Serve.
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, you might also like Beef Gyudon!
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Sara
This is a very delicious stew, although a bit salty! I added less salt than it called for because of the bacon and the bullion, and I feel I could’ve still added even less. I also forgot about the thyme sprigs but it’s still tasty. I used a 500ml can of Guinness. I wasn’t sure if, once I add the veggies etc to the pot, if I should stir. I tried and it was pretty tricky! Also you say to have it vent naturally rather than the quick vent, but you don’t say for how long. I left it for ten minutes and then did a quick vent. I was too hungry!
Jana
Hi Sara, thanks for trying the recipe and leaving a comment. Salt is a tricky thing because the difference in products used and personal taste. I am sorry it tasted salty to you, but I am glad you tried it and maybe next time you can skip the salt altogether.
You can stir if you have a pot big enough, but you don’t need to if there is no room. The pressure cooker is very forgiving. When I say vent naturally, it means just let the pot vent until it is safe to open (the pin that locks it goes down), but I like you sometimes am too hungry to wait, so venting the pressure cooker manually works too! Hope these help!