Hearty Beef and Guinness Stew Topped with Crispy Fried Onions

Stick-to-your-ribs comfort food for a cold, rainy day — this slow-cooked Beef and Guinness Stew with Crispy Onions is perfect!

There’s nothing like fluffy jumpers, a warm blanket on the sofa and the sound of rain outside to make slow-cooked comfort food feel essential. This rich Guinness stew fills the kitchen with amazing aromas and delivers meltingly tender beef in a deep, glossy gravy — ideal served with mashed potatoes and buttered greens.

Although casseroles can be enjoyed year-round, this particular dish with its robust flavours and crispy fried onion topping truly belongs to cooler weather. The onions are a simple but addictive addition: thinly sliced, tossed in seasoned flour and fried until golden and crunchy.

The recipe makes a large batch for 8 people and freezes well, so you can enjoy a portion now and save the rest for a quick midweek meal.

To prepare, dust the beef in seasoned flour and sear it until golden. Add the onions, then carrots and mushrooms. Stir in garlic, Guinness, beef stock, tomato purée, bay leaves, a touch of dark brown sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then slow-cook until the beef is falling-apart tender — about 4–7 hours depending on the setting.

About the Crockpot used

This recipe was sponsored by CrockPot. The model used has a sear function, which lets you brown meat and vegetables right in the cooker — no extra pan to wash and no messy transfers. It also includes a digital timer so you can see how long remains, a dishwasher-safe bowl, a keep-warm mode to hold the stew at a safe temperature without overcooking, and additional steam, roast and bake functions for experimenting with other recipes.

Key variations

Gluten free: Swap the Guinness for a gluten-free pale or golden ale and replace plain flour with a gluten-free blend. Check stock and tomato purée labels for gluten-free certification.

Alcohol free: Replace the Guinness with the same amount of beef stock and add around 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar (for example, pickling juice from jarred beetroot) to give a little tang.

Make ahead & freezing: The stew can be started in the morning and left to slow-cook for dinner. It reheats very well — cool, cover and refrigerate if making a day ahead, then reheat until piping hot. Leftovers freeze happily; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

The Beef and Guinness Stew with Crispy Onions Recipe:

Square image of a bowl of beef and Guinness Stew with mashed potatoes and green cabbage

Beef and Guinness Stew with Crispy Onions

Rich, melt-in-the-mouth beef stew made with Guinness and topped with crispy fried onions

Prep Time:
30 mins

Cook Time:
5 hrs

Total Time:
5 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Beef and Guinness Stew:

2 tbsp oil (avocado, sunflower or canola)
1.8 kg (4 lbs) braising/stewing beef, chopped into bite-size chunks
2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
2 large onions
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
200 g (7 oz) mushrooms, sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
800 ml (3 1/3 cups) Guinness
400 ml (1 2/3 cups) beef stock (water + stock cubes is fine)
2 tbsp tomato purée
4 bay leaves
2 tsp dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp crushed black pepper

Crispy Onions:

1 large onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
Oil for deep frying (enough to fill a large pan one-third full — approx. 720 ml/3 cups)

To serve:

Sliced spring greens, sautéed in butter
Mashed potatoes

Instructions

Turn on the sear function and add the oil to the Crockpot.
Dust the beef chunks in the seasoned flour and sear for 7–8 minutes until golden brown all over.
Add the onions and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the carrots and mushrooms and stir.
Stir in the garlic. Add the Guinness, stock, tomato purée, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then switch to slow cook: high for 4½–5 hours or low for 6–7 hours.
When the stew is almost ready, prepare the crispy onions.
Heat the frying oil in a large pan (no more than one-third full). Mix the onion slices with flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika. Test the oil by dropping in one slice — it should bubble instantly.
Fry the onions in 3–4 batches for 2–4 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Remove the bay leaves from the stew, dish out and heap the crispy onions on top of each portion. Serve with mashed potato and green veg.

Notes

Can I make it gluten free?

Yes — replace the Guinness with a gluten-free pale or golden ale, use a gluten-free flour blend and ensure stock and tomato purée are gluten free.

Can I make it alcohol free?

Yes — replace the Guinness with beef stock and add about 1/2 tablespoon vinegar (pickling juice from jarred beetroot works well) for extra depth.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes — cook in the morning or the day before. Cool, cover and refrigerate; then reheat thoroughly until piping hot before serving.

Will it freeze?

Yes — cool leftovers, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat thoroughly.

Nutritional information is provided per serving and is an approximation.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.

This post was first published in February 2015 and updated in September 2018 with an improved recipe, new photos and extra tips.

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